Rattlesnakes

I enjoyed this one more than I expected to. It has a bit of a "What if The Cure had gone to therapy and gotten on some good antidepressants?" vibe to it. Nice production, good performances, interesting lyrics. Would listen again.

Good but nowhere near great. I could have died before hearing this and been ok with it.

When you order The Smiths on Wish

Entre le neutre et le pas désagréable.

Compared to other 80s pop albums, "Rattlesnakes" is actually good. I liked "Forest Fire", it's a hidden gem. The other songs have aged like fine wine. However, I wouldn't call "Rattlesnakes" a classic. It could do with a few more songs like "Forest Fire". 3 stars for "Rattlesnakes".

I feel like I’d heard of this guy but not sure I ever listened. Liked it.

Soft rock new wave. The album is great but probably won’t return to it.

Another great surprise from an artist I wasn't familiar with. Need to explore his solo stuff now but this one is excellent!

Never heard of this group before. Found it fairly enjoyable and the album grew on me as it went on.

Me gustó mucho, no conocía y me sorprendió para bien, es el estilo de música que me gusta. 3 estrellas

Meni jako simpatičan album iz osamdesetih

80s... jangle pop... that has a vague sophisti-pop flavor to it... inject it in my veins please. This is so awesome. Of course my brain instantly goes to R.E.M. but even some of the more acoustic/orchestral stuff reminds me of what Out of Time-era R.E.M. would do (there's a lineage that starts with "Down on Mission Street" and ends with "Texarkana" but I don't know what's in the middle).

Okay ... sure. I've heard this before, but with better melodies and vocals. None of these songs will occupy a single synapse in my brain once it's over. Why is this here? Oh, right, all the Brit Pop goes on the list. If want to listen to Spandau Ballet, or Roxy Music, or the Waterboys, Style Council (you get the point), I'll start there, not here. Next.

I just really didn't care for it. The vocals were also grating to me.

New album for me. Some fun stuff in here. Also, some real 80s cheese. Felt like he wasn't committed to the sound he was making.

Raw

Charges should have been filed over how criminally underrated Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were in the mid to late 80s. A succession of fine indie pop tunes barely got to say hello to the charts before they disappeared without trace. Such a shame. I hovered here between a 3 and a 4, noting that Perfect Skin and the title track were the pick of the bunch. The rest was decent too, to be fair. I'm going to give a reluctant 3, but it was close...

very close to a 3. just not the best songwriting. the sound/playing is good though

I enjoyed it.

Meh

Nice 90s vibe, but top 1001? I'd listen again

While Lloyd Cole cites Booker T and MGs and Bob Dylan as influences, all I really heard was a pale imitation of UK Lou Reed. That's okay if you are into Lou Reed, but unfortunately I am not. Also, hate to break it to the Brits, but this doesn't really have any Country or Western influences either. I am also wondering why Dimery wasted yet another valuable 80s slot on such an insignificant band and album that influenced absolutely nothing. Another tip for the Brits, poetry does not make an album. It makes an uneventful chapbook. That was among the longest 35 minutes I've ever experienced. I've had better experiences at the DMV (for the Brits, that is the Department of Motor Vehicles). 1984 albums missing from this list that are far more influential (culturally and musically) and infinitely more enjoyable: The Cars - HEARTBEAT CITY Madonna - LIKE A VIRGIN Bryan Adams - RECKLESS Metallica - RIDE THE LIGHTNING Don Henley - BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST There are quite literally hundreds more interesting albums than RATTLESNAKES from the 1980s. The writer's bias goes too far to avoid Pop.

Boring 80s music. Not my thing.

A fun album but pretty disposable and tails off a bit

Definitely has its charms

Dunno what to make of this really, sounds both very of the 80s and very not at the same time. I think I'd rather listen to REMs first album if we're talking what came out in this genre/era, and some tracks are quite reminiscent of this. Strangely intriguing album cover, is it just me? Reminds me of an old book cover or something. "The The"'s song "This Is The Day" (great great track, give it a listen) is a lot like "Charlotte Street"

Yeah this is pretty pleasant, not a lot stood out though, maybe with another listen or two I might change my mind 3

A really important album in its day, great confessional songs delivered in Cole’s unique vocal style. One of those artists whose first effort was probably his best, although he shone intermittently in the 40 years since.

Some hints of Prefab Sprout in there but mostly a bit bland.

New wave without any edge. 2.7/5

Two good songs and the entire rest of his career is garbage.

Some nice, catchy songs, but nothing that stands out. A very summery album imo! Fav song is ‘Andy’s Babies’.

Was alright, I enjoyed the music, I have just heard better in this genre.

3/5 I mean it's alright! Nothing special, really.

I'm pretty sure I've seen this album while flicking through the book and some of the user profiles, but aside from that I can confidently say that I've never heard of this album or artist before. This album cover is kind of amusing. Out of all the images these guys could have picked to represent their music they had to choose a gross, musty, shitty picture of a cabin door. I guess that's part of their countercultural punk aesthetic. There's no way this music isn't punk, right? I can partly see it being folk, but I think the Commotions are too rowdy for any folking antics. Anyways, here goes. Jangle pop. Folk rock. My inability to lock in folk for my prediction has cost me once again. I want to like jangle pop. It's an earnest and distinct genre, but one I find immensely difficult to appreciate. The music is just so stale. Weak vocal performances and unremarkable guitars are pretty much all that this genre is, though there are some nice string sections in the case of this album. I salute the runtime, but overall this was an unremarkable listen. Book time. "One of the finest debuts of the 1980s". A lot of literary references and comedic lyrics. "...as sharp as anything by pop's other literate funnyman, Morrissey." Wikipedia says this album had some modestly successful singles in the UK, was well-received by critics and had respectable chart success across Europe and the West, but that's about it. I mean, sure. This music is a decent representation of where music was at during the time, it's a unique genre, it isn't over-represented and I can see it having an influence over where popular music would head in the 90s. I'm pretty sure the only other jangle pop album I've encountered on the list is 16 Lovers Lane by the Go-Betweens, so I cosign this inclusion.

