Black Snake Dîamond Röle

Black Snake Dîamond Röle, by Robyn Hitchcock

I am going through a period of musical nostalgia, revisiting some of the records that were influential and important to me in my younger years. For the most part I come away underwhelmed. Records that seemed brilliant when I was 18 haven't aged very well. One glaring exception is Robyn Hitchcock's first solo record.
After his band, the Soft Boys, disbanded in 1980 Hitch set off alone, recording this record with a few of his former band mates but this time, the songs and vision put forth are his alone. This is where he introduced his brand of twisted psychedelic pop; an amalgam of Syd Barrett, John Lennon and the Byrds, filtered through a post-punk sensibility. The beautiful 12 string guitar chime of "Acid Bird" shows one side of Hitchcock's song-writing prowess, the flipside being the thunderous rancor of "Brenda's Iron Sledge." It is a decidedly British record both thematically and aurally. Hitchcock delivers his lyrics with a fantastic accent that adds much to these songs.
This record was the beginning of a prolific career; Hitchcock is still releasing great records; check out his record "Spooked" from a few years back to see what I mean.
-Stephen