Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Bog-standard 80s pop, thanks for nothing.
My kinda music...jangly guitars, acoustic guitars, hooks...the vocals are a little monotonous but the songs are good.
This album sucks. Why is it included?
I think this is on the wrong list.
annoying voice
Det va overraskanes gøy, det der, æ likte det!
Never heard of these guys, but its thoughtful 80s rock and roll with real lyrics. Glad to be introduced.
It's perfectly acceptable and the prodution is fairly okay for an 80s album. Although Warne Livesey (Midnight Oil's Diesel & Dust, which should be on the list but isn't) as well as Cliver Langer and Alan Winstanley (any 80s Madness album, represented here because they're Beitish) did even better 80s production jobs. Beyond that, it's extremely forgettable.
I like it. It's got that 80s black and white in the desert feel. There's a pocket of the 80s that has this feeling. Like a throwback to certain elements of '50s-style rockabilly or country, but cleaned up and 80s-ified. Almost like a mild revolt against the plastic artifice of much of the pop culture of the decade. It's interesting how this sound of turning from the '80s ends up sounding very 80s. Maybe there's a name for what I'm trying to describe?
Another personal favorite of one of the reviewers. Some dude heard whatever the single was on here and made it his whole personality. “Oh, The Cure? Culture Club? Pah. Have you heard of Lloyd Cole?” I was a street-team-happy college kid. I discovered you could, at the time, sign up to help promote new and up and coming and sometimes just new albums from bands you already liked. I still have an ass ton of Toadies flats and stickers. One of the bands I got big into was called Injected. Why should you listen to Injected? I don't know. They straddled a lot of genres at the time, had some fun riffs and occasionally went into odd time signatures. They had some really lovely melodic songs, some crunchy turn of the century hard rock, they touched on a lot of sounds. And there's no reason for someone who was not actively deep into new rock and roll in 2001 to listen to them. What would they mean to someone 25 years later? This review is about Lloyd Cole's Rattlesnakes. ⭐️⭐️
Generally not good. Stopped listening at forest fire
All of the tracks blend together - the singers voice is a little off putting too
This was a nice find. I hadn't remembered this band, I don't know if I'd been exposed to them back in the eighties or not. The music is smart, and it's well executed. I don't love it, but it has its place.
Yucky
Pleasant enough, just a little lame. The cool kids are def not listening to this.
Not sure what to expect here. By the name of the band I would say maybe blues? Nope! "It has a bright, jangly 80s college-rock sound, with clean guitars, melodic bass, crisp drums, and a kind of cool, literary melancholy." So it has promise.
i like the genre, but this one is too schmaltzy and too repetitive
I had heard of this group but none of these songs sound familiar. While the music is ok, it is quite forgettable.
Veldig fint bekjentskap. Siden jeg måtte skille meg fra Morrissey kan det kanskje bli min nye fling
Fint nok, men ingen sanger som sitter.
Synes det er ganske bra, men jeg synes det er vanskelig å bli skikkelig glad i sånn jangling.
Perfectly pleasant Stand out - forest fires
Another album that so very 80's. I am almost tempted to knock it down to a two star because of how blah it was, but in the end there was nothing so bad that I would want to turn it off it was paying in the background.
Sounds like an album many people would have bought in 1984, listened to a ton to prove they liked more than one band, and then only dusted off when feeling nostalgic for the era and unable to find their Cure records.
Nothing jumps out on this album; easy to take or leave.
So incredibly dated and boring, yet somehow endearing? The way Speedboat progresses to its really catchy refrain is pretty good. The instrumental for Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? Is stupid yet fun. A true contradiction of a record. Did I like this? Am I going crazy?
Hey Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken
This album was kindly gifted to me by my aunties from the isle of Arran. I initially picked it out of the pile because of the cover. Stark, dark and from the 80s, what's not to like? And it certainly did not disappoint. It's a wonderful mix of styles, but staying away from the synthesizer sound that was endemic of that time. It made me feel like I discovered something great and wonderful. What a great debut album, and Lloyd Cole proceeds to make excellent music throughout his career.
only the album-titled track was ok, otherwise hyper boring
Unimaginative. Clumsy lyrics. Dude can’t sing. What’s with all the women and baby hating?
Generally unmemorable, has a soothing sound to it, likeable as an '80s album to hear in passing but not really attach to
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Charlotte Street This album left basically no impression on me. This is now my fourth consecutive Brit pop/rock album in as many days and I am done with the genre. I don't care about this.
I felt very enthused when this popped up. A tiny bit less so once I got into it but only because the mood is distinctly downbeat. Wonder if I was also conflating with someone else in my mind? Roddy Frame? The opening and closing tracks are absolutely wonderful. The rest, I'll want to revisit in a quiet moment. Not necessarily immediately gripping then but did certainly leave me wanting to hear it all again. A slow burn heartbreaker.
"Rattlesnakes" is an interesting one..... I hear a lot of The Smiths here, some Pretenders, some Talking Heads, some Echo and the Bunnymen. The issue is that these guys sound very similar to much better bands, who wrote much more hooky songs, at the exact same time as them. I don't know, man. Why listen to this when "The Queen Is Dead" exists....... ? It's totally fine, but this isn't the kind of album I think "Oh, someone out there will deeply love this." I think, "someone out there will vaguely tolerate listening to this today." THREE STARS THREE STARS
Tja, voorbijkabbelende jarentachtigmuziek? Wel aardig en sympathiek, maar het had leuk geweest als er iets tussen had gezeten wat opviel. Nu voel ik niet de neiging om dit boven het maaiveld uit te laten stijgen. Betere zang had ook geholpen.
Die Commotions zorgen maar voor weinig commotie... Niet de best passende bandnaam. Rattlesnakes is een beter gekozen naam. Deze muziek ligt inderdaad als voor dood op een beschut plekje.
