The album opens with Pink Floyd’s
“Arnold Layne.” I am of the opinion that the only Pink Floyd worth listening to
is the early Syd Barrett stuff, and you can’t get much earlier than “Arnold
Layne,” which was the band’s first single, released in 1967 (it also appeared
on Relics). This was written by Syd
Barrett, and is about a poor transvestite who steals clothing from clothes
lines. The first line of this song gives this album its name: “Arnold Layne had a strange hobby.” Arjen
Anthony Lucassen’s rendition is certainly one of the heavier tracks on this
disc. Lucassen also covers “See Emily Play,” another early Pink Floyd tune
written by Syd Barrett (it was the band’s second single, and was also included
on the U.S. edition of The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn).
Lucassen delivers a wild, heavy,
yet groovy rendition of “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (one of my
favorite Beatles songs), here simply titled “Norwegian Wood.” He also does a
version of The Beatles’ “For No One.”
One of my favorite tracks is
Lucassen’s rendition of Status Quo’s “Pictures Of Matchstick Men.” This track is just a whole lot of fun. It’s
followed by Simon & Garfunkel’s “I Am A Rock,” and, as you might guess,
this version is quite a bit different from the original, and yet it works quite
well. These lines, in particular, have a different feel, their darkness
emphasized: “I have no need of
friendship/Friendship causes pain/It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain.”
And yet there is a joy to the approach.
When I saw The Who in 1989,
getting to see John Entwistle perform “Boris The Spider” was one of the
highlights. It’s such a great song, and is one I rarely hear covered. This rendition
by Arjen Lucassen is pretty good, though different from the original. It’s
delivered at a faster pace, and rather than “Creepy creepy crawly crawly creepy creepy crawly crawly,” Lucassen
sings “Creepy crawly creepy crawly creepy
crawly creepy crawly,” a change I don’t really like. That’s followed by “(Further
Reflections) In The Room Of Percussion,” the only song on the CD that I wasn’t
all that familiar with. It’s by Kaleidoscope, and was included on that band’s
debut LP, Tangerine Dream. The bonus
tracks include another version of the song, this one featuring Kaleidoscope
singer and songwriter Peter Daltrey, and features a different ending. “My god, the spiders are everywhere!”
Lucassen’s rendition of “Sunny
Afternoon” begins like the Kinks’ version, but soon becomes heavier, with a
fuller sound. I am a huge Kinks fan, and it took a while to get used to this
rendition, but I ultimately appreciated what Lucassen does with it.
“Bus Stop” is one of the oddest
choices on this album. I’m not sure if it works or not. I do really like the
Hollies’ original version, but that worked in large part because it was cute
and youthful, and here that feel is lost, so it kind of just seems strange.
However, it’s followed by one that is absolutely delightful, a cool version of “Flowers
In The Rain,” a song originally done by The Move. It was always kind of a
quirky, fun tune, and Lucassen really embraces that, making this one of my
favorite tracks. Lucassen’s version of “Sloop John B” is also a lot of fun.
The Monkees have been one of my
favorite bands since my early childhood (I’m excited to see them in concert
next week), and Arjen Lucassen’s version of “Daydream Believer” took me by
surprise. From the brief intro, I didn’t recognize the song the first time I
put on this disc, so when the vocals came in, I was caught off guard. And then
I found myself smiling through the rest of the song. Yeah, this track is a
total joy. The bonus tracks include another Monkees song, “Last Train To
Clarksville,” and it is a tremendously fun rendition. I love what he does with
that “didda-didda-didda-didda” part.
Perhaps the most unusual
approach here is to Donovan’s “Catch The Wind” (probably my favorite Donovan
song). Donovan himself has done this song several different ways over the years
(check out his slow, full band version), and the song does lend itself to
different interpretations. I’m not sure how I feel about this rendition, but it
is certainly interesting. It’s also really short. It begins with some
miscellaneous sounds, and an acoustic version of the song plays in the
background, like on a record player while breakfast is being made or something.
Then the song suddenly kicks in with a force. The original album then concludes
with another Status Quo song, “Ice In the Sun.”
Bonus Tracks
In addition to the two bonus
tracks I already mentioned, there are two others. The first is actually an
original Arjen Lucassen composition, “Pretty Girls.” While it is odd for this
album to suddenly include one original number, it does fit, because it has
something of a 1960s pop vibe. “Pretty
girls are everywhere!” The other bonus track, which concludes the disc, is a
cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.” It’s a decent version, with a lot
of energy, but I prefer renditions like that by Melanie Safka.
CD Track List
- Arnold Layne
- Norwegian Wood
- Pictures Of Matchstick Men
- I Am A Rock
- Boris The Spider
- (Further Reflections) In The Room Of Percussion
- Sunny Afternoon
- See Emily Play
- For No One
- I Want You
- Bus Stop
- Flowers In The Rain
- The Letter
- Ride A White Swan
- Sloop John B
- Daydream Believer
- Catch The Wind
- Ice In The Sun
- Pretty Girls
- In The Room Of Percussion
- Last Train To Clarksville
- Ruby Tuesday
This special, expanded re-issue
of Strange Hobby was released on July
16, 2016 on Aluca Music.
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