Strange Hobby

Strange Hobby
Studio album by uncredited artist
(Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
Released 1996
Genre Psychedelic rock
rock
folk rock
Label Transmission
Arjen Anthony Lucassen chronology
Actual Fantasy
(1996)		 Strange Hobby
(1996)		 Into the Electric Castle
(1998)

Strange Hobby is an uncredited cover album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released in 1996. The album and the booklet contain no information about Lucassen and don't explain who was responsible for the recordings, to make the album even more "strange".[1]

The album features covers of songs that have influenced Lucassen's musical development, mainly from the 1960s.[1] As he did in his solo album Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy, Lucassen makes all the vocals and all the instruments (except drums and synthesizer), and arranged all the songs himself.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Original artist (date) Length
1. "Arnold Layne"  Syd BarrettPink Floyd (1967) 2:59[2]
2. "Norwegian Wood"  John Lennon, Paul McCartneyThe Beatles (1965) 2:07
3. "Pictures of Matchstick Men"  Francis RossiStatus Quo (1968) 3:10
4. "I Am a Rock"  Paul SimonPaul Simon (1965) 2:35
5. "Boris the Spider"  John EntwistleThe Who (1966) 2:10
6. "In the Room of Percussion"  Eddy PumerKaleidoscope (1967) 3:11
7. "Sunny Afternoon"  Ray DaviesThe Kinks (1966) 3:29
8. "See Emily Play"  Syd BarrettPink Floyd (1967) 2:41
9. "For No One"  Paul McCartneyThe Beatles (1966) 2:02
10. "I Want You"  Bob DylanBob Dylan (1966) 2:38
11. "Bus Stop"  Graham GouldmanThe Hollies (1966) 3:05
12. "Flowers in the Rain"  Roy WoodThe Move (1967) 2:11
13. "The Letter"  Wayne Carson ThompsonThe Box Tops (1967) 2:08
14. "Ride a White Swan"  Marc BolanT. Rex (1970) 2:18
15. "Sloop John B"  Traditionnal West Indies songThe Beach Boys (1966) 2:55
16. "Daydream Believer"  John StewartThe Monkees (1967) 2:42
17. "Catch the Wind"  DonovanDonovan (1965) 1:58
18. "Ice in the Sun"  Marty Wilde, Ronnie ScottStatus Quo (1968) 2:26

Commercial reception

The album was a commercial loss, partially because Lucassen wasn't very well known yet (his success really started with Into the Electric Castle). Years later, Arjen stated "it may not be smart from a commercial point of view, but it was fun".[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 December 12, 2010 (2010-12-12). "Strange Hobby – Strange Hobby". ArjenLucassen.com. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  2. ↑ "Ayreon - strange hobby - chroniques, informations (1996)". Amarokprog.net. Retrieved 2011-09-01.