Rattlesnakes

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about this one. Bang average if you ask me.

3.1/5

Pleasant 1980's pop - no more. Love the vocals, nice clean guitars, and it overall sounds good. Just a bit bland for me.

This album is okay. I’m confused by it being on a “best of list.” Don’t hate it, don’t love it. Lyrics on “Speedboat” are fun. Possibly people were drawn to the lyrics.

Honestly it's ok but really bland too. Was aware of this album back in the mid 80s - Perfect Skin being the track - but it doesn't hold up well for me. Whiny vocal delivery in the Elvis Costello style. No good.

Quite boring for me

Very much enjoyed 😁

Cooky album, yeah it was ok - nothing amazing though?

It's fine

Enjoyable but forgettable

-Tracks longer than 3:59: Two -Long tracks interesting or special: Meh -Album shorter than 58 minutes: Yes, a blissfully brief 35 minutes. -Will listen to album again: No -Overall: This is the third album in about a week that had music I liked, but it was accompanied by an irritating and/or grating voice: Tom Waits, Patty Smith, and now Lloyd Cole. I realize the first two are icons that I am “supposed to” at least respect, but my friend Lloyd here, not so much. 2/5

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

Ah, Lloyd Cole. Swoon

Good 80s grooves here. I will revisit since I was interrupted a couple times.

Another fun album from a new artist. Nothing I'll come back to but it was a good one to drink the morning coffee to.

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Rattlesnakes (1984) On Day 299, this album delivered a thoroughly enjoyable, literate jangle-pop session right on the eve of the 300 milestone. Cole’s vocal performance carried a cool, conversational detachment reminiscent of Tom Verlaine of Television, perfectly framed by crisp, upbeat production that rejected 80s synth bombast in favor of organic guitars and subtle strings. The early-to-mid sequence was exceptionally strong, driven by standouts like the energetic wit of "Perfect Skin," the lush string-kissed title track, the slow-building drama of "Forest Fire," and the melodic charm of "Charlotte Street." Tracks like "Patience," "Four Flights Up," and late highlights like "Sweetness" and "You Will Never Be No Good" kept the spirit bright. While the second half didn't quite maintain the ironclad consistency of the opening run, the record remains a smart, fun, and impeccably arranged gem. A very solid 4/5.

Are these guys generic 80s alternative brit pop? Let's go to the list: Jangly guitar? Check British guy singing in a deep voice that sounds vaguely like Lou Reed with a sore throat? Check Too clever by half lyrics that are actually devoid of any depth? Check Misleading band name? Check, these guys are anything but a commotion Yes, generic alternative brit pop they are. Not bad, not good, just there

This was a bit lame? Nothing obviously wrong but sounds like one song the whole way through and pretty whiny. Four Flights Up sounds the most interesting I think but I found myself wanting to skip the whole way through...

Du rock un peu pop sorti en 1984. C'est tout ce qu'il y a à savoir sur cet album. C'est très standard pour l'époque, pas nul du tout, mais absolument pas remarquable non plus. On est encore dans un des albums dont Robert Dimery a le secret où tu te demandes ce qu'ils foutent dans la liste.

That’s some happening and groovin music. Great tempo, production and sound.

kind of boring

Not very engaging for me. Pretty soft, not much else to say.

ok

God this was boring

453/1089 i’m intrigued by this cover and title okay instantly “jangle pop” seems so appropriate lol this was a fun little album and i came away with a couple of liked songs at least faves: rattlesnakes, are you ready to be heartbroken?, forest fire 59/100

I'm sorry Lloyd Cole. I realize that it's not your fault some twat put you on this list. You're probably embarrassed by it. Because I'm sure you can name 50 other albums and artists more deserving of a spot on this list. I'll give you a three because it's not your fault.

A pretty average album from the UK that probably didn't need to be on the list. The best part was when I found out that the 1.5 hr version on Tidal has a bunch of bonus tracks so I only had to listen to the first ten songs. Honestly the relief I felt from that discovery actually made me like the album a bit more.

The album would be better with any other vocals. I'm also glad I didn't have to listen to the extended edition

Vocals get a no from me, soiled it all. Not a fan.

I didn't mind this at all. Nothing really stood out, but I also don't think it was bad. Good background music, honestly.

What the hell is Jangle Pop?

Interesting album album. Seemed a little ahead of its time but it wasn’t bad

College me would’ve loved this: smoky bar, wearing something too dark and too skimpy, Coors Light in hand. Lloyd’s making literary references; I’m smiling at the drummer and planning poor decisions.

Interesting - this genre (80s synth with crooner vocals?) is very Morrissey and REM style. Pretty good, but no one song is amazing. Best tracks: all are fine Rating: 5/10

Somehow I never realized how much Felt just copied this album for Forever Breathes the Lonely Word!

