Lloyd Cole And The Commotions: Classic Or Dud

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?

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