Hitchcock's first solo release, Black Snake Diamond Role was recorded during the final days of his influential post-punk combo the Soft Boys. Players included all three Soft Boys Kimberly Rew, Matthew Seligman and Morris Windsor as well as Vibrators guitarist Knox, Psychedelic Furs drummer Vince Ely and soon-to-be synth-pop star Thomas Dolby. Here Hitchcock finds his solo sound with iconic psychedelia like "Acid Bird" and "Brenda's Iron Sledge." In this edition of the album the original tracks are rounded-out by eight bonus cuts, most of them outtakes from the original recording sessions.

"Black Snake Diamond Role was the first Robyn Hitchcock LP - that meant a lot if you were Robyn Hitchcock," Robyn remarks. "The first session was in June 1980, while John Lennon was alive and Jimmy Carter was president. The final one was in January 1981, when they weren't."