Lloyd Cole And The Commotions: Classic Or Dud

Possibly even worse was his re-invention as a 'US-based singer songwriter'. I seem to remember various press articles where fell over himself to make sure that the journo *drank beer* with him. There were photo shoots with Cole wearing a plaid shirt in railroad yards next to boxcars too. Tit.

In any case, Lloyd Cole? Well, "My Bag" was a decent enough tune. Can't really comment beyond that.

In 1984 Rattlesnakes had heaps of critical praise in certain quarters looking back at reference guides. Ofcourse most of the lyrics were po faced and far too clever for their own good. AMG profile Lloyd Cole - Rattlesnakes

never bought the second album, easy pieces, lost weekend and brand new friend - were ok/listenable cross over radio hits, that were played on the radio early in the weekday evenings, sunday afternoons, and sunday evenings remember the legendary annie nightingale request show (along with the likes of The Waterboys, China Crisis, Simple Minds, Killing Joke (yes them again), The Cult, Echo & the Bunnymen, Sisters of Mercy, Cocteau Twins, New Order, This Mortal Coil- song to the siren, Propaganda, Big Audio Dynamite E=MC2, The Smiths, Talking Heads and Kate Bush) as a 15 year old school kid in 1985 whilst I was doing my homework. A long time ago.

The stereotype following of Lloyd Cole & the Commotions:

Between 1984 and 1987 Lloyd Cole became strongly associated with a certain stereotypical type of university student following, you know those that studied (serious yet .. um..dull)BA degrees, with a college scarf purchased from the student union shop wrapped around their necks, with the NME tucked under the arm, their first car as a student was a Citreon 2CV, apart from lloyd cole - they also liked the more serious songwriter type artists like everything but the girl, Microdisney and Suzanne Vega and they ended up with worthy serious careers in teaching or social work. Stereotypical I know but THAT WAS Lloyd Cole core audience. Today these fans are in their mid 30s, youth faded away and their only contemporary connections to music are probably the dull likes of travis and coldplay. Can we blame Lloyd Cole for these two artists?

by 1987 Lloyd Cole was crap and had completely run out of new ideas, they were on automatic pilot and making ever so dull music like Hue & Cry, Deacon Blue, Love & Money and their ilk. sophisticated dull adult pop, mostly made in Scotland.

What was it with Scotland around this time with so many bands having the same American influences?

Anyone remember the Scots music magazine around 1986 and 1987 - Cut? which was actually not a bad music magazine, certainly better than the NME - Cut was a sort of Scottish Hot Press, that mixed music and politics.

in the nineties lloyd cole solo- totally off limits on my music radar. most likely dud.

Lloyd Cole has a lot of flaws - he's precious, he drops names, he's a puppydog romantic, he's apallingly inconsistent, he went stubbly and hung around railroad cars. But the fact is that when I was 15 and first heard Five Easy Pieces I thought it was a masterpiece. Now I think it's a curate's egg - as is Rattlesnakes - but I salute its wordy ambitions. The situational portraits and character studies on those two records still resonate.

"Rattlesnakes" itself is awesomely spoony put-her-on-a-pedestal- pop, "Why I Love Country Music" haunts me, the two crossover singles are terrific pop fun, and "Speedboat" and "Minor Character" draw make the micro-genre of heartbroken-observer pop quite their own. I don't know much apart from those albums - I never liked what I heard and I didn't want to spoil things. Maybe he's a songwriter I like because I feel sorry for him. More likely he's a songwriter I like because I feel sorry for myself.

For the rest:

When Bill Clinton first came under legal fire from right-wingers et al during the Lewinsky affair, Gore Vidal imperiously, improbably pronounced that Bill himself would survive this: the bile would rebound ultimately to the doom of his assailants. This is true too of those who here shamefully attack Lloyd. Lloyd and his achievements will outlive your pathetic mewlings.

I mean, now they can.

Thank goodness for Tom Ewing.

Lloyd Cole is still great because he wrote incredible lyrics (somehow not as shmaltzy as Morrissey, and much more inventive - and quite frankly, I'm tired of the comparison.) Rattlesnakes was an amazing debut, but the longer I listen, the better "Bad Vibes" stands up. I'm never immediately happy with any of Lloyd's releases - it always takes repeated listenings.