Ik had het stukje in het dikke boek niet moeten lezen denk ik, want van die snobomschrijving word ik woester dan menig rapper uit compton. Gadverdamme, wat ademt dat snob. Literaire grapjes, bah, verheven gedoe. Alsof dit een bijdrage van Tommy Wierenga is. Track 2 heet dan ook Speedboat. Dat kan geen toeval zijn. Qua muziek krijgen we halfgare 80s muziek te horen, new wave met wat kunstzinnige geluidjes. Het titelnummer is wel bekend, rattlesnakes, dat herken ik vanaf de eerste tonen. Verder is het geen feest der herkenning helaas. De zanger gaat op het einde irritant doen met zijn stem en het ruime half uur voelt wel heel ruim. Ik ben er allemaal niet kapot van. Dit hebben we al veel te vaak gehoord en dan ook nog eens veel interessanter.
Lloyd Cole - now there’s a name I’ve not heard in a long, long time. Back in 1984 when I first listened to this album I was a new student at Sheffield University and a hopeless romantic, in the sense that I was hopeless at it. Like Lloyd I would regularly fall in love and imagine scenarios where someone would be impress by my literary allusions and knowledge of On The Waterfront, before realising that it was unlikely they would be interested in a computer geek with less than perfect skin, and I would go back to studying Pascal (the programming language not the philosopher). Musically, this jangly guitar pop sounded great on my hifi that I’d blown half my grant money on, and I found that I could still remember all of the words 40 years or more after first hearing them. Lyrically, it's as arch and earnest as you might expect from a university philosophy student who's been listening to a bit too much Bob Dylan, but I definitely related to it at the time. It wasn’t entirely a surprise to find out that Lloyd was also painfully shy and dreaded live shows to the point where he would perform with his back to the audience. Does it hold up? Nostalgia is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, but I did enjoy the new to me bonus tracks that weren't on my cassette tape copy back in the day. Was it influential? Probably not, but it did have an influence on me, so I’m giving it 4 stars for old times sake.
How random! Some good tunes but none I've heard before
Very good record. For sure reminds me of my high school and college days. A good reminiscing sound.
this does not deserve to be on this list
Ok
This is #day735 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some early-'80s UK jangly post-punk I wasn't familiar with. Some of the string arrangements reminded me of Echo & the Bunnymen's Porcupine, released a year earlier. Meaning, if I'm in the mood for this kind of thing, I'll most likely revisit that record instead. What makes Rattlesnakes essential enough to be on the list? Let it be a safe bet, aka a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day736.
I'd recommend it if you like the genre. Nothing too exciting. Good sound. Pleasant. Wouldn't choose it again. Classic American folkish?
Enough britpop
I cannot understand this list's obsession with mediocre Brit Pop/Rock. This album isn't horrible, but it sounds like a million other albums, including what feels like 50 we've already heard on this list. I listened to it all the way though and I couldn't pick out a single song that felt interesting or unique.
What really adds insult to injury here is that the backing band has the gall to call themselves the 'commotions'. Maybe it was an ironic thing? This band is so uncommitted to making any sound at all much less a commotion. I'm wondering if it's a Hootie/Blowfish scenario where there is no actual Hootie and Blowfish it's just the name they chose. But Lloyd Cole is a person right? He's not a Hootie. This is all so uninspired sounding it's almost notable in that respect. The fact that the album cover says it 'contains 4 extra tracks' reads more like a California Prop-65 warning than a value.
pretentious. if you look at press pictures of Lloyd Cole, he always has a pained look. This is because he's listening to his own music during shoots.
It reminds me of my youth - I love this: clean pop, fantastic guitars, a smooth sound, beautiful lyrics... I knew right away this was going to be a 10/10 Shout out for 'Perfect Skin', 'Forest Fire', 'Are you ready to be heartbroken?' And yes, you can also mention 'Rattlesnakes', although it's not one of my favs :-D
It was alright
Lloyd’s voice sounded so familiar I was sure he was a singer in a more famous band, but it doesn’t appear to be so. This sounds like the album before the album.
1.4 I think this album might be the only thing blander than my mother-in-law's cooking
Not terrible, some songs were pretty decent.
I bought this record when it came out as an import in Vancouver BC. The combination of LLoyd’s vocals and the amazing guitar tone was so compelling- it was an English version of power pop. It wasn’t Let’s Active, Don Dixon, Marshall Crenshaw or the dB’s, but it was somewhere in that continuum. Lloyd possesses a unique gift of melody and the ability to craft charming songs. I must have played Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? a thousand times. Other favorites are Charlotte Street and Rattlesnakes but honestly this is a great album. My only minor complaint is that a couple of songs - Forest Fire and Speedboat are a bit long and would have been better with some editing. Again, minor overall and do not materially alter the enjoyment of the record. Top shelf this one. 9/10
I had forgotten how unique Lloyd Cole’s voice was. Good in small doses, a whole album is something of a challenge.
Started promisingly and it's at its best in the upbeat numbers. Musically fine if not particularly varied but it's the vocal style that I find grating. Can't listen again.
Reminded me of Talking Heads at times and 2cv is a lovely track
Things that are more exciting than this album : washing my socks ; discussing nuances of beige wallpaper ; reading Terms & Conditions for fun ; untangling old headset cords ; being put on hold by customer support. Even the album cover is more exuberant than the music. 2/10
Lloyd Cole… I’d already heard Forest Fire. Apparently critics went crazy for this album when it came out, seeing it as some kind of return to “real music”. Which says a lot about how pathetic the mainstream musical landscape must have been at that time, because this thing sounds painfully overproduced from the very first notes. I still don’t see what’s supposed to be remarkable about this band or this album. A massive bof.
Classic
pretty good but quite samey and i guarantee there’s a hundred other albums that are functionally identical it wasn’t anything new
I had never heard this album before and I enjoyed it. Some really good songs here.
Sounds like music I would usually like…80s alternative music. I wouldn’t say I disliked it, and it was a good listen. I like the jangles
I liked the album, definitely had some interesting motifs going there.
