Advantages: flawless quality,brilliant lyrics just perfect music Disadvantages: none except only 10 songs unless yo buy reissue
I could not believe that this classic album had not been reviewed on here so decided to do the deed myself.LloydCole 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 Lloydcole 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 ...
Advantages: Pleasant poppy sound, suitably gloomy lyrics Disadvantages: Can be a bit gentle for my tastes
Back in 1985, it wasn?t all synths and silly haircuts. There were bands that played ?real? instruments and crafted songs and were still considered pop. It wasn?t all grinning Stock Aitken and Waterman stable mates either, as there were several gloomier bands around for those who like that sort of thing, the sublime Cure, the magnificent Smiths and errr, LloydCole and the Commotions.
No, seriously. The splendidly glum (and in no small part, pretentious) LloydCole produced some great pop music in the mid eighties, mixing twangy guitars with his deep, understated vocal style and employing exponents of some of the lush productions of the time, such as Anne Dudley (ABC/Art of noise/Frankie etc). I believe he was a philosophy graduate and there are some obscure references in his lyrics that I think may be attributed to this, but there is ...
My spies tell me that LloydCole is hitting the road this summer, on a UK tour. Before you rush out and book tickets, here's my review of the gig he played here in Edinburgh last year:
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Ok, so why the hell did I give up my Sunday night to sit in a church pew in Edinburgh's charming but chilly Queens Hall and listen to an old has been that never was? Well, firstly I'll be honest with you and admit I got the tickets for nothing via a competition in our local paper. Hurrah! I am a winner! felt good, I can tell you.
And secondly, I have loved this mans work since I was fifteen years old and (illegally!) taped my brother's Rattlenakes LP and played it to death in my bedroom. In those days of course LloydCole was never without his Commotions, who appear to have now melted away or indeed ...
Product Information for "Rattlesnakes [Remastered] - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions" »
Product details
Title
Rattlesnakes [Remastered]
Performer
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
Genre
Rock & Pop
Release Date
04/10/2004
Recomended Retail Price
19.99 GBP
Original Release Year
1984
Label / Distributor
Polydor / Universal Music
Guest Artist(s)
Cole, Lloyd & The Commotions
Engineer
Ric Ocasek
Producer
Paul Hardiman
Pieces in Set
2
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
602498218204
Catalogue Number
9821820
Additional notes
Album Notes
Arguably one of the finest British pop albums of the '80s, 1984's RATTLESNAKES is the brilliant debut of one of the finest singer-songwriters of the decade. Coming right at a point when synth-pop's domination of the UK charts was ending and a new breed of guitar-based pop bands led by the Smiths and Aztec Camera were the new British wave, RATTLESNAKES had the force of a major new work, and still holds up better than most of its contemporaries. Cole's literate--at times self-consciously so--lyrics, and chiming, folk-rocky tunes are outstanding, and his terrific voice and lead guitarist Neil Clark's exceptional instrumental work put over the songs brilliantly. Fully half of these songs, including the Dylanesque "Perfect Skin" and the moody, romantic "Forest Fire", with Clark's remarkable ending solo, are all-time Britpop classics. Cole would do standout work after this, but RATTLESNAKES is simply perfect.
Titles on disc 1
1.
Perfect Skin
2.
Speedboat
3.
Rattlesnakes
4.
Down On Mission Street
5.
Forest Fire (extended version)
6.
Charlotte Street
7.
2cv
8.
Four Flights Up
9.
Patience
10.
Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken
Titles on disc 2
1.
Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken (demo)
2.
Perfect Skin (demo)
3.
Glory (live at Nightmoves 15/6/1984)
4.
Beautiful City (live at the Marquee 5/11/1984)
5.
Charlotte Street (live at the Marquee 5/11/1984)
6.
Sweetness (live at the Barrowlands 9/9/1985)
7.
2cv (live at the Barrowlands 9/9/1985)
8.
Patience (BBC Radio 1 session 25/5/1984)
9.
Forest Fire (Richard Skinner session 5/7/1984)
10.
Speedboat (Richard Skinner session 5/7/1984)
11.
Rattlesnakes (BBC Radio 1 session)
12.
Sea And The Sand
13.
You Will Never Be No Good
14.
Andy's Babies
15.
Glory
16.
Sweetness
17.
Beautiful City
18.
Jesus Said
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
03/06/2005
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