Classic.

But your point re. the way some of Lloyd's records take time to work is absolutely right, and I have rarely seen it recognized. (Best examples: Weird On Me, Love Story.)

Most artists try a different approach to their music at some point in their career (David Bowie springs to mind as the ultimate “reinventor”, then Madonna – or what about Elvis Costello with his Country and Western). Lloyd ventured into some “orchestrated” tracks in “Don’t get Weird…”, however the consistent lyrical content remained. I don’t know if all his songs are autobiographical, but I assume large proportions are. When you listen to them you can easily find references that reflect what goes on in life. Listen to Forest Fire, 2CV (so the room was really green, not blue, put it down to artistic license), Why I love Country Music, My Bag (didn’t everyone try something at sometime?), Jennifer, Loveless, To the Lions, Mister Wrong, Unhappy Song, Tried to Rock (most certainly autobiographical). I have no idea what he went through before/during “Don’t get Weird…”, but how many people can’t relate to the lyrics in tracks like “Half of Everything”? I admit, I didn’t find this album immediately accessible – but after a number of listens it became a regular on the CD player (and still is).

Lloyd’s most recent offering with the Negatives reaffirms my faith in him as a great songwriter – “What’s wrong with this Picture” is so apt (I’m now one of those 30 somethings mentioned earlier, teaching, married, children etc.etc.).

I’ve been listening to Lloyd’s music since 1984, and still do so on an almost daily basis. Sometimes you listen to music for the rhythm of “feel”, sometimes for the words, sometimes for the delivery, or perhaps because it captures certain snippets of life….Lloyd does it all. To paraphrase him (from the time of “Mainstream, I think), some of his songs are great, the others are just brilliant.

No doubt, an absolute CLASSIC!

2001 Collected Recordings: Box set includes the new titles "Etc.." & "Plastic Wood", the UK version of "Lloyd Cole & The Negatives" (including "Artificial Tears") and exclusive bonus CD "Loaded" recorded live in New York. Country: UK. Release Date: 5-Nov-01.

Etc.., 14 track 2001 album is more laid-back & acoustic than the last release. Guest guitarist is Richard Hell & The Voidoids founder- member Robert Quine. Country: UK. Release Date: 5-Nov-01.

Plastic Wood, 18-track collection of solo instrumental recordings, many inspired by movies or the work of Brian Eno. Recorded in New York over a 2-year period. Country: UK. Release Date: 5-Nov-01.

Source: Siren Disc Siren Disc - Future Releases

RE the exchange between pinefox and Andrew L above - I have a bootleg CD recorded in '84 at Le Palace, which is good sounding show, and shows a couple of songs to still be in the writing stages...presumably Rattlesnakes was soon to be recorded. Oddly enough, they do a cover of the song Glory twice - opening and closing the show with it. Huh. But that's all I've seen, of that ilk.

Lloyd's response, "I'm psyched that Alice Cooper knows who I am."

(great show too.)

LC is brilliant, haunting, witty, charming, pretentious, goofy, multi- layered, intellectual, honest, and has very much continued to reflect my feelings about, and experiences with, life and love. (Hmmm. Sounds like a description of Shakespeare.) What more can we ask of any artist?

By the way, if anyone knows where I might find Easy Pieces on cd please let me know. I can't find it anywhere!!!

steph

Pinefox! Back! She said she was married!

I only have the old vinyl, but bought a second copy a few months back and (I think) immediately gave it away. (Didn't I? I can't remember much these days.)

There used to be a 2-for-1 tape of Rattlesnakes and Easy Pieces. (This is Peter Miller territory. Stories about teenage Buxton impend.)

All this is framed, of course, by the fact that Easy Pieces, while good by most standards, is one of the worst Lloyd Cole records ever. Probably only Bad Vibes and Plastic Wood, in their different ways, are worse.