I dig the jangly pop. It’s like the Smiths but less ironic and more jangly chord progressions.

The first half does remind me of House of Love. The second half wasn’t this good anymore. What a pity.

Good instrumentals, voice isn't great, lyrics are fine.

Never heard of these guys, but they're pretty good.

Liked: Perfect Skin, Speedboat, Rattlesnakes, Patience Added: Rattlesnakes

Coffee shop vibes. Nothing to say one way or the other

Number: 75 Date: 03/18/2026 Artist: Lloyd Cole And The Commotions Album: Rattlesnakes Year: 1984 Genre: Soft Art Rock Rating: 5 Notes: Before: Oh, this album is gonna be a 4 or 5. I know it has a few 5's but also has some songs that I don't love. Checking my best of '84 list I find 8 of 114 songs are from this album. Another way to put it, is 8 of 10 songs on the album are one of my faves of '84. Even another way to put it is, I have this album ranked as my 5th favorite of the year. But to be fair, 1984 was a great year and there was lots of competition. I have this one ranked between Echo & the Bunnymen's "Ocean Rain" and The Jazz Butcher's "A Scandal In Bohemia". I'll probably listen to it at least 2 times today. During: 5 Perfect Skin 4 Speedboat 4 Rattlesnakes 4 Down On Mission Street 5 Forest Fire 4 Charlotte Street 5 2CV 5 Four Flights Up 4 Patience 5 Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? ----------------------------------------------------- 4.5 AVERAGE 4.46 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After: I am really surprised at all the negative reviews of this album. I guess it's a you had to be there kind of thing. I think this album is awesome. It evokes a certain kind of wistfulness that no other record does for me. I see a lot of people calling it pretentious. I don't see that all. In what way is it pretentious? Anyway, just for reference so you know where my head is at , I'll give you my top 5 albums from 1984 and whether they part of the 1001 list as a bonus. 1) The Fall's "The Wonderful And Frightening World Of...." - NO. 2) Butthole Surfers' "Psychic....Powerless....Another Man's Sac" - NO. 3) The Style Council's "Cafe Bleu" - YES. 4) Echo & the Bunnymen's "Ocean Rain" - YES. 5) Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' "Rattlesnakes" - YES. 5 my personal rating 5 suitability for this list 4 relevance ----------------------------------------------- 4.7 composite rating

I'm running out of things to say for albums that are just ok.

This list had given other albums in this genre before and I honestly hated those. But this one is quite allright. It's not too serious and reminds you of tears for fears just enough. But it is still just discount tears for fears.

Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: 🪟🚪🏚️ Production (Remastered): 😐👍🆗 Music: 😒🤢🚫 Rating: 🐍/5

Yep, this was a fine listen. Nothing outstanding but I liked my time with it.

Mid-80s folk rock. One of those "it's fine" albums - don't mind the sound but I'll struggle to remember it in a week.

Не очень расслушал, но какое-то тёплое впечатление.

Solid

,= the Beatles

que

More 80s brit pop jesus christ

I was whelmed.

There are no less than 40 albums on this list that sound vaguely like this one. I say vaguely, because so many of them are vague and forgettable. I’m sure these hit if you were a certain type of teenager in a certain place at the time of their release, but hindsight puts this record in its place. “Down On Mission Street” and “Forest Fire” almost revived this project’s pulse, but it was too little too late. 2/5 no need to listen to this one

Started off good then flattened out for me.

3+

I was once a bookish young man but I was never daft enough to imagine that was cool or sexy. Lloyd Cole's naive pretentiousness was always a bit annoying, to be honest, but I might excuse his naivety more now I am so much older than he was. Decent songs, on the whole

Boring

This was ok, I didn’t mind it but didn’t love it eirher

Feels like an influence to the 90's Gin Blossoms/Goo Goo Dolls era. Did enjoy.

Some ups some downs but not super noteworthy

I liked this album more than i thought that I would

Jangle pop , sounds like the smiths. I’ll be generous bc it was pleasant enough

563/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Not bad

Wow, this one really dragged. It’s not awful by any means, but man, it sure is boring. Nothing offensively bad—just a slow, uneventful listen.

OMG another one no one has heard of... Had potential but just never broke outta the mold

Side 1 great, side 2 not. 1. Perfect Skin 2. Rattlesnakes 3. Forest Fire 4. ..Heartbroken

This is really good. Shades of Echo and the Bunnymen, moodists, teardrop explodes, early U2.

I'm familiar with the singles, but never heard this album. In 1984 this was probably a bit too normal and radio- friendly for my ears, but today it's considered a 6Music Dad favourite. I quite like it; solid production and he's a good singer, just a bit on the safe side for purchase material. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Safe ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 245 Already owned : 55 Purchased : 13 To buy list : 3 Nope : 174

I'd like to come up with a critique beyond just "boring", but it didn't inspire anything else

nah

Songs about first loves, failed relationships, and that time in your life of inventing yourself - "should I buy this raincoat? will I look like Alain Delon or will I look like a dick?" This is an album that wears a black polo neck, carries a slim volume of French poetry and expects you to follow the many arch references and allusions in the songs, nodding knowingly when Lloyd explains "It's just a simple metaphor" in "Forest Fire", mentions Norman Mailer, Cosmopolitan, Greta Garbo, and many others. An album that asks "pretentious ? moi?" and expects you to smile.

