Great stuff, Ken. While I'm a Mainstream supporter, I can understand why it can be considered slight compared to earlier stuff - Easy Pieces is the album I've always had trouble with, especially after searching for it for so long. It must have been in print for, like, twenty minutes!
Harry Lime
· 1 year ago
great post... and thanks for the bonus tracks!
Urs
· 1 year ago
Dear Ken - best post I ever read. I am some 48 year old european so-called intellectuel. (actually i am a lawyer). Lloyd's tunes were always with me from the very beginning of Rattlesnakes up to now. It always worked to impress your dates presenting Lloyd's music - any situation was easy, if you know what I mean. On the other hand while growing up it was also very astonishing listening to Lloyd's maybe life exeriences and finding out you done the same shit simultanously like he did. Nevertheless we are still there doing our jobs and get on a level to be able to start philosophying. Best regards from Zürich, Switzerland Urs
WHarrisBullzEye
· 1 year ago
I started my Lloyd Cole collection with "Easy Pieces," so it remains the Commotions album I'm most partial to. Of the solo work, it's "Love Story" I'm in love with; from start to finish, it's just a lovely pop album.
I saw Lloyd do a solo gig at the Rams Head in Maryland a few years ago - concluding an epic four-day stretch of concerts which had already found me seeing Colin Hay, Morrissey, and Ben Folds - and it will come as no surprise to anyone that he's very much still got it.
Steve
· 1 year ago
This guy should be famous. Simple enough. Just great songs.
Andy
· 1 year ago
Ken
As an old fan of Lloyd's, but not a constant one, your piece is very thorough and I hope it creates some new fans for Lloyd.
I know it may be off topic to mention Glasgow's own Camera Obscura penning their own reply to Lloyd's "Are you ready to be heartbroken?" with "Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken' but if you go over to Bradley's almanac ....
Both songs are great and it's a great story as well.
Keep up the good work.
rwcass
· 1 year ago
Ken, great guide. Jeff, nice use of a "Moonlighting" reference in the intro.
ken
· 1 year ago
RW - Yeah, the Moonlighting reference boggled me for a bit, then it hit me.
Andy- I did go to that site but couldn't download the Camera Obscura songs, they appear to have expired. Sadly, so did the Buff Toms live stuff on the same site, which would've been great for my next Pop Dose Guide.
Steve - Amen, brother. He is kinda famous in the UK, just not here. It's the Robbie Williams syndrome.
WHarris - Easy Pieces is tough to beat (for me Rattlensakes edges it out, tho). I also sort of rediscovered Love Story in doing this guide, a forgotten classic.
Urs - Thanks for the high praise. The math works out, you and Lloyd are roughly the same age, so you were experiencing the same stuff at the same time.
Harry Lime - It's funny, I only used about half of my rare bonus track stash. If he ever wanted, Lloyd could make a mint releasing all the rare unheard stuff that wasn't on Etc.
John Hughes - It's not even that i dislike Mainstream, there's some quality material on there for sure. It just gets a bit slow on Side Two and I realized that pretty much this entire guide was positive reviews (except maybe Bad Vibes) so I had to quibble with SOMETHING. It does speak to the strength of his material though.
Broad - Guilty as charged.
And if you've gotten this far, I should note that I do my own blog as well with a fair amount of music content. Just click on my name above and I link to it. I am on the blogrolll but failed to identify myself properly.
Broad
· 1 year ago
That's awesome! I'll have to check it out.
KarimAmir
· 1 year ago
Ken. This is fantastic stuff. I've been a fan of Lloyd's since 1985 (wow, I'm old) and I own everything (well, all the LPs and some of the rare tracks) on this list, seen him live a few times, etc.
I'm the weirdo who actually thinks Mainstream is the best Commotions record, but I love "Perfect Skin" off Rattlesnakes more than any song he's ever done.
OB
· 1 year ago
Great post for a great artist.
IMHO: ranking of the LC albums:
1. Lloyd Cole ***** 2. Love Story ***** 3. Rattlesnakes ***** 4. Negatives ***** 5. Don't Get Wierd on me Babe ****1/2 6. Easy Pieces **** 7. Bad Vibes ***1/2 8. Mainstream ***1/2 9. Anti-Depressant *** 10. MIFL **1/2 11. Plastic Wood **1/2 12. ETC **1/2
Note to collectors, all 3 of the unreviewed BBC discs are very good for fans.
All Comments
Best regards from Zürich, Switzerland
Urs
I saw Lloyd do a solo gig at the Rams Head in Maryland a few years ago - concluding an epic four-day stretch of concerts which had already found me seeing Colin Hay, Morrissey, and Ben Folds - and it will come as no surprise to anyone that he's very much still got it.
As an old fan of Lloyd's, but not a constant one, your piece is very thorough and I hope it creates some new fans for Lloyd.
I know it may be off topic to mention Glasgow's own Camera Obscura penning their own reply to Lloyd's "Are you ready to be heartbroken?" with "Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken' but if you go over to Bradley's almanac ....
http://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2006/07/mp3s-cam...
he relates a story involving Lloyd's children.
Both songs are great and it's a great story as well.
Keep up the good work.
Andy- I did go to that site but couldn't download the Camera Obscura songs, they appear to have expired. Sadly, so did the Buff Toms live stuff on the same site, which would've been great for my next Pop Dose Guide.
Steve - Amen, brother. He is kinda famous in the UK, just not here. It's the Robbie Williams syndrome.
WHarris - Easy Pieces is tough to beat (for me Rattlensakes edges it out, tho). I also sort of rediscovered Love Story in doing this guide, a forgotten classic.
Urs - Thanks for the high praise. The math works out, you and Lloyd are roughly the same age, so you were experiencing the same stuff at the same time.
Harry Lime - It's funny, I only used about half of my rare bonus track stash. If he ever wanted, Lloyd could make a mint releasing all the rare unheard stuff that wasn't on Etc.
John Hughes - It's not even that i dislike Mainstream, there's some quality material on there for sure. It just gets a bit slow on Side Two and I realized that pretty much this entire guide was positive reviews (except maybe Bad Vibes) so I had to quibble with SOMETHING. It does speak to the strength of his material though.
Broad - Guilty as charged.
And if you've gotten this far, I should note that I do my own blog as well with a fair amount of music content. Just click on my name above and I link to it. I am on the blogrolll but failed to identify myself properly.
This is fantastic stuff. I've been a fan of Lloyd's since 1985 (wow, I'm old) and I own everything (well, all the LPs and some of the rare tracks) on this list, seen him live a few times, etc.
I'm the weirdo who actually thinks Mainstream is the best Commotions record, but I love "Perfect Skin" off Rattlesnakes more than any song he's ever done.
IMHO: ranking of the LC albums:
1. Lloyd Cole *****
2. Love Story *****
3. Rattlesnakes *****
4. Negatives *****
5. Don't Get Wierd on me Babe ****1/2
6. Easy Pieces ****
7. Bad Vibes ***1/2
8. Mainstream ***1/2
9. Anti-Depressant ***
10. MIFL **1/2
11. Plastic Wood **1/2
12. ETC **1/2
Note to collectors, all 3 of the unreviewed BBC discs are very good for fans.