I Often Dream of Trains in New York

Robyn Hitchcock’s 1984 solo album *I Often Dream of Trains* is considered among his best. Its stripped-down acoustics would be emulated by an entire wave of “unplugged” recordings by other artists later in the decade and into the \'90s. For this performance at New York City’s Symphony Space, Hitchcock follows in the tradition of artists performing their classic albums in their entirety. He recruited the fantastic multi-instrumentalists Tim Keegan and Terry Edwards to follow him through the quirks of this solid, iconoclastic work. The new live versions bring forth a sonic depth missing from the original modest recordings. The piano pins the melody of “Nocturne.” “Cathedral” and “Sounds Great When You’re Dead” use a spare weave. “Uncorrected Personality Traits” is still fascinating and weird, here performed as an a capella vocal trio piece. “I Used To Say I Love You” (with a humorous misstep), “Winter Love” (with guest vocalist Gaida Hinnawi), and “Autumn Is Your Last Chance” are genuinely pretty, resilient ballads. “Heart Full of Leaves” excels as a poignant instrumental.

I Often Dream of Trains in New York was recorded live at Symphony Space in New York City in the fall of 2008 during the U.S. leg of Hitchcock’s highly anticipated I Often Dream of Trains Tour. Deftly shot by acclaimed director John Edginton (The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story) and originally aired on the Sundance Channel, this concert film DVD (and accompanying audio CD) captures the cult songwriting icon recreating one of his most intimate and haunting albums in its entirety. Robyn is joined by Trains tour-mates Terry Edwards (vocals, keyboards, trumpet, soprano sax, guitar) and Tim Keegan (vocals, guitar) as well as guests Gaida Hinnawi (vocals) and Amir El Saffar (trumpet) from the Robyn-led band seen in Jonathan Demme’s stunning film Rachel Getting Married. As its title suggests, I Often Dream of Trains is a glimpse into the phantasmagorical mind of the artist himself. And I Often Dream of Trains in New York captures him fantastically raw and singularly in-the-moment – in other words, quintessentially….Hitchcock.