No
Pretty middle of the road. Not sure what all the commotion is about.
This album was so cool. Vibes were all on and the story of him finding his voice and stride was spot on with the album. Not in my wheelhouse but it was an album that has echos of a ton of different styles and an artistic statement that was all its own. A real album.
I mean, honestly, WHAT distinguishes this album from hundreds of other male pop albums? I cannot pick out one reason why I needed to listen to this before I die. Unbelievably average. I don’t need to give it a low score because it’s fine, I just do NOT understand its inclusion.
I liked this more than a lot of the early eighties art rock (or whatever genre this is) that I've heard on here, but it still didn't excite me. I feel as though these bands are working towards something that will come together with the Smiths and the Wedding Present and stuff like that a few years later. This is just too smooth and jaunty still.
Had never heard of this. But I can dig it. Need to relisten.
ok
Y? They are interesting
Ich weiß ja nicht, irgenwie dahin gedröppelt
3,4 Highlights: Perfect Skin, Speedboat
This started out feeling like some enjoyable 80s college rock, but ended up feeling a little lightweight to me. Perfect Skin was the best song. I don't think I'll remember much about this one.
I didn't recognize this album, but it turns out I already had "Speedboat" saved to a playlist. It's a good album with a cool, restrained sound. There are a few tracks which are maybe a little dull. The album art is great, though. I can't tell whether I will completely forget about this album or if I will come back in a few years and think it is ridiculous that I didn't give it another star or two, but for now I think three stars is adequate. Favorite track(s): "Rattlesnakes," "Four Flights Up"
It was listenable but it didnt pull up any trees
Didn't love this, seemed fairly forgettable
Listened to Rattlesnakes a few hours and now i cannot remember a single second of the actual music. While listening to it, I found it simply… boring? This album appears completely toothless, it’s like musical teflon. The only thing i can really remember is that i was constantly wondering, what the singer was trying to achieve with his singing style? It neither sold me on his voice nor his lyrics, which tried to be smart and insightful but because i had such a hard time even focusing on the music, i couldn’t really focus on the lyrics for most of it. So yeah, this one isn’t a keeper.
Not bad, feels like a genre that was mastered by many others in the same era
Well, I finally get Camera Obscura's reference. I can see how they'd be possibly influenced by this. A pleasant jangle pop record. 3.25/5.
3/5
some good jangle on here. solid but seems like it's been done before x100
3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/lloyd-cole-and-the-commotions/rattlesnakes/ Not bad, but also doesn't seem to stick very well. Don't think I'd soon get back to it, but I also wouldn't mind listening to it again. Nice and jangly.
Not for me. 1/5
I didn't even know when it was over.
One of the least engaging albums I've ever heard. Utterly forgettable.
My reaction when I discovered this album this morning went exactly like this: "What the hell is this?" "Oh, it's new wave :)" "Oh, it's British ):" This list has trained me to never trust any British band whose name I don't already recognize, because I know it's about to be one of the most boring / forgettable albums ever. This band has some of the least memorable music, the blandest cover art, and the most forgettable band name. It will take a miracle for me to remember I listened to this album a week from now. The music isn't "bad", but it certainly isn't good. Low 3.
Indie classic from bookish 80s troubadour Cole. Love this album
It's fine. Mostly unremarkable. This doesn't need to exist when there's already The Smiths, R.E.M., and The Cure. There's nothing new here that hasn't already been done much better.
No private session used for Spotify. I really disliked this Lloyd's voice, the music is bland and firmly rooted in the 80s. I made it through this crap, so it doesn't get a one star, but it wasn't easy.
I enjoyed the music. I think I will enjoy this more if I listen to the album properly while reading the lyrics. The singing style reminds me of Moonmen by Rick and Morty lol. 3/5
Awesome jangly pop songs - super 80s but in the indie way that I don't mind. Some really fun catchy songs - Rattlesnakes, Perfect Skin, Patience are all great. I fucking hate Forest Fire and I don't know why. He's got a little bit of the Rick Astley voice thing that every sensitive boy had in the 80s but it doesn't bother me too much.
I understand jangle rock is like really cool with that specific guitar tone and such that made early R.E.M./The Byrds/Big Star very popular but aside from Perfect Skin (best song on the album), Rattlesnakes and maybe Charlotte Street, this album is littered with 80s cliches for this type of music. You couldn't sound more 1984 with a DX7 and a standard ass Drum Machine tone that isn't buttered up. The way the music business operated in the era of needing to flip over the physical media to continue the music was that the first side was the best side, showing off the hit or best song at the beginning or end of the side. Perfect Skin is a good song, but not much else on the album is exactly as uptempo or lets the music breathe as much as Lloyd Cole has to keep singing about his love songs, which for his credit aren't always about the same cliches you would find in other love songs by involving darker subjects. The problem is that I don't like his singing. Most of the album involves him using his voice to sing. As for the second side of records in the 80s music industry business, those were the throwaway cuts for things that could latch on but didn't have the same catching value that your biggest singles would have. The best song is usually the first song so that your attention will think more good stuff is coming. Charlotte Street is mostly fine, I have some complaints but the rest of the record after it? More of the same. Jangle guitar though! That jangly tone is exactly like toying around car keys to your baby. I'm sure Lloyd Cole And The Commotions appeal to the right kind of British/Scottish Gen X'er or maybe even the youngest boomers for some form of timely vibe of their favorite 80s years while Thatcher would ruin their country with austerity bullshit, but I just can't see the appeal of this on the list. Big Star/R.E.M./The Byrds fill the jangle pop/rock/country vibes that have a good enough presence on the list. They seem more of a singles band than an album band, which was fine in the 20th century but not so nowadays when we view albums. The equivalent of the 80s music industry today would be like if a song popped off on TikTok, without needing all the clutter songs that Rattlesnakes provides. tl;dr: it's mid
2/10 Not my thing
Enjoyed this a fair bit
Really good!! Especially for rock music
Easy to listen to, something that I would love to listen in college.
