RattlePOLL: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' Rattlesnakes

I'll start things off. Forest Fire.

Perfect Skin for me, Love almost all his work, you should check out more!

Yeah, Perfect Skin is objectively the best, so I repped for my personal favorite instead. I'll check out the rest, thanks!

Tough call, very strong album start-to-finish, but it's AYRtbH here.

I always thought Heartbreak was easily my favourite track but these days I'm finding myself enjoying the title track even more.

but it's AYRtbH here.

Yup.

No idea between rattlesnakes, forest fire, perfect skin and 2cv. Have to come back to vote.

hmmmm between perfect skin and rattlesnakes for me
one time when i was a teen i bought a lloyd cole cassette at the mall and the salesman said "isn't this a little too adult for you?" and i haven't forgiven him yet

i think i'll go with rattlesnakes but it's a tough one

the salesman said "isn't this a little too adult for you?"

haha wut?!

i KNOW
this guy was such a dick. i always assumed he meant "mature" rather than "explicit" and even so, wtf at this guy being a total caricature.

it was my third lloyd cole cassette, so apparently it was not too matoor for me.

but back to "rattlesnakes" -- lloyd cole songs are full of those moments where you listen to the whole song for that ONE line or word you love and for me it was "foreee-ee-ee-eever" and i would rewind and rewind that song just for this reason. i still love it.

OMG i just realized that i was thinking of a different song -- that "forever" is in the song about Jennifer and the tattoo. Rattlesnakes is the one with "she's obvious despite herself".

I was just watching this performance of "Rattlesnakes" and it reminded me about how much I always liked his lyrics. So much more interesting and smart than other stuff I was hearing at the time. If only I could remember what the songs are called...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I8oHvAsQ1g

Clearly something happened to him post-Commotions, and I have no idea what it was, but he and Greg Dulli appear to be graduates of the same charm school. Regardless, he has Matthew Sweet, Robert Quine, and himself all playing guitar on this performance for "Sweetheart"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhc1ipYWlPQ&feature=related

I think I'll break from the fold and cast a lonely vote for 'Charlotte Street'

lloyd cole songs are full of those moments where you listen to the whole song for that ONE line

otm!

Love the whole album, except for "Patience" which drags a bit. Still prefer his solo work though. Voted "Four Flights Up" b/c it's a rollicking good tune and is not a canonical choice.

Tough call, this album soundtracked a good few years of my life. Went with Forest Fire, but it could have been any of the others on any given day

Pshhh, yeah this album was a mainstay. either rattlesnakes or forest fire. i think forest fire.

forest fire, i guess. and if i had to choose a version it would be the extended version on the polydor release.

Clearly something happened to him post-Commotions, and I have no idea what it was

I'm not sure if it was his idea or his managers to try to make it big, but that's what he did on his first few solo albums. Then he just gave in and accepted his role as cult singer/songwriter (cf. "Tried To Rock"). Not sure what you mean about 'charm school', I've met him a few times and he's always been friendly. I think he's kinda shy, despite his image.

I just meant that he seemed to embrace his inner sleazebag, if not only with the stubble/long hair/gritty city lyrics.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

are you ready to be heartbroken?

Man this poll I made is a dud! Sorry folks, thought there was more love for this one...

oooh it's so hard to love when love was your great disappointment

(not really, it's still pretty easy to love lloyd cole in spite of what appeared to be his stubbly bohunk phase)

wow, you really have your lloyd cole opinions!

someone's gotta bring it
might as well be me

My favorite Cole song is still the nasty "She's a Girl and I'm a Man," with Quine injecting his best 1-900-DIAL-A-LICKS.

http://www.muzu.tv/gb/lloydcole/shes-a-girl-and-im-a-man-music-video/234738/

love it--i'll have to revisit the main LC thread to see what all the controversy's about...what are your recs for which records of his to try next?

go for the first two early nineties solo albums.

The first one especially is indistinguishable from a Matthew Sweet recording: Fred Maher, Quine, and Sweet himself are the band, except Cole is the more incisive lyricist and vocalist.

alfred, i used to listen to that song over and over and over again!! i loved it.

i didn't really have that many of his records -- as i mentioned, i bought them on cassette in high school and was clearly too childish to truly appreciate them. i had this one, the singles comp and two solo albums -- s/t and don't get weird on me, babe.

i guess don't get weird on me is my favorite? maybe i have just listened to that one the most. he really goes all over the place stylistically, esp with the very distinct two different sides. the first side is more rock/country and the second side is full of syrupy strings and songs about voodoo women and divorce.

also i should note that i crashed my '87 honda civic while listening to lloyd cole. i guess i like him in the same way i like richard buckner.

What brought Quine and Cole together? unless the former is on other middle of the road alternative stuff I don't know about

Thanks, Alfred. Never heard Matthew Sweet so don't know what I'll find but we'll see

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

oops forgot to vote

Strange - "Perfect Skin" strikes me as one of the blander songs on the album

Yes, but everyone that heard it went out and formed a mildly diverting band in which they could sing like Lou Reed a bit.

Read something about LC being unhappy with the sound of recent editions of this album (ergo justifying the need for a new remastering/remixing) so I put this on via streaming and it sounded way sparklier than my old raspy beat up vinyl (which I love). Not sure which one is “right” though.