But side 2 really tumbles. 'Too Much of a Good Thing' possibly = LC's worst ever LP track. 'Fall Together' is a bit of a folly that hardly manages to improve on 'Come Together'. 'Wr Wrong' is very good; esp the acoustic solo. 'Seen The Future' is fun I guess but not much more. 'Can't Get Arrested' is a pretty lame way to limp out.

I'm being too harsh - I've played this LP a LOT over 8 years, and that only on a poor tape copy. But I just don't think it stands up vs the others. It's underwritten, after the (magnificent) first track; maybe that's the basic problem.

**The Negatives -- C- (too much studio polish)** **Etc. -- A (excellent... back to folk roots)** **Loaded -- F+ (horrible recording quality and lackluster performances)** **Plastic Wood -- B (ambient electronics; he's no Eno, but it's rather pleasant)**

THAT WAS NEVER ON THAT ALBUM ARGH! FIERCE PANCAKE IS BRILLIANT ALBUM ARGH! HOW MUCH IS THE FISH ETC WAS erm a single way before that etc etc and annoying because defining band for hewry masses ect blather.

Ex Palais Schaumburg bloke produce. Future musical saw man on bass. Beautiful record it is. Buy Fierce Pancake now everybody. Flann O', es. This is a DP

"
I have news, for a change.

I can now announce (sorry to be so hush hush before) that in October this year Lloyd Cole and the Commotions will be briefly reforming to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our debut album 'rattlesnakes'.

So far we have booked
Oct 12th - Glasgow Barrowlands (Ticketweb)
And
Oct 15th - London Hammersmith Apollo (Ticketmaster)

We will quite possibly (and hopefully) be adding a few more shows in other major cities, but I cannot guarantee this.

We will be the original line up playing only songs from our 3 albums,
b-sides and maybe some of the cover versions we used to play. No LC solo material.

Hope some of you can make it, it should be fun.

Universal will be releasing a 'deluxe edition' of the album and we are
currently at work selecting tracks for the bonus CD, these will include:
Beautiful City (the only track from the rattlesnakes session not to be
included on the disc - I'm sure you will agree with the decision if and when you hear it)
Are you ready to be heartbroken? (original unreleased indi single b-side)
Jesus Said (from P Hardiman produced session post rattlesnakes, pre Easy Pieces)
All original b-sides, including Glory (Television song)
Selected BBC session recordings
Live tracks from the period (each Commotion will choose a favourite song)
Demos for P Skin and F Fire

Hopefully it will be something worth having, the CD will be properly
remastered and there will be no surround sound crap.

Finally, thanks to all those who came to the January/February shows.

Yours

LC

surely not!
personally, the first song i heard was 'brand new friend', and then 'lost weekend'. i was young, and foolish and discovered him via top of the pops. hell, there are worse ways to find someone.

i'd be interested to hear WHY you think it is his worst album. it tails off towards the end rather, but i never found his albums completely consistent. and, comparatively, its free of the 'look at the size of my intellect' literary references which, while amusing in isolation, do tend to get a little wearing after a while.

also, its the album where he had a bit of fun, allowed himself to flirt wholeheartedly with pop, stopped trying to be so clever for a few minutes and just projected his feelings without too many twists and tics and knowing smiles. and i think that's why its the only one of his albums that i love, rather than merely admire.

as for the rest of this thread...so, some lloyd cole sounds a little of its time, shall we say.. but thank god it was there at its time. the opening chords of 'brand new friend' still make my heart jump a little, and, if lloyd postured a little in the 80s, he wasn't exactly on his own, was he? 'i love country music', my favourite, paints the opposite picture - completely honest: bedsitter sordidness, television and cheap spanish wine - as effective in its own way as 'gene' by the smiths or 'bedsitter' by soft cell. perhaps more effective for me, now, because it does so without being needlessly maudlin. 'gene' is a great song, but it depresses the fuck out of me. (i know lots of you are going to disagree) '...country music' still makes me smile.

so, then... C-L-A-S-S-I-C..... for easy pieces, rattlesnakes and admitting he'll never match leonard cohen (can anyone?) but that's just my opinion. its no more, or less, valid than yours..

and a lot of the later 90s stuff is really quite good. more reflective, more considered, far less postured - for the most part. 'bad vibes' and 'don't get weird on me' are the case against.

travis? who are they?

