The Soft Boys plus Robyn Hitchcock, (their nominal leader), in general are 'clever clever'. Too much so for me, in long bursts but there's plenty of good stuff there, not least on their second album Underwater Moonlight. Nostalgists at heart, there was probably no band that seemed so out of place at the end of the seventies in Britain. At least Wire and XTC, the two contemporary bands they seemed to have something in common with made some effort to fit in.
The Soft Boys meanwhile loved the sixties and wore their love on their sleeves. Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd most obviously but also the Beatles, The Byrds, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band,The Beach Boys and Beefheart. They were more appreciated by the American college scene than in their own homeland.
Most obviously their legacy is R.E.M. Peter Buck particularly loved them and claimed their guitar sound to be a greater influence on his style than The Byrds, which was always thrown at him. As I said, too much Hitchcock can be hard to take but at his best he deserves respect. Also worth mentioning lead guitarist Kimberley Rew, who was responsible for much of that great ringing guitar sound that makes Underwater Moonlight a great listen.
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