Lloyd Cole And The Commotions: Classic Or Dud

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.

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