And "Bad Vibes" is a great record... Someday you will all see...

Lloyd Cole (X)

Rattlesnakes

Etc

The Negatives

Mainstream

Don't Get Weird On Me, Babe

Easy Pieces

Love Story

Music In A Foreign Language

Bad Vibes

with Plastic Wood existing in a list of its own.

I am opposed to mere lists, and should know better than to make and send this one. But -.

And Music in a Foreign Language may rate higher after more listenings..

i haven't heard bad vibes or music in a foreign language.

Of course even they are better than almost anyone else's records.

225: how many listens does MFL take? What do you think is good about it?

It does have good points - even 'Shelf Life', for instance, does something for me.

I must agree! But he chimed in quickly!

Donna, no Citroen? Clearly your parents treated you poorly and you must lash out against an uncaring society and form a nu-metal band. Oh wait.

Yet, all Reynolds seemed able to do was say that he'd once liked Rattlesnakes. I think it would be good if he took a broader view - and revisited his own interview with Lloyd, from MM in c. Jan / Feb 1990, at the time of the X LP. This was no mere interview: it contained good writing and real insight, more than I've often seen from Reynolds since. It was definitely one of the three best things ever written about Lloyd Cole.

I wonder has he merely forgotten the piece, since, or is he ashamed of its thoughtful interest in later Lloyd, whose work he now thinks mainly matter for mockery?

Rattlesnakes
Don't Get Weird
Mainstream (just for Hey Rusty and Sean Penn Blues)
Lloyd Cole
Easy Pieces

Although leaving the title song off Don't Get Weird was a shideous mistake.

Sometimes I worry that Alba does not identify herself, enough.

(x-post)

Errr....yes it was. And I can say that with all certainty as A Fierce Pancake is the ONLY bit of Stump's catalog I've ever been able to find (and if's the only think I know, how would I know "Buffalo" if it weren't on it?) I have it on much-covetted compact disc too, so nyah!

Disc 1 will be the original 10 songs

All to be confirmed but this is disc 2 if all the tracks can be found -
Original (never released) single version of Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
Perfect Skin - Demo
The Sea and The Sand
You will Never be no Good
Andy's babies
Glory
Sweetness
Jesus Said
Beautiful City (rattlesnakes recording)

Live recordings / BBC Sessions -
Beautiful City - Marquee 5/11/84.
Charlotte Street - Marquee 5/11/84
Four Flights Up - Barrowlands
Forest Fire - Richard Skinner Show.
Glory - Night Moves 15/6/84
Patience - Saturday Live
Rattlesnakes with the strings - Richard Skinner
Sweetness - Barrowlands
2CV - Barrowlands
Speedboat - Richard Skinner

They've also re-released the second and third Commotions albums in Japan. No bonus tracks listed at Siren Disc (search "Cole"), so I don't know if Easy Pieces is the 10 track or 13 track version.

LC played both those Cohen covers at his recent Seattle solo show. His voice suits them.

apparently, it's no secret that LC will be drinking in the halt bar.

But then he nicked our bassist, and I've never forgiven him. ;-)

It's 'Famous', not 'Dirty'.

He spends too much of his time, live, playing Leonard Cohen songs.

It is sweet, that you post such things when you don't like Lloyd Cole.

LLOYD COLE.
THE COMMOTIONS.
THE SINGLES. (I think.)

Excitingly, it includes a DVD.

I will find a Try Glasgow More thread for this too, because it has already been mentioned here.

I might start being a huge Lloyd Cole fan for the duration of this little revival.

Lloyd Cole. The Commotions. The Singles. This is the best we could come up with for a title to replace the soon to be deleted 'The Collection'. The new release will actually live up to it's name. Singles only, hits and many misses. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? is schedules to go to radio as a single 20 years after it's original release.
There is a bonus DVD which will hopefully satisfy those who have been looking for the videos we made. All are included. The package contains absolutely no new material and some of the mixes have been shortened ever so slightly to fit all 21 songs on the audio disc. The artwork is really nothing to do with me, the project isn't either really, I saw no reason to stop them doing it and they are supposedly doing TV ads prior to the release and our reunion shows.