This is completely new to me; back in the 80s, I rejected anything pop-related. I see now that the album was released in 1984. At that time, the only pop-leaning acts I listened to were, at most, The Cure or U2—and even that was only because of close friends. My music back then consisted mainly of Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Bruce. Plus some hard rock like Deep Purple or Rainbow, the early Scorpions albums, and anything that counted as "old music." Now, over 40 years later, listening to this album today, it doesn't sound bad at all. You can hear traces of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. 3 stars.
Liked it more than I thought I would, good quality easy listening
Inoffensive but wholly unremarkable rock. Whilst I have listened to this before, I couldn't recall a single detail about it on this listen, and I'm struggling again on this attempt immediately after the fact.
14/07/2026 This felt very Smiths/The Cure-esque. I have no issues with it. Spotify listeners: 233.3k
Me agrada Lloyd Cole desde que lo oí por primera vez. Pop melancólico bien ejecutado.
Very enjoyable 80's indie rock listen
quite the annoying album
Enjoyable.
Very milquetoast.
Fine. Kinda reminded me of Orange Juice or Echo and the Bunny Men. Not the best thing I've ever heard.
gut
I love new wave so I like this album, too. Pretty chill sound overall. Favorites: Speedboat, Rattlesnakes, Down On Mission Street, Patience
Songs kinda blended together but I enjoyed the music
Bit generic 1,5/5
Trivia Note: I started my first graduate job witH British Telecom back in '96. Among the half dozen other graduates starting in the same office that year was a guy called Blair. Blair was the keyboard player for the Commotions! He had dropped out of uni to chase fame and fortune and spent a few years on the rock star circuit. He then settled down, got married went back to uni and there he was starting alongside me at BT... Very nice bloke.
Love this album. It’s been a good friend to me over the years.
At first I thought it was just going to be another stereotypical 80's album from the isles, but it turned out to have some variation I enjoyed. So props for that!
Another offering like the Cure. The curators of this list seem to have a few favorite genres... This was nice, but not great.
7/7/26. Really liked this! A lot of the 80s new wave or alternative sound can get tiresome for me, but really enjoyed the versatility throughout the album. A lot of good grooves and guitar parts as well.
Not much of a good rhythm to it; shockingly jarring for as milquetoast as it is.
Meh. Nothing bad, but not really exciting either.
Sounded cool but nothing really stuck out.
It was fine, but we’ve had a lot of things that sound like it. Not sure what about this one earned it it’s spot.
I've never heard of them in my entire life and for a good reason it seems. This is just deeply boring and unremarkable. Not bad boring, but it's background music they play in a movie when they can't get the rights to more popular songs 2/5
I didn't expect to like "Rattlesnakes" much -- from a very quick glance at a description, I expected a typical 80s jangle/indie rock album with those nonsense lyrics. Instead, I got polished Alternative sound, outstanding arrangements, and lyrics that are maybe repetitive in topics and at times a bit sleazy, but fresh and memorable and just generally work great in the songs. I feel like this kind of style was part of the inspiration for some of the big Alternative of the 2000s.
No clue anything about this dude but I was pleased with learning about him. Just a solid indie rock record. Singer songwriter type stuff. Got a couple tracks saved. All in all a good thing from front to back. I was a bit skeptical cause generally this is the best music ever or just forgettable. Happy middle ground. Just good.
Talking heads nur langweilig und schlecht und zu lang
Listened Before? N To quote from the wiki article: "The album reached number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and included the singles "Perfect Skin" (number 26 in UK), "Forest Fire" (number 41 in UK, number 25 in New Zealand) and "Rattlesnakes" (number 65 in UK, number 31 in the Netherlands)." WHY is this on the list? WHY do I need to hear this before I die? I can't think of a single reason. It was fine - just not really anything different from numerous other 80s-90s pop/rock albums. I suppose the author has nostalgia for it? Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Perfect Skin
For the second time this week, I’ve been introduced to an ’80s UK pop band I had somehow never heard of. I’m starting to wonder how often this is going to happen with this challenge. Overall, Rattlesnakes is a pretty solid ’80s album, and I really liked the instrumentation. The music switches things up nicely and delivers some genuinely great melodies. However, I wasn’t as into the vocals. Lloyd Cole often sounds more interested in being poetic than making the songs truly stick, and his delivery stays in the same lane a little too much for me. A few stronger choruses or more vocal variety could have pushed some of these tracks from decent to really good, maybe even great. Still, it’s not a bad listen. I just find myself wondering a bit about its inclusion, especially when there were stronger peers from that same era.
meh
Belle basi con chitarre, qualche arco e qualche fisarmonica. Testi un po' ripetitivi, nessun tema troppo profondo. Si parla spesso di amori giovanili.
Vamos hoy miércoles con estos completos desconocidos. La voz del cantante tiene reminiscencias a Lou Reed, con la diferencia de que la banda tiene unos aires countrys mezclados con sonidos ochentosos. Me gustó. Disco tranqui. Hasta mañana, gente
Good for what's coming out in the 80s Favorite track: Speedboat other picks: perfect skin, rattlesnakes, are you ready to be heartbroken
7/10
really enjoyed that
I cant quite give this a 4, but its a strong three. It takes a lot of what i enjoy about this era of music: the energy and upbeat attitude, the storytelling lyrics and some jangly guitars and avoids a lot of the OTT 80's production. Needs a real stand out song or 2 to lift it up a notch.
Never heard of this artist before. It's pretty forgettable so that probably explains why
Forest Fire
This album fooled me into thinking it may be a little country rock, but I quickly realized that this was sort of a meh 80s britpop thing. This album is fine. It's just a little boring. It's store brand cola. It technically serves it purpose, but you know that it isn't Coca Cola while you're drinking it. My soda analogy is more interesting than any part of this album.
