Globe of Frogs by Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians

Globe of Frogs, Robyn Hitchcock's sixth album and his third with the Egyptians, came out on A&M in 1988, the band's first record for a major label. It was made in London by Hitchcock, Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor with Pat Collier, and they had friends drop by: Peter Buck of R.E.M. adds guitar, Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook duets with Hitchcock on "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)", and regular collaborator Chris Cox turns up too.

It's jangling, psychedelic English pop with a head full of strange creatures. "Balloon Man", first written for the Bangles, is a bouncy, gloriously silly singalong that became a minor college radio hit, though Hitchcock later said he'd happily never hear it again. "Chinese Bones" has lasted better, a regular in his live sets ever since. The dark green sleeve carries one of Hitchcock's paintings and a manifesto urging listeners to choose the organic over big business and to bury their televisions.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.