Robyn Hitchcock - Star For Bram (2000)

The unstoppable Robyn Hitchcock collected his outtakes from the Jewels for Sophia sessions as well as some odds and ends for this self-released 12-song collection. Thanks to a 1999 ad for a Volkswagen, Hitchcock's "I Saw Nick Drake" was topical, which isn't usually the case for the willfully obscure artist. "1974" is reprised from Storefront Hitchcock, and the frequent live showstopper "The Philosophers' Stone" is finally committed to disc in all of its glorious frenzy. As seemingly the last alternative singer/songwriter not to try hip-hop, Hitchcock caves in with his "Antwoman (Dub)." This is one outtake that the world probably could've done without, but then this is yet another in a long line of Hitchcock's gratuitous releases for completists who won't be disappointed, even with its excesses.