They have a chill Feelies slash REM sound. And Cole has a pleasing singing voice, the lyrics are a bit childish. I found a handful of songs I really liked and some not so much. I can't rate this very high but it did intrigue me enough that I want to hear it again.
Love Lloyd Cole. Highly recommend seeing him livecif you have the chance. Great music and a great storyteller.
Another British new wave album. Sounds like a slightly more upbeat version of The Smiths. Generally quite boring. 2/5 Won't listen again
2.5
It was a nice album, but also a little boring. I probably won't listen to it again. 3/5
More interesting than I thought, but not really for me
Quite liked this!
Okay
ok
2.5
a great vibe for today, listened through twice, loved
Cool record. Knew of Lloyd Cole, but hadn’t really listened to a record before. I hear similarities to Echo and the Bunnymen. Liking the guitars particularly. Taking me back to the bands of 120 Minutes in the late 80s. While I do like it, it’s not terribly remarkable and there are better records in the Brit pop Indy genre. For that reason 3.5.
Pleasant Brit-pop. Sounded like what might happen if The Cure were on an established Paxil regimen. The guitar on "Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?" is really pretty. I'm glad I heard this once, but I probably won't be back. I wouldn't yell if someone put it on, though. My Rating: 3/5
A dated album that wasn’t smooth but wasn’t too bad
good vibes and reminded me of argentinian singer gustavo cerati so that was a plus
Thumbs down
Me he guardado alguna canción jejej
Somewhere between The Smiths & mainstream pop, LC&TC at least punctuated a period smothered in blandness with something quirky & different. Their sound can be a bit hollow, but more interesting than much of what was going on at the time.
Summer just made everything more enjoyable. But come to think of it, it would have been much nicer if they could be pitch perfect. Recording is a bit odd too. Arrangement is arguably their strength but also feels a bit repetitive. Vocal performance is also on the bad side. Narrow range and not doing much, and very contrived cries.. don’t feel pleasant at all.
as far as our brit-pop albums go, i think this one has been one of the best. first couple of songs had me hooked, but then it kinda just went to be meh. not the worst, but not the best either.
The instrumentals are right up my alley, they almost foreshadow the late 90s guitar jangle sound. Unfortunately, the 80s-style vocals pretty much instantly ruin that vibe. An interesting album and an artist I had never heard of, it just didn’t deliver the way it could have.
A perfectly fine album that I've already forgotten about.
Perfect Skin - 2/5 Speedboat - 2/5 Rattlesnakes - 4/5 Down on Mission Street - 3/5 Forest Fire - 2/5 Charlotte Street - 2/5 2cv - 3/5 Four Flights Up - 1/5 Patience - 3/5 Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken? - 2/5 Average score: 2.4/5 ⭐️⭐️ there really wasn't a whole lot that i liked about this album i'm afraid. at best, most of the tracks weren't memorable. the vocalist's performance is pretty damn terrible more often than not i don't think this was bad enough to give it 1 star, but i doubt i'll be back to listen to it again
I love it
Solid stuff.
I mean, it's good background music, but nothing impressive to me.
8/10… scottish pop / new wave / *1984
wsm serio spoko
Didn’t love it didn’t hate it. Very middle of the road
Es diez veces mejor de lo que aparenta che.
This was an alright album, but just that. Alright.
When I say I don’t like stuff from the 80s, this is what I mean.
Of all the Big Star clones that came out in the 80s this might be the worst. Cole's voice is so profoundly smarmy, absolutely missing the mark of the rest of the music. The songs are over baked, over thought, over...ly catchy too. It's a hard album to really like because I can't get past his voice sometimes but through all the bleh there's these small gems that pop up. It's a bizarre listen, and probably shouldn't be on this list. But there it is.
Reminiscent of The Smiths
god natt
Enjoyed this. Very pleasant.
3.5 for me. I really enjoyed this
There's something of a nostalgic quality with this for me but I'm not sure why. Don't think my mum ever played it or anything, maybe because it has an 80s feel but I didn't necessarily think it was dated The orchestral element on the title track was a bit more unique but and I was hoping for more of that but it felt underutilised, it could've done a lot for some of the other tracks too I think Can't knock it down too much because I still enjoyed it, possibly because of that nostalgic feeling 3.5 Highlights: Speedboat, Forest Fire
Too Smiths-y for me, some nice stuff at least and the singer def has a better voice than morrissey
Perfect Skin Rattlesnakes Forest Fire
I only knew of this band because of the Camera Obscura song "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken". It reminds me so much of the 80s jangle pop/indie pop from elsewhere - The Triffids, The Go-Betweens, The Chills. It certainly influenced many English and Scottish bands of that era too. Nothing else to write home about unfortunately. Overall: 3/10
Rv
I like Rattlesnakes and Perfect Skin, but I was expecting a little more from this album, maybe a bit for variety. It's a shame because I love 80s new wave and post-punk.
English jangle pop that had some good stuff but mostly didn't grab me. "Perfect Skin" "2cv" and "Four Flights Up" were the standouts for me
I don’t hate this but it’s not my thing. Very singer songwriter vibe. Rich smooth overproduced sound with self consciously clever lyrics. I want to give this 2.5 but I will round up.
The name is familiar; never heard them before. They come advertised as the prototype of jangly college pop rock of the 80s. They sound to me like just another 80s band. Likable, solid ... eh. Sort of like The Call and The Alarm, but those bands had big singles to hang their hats on. There's nothing here I'm excited about. It's fine.
I missed this debut album at the time; but the across-the-pond music machine was working fine, and I eventually did, along with everyone else I knew, in 1986, when the band a happy second-tier band, behind the Smiths, the Cure, the Stranglers (TY Aaron) and Echo & the Bunnymen (in that order). I still feel at home dancing in their "jangly guitars;" what's new now is that Lloyd Cole's lyrics are richly nuanced. Didn't notice that at the time.