3 Fine, Bit forgettable

I really liked this album. The first song and lead single (Perfect Skin) was probably my least favorite song on the album so I didn't have high hopes. As the album went on and it seemed that they were trying less to be like all other popular bands, I really enjoyed the laid back acoustic vibe of a lot of their songs. I was surprised by how much I liked the second half of the album.

Rattlesnakes kicks off with a spectacularly good song - the single Perfect Skin, which is a top ranking song. If the rest of the album was as good, it would score a 5. Unfortunately the rest of the tracks really aren't that great. Not so catchy and rather contrived lyrics - contrived so as to drop in as many cultural references as possible.

This was a pleasant surprise.

7/10

Very 80s sounding

Pretty good. Totally new to me. Has a little bit of Echo and the Bunnymen sound. Can’t believe this did not hit my radar in the 80s.

Pleasant listening. I think I’ll need to dig into this one more

Rock with inspiration from folk and new wave that reminds me a lot of The Smiths. Not bad but not really catchy or interesting enough for me to want to come back to it. Perfect Skin and Rattlesnakes were my favourites after a first listen.

tu m’écoutes ça t’es au prime de ta vie de femme dans un film a New York qui démarre sa nouvelle vie

Cool background noise

To say that the only commotion this raised was hatred and that it made me wish I was being attacked by rattlesnakes is an understatement.

A good album, I liked Perfect Skin, Rattlesnake, Forest Fire and Four Flights Up the most

Why can't the front man ever be a guy who can actually sing? Or maybe this guy can sing but doesn't want to? I don't understand why the instruments all sound so good but the voice doesn't seem to be important. The soaring violins really bug me too, on the opposite end of the timbre spectrum.

This is the second straight day I have gotten an album from the mid-80's that sounds like it could come directly from the 90's. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions seem to traffic in college jangle rock from the early 90's. Forest Fire does sound like it is from the 80's and trends towards sophista-pop (spelling?). That track could have come directly off an Ah-Ha or Soft Cell album. Calling the album "Rattlesnakes" makes an uninformed listener believe this album is more aggressive than it really is. I understand why someone may not like this album, and I am not sure if it should be in this book or not, but I am glad that it is. I enjoyed the music, even if I have heard a lot of this similar sound before...just a decade after Rattlesnakes came out. My favorite tracks: Perfect Skin Speedboat Rattlesnakes Forest Fire Patience Are You Ready to be Heartbroken? The Sea and the Sand

I didn't get on with this one

Not familiar with them but yet another British, 80s, poppy meh 😖 and not encouraged by the opening track/sound. God, this is wank and my patience is really running out of this type of music on here. Probably won’t make it to the end of the album as I’ve come to expect not being surprised by these types of bands as albums progress. Taraaa (2.5)

Great memories

This surprised me - goodsounds, good vocals. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Not particularly offensive but just utter tedium most of the time, can't remember anything from this after listening to it

nope

This was a slog. The production has this 80s thing that I can’t stand, and that’s a big issue I have. Musically not bad but not great or groundbreaking. Clearly someone from the UK who put this list together bc there is a lot of stuff that was only big there.

Not offensive nor inspirational. But is it essential, important, influential, or groundbreaking?

It was fine, but I already forgot what it was like.

i liked it :3 its my type of vibe

Perfect straight-forward, punchy pop "She's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin" Ultimately, not the best or worst from this era.

This wasn't bad, but I've already forgotten it for the most part.

Grew on me

Honestly I liked this one a good bit, I could tell it’s the kinda new wave stuff the site frowns upon but I liked it, 4/5

Was fine enough in the background so I guess that tells you everything you need to know. Good music demands to be more than background music.

This really reminded me of the Smiths!

She's Got Perfect Skin 1001 Albums Generator 226 (2/12/2026) It's kind of Smiths-like, but not as good or interesting. Perfect Skin is a great song. Pretty middle of the road jangle pop, 2.5/5 rounded down to 2. Favs: Perfect Skin Forest Fire Four Flights Up Least Fav: Down On Mission Street

Solid, I’ll come back to this one

Fair to middling. Well not quite middling. Started off ok but drifted along after that and didn’t really do much.

I liked this one which is from another artist I had never heard of. It doesn’t really set the world alight or push any boundaries but would listen again.

Just another one of those albums that drifts by in a blaze of middle of the road mediocrity, making you wish that this list drew more from wider genres and their extremes than the briefly popular. Makes you think that maybe, just maybe, I should listen to Pete Ubu again….

- never heard of this group before, but the music is pleasant -- pretty normal and unoffensive. I hear a little bit of Smiths in some of the sadder, more personal lyrics ("it was much more my style/to find sand in my eye") and the shimmery guitar lines in the title track, but that might have also been features of most of the British alt pop rock coming out of the mid- to late 80s (Echo and the Bunnymen is another group that I was reminded of in the main hook of "Charlotte Street") - however, it doesn't stand out to me in the same way that Morrissey's voice stands out when telling a "woe is me" story about himself each time he sings on a Smiths album. I would say that overall, this album feels representative of other music from this genre coming out of the U.K. at this time, but I probably don't have the historical/musical context to determine much else that might make this significant in some other way

Solid

It was fine, it sounded like the inspiration for the 80s, with 60s vibes. No songs really stood out and it wasn’t my fav sound.

A laid back jingle jangle. Another album that I love but I question the inclusion on the list.

