Rattlesnakes - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions

I could not believe that this classic album had not been reviewed on here so decided to do the deed myself.Lloyd Cole was the darling of student circles for a short time in the eighties thanks mainly to the Commotions stunning debut album 'Rattlesnakes'.Released in 1984 this is easily one of the standout albums of the eighties and a great debut.However like many great debuts Lllod Cole never quite managed to better or indded duplicate this quality ...
...lets be honest much of the eighties music scene was awful Lloyd cole along with other artists such as Aztec Camera,Prefab Sprrout ,Deacon Blue and the iconic The Smiths saw a return to traditional guitar based songs and 'proper' music.

So who were the Commotions?
Neil Clark electric and acoustic guitars
Blair Cowan keyboards
Stephen Irvine drums
Lawrence Donegan electric bass
LLoyd Cole electric/acoustic ... more

I could not believe that this classic album had not been reviewed on here so decided to do the deed myself.Lloyd Cole was the darling of student circles for a short time in the eighties thanks mainly to the Commotions stunning debut album 'Rattlesnakes'.Released in 1984 this is easily one of the standout albums of the eighties and a great debut.However like many great debuts Lllod Cole never quite managed to better or indded duplicate this quality performance.In a time where synth pop was dominating the charts,and lets be honest much of the eighties music scene was awful Lloyd cole along with other artists such as Aztec Camera,Prefab Sprrout ,Deacon Blue and the iconic The Smiths saw a return to traditional guitar based songs and 'proper' music.

So who were the Commotions?
Neil Clark electric and acoustic guitars
Blair Cowan keyboards
Stephen Irvine drums
Lawrence Donegan electric bass
LLoyd Cole electric/acoustic guitars and vocals

Tracks

'Perfect Skin'. This 3 minute perfect pop song proved their biggest hit.Jangling guitars and rooted in folk rock Lloyd drawls Elvis like over the lush arrangement puctuated by some of the most decorative guitar ever assembled on an album.Lloyc Cole wrote or co wrote every song on the album and lyrically he was always cutting and astute.Gems from this one are 'she's inappropriate but then shes much more fun' and'Louise is the girl with the perfect skin,she says turn on the light or it can't be seen'.It also has one of the sharpest endings to a song ever.

'Speedboat' jangles with bristling guitar and is punctuated with keyboard that makes the song sound atmospheric.As the chorus is approached you realise there is a great bass line working beneath the song.I have never fully understood what the song was about but I think it is about pretentiousness and trying to fit in.Either way it is a great song with a wonderful chorus.'It was just not my style to find surf in my eye.Itwas much more my style to get sand kicked inmy eye'.

'Rattlesnakes' is the title trackand was covered by Tori Amos on her 'Strange Little Girls' album.Again it bounces along with the now trademark jangly guitar with a lush string arrangement embedded in the song to drive it along.Lyrically it is wordy 'a girl needs a gun these day on account of all the rattlesnakes' and 'its so hard to love when love was sure a great disappointment'.An excellent track and Lloyd at his best.

'Down On Mission Street' is a slower number.'God only knows how you can hurt her when you know thats just what you do.How does it feel to be so cruel.Will you always be discontented with your love'.The song is worth it for the lyrics alone but it is a grower if not one of the more instantly addictive songs on here'

'Forest Fire' is definitely a fan favourite and I had the luck in the eighties(yes I am old) to see them live and this track was always the one the audiance was waiting for.To me its not a typical Lloyd Cole song.It starts with brooding keyboard which begins to crescendo.Great lyrics as you expect along the way.'I believe in love .I'll believe in anything.Thats going to get me what I want'.And then Lloyd uses the forest fire as a metaphor, 'it will burn your house down,don't it feel so good.Its a forest fire every time we get together'.At this stage guitars have entered the fray and the puncuating drums are getting louder as he sings 'its just a simple metaphor for a burning love'.The last minute of the song shows Neil Clark as the underated talent he was playing a guitar solo that will take your breath away.

'Charlotte Street' .A crunching guitar start and a lead line that I always used to tune my guitar to(I wasn't very good by the way).A roaring song which sounds a little like 'Perfect Skin'.

'2 CV' is the slowest track on the album and is acoustically played.It ambles along with poigniant lyrics 'I suppose we found some kind of happiness to fill the emptiness.We were simply wasting precious time'.You have to love it.Lloyd was always mistaken as being part of what was cruelly called glum rock but the lyrics were often self mocking and self depracating like 'she took her mothers car to get away from me.Heaven knows how I can sympathise but I sympathise'.Another great melody that you will find yourself humming when you least know it.

'Four Flights Up' was an instant favourite of mine.It is a spanking track that races along.Again we have the jangly guitars and and great lead guitar decorating the fringes.Maybe this is the closest Lloyd got to writing a 'moshing' song.You would expect more great lyrics and again there is no disappointment.'We're living four flights up but I swear right now it feels like underground' and 'must you tell me all your secrets when its hard enough to love you know with nothing'.

'Patience' is another brilliant song in an album where there is no let up in quality.At times with his Elvis drawl it sounds like a rock ballad.Perhaps more than on any other song here you see what an emotional singer he can be.All the lyrics on this broken hearted love story are brilliant.As he says 'she left me with nothing but the blues' but when the song ends I am just left with a desire to play it over and over which I already have done 4 times.Need I say the lead guitar parts are exquisite?

'Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken' was covered by Sandi Shaw which I guess is praise in itself.A sublimely acoustically 'picked' guitar opening and the great lyrics 'looking lie a born again,living like a heretic.Listening to Arthur Lee records,making all your friends feel so guilty about their cynicism'. It is a perfect closer to an astonishing album.

To summarise I would recommend this to anyone.Eighties music was poor but albums like this helped turn people back to guitar based song based pop.Music for adults and not children.Music like this paved the way to the indie scene.Sadly I don't belive he ever topped this album but after a coulpe of listens you will probably understand why as this is a sublime record.At discount prices now you can not go wrong on this.Also if you get the import or the 20th anniversary reissue you will get more songs.Go and buy this and wonder why you never had it earlier.  

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