Not a fan of his voice or signing style. Felt very repetitive.
I was a fan of Lloyd back in the day, although always with the understanding that maybe we weren't all that serious about him. Revisiting his work, I don't love the production style of the record of his I owned (the follow-up to Rattlesnakes). I found this album has aged a lot better than the one I had. I enjoyed this album, maybe for sentimental reasons. I still think Perfect Skin is a pretty great track. The rest of it was enjoyable, for the most part. A solid 3.
Laid back, brilliant instrumentals, self assured of the vibe it’s going for but the vocals, to me, are far too similar and predictable,
Hate all you want, this exactly my type of album. 80s soft rock and sophisti pop is my jam. Sure its not the most groundbreaking genre, but it just clicks with me ya'know? Favorite track: Rattlesnakes
Never heard of this before. Some early REM and Cure sounds here.
listened to FM radio in the 80s when all the djs raved about him. I didn't get it at the time but was pleasantly surprised
Short and sweet.
I quite enjoyed this record. I wouldn't say it's one of the finest debuts or "timeless" as some critics/reviewers have said. It has a pretty identifiable 80's pop sound but it's enjoyable and interesting to listen to.
Decent.
1. "Perfect Skin" 2. "Forest Fire" 3. "Rattlesnakes"
Listened this morning and yet I genuinely couldn't tell you a thing about it. Very bland jangle pop. Forgettable.
Vapid, pretentious, contrived, and absolutely not worthy of being in the top 1000 albums.
Rattlesnakes is a worthy debut from Lloyd and Co. All songs are listenable, interesting lyrics, and decent musicianship. Liked ‘em all, but Charlotte Street was top track. Looks like only a couple other albums after this one, will listen if time permits. (2.75*s) Snakebites.
Lloyd who? Not sure if these guys made much of a commotion with their debut states side. Certainly didn't affect me on this listen. Short and uneventful. This album must just be a personal fave of the editors. I got nothing to say, just ok, run of the mill brit rock...2.1 stars.
Not family with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions previously. The first half of Rattlesnakes wasn't bad. I was enjoying what I felt was some pretty straight forward even keeled British pop rock but something about the novelty wore off. At times this felt like a less glum, more positive version of Morrissey. I don't mean that entirely as a knock necessarily, but something about the style of this made me lose interest even over the relatively short playtime. I feel like this album started with potential that wasn't fully realized and became mostly formulaic and played out by the end of it. Nothing special, relatively mediocre entry. 2.01 stars
Mediocre British new wave. Doesn’t belong on this list at all, and is exactly the kind of album that should be removed from the new edition of the book.
Den litterate hunken från Buxton. Jag brukar hävda att det är världens bäste låtskrivare, vilket förstås inte är helt sant. Men det blir ett bra statement. Och kan man skriva rader som "if you really wanna get straight, read Norman Mailer or get a new tailor" och därmed ringa in vad popmusik verkligen handlor om, en bokhylla och en gaderob då får man en fyra
Lloyd är alltid Lloyd. Alltid bra. Aldrig bäst. Som den eviga fyran Sven Nylander.
Småtrevlig pop från Lloyd. Gillar speciellt Charlotte street och den slicka soulen i Forest fire.
Lloyd Cole gör aldrig bort sig, men det är heller aldrig någon wow-känsla över vare sig låtar, framförande eller produktion. Ett stabilt hantverk.
Have Patience and watch for Rattlesnakes when walking down Charlotte Street.
Fine
I expected more rattlesnakes than this actually contained.
I played this quite a lot when it came out (or thereabouts), but then significantly went off it later. Listening now after a long gap, its somewhere in the middle. I quite like the guitar sounds in Forest Fire. But Cole's voice is a little affected.
Listening session: may 14th, while crocheting Listened to before: no Thoughts: at points a bit boring, but otherwise an easy and average album to listen to with a few nice parts Favourite tracks: Speedboat, Down On Mission Street & Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
Some decent jangle pop, with a somewhat more downcast tone to much of the genre. The first half probably has the best of it, with the title track and Perfect Skin well crafted. But on the whole, it doesn’t have the unique touches as the best of this genre, it just felt a bit generic overall. A decent listen, but didn’t blow me away.
An enjoyable, well-crafted jangle pop album. There are a few particularly strong cuts on the record with the title track, ‘Forest Fire’, ‘Patience’ and ‘Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?’ In general though, there isn’t really a bad song on the album.
A really solid album combining the classic 80s jangle pop sound with folkier elements and strings on many tracks. Side one starts really strongly with ‘Perfect Skin’, the other highlights being the title track and ‘Forest Fire’. Side two is slightly stronger overall, and it’s folkier too; ‘Charlotte Street’, ‘2cv’, ‘Four Flights Up’, and ‘Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?’ (the vinyl version’s closing track) are all in this vein, and all great. The CD bonus tracks are all decent too. Nothing is extraordinarily brilliant, but there are no duds either. It’s consistently high-quality enough for a low 4 stars.
Interesting album. Enjoyed it. Nothing really out of the box though.
Bem lento N acho q e MT minha praia, bem chato
Never heard of this group but I enjoyed the album. Very 80s sounding.
Favorite Track: Down on Mission Street
never heard of these guys liking this pretty consistent
Sounded a little smiths-like
How did they get every male singer in the 80s to sound the exact same? This was pretty good but as an album started to feel repetitive after a bit. Perfect Skin and Sweetness were my faves. High 3.
Pretty average early 80s rock/new wave"ish" music. Undistinguished in any way. No wonder they didn't make it across the ocean. Very low 3
Where do all of these bands keep coming from? No issue with anything I heard but I could not tell you what was special, unique, or essential about it.
A couple of the songs are good but most of them are quite unremarkable
It's objectively fine. Not special in anyway, deeply surprised it's on a list of albums to hear before you die. I kinda enjoyed the opening with Perfect Skin but as the album slows towards the end, Cole's yearning vocals become rather grating. Overall, unremarkable yet inoffensive, not one I'd listen to again.