Todo lo que leo sobre este disco me dirige a Bob Dylan como gran inspiración. Si no fuera porque es el mismo Lloyd Cole quien lo dice me mostráis escéptico, pero bueno, sea como fuera, esto es mucho más digerible que algunas cosas del bueno de Dylan. Lloyd abraza el pop de los ochenta sin necesidad de sumarse a ninguna moda con sintetizadores ni caer en brazos de los nuevos románticos. Lloyd es romántico a su manera, a veces muy ingenuo, pero bueno, era un jovenzuelo. Buenos temas y buenos singles que pasaron un poco desapercibidos por el gran público, pero eso nunca ha sido necesariamente algo negativo.

One of those rare cases where I agree with the reviews here. I don't think it would have made any difference to the list if this album was left out. Anyway it was a decent album and not a bad listen.

Echt best wel leuk. Bijzondere nummers. Bijzondere stem. Doet me een beetje denken aan die zanger van Rick and Morty met 'Goodbye Moonmen'

Similar to other 80's pop records on this list, decent instrumentals but lackadaisical vocals really reduce this to mediocre at best.

en terme d'album complètement lambda il se trouve là quoi

ct sympa

Franchement très sympa carrément mon style

A very average album!

Nothing particularly stood out to me about this. I felt like the vocals got lost in the mix which made it drag on a bit. Few tracks were pretty solid, and a few a little slow. Didn't hate it but nothing particularly special feeling.

I'm not sure if this album really deserves to be on a list of 1001 albums you need to hear before you die. It wasn't bad per se, but it just didn't really do anything for me. It was inoffensive and quickly became background music. I'm usually waiting for an album to end when I dislike it or wanting to hear more if I liked it, but this is right in the middle.

This was only 35 minutes long but it felt like forever. What a dull album. A real snooze.

Didn't resonate with me. Easy listen but nothing blew me away or grabbed my attention too much 4-5/10

Generic British pop rock. Nothing stood out at any point.

My mom always used to say, “If you can’t say something nice, keep your mouth shut.”. So: 1 star. That’s all you’re getting.

Another British new wave/pop/indie rock?!? What a surprise! I'm so tired of these nothingburgers that I can't even come up with a creative way to take a shot at - yet another - 2* album from what is obviously the editor's very favorite genre (okay, he might like prog rock better; it's a 1 and 1A situation). This 2* should be replaced by the Goo Goo Dolls Dizzy Up the Girl . . . which, let's see, Influence 1. Hits 5. Quality 3. Intangibles 3. I've never been a big fan 2. Well, that only gets us to a 3*, but it's still an improvement, and I'm sure many more people would give the Goos a 4*, so good enough.

Is there anything special about this? I don't know, I didn't hate it, but it is also super not special and not worthy to be here. It was forgoten for a good reason, super bland. But yes it is still kinda listenable, cause it is so not innovative musically and without risk that sure

Very good

Love this. Love jangly guitars and coy lyrics definitely not about fucking. Love Scotland.

Gave me some Dire Strait vibes but no guitar work and good as songs really. Still listenable but not great. 2.5 goin down.

This was fine. Pretty good in places. Dragged a little, but enjoyable.

When I started this album I was confused for a bit since I didn't recognize the singers name but his voice sounded very familiar. After trying to remember and googling a bit I realized that its most likely just the brit pop sound from this era that sounds similar in singing style. While sounding like other bands might not be the best thing generally this time I didn't mind it at all. Its a really solid album with some catchy songs. Its on the verge of being whiny from time to time but the strings in the background saves it.

Solid jangle with annoying 80s vocal. Makes me appreciate the gin Blossoms vocals way more.

This is the perfect 3.5 album for me. Really liked some aspects but others just kind of turned me off it.

Glorious

The album is perfectly encapsulated by the cover. All brown. Dull and lifeless. Boring. There's some nice instrumentation in here, and it's easy enough to listen to I guess, but all the songs bleed into each other with no real distinction between themselves, and no real elevation into anything more interesting. 2.5 rounded down.

Ókei. Allt í lagi hljóðfæraleikur. Pínu boring. En þetta er örugglega betra eftir nokkrar hlustanir. Hljómar allt frekar eins.

Geggjað gáfumannapopp og góðir textar. Plata sem var í miklu uppáhaldi hjá mér, líklega þarf maður að hafa kynnst þessu í áttunni og hafa séð þá í höllinni 1984 til að fíla.

This was cool. Reminded me of that Orange Juice album from a while back, but a little more creative and jangly. Strong 3. Didn't dislike anything on here, but not sure I love anything either. Well actually I loved the warped galactic ass harmonica on "Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?" to end this one in style.

It was a reasonably decent slice of 80s jangle-pop/sophisti-pop but did little to elevate itself above that on my one listen.

po tem um janglezinho safado ali no meio, mas é isso num fede nem cheira, tem músicas boas e músicas paia

li jangle pop na wikipedia deles fiquei animado. mas eh bem medíocre, bem bobim!! nada demais não. é meio folkzinho new wave, não machuca ninguém, besta demais. não eh ruim, só medíocre. poderiam entrar mil albuns melhores no lugar desse, mas poderiam ser piores tbm i guess

Doesn't feel like an album from '84. Solid 4 Stars.

