' 'her never born child still haunts her as she speeds down the freeway...'
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have experienced Aztec Camera's High Land, Hard Rain when it came out. I was 17. I'd say that it's the finest album ever made about the experience of being 17. Just when I was recovering from that and heading towards university along came Lloyd Cole & The Commotions with Rattlesnakes the best album ever made about being 19 and on your way to university. Meanwhile I also had R.E.M, The Smiths, The Go Betweens, and the Triffids. Your life and all your aspirations, everywhere you wanted to go and everything you wanted to be being soundtracked by some of the most emotive and substantiated guitar music ever made..
Lloyd Cole is probably not for everyone. Some might consider him precious and awkward. But most of us go through a phase in our late teenage years when precious and awkward is precisely what we are. When we talk just that bit too loud in bookshops and exhibitions because we are desperate to impress and charm. I've never heard an artist who quite nails this moment so many of us go through quite as well as Lloyd does. Oh sure Lou perhaps.But then Cole is an incredible composite of what made and still make Warhol Lou and Blonde on Blonde Bob's personas gifts and sensibilities which will always keep on givimg.
Perfect Skin, Rattlesnakes and Forest Fire, the three singles plucked from Rattlesnakes the album, all deserve an essay to themselves. But I'm going for Rattlesnakes. It shows off Neil Clarke, Cole's guitar sidekick at his suavest and sleekest.It has a tune as beautiful as the beautiful girls you meet when you're 18. It has three verses of lines you wish you'd written. It's three and a half minutes long for god's sake. It's as good as guitar driven, literate and independent pop singles get. What do you mean you don't like it. Well it looks like we can't be friends then.
Think I was almost a year younger than you, but in the same school year. This was such an important album for me. Met a guy in a seminar group and talked about music. As soon as I mentioned Lloyd Cole we became friends. My friend Phil then introduced me to The Triffids, Go-Betweens, REM, The Chills and almost everything I grew to love from then on. Also, introduced me to the books of Joan Didion and Renata Adler that heavily influenced Lloyd Cole. Wonderful how small connections change the shape of your world.
ReplyDeleteImportant is the word isn't it Darren. It's still a very important record to me Rattlesnakes. Also meeting the right people who share your interests and tastes. That didn't happen to me until I got to university. I met someone who was into Joan Didion and Renata Adler. Still need to read Speedboat. Thanks for your post
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