Main menu
Fretplay home Submit tabs

Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Hitchcock tabs Robyn Hitchcock discography

Channels
Guitar channel Bass channel Guitar videos Reviews

Message Forum
Guitar forum Bass forum Bands and artists Promote your band Recent discussions All categories

Fretplay.com

Robyn Hitchcock guitar tabs

CD reviews

Black Snake Diamond Role

Robyn Hitchcock - Black Snake Diamond Role Audio CD

A fair review of the Robyn Hitchcock "Black Snake Diamond Role" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Robyn Hitchcock reviews here, or go back to the Robyn Hitchcock tabs.

Band: Robyn Hitchcock
Title: Black Snake Diamond Role
Rating:

Release Date: 1995-01-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Man Who Invented Himself [Original Mix from Zinc Pear] 2: Brenda's Iron Sledge [Amniotic Mix] 3: Do Policemen Sing? 4: Lizard 5: Meat 6: Acid Bird 7: I Watch the Cars 8: Out of the Picture 9: City of Shame 10: Love 11: Dancing on God's Thumb [*] 12: Happy the Golden Prince [*] 13: I Watch the Cars No. 2 [#][*] 14: It Was the Night [#][*] 15: Grooving on a Inner Plane [Single Version][*]

Meat
I remember first obtaining an Italian import of this in the late 80s and thinking it was so chunky. One of the most influential albums on me. Everything about it was blissfully low-tech, including the practically photocopied looking b/w cover. Having only heard "Globe of Frogs" at the time, it also exposed me to the more disturbing (and hilarious) dimensions of Robyn's songwriting talents. From the jubilant "The Man Who Invented Himself" to the ridiculous "Policemen Sing". And, hey, Thomas Dolby even crops up (as Robyn would later do on "The Flat Earth").

Often categorized as a Syd Barrett wannabe (which might be true) or worse, a novelty act, Robyn is so much more than that. His massive career, spanning from the late 70s to this day is a testament to both his talent and stamina.

My one complaint on the CD re-release is that missing sax on "The Who Invented Himself". We are told that this was a "single version" which was substituted on subsequent pressings. Well, it was a bit better . . .
.

Could really be considered a soft boys album!
Well, so is this. Considering Robyn himself said that by the time of Underwater Moonlight The Soft Boys were just a band playing his songs. And it's the members of The Soft Boys as well. So basically Robyn just selected which soft boy plays on which track - utilizing their strengths as the songs called for them. In addition to Morris playing drums, the excellent Vince Ely of The Psychedlic Furs plays on some tracks (although it does not list who played drums on "City Of Shame" - odd). Some great tracks here: "The Lizard", "City Of Shame", "Out Of The Picture" and "I Watch The Cars" are all Robyn at his very best. "Do Policemen Sing?" sounds like a silly Monty Python song, "Love" is beautiful
and "Meat" sounds like the soft boys never broke up (or have any reason to).

The bonus tracks included here (on the Rhino/Sequal releases)
are all great and chronologically accurate.

However the big letdown is that instead of adding additional mixes of "The Man Who Invented Himself" (Hitchock's best single) and "Brenda's Iron Sledge" (also fab) to this release they replaced the originals (!!??!) and put new mixes in their place. Why would you try and fix something if there's nothing wrong with it in the first place? The real kicker is that the mixes that were chosen to replace the originals are by no means superior.

The difference in "The Man Who. . . " is that they removed the sax (which only added to it's already fun and quirky swing)!
And "Brenda" for some reason now sounds dull.
Uh, yeah, what an improvement. Stupid!
For these original mixes search out the original Glass Fish import edition. So if anything by issuing this definitive edition on cd you still have to buy the original to get the original versions of tracks.
Robyn at his creative peak!! Unmatched!.

What's to be said
Black Snake Diamond Role, though hard to find in stores, is as good a place as any to apprehend the absurd English genius of Hitchcock. to those who aren't already familiar with Robyn Hitchcock? Aside from the fact that he may well be Syd Barrett's twin, we could tell them that he's a cynic, a crackpot, a wiseguy scribbling mad couplets to go with a truly eclectic pop-rock band. Quoting a few rhymes from the record is all I can do to entice you into looking closer-imagine these lines delivered with sincerity and all seriousness:

Upon meeting with police in "Do Policemen Sing?":

"dont get stymied/dont say bloody hell or blimey/dont complain if your beans aren't warm"

whispered about an enigmatic reptile:

"You wear the lizard's shoes/and afterwards you. . . get confused. "

tell me this guy doesnt pour LSD on his cornflakes:

"All aboard/Brenda's Iron Sledge/please dont call me Reg/its not my name. "

Don't you wish you could be this eloquent about the girl you wish you could have thats too hot for you to handle:

"She's not just a pretty face shes a big black hole as well/she swallows everything she sees/she's not of the human race shes a creature out of hell/shes a disease. "

Brilliantly weird, if thats your thing.

Beautiful and Strange
It's an enchanting and inventive record in which typical Hitchcockian wierdness ("Brenda's Iron Sledge," "Do Policemen Sing?") is paired with a lovely and graceful melodicism ("Acid Bird" and "Love," two of Hitchcock's finest moments). Hitchcock's first post-Soft Boys album is one of the strongest in his catalog. Other highlights include the manic rocker "Meat" and the stoned and eery "The Lizard. " Great stuff.

Rhino's reissue adds five bonus tracks, including the surreal spoken word piece "Happy the Golden Prince," a slowed-down and VERY heavy take on "I Watch the Cars," and an early version of "It Was the Night" that redeems the overproduced mess on "Groovy Decoy. "

A couple of minor irritants: Rhino's reissue replaces the original versions of "The Man Who Invented Himself" and "Brenda's Iron Sledge" with an alternate, sax-less version of the former and a new remix of the latter. Why, why, oh why? Let's have these as bonus tracks, by all means, but for god's sake, why tamper with the content of an album that's been around for 20 years?.

Good reissue, but some additions were a mistake
BLACK SNAKE DIAMOND ROLE is best heard within it's original line-up of songs: in this case, the addition of some of the "CD-only" material only shows that sometimes the longer playing time of a CD isn't an advantage. Robyn Hitchcock's earliest albums also are among his best: he was lively and fresh and, depending on your point of view, his eccentricities in songwriting and performance hadn't developed into shtick as they tended to with later releases. "Happy The Golden Prince" is interesting to hear---once. After that, it's a major annoyance, the shaggiest of shaggy dog stories. But songs like "The Man Who Invented Himself," "Acid Bird," "Do Policeman Sing" and "Love" are keepers, each song showing another facet of Hitch's considerable talents. Same with the others on the original album's list. A good reissue---just wish it had been a GREAT one!.

You can see a complete list of all Robyn Hitchcock discography, or go back to the Robyn Hitchcock tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.