I’m at a 5. Once this album gets past some of its most Dylan-y inspired growing pains (I think 3 of the first 4 tracks have some issues, save for “Rattlesnakes”), the album just finds itself really nicely by “Forest Fire” and glides all the way to the finish line. The new wave soundscapes here feel really mature for 1984, and while I know “sophisti-pop” has a negative connotation at times, I think the label here is accurate, in the sense that these feel really smoothly fleshed out for the era, often sounding much closer to the early ‘90s (or in the case of the last track, maybe even the mid to late ‘90s). That mature “sophisti-pop” label also applies to the lyrics, though in a good way – given this came out the same year as Prince’s Purple Rain, I think the way both albums approach the labor of love is worth a comparison. Prince’s take on love is idealized, overtly sexy, a bit flashy, & while it appropriately matches the bombast of the album, it does feel unrealistic if you were trying to approach it from a more grounded standpoint. Granted, anyone who tries to tell Prince to be “more grounded” would be as futile as asking Stevie Wonder to produce a Slipknot album. This album fills that “more grounded” gap; love is portrayed as messy. It’s not as sexy, it’s usually circumstantial, and it takes a lot of work to even get a relationship off the ground, let alone maintain it. There’s one track here that feels like an idealized love (“Charlotte Street”) and even then, it’s appropriately acknowledged as a kind of dream scenario. The track immediately following it (“2cv”) is one where it falls apart immediately, due to one shared interest, ending in a whole lot of nothing. This album’s glue, however, and what keeps it as a coherent piece of work, is that the DESIRE for love drives the whole album, with a few tracks lyrically blending into each other to create a more cohesive world. All of these tracks are either in the process of maintaining it, trying to salvage it, trying to start it, or being prepared to end it. They’re all really personalized snapshots, and more than that, they feel realistic. I think it’s a really fresh attitude to have in an era of music where every singer seemingly got the girl (or boy) in all of their love songs. Lloyd Cole’s vocals are… I mean, they’re not super flashy or THAT charismatic, but they do their job nicely. His talk-singing approach can feel a little worn at times, and I do think some of these tracks could use a little more of an elevated emotion from him, but I never once saw his vocals as a negative. There are times here when he does lift up just a bit, and it does energize the track. The way the instrumentals build themselves up around his performances help too, with a timing sort of reminiscent of R.E.M. at points. The only track that kinda fails at this is “Down on Mission Street”, with the chorus feeling too different from the rest of the track, but even still, it’s just a stylistic choice I disagree with. Ultimately, I really liked it. I think it’s good to be grounded sometimes, and this album just feels grounded in a really nice way, whilst still giving a lot of energy to the instrumentals. The percussion & guitar in particular really drive a lot of these tracks, keeping everything from hitting any duller points. It does feel like a sort of underrated new wave gem, and while I can understand bouncing off of this album early if “Perfect Skin”, “Speedboat” & “Down on Mission Street” are just a little too lyrically confusing or Dylan-y for one’s tastes, if you can get to Forest Fire & beyond, the whole album elevates to a really tight 35 minutes, and one that feels a lot more lived in than the empty room of the cover art would suggest. I definitely think it’s an album worth listening to before you die, and I think it’s a strong 5.

5.5/10

Meh…

Een sterke 7/10, vooral voor de title track ‘rattlesnakes’ en het al even poppy ‘perfect skin’. De echte parel hier is echter ‘forest fire,’ dat na +40 jaar nog steeds even origineel klinkt.

One of my favourite albums ever. Flawless. Give it five stars and put it on again. And again.

Again. So many deserving albums have missed out due to shit like this

на любителя, мне не зашло...

Had no prev exposure to this, so nice to listen fresh. Felt like it had been inspired by Television (without going to far into punk) and The Cure. Prob deserves more than a 3, would go 3.5 if I could.

Not my favourite style of music - kinda reminds me of Morrissey :/

ลำเอียงเพราะ 80s เพลงแรกๆดีหลังเริ่มเข้าไม่ถึง ทำไมมันไม่มีคะแนนแบบ .5 วะ

I liked it better on the second day than I did on the first. Probably won't go back to this album, though

no terminó de llamarme la atención

7/10 Favorite: Perfect Skin

Not bad, but annoying because this took a spot on the list away from so many albums that are much better than this. It's not even like this is revolutionary or different in one way or another, it just sounds like every other generic English/Scottish pop album in the 80s-90s. Shows that the list is really one person’s opinion. So many other bands and genres that should be represented. 2.5⭐️

Not being familiar with LLoyd Cole and the Commotions I was actually excited to see that I would be treated to "4 extra tracks" of rattlesnakes. Surely if 4 extra tracks could be shoehorned in that means the original 10 tracks were so exemplary that these 4 couldn't even make the cut for the already long running 35 minutes and change of music I was about to treat myself to. WRONG. This sounds like the music you hear in the background of a bar in a mediocre 80's movie. I can see Patrick Swayze stone faced turning down the town hottie without saying a word and the bad guy somehow being mad that his woman got turned down by the new bad ass in town. That sounds more entertaining than this album was. Here is a quick lyrical excerpt: She reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance. Oh fuck all the way off for suggesting this is an album anyone MUST hear before they die.

I'm just a sucker for these jangly guitar 80s sad boy bands.

Didn't listen to the whole thing, but the first 3 tracks were pretty crap and I suspect it didn't get better from there

First Listen; 2.5; Enjoyable album with some interesting songs. Jangly and bright, with a fun new wave sound. At the same time, some of the other songs are pretty plain and boring. Favorite Track: Perfect Skin

An interesting blend of roots rock with synthy 80s sadpop. Three stars for New Wave Mark Knopfler.

Sounds like 8 GarageBand sample tracks, one Dylan parody and one semi enjoyable track musically (Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken) that gets muffled by the vocals. 1.5

Nääää… Patience var bra, resten var ganska kasst

Fun, unexpected brit new wave fun.

Very average new wave mid tempo rock. Not even rhythmically interesting.

Très bon album d'indie pop, agréable surprise qui rappelle beaucoup Queen Is Dead des Smiths avec des rythmes et une energie proche de la jungle pop tout en restant indépedant. Mon titre pref c'est "Down on Mission street"

A perfectly cromulent 80s rock album

This one wasn’t for me

Quite a nice little album. Certainly never would have found it otherwise. Quality is up and down a lot. I think there’s an excellent EP in here.