Could I make an album this good? No. Would I try? Also no. And that is the difference between me and this band. +1 for not being Kid Rock or another Elvis Costello album. 2/5

Sounds like if David Bowie stayed in the 80s and only did 80s british rock sounds. Solid sound, songs carry through the album.

I wanted to like this and thought it started well but by the end I was just bored of it.

A couple of catchy numbers in there for sure

Slower older Folky country. Will listen again.

I came in expecting another Britpop record and what I got was much better. I went and saw Cardinals a few weeks ago in Atlanta and this band's sound reminds me a lot of those guys. It's a very relaxing record, reminds me a lot of The Smiths as well. Nothing really to complain about here.

Another generic English reverb ridden 1982 release? How close was I? DNF 5

Not bad. Had I been a teenager in 1984, I'd probably have this record. Also, I just realized two of my favorite artists refer to Lloyd Cole so it must have been pretty great back then. The Camera Obscura song, "Hey Lloyd I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" is an answer to Lloyd Cole's song, "Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?", and of course Tori covering "Rattlesnakes" on Strange Little Girls.

A fine album. Not much stands out.

Very boring. Very samey. Didn’t really go anywhere but wasn’t bad either so can’t complain too much. 2 or 3 stars.

Better than the reviews would have had me believe. This was just a bit before my time (well, I was 10 at the time), but stands up well after all these years. Nothing particularly stands out writing this review the next day, but I'd be happy to hear it again any time.

Oh I like him! Listened to a bunch now!

This was fine.

First time listen. Weird jangle 80s pop meets Country / Western? Unexpected but not necessarily bad. Not sure what else I have to say on the matter. 3 keepers in 10 (30%).

Sounds generic

the instruments In this album want to be a lot but they're very bland. His voice reminds me of David Bowies but really bad. This album lacks a lot of feeling to me.

legalzinho, lembra bastante um negócio meio gótico às vezes, por conta da guitarra. Tem potencial, acho que com algumas re-ouvidas vai ficando melhor, mas a princípio nada demais. A música que dá título ao álbum é bem mé, achei super esquecível em comparação à música de abertura, que tem os riffs de guitarra meio góticos (meio bauhaus). Me lembrou Tragically hip, you are ahead by a century, mas com bem menos personalidade. Literalmente todas as faixas do álbum são melhores que a faixa que nomeia ele. Down on the Mission Street é muito boa e soa com muito mais alma que Rattlesnakes. Charlotte Street tem uma pegada de sei lá, nostalgia? mas não sei explicar exatamente o porquê, só traz um quentinho no coração. Patience lembra muito as músicas que tocavam na rádio de madrugada em 2016.

This occasionally sounded like a British bands idea of America.

Couple of really great songs on this that I've never heard before and I loved the guitar tone.

3 - I liked it. I should listen more.

É a sonoridade de minha infância e adolescência. Escuto com facilidade e reescuto com frequência esse som, embora esse disco tenha sido a primeira vez que escutei inteiro. Mas não há nada demais a fazer entrar no critério proposto. Outros discos de mesma sonoridade estariam na frente. Daí a nota baixa, não pela qualidade, mas pela relevância.

Det är egentligen inte ett sound jag diggar. Men fastnar ändå för en hel del låtar. Tycker det totalt är ett lyckat album.

Pleasant enough with some highlights

Maybe at a different time I would dig this album - a bit old for my tastes.

Just another mediocre British Band out of the Eighties that somehow made the list. Your classic J.A.M.B.B.O.O.T.E.T.S.M.T.L.

More lyrically interesting than musically engaging. It kind of feels like a less gifted Leonard Cohen went pop instead of folk poetry. In fact, he makes mention of mister Cohen in Speedboat (which is one of the better tracks on the album). I am tempted to upvote to 4 just to make sure I revisit this at some point in the future, but I think I’ll just go with my gut and see if our paths cross again.

60

Not very memorable.

Jingly jangly and a little long.

It's like REM meets The Cure, but it's far less compelling than either one. I mean it's fine, but I can't see any reason for it to be among the #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie. 3 stars. The fact that NME called it a "part C&W album and part deep-south blues-funk" is contemptable and yet again shows that they know NOTHING about American music. The Athens scene (which I already said this evokes) is NOT deep-south funk blues. I think Peter Buck would laugh at that characterization.