Release date in the UK is Sep 27.
Track Listing
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions:
Perfect Skin
Forest Fire
Rattlesnakes
Brand New Friend
Lost Weekend
Cut Me Down
My Bag
Jennifer She Said
From The Hip
Lloyd Cole:
No Blue Skies
Don’t Look Back
Downtown
She’s A Girl And I’m A Man
Weeping Wine
Butterfly
So You’d Like To Save The World
Morning Is Broken (single edit)
Like Lovers Do
Sentimental Fool
Baby
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions:
Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
Bonus DVD
Perfect Skin
Forest Fire
Rattlesnakes
Brand New Friend
Lost Weekend
Cut Me Down
My Bag
Jennifer She Said
From The Hip
No Blue Skies
Don’t Look Back
Downtown
She’s A Girl I’m A Man
Weeping Wine
Butterfly
So You’d Like To Save The World
Morning is Broken
Like Lovers Do
Baby
Sentimental Fool
Mainstream (bonus video)
Fool You Are (bonus video)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/homeentertainment/story/0,12830,1316522,00.html

Not that interesting, actually. Except the vibrato bit.

Lloyd lived in 'The Pennines', if that's how you spell it. Could this be 'Glossop'? It certainly isn't 'Derbyshire', or is it? The plop thickens...

Lloyd wanted to be Isaac Hayes. (I think he's making this up.)

It is funny how you and he still have the same voice, up to a point.

Today I saw the DELUXE RATTLESNAKES. It looked nice, but even with 40% off (Virgin closing down sale) it was still pricey. Besides, I had my doubts. The I went to WHSmiths and read The Jerry Nipper's piece about it, which was all I could have hoped for and more, and it confirmed my doubts. He only gets on to the extra disc in the last paragraph. I think that says it all.

There is quite a lot of Jerry Nipper in that issue, but still nowhere near enough.

It is thundering and lightninging. I predict it will reach London in about 35 minutes.

I am listening to GENE PITNEY.

This will remain a high point in years to come. Oh, I TALKED TO LLOYD.

Cor.

What did he say? What did you say? And what did he say? And what did you say? etc.

Should more be said, here, about the gig, in the bar?

I am quite excited, thinking about it.

Are you trying Glasgow then, pinefox? Or are you just excited on Glasgow's behalf?

I don't know about another event.

I want Cookie to spill all, somewhere. Maybe I should ring him, and get him to do it on the telephone! If he has a telephone.

This thread (http://ilx.p3r.net/thread.php?msgid=5071804) mentions Lloyd being in a pub. I've decided in my head that we may convince him to do an impromptu set, but this is what may be termed "wishful thinking".

Except, Buffalo wasn't on "a fierce pancake", well not the original version. Jeez, if they had to add the track to the album, why bullet 'eager bereavers' which is also brilliant? (Chrysalis records, that is, not the band...) Apart from that, yes.

(Slowest follow on/reply to post ever? 3.5 years?)

I only have one phone, currently. The house phone does not work. I wish I knew why.

More on the gig: The Commotions looked GOOD, one or two not even much older, one or two older in perfect trajectory.

Some Lloyd Banter:
"I'm trying not to talk as much between songs, because I've realised that I sound like Brian Clough".

(after a raucous, fizzing Sean Penn Blues) "If there was any doubt as to whether I was too old for this...........not any more".

My friend Carey said she liked the ambiguity, there. There isn't really any, though, I suppose. We know Lloyd well enough to know what he means.

Some kind of vaguely remembered setlist:

Rattlesnakes
Why I Love Country Music
From The Hip
Charlotte Street
Cut Me Down
Lost Weekend
Speedboat
Sweetness
Brand New Friend
Mr. Malcontent
Mainstream
Perfect Blue
2CV
Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
My Bag
Sean Penn Blues
Perfect Skin
Jennifer She Said
Forest Fire

The order is wrong, but those are the songs, as far as I remember them.

The set and the banter sound magnificent.

Could the trouble with the phone be the blood?

To-day?