Jangly guitars with plenty of chorus, airy synths, reverb drenched vocals, heartfelt lyrics. I know this kind of music isn’t “cool” but I’m a sucker for this kind of thing.

White noise

Great album to fall asleep to…fails for me by any other metric, other than I guess the production is good. Did I really have to hear this one before I die?

Agonisingly boring.

It's fine, not my cup of tea but enjoyed some songs.

7/10. Not too shabby, I enjoyed it. great lyricist!

In general its very boring. I dont know, this is nothing like some i'd like.

I've liked this album for years, discovering it at my local library. I like the pop compositions, Cole's unique voice and the odd and timely use of the accordion. Liked Songs Added: Perfect Skin Rattlesnakes Forest Fire Charlotte Street Four Flights Up Patience

3.5

Good album. Reminded me of The Talking Heads.

Didn't have enough Bob Dylan on the list. Gotta get some Bob Dylan derivatives in there too. zzz

Not to my taste.

Trying hard to sound clever and witty, Rattlesnakes instead comes across as pretentious, weighed down by flat, unremarkable melodies.

Nice.

I was aware of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions before this project, but not certain I'd ever heard any of their songs. As I'm generally a fan of 80's new wave, I was excited to give this a listen today. After hearing the first few songs the thought that struck me was that they are ALMOST very good to possibly even excellent, but something was missing in each. I was really digging Down On Mission Street, until I wasn't. The same was true for every song on the record. The two songs I liked the most, Forest Fire and Patience, were enjoyable but I felt even they could have been even better. What I eventually came to feel is that Cole's vocals are too...everything. On each song that was the problem. Musically I think this had a great variety of styles, and even the backing vocals were pretty cool. But the lead vocals felt too forced and going for an emotion that the songs themselves didn't seem to need. A more straight ahead approach would have served the music much better. It's a shame as I wanted to like it, and really did appreciate each song in one way or another. But those vocals...

42/1089 2.4672* Pretty generic sounding crooner and backing band. Nothing to get too excited about, no real hooks. Standard 80s new-wave-adjacent faire. Could be ok background in a coffee house. Cool album cover. Hits...perfect skin

Beautiful lyricism and song writing. The music flows well together. It feels like this album should have been the soundtrack to an obscure 80s movie.

Not what I was expecting. Kind fonforgetable.

The most exciting thing about the album is that at its absolute best moments, it sounds like The Smiths. Now think about how exciting The Smiths are.

This was okay. I’m not familiar with the artist, but this wasn’t terrible background noise.

Strong start with Perfect Skin - jangly Smiths-like pop But then it quickly gets less memorable and slows down. Kinda boring and felt much longer than its actual album length. Andy's Babies is pretty painful.

Had a hard time getting through this one. Very 80's British new wave.

Rock, 1984 -> 4

Sounds very familiar lots of instruments fun to listen

Reminded me of the Jesus and Mary chain and their brand of pop, but not quite. And just enough difference to be kind of annoying and not a fan of this album

This was a nice surprise. I recognized the title track, from the early 2000’s Tori Amos album “Strange Little Girls”. It was a quick and jangly ride. I’ll be back… 3.5/5

I’ve always been a fan of Lloyd n crew. Probably more so by the time their 2nd album hit. Still, this is a pretty impressive debut for a band. It plays just fine now, but it for sure played better back then as its jangle rock style was such an antithesis to so much of the cheesy 80s pop being circulated.

Very 80’s, very average, super forgettable.

I did not like this. No feeling or emotion. Everything felt very blah. It was like the cure but take away everything that makes them good.

Don't have much to say about this one. Thought it was fine, albeit a bit bland. Has already left my brain a few minutes post-listen... 2.25/5

need to listen more

a pleasent listen, i just like 80s

I think this album is flawless. The precise amount of despondency with a glimmer of joy. Its cool as a favorite pair of sunglasses.

I hadn’t heard of this band before and went into it expecting a rootsy, Americana sound, owing to the group’s name and album title. I hear some of that as an inspiration, but this is more squarely melodic British jangle pop featuring some very good songs. As the bandleader, Cole’s clearly a highly literate lyricist, and he occasionally reminds me of Morrissey in his sense of poetry and flow, though he’s nowhere near as prone to the latter’s dramatic excesses. He’s also much more limited as a vocalist, which isn’t disqualifying in an of itself — I like plenty of artists (Neil Young, Leonard Cohen to name two) who don’t possess great singing voices — but his underpowered, speak-sing delivery doesn’t quite rise to the level of the excellent playing on this album.

This exercise has done much to acquaint me with jangly Scottish rock bands, which I like fine, but when this album ended and my streaming service started playing songs from other bands I didn't even notice.

Fondly remembered from my college radio days, though I think Mainstream was the lp I had. The perfect singer songwriter of that age; not as inscrutable as REM, and nowhere near as polemic as Morrissey/Smiths. Maybe his normalcy kept him from being a superstar?

The only Lloyd Cole song I am familiar with is Jennifer She Said from their final album. I like that song, but it didn't wow me enough to look into listening to anything else from them. If I had, I'd of realized that this album was going to be horrible. The music is fine, but that voice sounds like it's flat and sharp at the same time, and the pronounced articulation and emphasize of almost every word is highly annoying for me.

boring, cure-ish vibes but worse

Bit odd to have this one here, nothing remarkable. Did I miss something?

It's great 80s jangle pop with bright instrumentations, gentle vocals and sweet melodies, mixed with some more new wave'y songs here and there. It's really nothing groundbreaking, but very consistent and just plain sounds really good.