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Rattlesnakes (1984) Some pretty good songs on here, some fairly average ones. Got used to his voice in the end. Some of it was very Pulp reminiscent – I guess they both started around the same time. Best tracks: Speedboat Forest Fire 2CV Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? I probably won’t be back but it was a decent⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very 80's jangly pop plussed up by tasteful string sections. Pretty enjoyable for its melodies, if you look past all the reverb. Rattlesnakes is a highlight with its beautiful orchestration. Faves: Rattlesnakes, Speedboat, Forest Fire - Extended Version

Its fine in the background

And yet another band whose name I've never heard before. "Lloyd Cole and the Commotions," and they sound exactly like 100 other bands from that era. Clearly, "Lloyd and C" with their unique album "Rattlesnakes" had to be on this list. And it's also clear that the album is an absolute bore. There's nothing special about it, nothing outstanding, nothing groundbreaking, nothing at all, except, of course, my wasted time.

I really enjoyed these well written up tempo songs. I had never heard of Cole n his band the commotion until this listen.

Didn't make much impression on me. 80s Britpop/rock. Harmless and innocuous.

Lovely slice of 80s this. Very evocative. Great songwriting and the band are just on point all the way through. It has that effortless confidence of youth….just leaves me wanting more…the mark of an all great albums. Easy 4.

Brother it was so lame. I'm sorry but not for me.

Turns out I like Scottish 80’s bands. Who knew?!

It was alright but I was disappointed that lost weekend wasn't on it

Nice but nothing remarkable

Fine.

Not quiet my tempo.

Oh boy another mediocre Smiths alike. I sure hope the next album is more interesting

Unimpressive milquetoast British pop rock. This band might have introduced a little bit of indie flair to their music before indie music was popular, but otherwise there's not much to mention about this very boring album.

I struggled with his voice. Like a 3 star album for me.

Blegh, boring.

Almost a four for me. Probably would have gone there but I felt like the vocals were way high in the mix. Which, Interesting choice given the singer. He's not bad at all but he has a particular voice and it already tends to stand out from the song.

Just gonna copy/paste the one I had yesterday which applies to this album and like half of them I've gotten so far. Extremely generic british rock. Listenable but nothing I'd recognize in the wild and nothing that stands out.

About as good as Coldplay

Another 80’s album that, had I been around in that era, likely would’ve been a favourite of mine

not the best, but it was ok

Unmemorable. Some jangling guitars, nothing not to like, but pretty average.

meh

Kind of like the Smiths if Morrissey was even more of a posh bore and Johnny Marr wasn't there to make the music good.

For someone who likes this kind of music it is an okay album i guess, but that's not me. There is nothing 'wrong' with except that is is highly boring. I was waiting till the 47 minutes were over and almost every song sounded the same to me (which is not completly unusual for me after listening an album only 1 time but still...). If i were to pick a favorite song it would be andies babies and as least favorite i would choose patience. Once again, it is probably not a bad album for its genre i just dont think it deserves its spot in this list of greatest albums all time since there is nothing new, exciting or interesting about it

This wasn’t bad. I just found it fairly boring. 3/5

Never heard of this band but really enjoyed this album.

I remember liking a few Lloyd Coke tracks that I heard back in the 80’s but never really explored him further. I really liked this album though, and have lined up some of his others on the back of this. A really pleasant surprise.

Enjoyed the famous songs, bit sure the album is anything I'll come back to

Not sure why this album is on the list. Average at best. Boring, when being realistic. 2/5.

Previous to hearing this album, my knowledge of Lloyd Cole was limited to seeing his name on the First Avenue calendar back in the 1990's. Overall, I largely enjoyed listening to this album. Cole seems to be a part of a group of singer songwriters in the 1980's that is responding to some of the sounds being produced at this time, working some distinctively post-punk and nascent college rocks sounds. Apparently the band was initially a fuller soul band and those sounds. If I were going to be honest, these tends to be some of the more pedestrian moments of the record, although they are all fairly listenable.The string arrangements distinguish it from a lot of it's contemporaries and are a good addition to the sound. Lyrically, this is a set of songs exploring romantic relationships in a kind of slice of life manner with a fondness for multi-syllabic words. (Think of Billy Bragg if he didn't write songs about socialism.) As a whole, I found myself bouncing between three and four stars, and wound up settling on three stars, going with a rounding down, rather than rounding up approach.

Not bad, but not memorable.

An easy listening album and a perfectly pleasant way to spend 35 or so minutes, but also an album that's reasonably forgettable. Not necessarily sure it's an album you absolutely must hear before you die

Inotially fits into that Smiths mould of chiming guitars and literaey lyrics, but with more elegance and charm than Morrisey. With a Marr-level guitarist pertner he could have been huge. As it is, a weak voice and dated production choices just take the edge off. Still, enjoyed a lot mlre than expected. 4. Mostly on lyrical quality.