Lloyd ColeCountry of origin:England Type of music generally:Alternative pop Status:Most recent release, Guesswork (2019) See also:Lloyd Cole's site Comparisons:Dylan, Leonard Cohen, the Smiths, Matthew Sweet Covers/own material:Own General comments:I'm a *huge* Lloyd Cole fan. I find his earlier stuff better than the later stuff (up to when he moved to New York). (Tim.Cook@Swift.Com) Comments about live performance:Lloyd Cole is, well, unextraordinary. He is virtually emotionless on stage and his songs lack energy and conviction. They are not offensive, they just are not impressive. For some reason, he has lots of fans, though. Don't know why. Lloyd started with an acoustic set with just himself and his guitarist (Neil)—this was pretty squarely in the "sensitive-new-age-depression-longing-singer-song-writer-balladeer-dreamer-a lmost-had-her-now-she's-gone-but-boy-was-it-almost-swell-while-she-was-here" genre, with little to no variation at all. All the songs were interchangeable to my ear. (11/98, mjmjminla@yahoo.com) Recommended first album:I'd recommend starting with 1984-1989 (for a good overview of the Commotions stuff), Lloyd Cole (if you prefer more straight-ahead "alternative" pop/rock), or Don't Get Weird on Me Babe (if you're intersted in the contrast between his rockier and mellower sides). (drumz@best.com) Recordings:
RattlesnakesLloyd Cole and the CommotionsRelease info:1984—Capitol Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Lloyd Cole—vocals, acoustic and electric guitars Produced by:Paul Hardiman Comments:A groundbreaking debut which many fans and critics still consider one of the finest albums of the eighties, Rattlesnakes takes a few simple pop formulas and updates them into something truly unique. (drumz@best.com) Easy PiecesLloyd Cole and the CommotionsRelease info:1985—Capitol Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended for Lloyd Cole fans Group members:Neil Clark—guitar Comments:More uneven and less well-produced than its predecessor, this is Cole's least favorite Commotions album as well as many of this fans'. There are still some terrific songs, but it's not the best place to start. (drumz@best.com) MainstreamLloyd Cole and the CommotionsRelease info:1987—Capitol Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended for Lloyd Cole fans Group members:Neil Clark—guitar Guest artists:Jon Hassell—trumpet Produced by:Ian Stanley Comments:In which the Commotions rebounded and went out in the proverbial blaze of glory. Cole's melodic hooks here are hard to beat, especially on my favorite Commotions track of all, the powerful, bittersweet "Hey Rusty." (drumz@best.com) 1984-1989Lloyd Cole and the CommotionsRelease info:1989—Capitol Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Neil Clark—guitar Comments:This collects Lloyd Cole and the Commotion's nine singles and some other good songs and which is a great place to start, although it omits some of my favorites from that era. (drumz@best.com) Lloyd ColeRelease info:1990—Capitol Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Lloyd Cole—vocals, backing vocals, bass, guitar, harmonica, piano, synthesizer, horn arrangements, string arrangements Guest artists:Blair Cowan—drums, Hammond organ, synthesizer Produced by:Lloyd Cole, Paul Hardiman, Fred Maher Comments:A consistently strong solo debut with some of Cole's most biting lyrics to date. A couple highlights are "Downtown" (also featured on the Bad Influence soundtrack) and "No Blue Skies," which does a great job of boiling down the essence of Lloyd Cole into 4:11. (drumz@best.com) Don't Get Weird on Me BabeRelease info:1991—Capitol Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Lloyd Cole—vocals, bass, guitar, harmonica, organ, Hammond organ, piano Guest artists:Blair Cowan—accordion, guitar, harmonium, Hammond organ, piano Produced by:Lloyd Cole, Paul Hardiman, Fred Maher Comments:This is an interesting one: it rocks hard on side A, then introduces a full backing orchestra on side B. Despite one or two songs on the orchestral side that strike me as cheezy in much the same way as some of Cohen's recent stuff, this is still a solid offering. (drumz@best.com) Bad VibesRelease info:1993—Ryko Availability:Wide Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Lloyd Cole—vocals Guest artists:John Carruthers Comments:I don't really recommend starting with this one, which starts off with a bang but suffers a noticeable dropoff through much of side B. The US release at least adds some nice bonus tracks. Cole continues to prove himself one of the world's best songwriters. (drumz@best.com) |
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