Product Description

Arguably one of the finest British pop albums of the '80s, 1984's RATTLESNAKES is the brilliant debut of one of the finest singer-songwriters of the decade. Coming right at a point when synth-pop's domination of the UK charts was ending and a new breed of guitar-based pop bands led by the Smiths and Aztec Camera were the new British wave, RATTLESNAKES had the force of a major new work, and still holds up better thanmost of its contemporaries.
Cole's literate--at times self-consciously so--lyrics, and chiming, folk-rocky tunes areoutstanding, and his terrific voice and lead guitarist NeilClark's exceptional instrumental work put over the songs brilliantly. Fully half of these songs, including the Dylanesque "Perfect Skin" and the moody, romantic "Forest Fire", with Clark's remarkable ending solo, are all-time Britpop classics. Cole would do standout work after this, but RATTLESNAKES is simply perfect.

Track Listing

1. Perfect Skin
2. Speedboat
3. Rattlesnakes
4. Down On Mission Street
5. Forest Fire
6. Charlotte Street
7. 2cv
8. Four Flights Up
9. Patience
10. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
11. Sweetness
12. Andy S Babies
13. The Sea And The Sand
14. You Will Never Be No Good

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3525 in Music
• Released on: 1992-05-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 47 minutes

Customer Reviews

Perfect
Hearing 'Perfect Skin' for the first time when it was released as a single was one of those 'wow' moments for me. The nifty guitars, beaty rhythms and imaginative lyrics of the subsequent album represent something of an oasis in the mid-1980s. There was some decent music in that decade from elsewhere, but the dead, plastic production of so much of the music, together with that horrible, funky, slap bass sound spoiled much of it. 'Rattlesnakes' rings out as if none of that had happened. Cole's rambling voice suggests that the tracks would start to sound samey after a while, but they don't. There's little point in running through the tracks individually: they are all delightful in their own way. The mystery for me is why this band's career was so low-key by comparison with over-rated miserablists The Smiths (the band was okay, but Morrissey was a waste of space). My copy of this CD includes four good bonus tracks, b-sides, I presume. A rare example of a classic album from the 1980s.

Fine, Fine Album
'Rattlesnakes' is the kind of album which can restore one's faith in the potential of pop music generally, especially when considering the musical climate at the time of the album's release in 1984. It was refreshing to actually hear songs that were not bombarded with overproduction where they could breathe allowing their true potential to shine through. With 'Rattlesnakes' Lloyd Cole and his Commotions actually managed to record an album that's almost as perfect as they're ever likely to come. There's a wealth of influences to be found within these songs, namely Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and a sixties styled jangly guitar sound which isn't too far removed from the Commotions contempories The Smiths at times. Lloyd never tried to come across as attempting to make a profound statement, as many of his influences tend to do - he preferred a much lighter touch - a hint of pop mixed with a little folk alongside his literary style of writing. This made for a most agreeable sound. 'Perfect Skin' is perhaps the best known song as it was a successful single yet for me if one song does shine just that little bit brighter it's 'Forest Fire'.
'Rattlesnakes' is a remarkably poised and focused piece of work which is incredibly consistent from start to finish without any obvious weak moments.
Lloyd and his Commotions would find it incredibly hard to release an album ever to match these set of songs.

'Rattlesnakes' is well worth purchasing.

Listened to the press, wasnt disappointed
I only got this because it had been 'on the list' of ones to keep an eye out for, and managed to get a copy for £3 in a charity shop - and what a bargain. I have been recently listening to loads of American Music Club, and to me, this sounds a lot like them. Or vice versa! Intelligent lyrics, tasteful music, consummate playing throughout - a real example of underrated genuis.
A must for anyone after mature, thoughtful music. AMC meets the Smiths?