But then I read the contents and warmed slightly. And did not buy it.

I kinda went off him when we went to see them at wembley arena, and it was all so 'another day another gig' dull for him, seemingly.

Last night at the Barras - the anticipation in the air, me feeling like a fraud after last week, the awful support artist ("please buy my album..."), the smell of the place once again.

Lloyd to rapturous crowd: "This is weird, isn't it?"
Rapturous crowd: "YES!!"

He looked GOOD, clean shaven and from a greater distance - if he'd dyed his hair, you could almost have been fooled into believing it was 1984 again, if you wanted it to be.

Add to previous set - Four Flights Up and Patience. Cor.

Neil Clark is some kind of demi-god, I suppose. His lines are so articulate, aciculate even, carving their way through sweaty air and hearts and bones and plastic pint glasses.

Lloyd: "I don't know if I speak for the rest of the band, but I'm really old."

I read something about 'Rattlesnakes' being an album of instant nostalgia; I don't know if this was nostalgia or not - it was poignant, certainly. People around their forties rushing down to the front to be close to Lloyd, having grown out and back into that kind of devotion perhaps, or never having lost it but simply having nowhere to place it, to make it relevant; my friend's brother's tale of catching the minibus after school in '85 to see The Commotions play; songs relating to old girlfriends; the final, grand last stand, LC gathering the troops together for, what, not even a bow, just the sense and grace and excitement of being a band again, before walking off. That was moving. A long way down, indeed.

What, Simon Pegg out of Shaun of the Dead?

In other Lllllloyd news: Dave Eggars 'I was a teenage Lloyd Cole fan': http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,12102,1353957,00.html

Perhaps because the song is actually based on Renata Adler's novel, ahem, 'Speedboat', Dave?

Must read Cook's reporting back!

And thanks, Doc.

I will exchange it for something more suitable, I think.

OTM. I used to be very fond of this record but lost my copy years ago. I recently replaced it and wished I hadn't bothered. I couldn't believe how badly the production had dated.

-- PJ Miller (pjmiller6...), May 25th, 2005.

"Easy Pieces", maybe..

If you dig into the http://www.lloydcole.com forum, there are rough MP3s of new songs, which seem close to _Music in a Foreign Language_ in style.

Well, classic. An under appreciated one, for sure. His first solo album LC has the potential to launch him into significant recognition in the USA, but the circumstances did not gel per chance.

I have briefly met Lloyd twice, both times at Mercury Lounge in NYC. First at a Del Amitri (they are friends w/ LC) concert - where after listening to my drivel re my fav LC songs, he predicted (correctly) that I may like his next disc Love Story. The next time was in the late afternoon when he was having a beer while doing his set list for a benefit concert (for Elephants). I was asking the bartender for tickets when he modestly told me that it was not going to be a real LC concert for he would only be playing 5 or 6 songs even though headlining. The concert was quite good, and luckily introduced me to the female Lloyd Cole in the form of one Karen Iris (http://www.karenires.com/).

Ranking the discs:

1 Lloyd Cole X *****
2 Rattlesnakes *****
3 Love Story *****
4 Negatives ****1/2
5 Don't get weird ****
6 Easy Pieces ****
7 Bad Vibes ***1/2
8 Mainstream ***
9 MIFL ***

we will bypass Etc and Plastic Wood for side projects... looking forward to anti-depressant.

For those wondering what LC would perhaps sound like if he was born in Pennsylvania, sang even more about betrayal, had a fragment of Dylan in his voice, and played quitar more often like Robert Quine -- consider Kevin Salem's Ecstatic and/or Soma City.

Of course LC also gets classic bonus points for being a big influence on Matthew Sweet's GIRLFRIEND disc, even recommending to him to rename, rock-up and imclude the title song.

I saw Lloyd live on Sunday, with Neil Clark and a malfunctioning computer. They seemed a tad under-rehearsed. I think they should have ditched the computer and concentrated on playing guitars together. And why does Lloyd so often insist on ending songs early, and stopping Clark from taking cool exciting solos where they belong?

I was struck by how good a song 'Past Imperfect' is, for a songwriter so far into his career.