It was okay but no songs stood out as something worth listening to again.
It's nearly good at so many points across the album. Certain songs threaten to develop into something interest. Lyrics border on the edge of fun. It just never quite gets there.
Honestly, it just mid britslop Forest Fire and Four Flights Up are okay. This album isn't inherently bad, however I feel no need to ever go back to it. In my opinion, it isn't unique enough to be distinguised form others in the genre.
Alright bro
Some nice jingle-jangle but hardly reinventing the wheel.
this was so nice!
This really holds together as an album, each song delivered with conviction and emotion.
some decent tracks on this, not too bad
boring 1
Not too shabby
meh
favs: speedboat rattlesnakes charlotte street rating 1.5/5
New to me and loved it. Will definitely listen again. Was almost a 4 on first listen but not quite
I liked this one but it took me multiple days to finish so it’s kinda dull
Works for me.
One of the most boring listens I've run into doing this. Couldn't be less mandatory listening. It's not purely incompetent but how is this on the list.
The vocalist is singing on the instrumentation, not with the instrumentation. Sounds like a nervous first time karaoke singer. I feel like someone paid a lot of money back in 1984 to force people listen to this.
That this was inspired by Dylan made me suddenly appreciate Dylan way more than I ever have
Completely forgettable. No notes, didn't even notice I was listening to music.
Interesting instrumentals. Even the vocals are interesting. I think I like his vocal delivery because it often reminds me of Robert Smith. Very new wavey. I liked it. I will come back to this. I can't give it a 4 because I think I need to give it a relisten, but it was a very good 3 at least.
This feels like background music. Could not remember a standout song afterwards. 3/5
I've had Rattlesnakes on my playlist for years and really enjoyed but never delved deeper. Really enjoyed - whimsical 80;s indie pop. Particularly liked Down on Mission Street. Its not going to change the world or really get the juices flowing but its a very pleasant listen.
It's a pleasant listen. I enjoy a melodic 80s indie listen, even if it feels like none of it matters in the slightest and the world has moved on. Sadly, Lloyd Cole's best song (Lost Weekend) is not on this album. A couple of good hits, and a good mix of other poppy and melancholic tunes.
too 80s to me
"Sophisti-pop"? Are we serious? Wikipedia describes the genre as "blend[ing] elements of jazz, soul, and pop with lavish production". Lloyd Cole and friends, I'm trying to be helpful when I say this: there are few, if any, elements of jazz or soul present here. The production is... well, extremely standard for its time. Brutally far from anything lavish. The sound carries that distinctive "80s air" about it, complete with spacious, airy, not-quite-human drumming, weak quavery singing... the complete works. I agree with most of the top reviews here, but a lot of those are giving 3-star ratings when it should very clearly be lower. An "average" album, an album that does nothing for the listener, might get a "middle" rating in other contexts, but you need to judge these albums in context. Rattlesnakes has been placed on a list of the 1001 best albums of all time. Given that fact, it's substantially worse than it should be. Speedboat (along with various tracks thereafter) makes use of strings, which I guess is supposed to be the connection to the soul genre. Via disco. It's a stretch, but I see the vision. Rattlesnakes pulls off those string lines pretty well, but Speedboat does not – and in fact comes off as surprisingly boring. Later songs use few interesting instruments, and the vocals do not improve at all. Was it really that difficult to hire a competent vocalist for your band in the 80s? Re another reviewer, who put it simply yet eloquently: "[Not] revolutionary or different in one way or another, it just sounds like every other generic British alt-rock/pop/sadboi album in the 80s-90s and I'm starting to get sick of how many of these are on the list." 2/5 Key tracks: Rattlesnakes, Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
Another okay but mostly uninteresting 80's album. 3 stars or C+.
80s motherfuckers went crazy for this? lmao
A well produced and pleasant sounding record, that is completely forgettable. Certainly wasn’t a bad listen, but this one will almost certainly be something I look back at my listening history and can’t pick out a single noteworthy moment.
Highlight: Rattlesnake 2.7
2/5
nice
A bit of Simple Minds' flair, but it feels like it's stuck in one gear throughout. I enjoyed it, there are some great tracks here. But it's a bit too one-dimensional for my tastes. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Perfect Skin - Rattlesnakes - Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
Nice. To me, sounded very typical, but it still had heart. Forest Fire, 2cv (really like the guitars), and Patience were my standouts. 6.0/10.
Eh I’m not really feeling this, nothing jumps out at me feels like generic 80s rock music, production feels cheap not really anything here for me slogged through this
They sound like the Smiths but not in a way you'd remember...
First three songs: “okay okay, I can get behind this. Lil lost gem” Rest of album: “let’s bury this ‘gem’ a little deeper.”
I need to start writing these reviews as soon as I’m done listening instead of the next day. I don’t remember much but I enjoyed it.
Dull.
Yeah I don't really understand why this one is on the list. It's not actively unpleasant, but it's very repetitive and boring.
Disco pop plano
Didn't expect much from this album from it's brief description, but I actually enjoyed this overall! Some great pop melodies and instrumentation on here. Favorites: Perfect Skin, Rattlesnakes, Forest Fire
Inspired one of my favorite songs ever, so how bad could it be. Perfectly pleasant, highly literate jangle pop. I can imagine Stuart Murdoch listened to this nonstop as a wee lad. I would have probably fallen head over heels for this if I had encountered it at a certain point in my life, but I came to the bands it influenced first so I can't see much further than my own nose at this moment. But it was really nice to go back to where it started.
Está buena la onda de la banda y suena bien. Pero aburre y deja muuuy poquito. Es un rockito tranqui que no termina de arrancar. The Smiths diluido.