This was a surprisingly good listen. Well-executed new wave British pop flavored with beautiful strings throughout. Much better lyrics than the average. I think if you want new wave with some more introspection but with the fun spirit of the genre intact, this album will be a treat.

This album isn’t offensive, but it’s also not interesting. It sounds like every other new wave / alternative band from this era.

3.5

Really really rubbish and really infuriating that something so inconsequential was included.

I only know him from the I’m Your Fan album, and this was very good as I would have expected.

I liked this one. Good enough for sure.

Couple of really great tracks on this

Safe and forgettable album with mediocre songs and performances. Not bad, not good. Easy to listen to but nothing worth revisiting. Top tracks: Forest Fire, Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

It sounds like the 1980’s. 😊

More 80’s! Great lead off track and single. Upbeat jangly indie pop. Hard not to like this. Not sure it’s one for the collection but very enjoyable. 4

“I heard the The Smiths before you”

jangly 80's pop

A bit of the transition from new wave to alternative. Nothing sticks with me, but the songs are ok.

Not bad

Very good

I quite enjoyed this, although I found it got a bit monotonous towards the end, and that's even after I skipped the last 4 bonus tracks for not being part of the original release. First half is probably a 4, second half has bumped the whole thing down, but I'd be keen to revisit this one.

Never heard of this before. Surprised because this would have been right in my wheelhouse in the 80's. I don't love it as much as I probably could have. Too many songs feel "samey". A few standouts. Probably one I would put on for background music..

I liked some songs but overall it’s meh.

1nsignificant / 5 Would've written something about this album if it was interesting. But the content of it is as insignificant as the group itself, so instead you'll get a very long paragraph of nothing. It's there for a reason, it perfectly portrays both the gap in creativity this album shows as such as the air in the author's head who put this album on this list. That's right, it's a whole lot of nothing. Good job unidentified author, you're retarded.

This album evokes strong meh. For this it gets a soft 2.

Nothing really wrong about this album at all, but nothing really stood out to me at all. Square 3 at best, maybe a bit lower for being forgettable

Nice quick folky album. Enjoyable but forgettable.

RATTLESNAKE! RATTLESNAKE! Halfway through and this seems pretty inoffensive, but nothing special at the same time. Getting kinda bored as it goes on. Meh 3.

its ok

Its good, jangly, maybe slightly uninteresting. Needs a bit more grit or something Title track is good

The music was decent but I just couldn't stand Lloyd's vocals. Favorite track: Forest Fire

super cute! 3.5/5

★★½

Surprising! I liked this a bunch! Best Song: Forest Fire Rating: 7/10 Stars: 4

Best Song: Rattlesnakes. A moderately toe-tapping chorus. Worst Song: Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? These lyrics, which were undoubtedly the intended focus of the song, were corny as all hell. Overall: I'm at a loss as to what I'm supposed to get excited about here. History has forgotten this album. I am already forgetting this album.

Middle of the road 80s new wave

quite generic compared to a lot of the albums that have made this list but i still enjoyed it a lot. the songs sound a bit similar to each other as well.. which despite being a weakness, manages to uphold a certain atmosphere which i appreciated. i can see myself spinning a few tracks off this here and there

Another dreary Brit pop record that was obviously important to the clod that made this list, but sounds like geese farts on a muggy day.

A couple years back I swapped 10-track sets with Groupmate using a baffling guideline where we had to pick a single track from one album chosen from every 50 albums in a long bunch of albums. We had to pick songs from albums we’d never listened to and swap the sets unheard or something. I don’t know, and I forget the details, and it’s all too convoluted to even try to explain here, but the sets were both demented. The song Rattlesnakes was on my set. This album is a good fun listen. It felt a bit long, and both spins I found myself checking the progress when there were two-three songs left. I note that on the album cover the words “Contains 4 extra tracks” is written. All this to say: I was right. It IS too long.

Listened to this three times and liked it more each time. No time to see if this trend continues. I need to consume this list like junkfood. Next one. NEXT ONE

Dull, dull, dull. I was bored from a few seconds into the first track until the album ended. The only positive to take from this album is that it didn’t make enough impression on me to make me hate it with a passion

Pretentious and boring

Not super interesting.. I sort of dig the 80’s sound here but also find it sorta plain. I’m a bit split

Immediately forgettable. Listened to it and when it was over, couldn't tell you much about what I had just listened to. It's very jangly. The singer seems to want to be some sort of a crooner or something. It's not offensive, it's not terrible...it's just average and I don't know why this is on the list.

2.75

Surprisingly good jangle pop/"college rock" debut album. Avoids the techno-pop excesses of the 80's but isn't just stripped-down folk rock. Keyboard hooks that are subtle but still grab you. Nice singing voice that is quieter and helps match the poetic (if not corny at times) lyrics. "Four Flights Up" simple but upbeat and fun.

When a record is as innocuous as this and yet underwhelming it feels punitive to rate it 2 stars...I'm not mad Lloyd, just disappointed.

This is another album that has some nice moments and there is nothing really bad to say about it...but there isnt anything particularly special either. It's a good 80s new wave, pop, and ballad album.

Uninteresting. Uninspiring. Unessential.

Loved “Forest Fire” Nice 80s feel. A bit of folk mixed in.