Half the PA wasn't working for half the set, and Neil's monitors were malfunctioning too.

I did not get to see The Who, apart from via the red button on my handset.

Has he ever disowned an album? The Negatives' "Tried to Rock" seemed more self-effacing and a comment on the albums' receptions than a direct statement against their quality.

Looking forward to a Seattle tour stop in 2007.

Lloyd's entire BBC output - sessions & live, with the Commotions & solo - are now out on 3 sets (5 discs total). The sessions are fantastic and benefit, as almost all artists do, from the minimal production / short recording time required. The live shows are pretty good on first listen with some unique covers thrown in for good measure.

I liked his last solo album much more than _Musc In A Foreign Language_ but neither get as much airtime as _The Negatives_.

Thanks for the tip! Just ordered all three. A few of the non-album tracks have shown up on singles over the years, right? "Mystery Train", for one. Looking forward to a proper release of that.

Wonder if that means he'll release a b-sides collection. "Blame Mary Jane", "Eat Your Greens", "Radio City Music Hall", etc. - there are gems to be mined.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7iVBfvL8cvb2GmljUDJE6Y

i had a dream about lloyd a few nights ago.

i like to hear Mainstream every once in a while. to think 29 once seemed so old to me! still a pretty song to hear at 40.

i can't actually remember 29 - maybe i'll dig the record out today. i still fondly remember From the Hip Sean Penn Blues and Big Snake. i always thought My Bag was a bit of a crap song though.

a lad who has just started working at my local shop looks like a young Lloyd. that's probably why i had that dream about him the other night. i can't remember the details of the dream though.

I listened to Don't Get Weird On Me, Babe last week. "She's a Girl and I'm a Man" may be his greatest song.

Currently finding myself obsessed with Easy Pieces. It's the only one of the Commotions-era albums I never owned (though I heard several of its songs on the best of).

"Minor Character" is often my fave Lloyd Cole song.

While "Easy Pieces" is the weakest of the Commotions album, it's still really solid. Better live, I think, without some of the odd production choices.

Meanwhile, Lloyd's got a new album with a real-live band coming out in September. Fan-financed (including me) this time. I'm very glad to see he's got other folks with him as his last two solo albums were very weak, in part I think because he's all alone with himself.

Johnny Fever OTM; serious disagreement with Gerald McBoing-Boing. LOVE Easy Pieces all the way through, no discernable weaknesses to be found

Does it have to be a SERIOUS disagreement? I mean, I rank the Commotions albums thusly:

Rattlesnakes - 10/10, fucking perfect, timeless album.

Mainstream - 9/10, love this to death as well, great tunes, clever lyrics ("Mr. Madonna" indeed), slightly less timeless. Admittedly this was the first Lloyd album I heard so there might be some nostalgia fogging my vision.

Easy Pieces - 8.5/10, when I say this is the 'weakest', I mean it's simply their 3rd best of 3. And "Brand New Friend", "Grace", "Perfect Blue" and "James" are better on the BBC comp while "Cut Me Down", "While I Love Country Music" and "Lost Weekend" kill on the recent Folksinger solo albums.

For me it goes Mainstream>>Rattlesnakes>>>Easy Pieces. I think the third album just edges out the first by virtue of its darker edge and the sense of melancholy that haunts much of it. Rattlesnakes is great but it just sounds a little bit too clever in places, although the 20th anniversary reunion show I saw in 2004 was a blissful affair. As for Easy Pieces it's a classic example of the difficult second album to me, a few of the conceits are rather strained and the production sounds kind of cluttered. I remember reading an interview with Cole somewhere in which he said that "Minor Character" was one of the few songs he was ashamed of, just too easy and tossed off.

The self-titled solo album pretty much takes up where Mainstream left off and is also excellent, it was downhill from then on.

I'll disagree (but not seriously) with that sentiment - Lloyd's solo work in the 90s is damn solid, though I'll admit that "Bad Vibes" is just a strange album, an example of an artist working outside his comfort zone and failing - but in a fascinating way, I think. "The Negatives" was as good as anything else he's done.