Lyrically very interesting but unfortunately the arrangements and the vocals are not. Halfway between country and western and an Elvis pastiche. Wanted so much for this to be enjoyable but it was more of an endurance test
Pretty good representation of 80s alt rock.
Low 2 Really tough this. Singer is just rubbish.
I don't like the singer's voice and the way he sings. Music is too generic.
Este es un álbum de rock clásico, algunas medio baladas, otras más animadas Entretenido, pero no me pareció trascendental, ni que tenga algún elemento que lo permita destacar muchísimo de otros exponentes de un género que en su momento estaba bastante saturado
Very enjoyable jangle pop but a little same-y.
Honestly, not good. This is not a musical style I enjoy. Dated and boring.
7/10 nada especial. Canción rescatada: Forest Fire
Day 247 Used to have the best of Lloyd Cole on CD so knew a few of these songs, Are you ready to be Heartbroken is such a lovely tune Highlights Speedboat Forest Fire Are you ready to be heartbroken
Not my cup of tea
Definite 80s new wave vibe. Had never heard of this album before, not bad.
Ok…. Listenable but not memorable
I had no context for this album when I started it and it definitely took me by surprise. With a band name and album name like this, I was expecting something either country or more aggressive, but instead it's some pretty pleasant folky sounding jingle pop. It's not the most demanding album, but it's not a bad listen.
just kind of boring, not terrible but much better albums that could be on this list.
Went in blind and enjoyed the whole album. Tasteful, well-produced 80s art-pop/rock. A nice discovery.
Some good tunes, but nonetheless a boring album.
Loving the jangly guitars on the upbeat songs. The ballads drag down the energy too much.
++
Very 80’s a bit whiney melodic rock. The guitars were ok.
I don't know. I won't remember anything about this album.
Good background vibes
I enjoyed a few songs here, especially “Patience” and “Are you ready to be heartbroken?”
Not my cup of tea
It's like a less emo version of The Cure
I enjoyed this, though it didn’t particularly stand out to me amongst similar artists of the time like Echo and the Bunnymen, Prefab Sprout, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. That early 80’s rock, while often great, is arguably over represented on this list. That said, it was a nice discovery album and has some moments that are great.
Talking heads like
80’s lo-fi rock
bro looks so serious in all the other album covers omg I feel scared It is not bad music, it just sounds like all other music. The instrumentals are banger tho
Album No. 0211 on my list. To be honest, I had never heard of Lloyd Cole And The Commotions or their album "Rattlesnakes" before. I had no idea about what I was getting into here. "Rattlesnakes" is a solid 80s rock album. I'm not entirely sure whether it deserves a spot on this list, but I'm pretty fine with it to be honest. Some interesting lyrics, some solid tunes, nothing too catchy, but also nothing too bad. I'll add "Perfect Skin", "Rattlesnakes", "Four Flights Up", and "Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken" to my playlist. Solid stuff, will at least skim through the whole thing again in the future. Even if it will probably not listen to the full album again, I'm glad I got to know it. 3/5 stars.
3.5⭐️/5 [04.09.2026] 05.21.2026
"Rattlesnakes" is the debut studio album by British rock and pop band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. Jangle pop, college rock and folk rock are the Wiki-listed genres. Cole said that influences for the album were Bob Dylan, Booker T. & the MG's, and his English and philosophy studies. The album was produced by Paul Hardiman. Cole sang lead vocals and played guitar. The Commotions were Neil Clark (guitar), Blair Cowen (keyboards), Lawrence Donegan (bass) and Stephen Irvine (drums, tambourine). The album had generally positive reviews and, commercially, reached #13 in the UK. The first single released "Perfect" opens the album. Melodic, jangly guitars. A jumpy beat. Cole's deep voice rapidly singing about his infatuation of a girl. A lovely pop song, indeed. "Rattlesnakes" was inspired by Joan Didion's novels and centers on a young woman living the "wild life" and navigating the "rattlesnakes." Quicker drums. Strings are added to the mix. A song that builds nicely. Cole is singing softly with a scratchy guitar. An upfront bass and ticking drums. For half the song it has a very 80's pop sound not out of place for the Style Council. Thankfully, it separates itself with a loud electric guitar solo. The second side begins with "Charlotte Street." The pace increases and a happier tone. Another catchy, melodic guitar riff. An infatuation with an older woman. The album closes with "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?" Acoustic guitar and a reverbing synth or harmonica. A nice sounding mix with a twangy electric guitar. A lot of these songs are lyrically driven. Cole gets in just about as many words as he can in songs about romance, affairs and just women in general. Well constructed pop songs with jangly guitars. Melodic. Catchy. The tones can be bouncy and happy or more serious. Strings are added at times. I thought sometimes the music might be derivative but no songs really settled into completely resembling another artist. So, extra points for originality (although Cole thought he was ripping off Dylan). Overall, this is a solid album and well worth a listen.
9.6/10 (round up to 10/10) (Fave) Perfect Skin- 9.5/10 (3rd) Speedboat- 10/10 (Fave) Rattlesnakes- 9.5/10 (Fave) Down on Mission Street- 9.5/10 (for 84 this song is shockingly s*xual. “When you go down on yours knees Your so hard to please” like dang! I didnt know yalls had these kinda Songs. The guitar during chorus is 10/10) (Fave) Forest Fire- 9.5/10 (1st) Charlotte Street- 10/10 2cv- 9/10 (2nd) Four Flights Up- 10/10 (Fave) Patience- 9/10 (3rd) Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?- 10/10 (tied for 3rd)
There are much better albums that could be on this list instead. But anything that started in Glasgow and isn't really shit has to get at least a 3 from me. ALBA GU BRÀTH
I sincerely do not know what to make of this album. I'm almost certainly going to give it a few more spins just to try to figure it out. It's not that it is appealing, it's that it is a strange curiosity, like a car crash. Odd that it is plucked out of the millions of albums to be included on the list but I feel like the author is more heavily invested in UK music than I ever will be.