'She had too much class to mention.'
Easy Pieces was like Rattlesnakes I'd say but not as good. Three singles. One punchy, the second riff driven, the third an appreciation of space, mood, atmosphere and poetry. Fot me personally I associate Lloyd with my formative love affair which brought me unaccountable happiness and experience. Happiness that it's actually quite impossible to measure . It began in 1986 at UEA in Norwich.
In Spring 1986 I took a seminar in 18th Century Literature. I found myself in a room in the EAS corridor. There was a Chinese Malaysian girl sitting opposite me. She was smiling at me. She was impossibly beautiful. So I smiled back uneasily. We got to know each other better . Unwrapped ourselves to one another in time. Completely. That's when things get and got really dangerous. But it's worth it, Of course it is....
It seemed she wanted to know me better. I certainly did her. Bit by bit we fell in love. We discovered one another. Her picture is under this post. That's me too. I'll tell the story here. It's one of the truly great love stories. Because it's my first important one. My journey of discovery and joy and pain and recovery. And Lloyd was always there. Cut Me Down was not a good choice for a third single from Easy Pieces. It stalled at # 38. I'd have gone for Why I Love Country Music. But what do I know?
A beautiful memory, Bruce. And a fine album that I haven't listened to in an age. I wrote a review of it for my university's Alternative Music Society fanzine, that was run by my best friend. My only piece of non-academic writing. Wish I still had a copy! Interestingly, the line you quoted at the top ('She had too much class to mention.') was nicked from a novel called Pitch Dark by Renata Adler. I only know because I happened to be reading it when the album was released. He was very big on literary references at the time, but still! Looking forward to your 1986 choices and memories. A truly formative time.
ReplyDeleteSpeedboat was a novel by Renata Adler. I've never read her or it but the guy next door to me who I write about a lot was a big fan. I'd love to read your review Darren. This 1986 thing is a real rabbit hole. It's a good exercise in nostalgia I'm finding. Lloyd Cole was just the guy for people like us. .
DeleteYes, I suspect he was responsible for getting me to read her in the first place with Rattlesnakes. And Joan Didion. Why I Love Country Music was also taken from the title of a short story collection by Elizabeth Tallent. He was definitely made for us, Bruce! I look forward to your recollections and suspect they will send me down a rabbit hole, too. Bring some memories to the surface.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing to do Darren. Takes my mind off other things.
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