Some artists have voices I'll follow anywhere they go, Lloyd is one of them.

CA is where
Everybody falls
Down, off the wagon
And under the wheels

Great, great song.

Actually I'd forgotten about Love Story, which is just a fantastic album.

G McB-B, I now understand where you are coming from and I'll retract "serious". Maybe substitute even "minor."

http://www.salon.com/2012/06/16/low_bowies_crowning_moment/singleton/

Lloyd-penned ode to "Low"

I am the 5 other ILM fans of Lloyd thank you for that link!

http://www.bureau-b.com/coleroedelius.php

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41wa%2BGoqrcL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

there's some stuff on soundcloud too iirc?

it sounds good imo! cool cover, will look good on v1ny1.

that's a pretty improbable pairing. lloyd cole meets electronic krautrock pioneer.

it's v pleasant from what i can tell -- http://soundcloud.com/lloydcole/sets/cole-roedelius-pre-release/

where is lloyd cole? doesn't he sing? the electronics are a little on the boring side, i'd say.

i dunno, those are the only tracks i've heard
not sure if he sings or plays guitar o que
i like boring electronic music so it's a-ok with me

yeah, i liked the portion i heard.

xxp he made an instrumental electronic album over a decade ago ... which led to this collaboration.

Sweet

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/08/lloyd-cole-and-the-commotions-how-we-made-rattlesnakes

thanks for that. rattlesnakes to this day remains one of the most amazing guitar albums of all-time without any filler. forest fire still kills especially his solo at the end. here is what i wrote about that album some time ago.

Out of nowhere a couple of weeks ago I got this line and melody stuck in my head: "He looks like Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront." My (older every day) brain could not pin it down, so I just kind of walked around for a couple of days while it popped to the fore of my memory every once in a while. Finally it clicked and I realized it was Lloyd Cole and I had the lyrics wrong (but I was on the right track!).

Great news! This Tory government can soon be replaced by another Tory Government, with an, arguably, misleading name.

— Lloyd Cole (@Lloyd_Cole) January 19, 2022

his solo?

his twitter persona makes me wish i had never followed him. i do not care what he is cooking or anything about his exercise schedule.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbY0BJfhB5k

Ages and names

This reminds me of Prefab Sprout:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oua2EArBQy0

I'm pretty sure it's not the version on the album on which it was originally released, which might also be of interest. There are probably no major differences.

(Maybe the need for there to be an extended version is itself a bad sign, but I still love Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, and I am pretty sure the Prefab Sprout comparison was meant favorably?)

Dug *Standards* out tonight. Found the album during the first lockdown and, accordingly, love it unconditionally. 'Myrtle and Rose' is such a great track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-hCpAoCZak

She telephoned to say that she'd cut her wrists
Instead she beat the walls with her fists
Til they bled
Running red
Running back
Again

His last few albums have been great. "Broken Record" and "Standards" are exactly what you want and expect from Lloyd, but his last one, "Guesswork", is Lloyd adding a synthy/krauty kind of album and it's fantastic. A great example of an artist stretching their style.

Those lyrics are great. xp

Agree with all the above.

Him talking about Limmy absolutely ruined him for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bltQ07N6HxQ

Lived in Glasgow for four years, taught himself Flash, he could almost have been Limmy, only he would have written a better book.

https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limmy
#yinthreid!

Sorry, reading Scots just makes me laugh.

I'll no let that worry me.

How do we even know it is real Scots and not just the work of a Septic bairn?

It may as well be, it's like trying to resurrect Shakespearean English in the 21st century. Plus there's the horrible bigoted element of arseholes in Northern Ireland saying the Fenians have got Gaelic so we want Ulster Scots to he treated as a separate language too.

"Him talking about Limmy absolutely ruined him for me."

that is the 2nd time I've listened to that R4 book show clip, and he sounds like an even bigger wanker this time.

OTM

Seems he’s not in a good place at the moment. Hopefully he’ll get the treatment and support he needs.

https://www.lloydcole.com/time-out/

At least it sounds like he's got a plan to get better. I've really loved this new phase of his career, I hope he can get sorted.

Love this tune

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPCneZ7AwdQ