I liked it.. different

Для идеального прослушивания (без сна) этого альбома нужно включать одну песню из Rattlesnakes, а затем песню из репертуара Suicide Silence

“We have Dire Straits at home” vibes up and down this record. I like it more than a lot of the synth-pop style New Wave that was destroying radio by 1984, but this… Honky Tonk New Wave? Roadhouse New Wave? Country & Wave-stern? never took over or made a big enough splash to mean much to music history… or did it? Maybe this aided the country music crossover that would eventually give us Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain, and all the bro country in the radio today? I fear I’m reaching for meaning, and also terrified to be right, so I’ll shut up. I still need some convincing as to why we aren’t letting this one rest in peace back in 1984, but I might be re-listening to this until I get it. Woof. Absolutely not how I thought this review would end when I started writing it. Highlights: When Lloyd Cole says “vITimins” in “Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?” Nothing says C ountry like British pronunciation. All of the twinkly guitar fills that help sew the seeds for Midwest Emo in the 2000s.

Like 🚀

It's refreshing to hear a non punk or metal album from mid 80s that isn't new wave and doesn't suck. The second track is pretty cool. Third track a little on the 80s side for me with some goofiness, but it's not way over the top like most new wave stuff. Overall, this is pretty good. Kind of has notions of Nick Cave. A little janglish at times, but not so much that it ruins the overall product. High 3, but I could see this growing on me.

Perfect Skin is an entertaining and promising opener, but the half-sung/half-spoken/always verbose lyrics come across as pretentious and grow tiresome within a few songs. The band's work is solid and very much of its era, but Lloyd Cole seems to be cramming in beat-poetry-style stream of consciousness words and oh-so-literate name dropping and (kind of) trying to make them fit the well-crafted tunes.

Is fine and non-offensive, if a lil repetative

👍

I didn’t find this interesting at all

The song "Rattlesnakes" is so great. I've heard that one before on "New Wave" playlists, and I really like it. The rest of the album is very good, but it definitely is "of its time," and while I do think it should be praised, I can't say I'll go back to it a lot. I can a 3.5 or a 4, depending on how I think about it, so I'll round up. I think there are better albums that should have been on this list, instead of this one, but it is very good.

Pleasant and chill album listen to. Nothing groundbreaking, especially hearing it nowadays. Still didn't mind checking it out.

I love Perfect Skin, one of my faves. Upbeat, slightly Avant Guard (in a good way). But... Ive never listened to the album. The Title track has the same energy, but there's some darker, more diverse listens. I mean there's some stuff on here that sounds like Elvis Costello, like Morrissey and even hints of The Saints. But still is uniquely Lloyd Cole. cool.

nobody wants this

I love all kinds of 80s music, but I was not expecting to like this nearly as much as I did. When it showed up as my next album, my instant thought was "not another no-name English band!" I've grown tired of a lot of these bands that have no business sniffing this countdown, let alone being on it. And while I am not sure this belongs here either, I at least really enjoyed their sound. Yeah, the singer is that typical New Wave voice, which struggles to hit all of the notes but it sounds like it was supposed to be this way. The band is solid and the songwriting is good, even if some of the lyrics are a bit basic. While I enjoy New Wave music, it's not my favorite subgenre of the 80s, but this was a welcomed addition that I had never heard before. Stuff like this makes plowing through this list fun. 4 stars.

If you had told me that every single one of these songs was on the soundtrack for any 80's teen hijinks rom-com, I would believe you. Nothing remarkable.

I'd heard Perfect Skin a few times before but nothing else on this album and, while it was all decent enough, nothing on Rattlesnakes made me want to listen to it again.

I’m kind of on the fence with this one. It was ok, but it’s another album that doesn’t jump out to me as being noteworthy in any way. I kind of get a mix of maybe the Cars, the Cure, some other more rock leaning new wave… but nothing really stood out.

1/5 found it kinda super boring and especially disliked the vocal performance in patience

1/5 - got bored partway through, DNF

About great example of just how well written but bland AOR can get

2.0

Pretty good, but not particularly outstanding

Somewhat conventional and even a little bland but somehow I like it. It's like comfort food.

Absolutely love this album. Are you ready to be heartbroken, perfect skin and the album title song rattlesnakes all fabulous tunes. One of my favourite albums

Jakieś nudne pierdolenie o szopenie

Not gonna start a commotion or rattle any snakes over it, but pretty enjoyable

boring

This is what I hoped I'd get from this app. Albums that I would have dismissed as a youth because it wasn't 'rock'! This is a very good album if you can get past Lloyd Cole's singing style. Some great guitar work on show and maybe would have been a 5 if Cole's voice didn’t occasionally stray out of his natural range.

I like the instrumentals a lot, very up beat and easy to nod along to, however I just don’t like his voice. Sounds like he has a blocked nose 👍. my favourite track is rattlesnakes

Generic 80s soft rock album.

It’s kinda just a alright

Very new wave vocals and instrumentation. Pretty cool overall. Some acoustics and synth strings and things. Plenty of synth in general, in fact, but used a little more conventionally rather than experimentally.

Istovremeno tako ok i tako ništa posebno, a mislim da takvi albumi ostave najgori utisak iako nisu loši jer ono zašto si ovdje?

This is one that I feel like I've been missing out on for way too long, but glad I finally found.

This was a weird one. It was a super easy listen as long as I didn't pay attention, and then I thought it was quite average.

cut rate smiths

Didn't really find it that interesting.

Another example of a forgettable album I didn't need to hear before I died. Some of these are more like (why did I waste 0.0005% of my remaining existence listening to this?

This sounds like an album by the fake band Adam Sandler sang in on the movie The Wedding Singer.

bar music for the 80s.

Heavy-bodied vipers with a series of horny rings on their tails that, when vibrated, produce a characteristic rattling sound as a warning.

wow I really liked this album! I have never heard of Lloyd Cole before, but I really enjoyed the jangly sound of these songs. sort of Smiths-y but without Morissey’s grating voice and self-absorbed lyrics LOL. peep the lyrics here too, I’ll have to read deeper into the literary references

Pas mauvais, pas pour moi.