The ones that got away

Updates for our discography/guide to the music of Lloyd Cole

These discs represent live recordings and sessions . The small ensemble recordings capture the touring band that Cole has been using to tour the Broken Record LP and provide a set that illustrates how that dynamic works in relation to some of the more familiar songs in his set list. The other two collections are a very good example of what makes LC a fantastic live performer, possibly better than any other live recordings from an artist working in this genre in terms of passion, sound quality and the warmth of the atmosphere in general. There is not a great deal to say here about the songs themselves that can't be found elsewhere in these pages, but it is well worth having these sometimes surprising versions in your collection . Track lists and release dates are supplied,along with some comments from LC on the Small ensemble release.  

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Lloyd Cole comments on this album: "12 songs recorded live in the studio the day after our debut 2010 performance. Is this an album or not? I’m not sure, it was recorded so that we would have something by the small ensemble to sell at our January 2010 concerts; a souvenir, but it turned out better than we expected, and folk who weren’t at the shows expressed interest in getting their hands on it. So, here it is.
Lloyd, guitar, banjo Matt Cullen – guitar, banjo Mark Schwaber – guitar, mandolin Recorded, mixed and mastered by Mark Alan Miller.
No overdubs.

Tracklisting -
My Alibi
If I were a song
Why I love Country Music
Margo’s Waltz
Perfect Skin
Broken Record
Four Flights Up
My Other Life
Trigger Happy
Undressed
No More Love Songs
Are you ready to be heartbroken?

 

Release date: January 30th 2009

folksinger 1

Tracklist:
1. Like Lovers Do
2. Music In A Foreign Language
3. Why I Love Country Music
4. Trigger Happy
5. No Blue Skies
6. Butterfly
7. Famous Blue Raincoat
8. No More Love Songs
9. NYC Sunshine
10. What's Wrong With This Picture?
11. The Young Idealists
12. Love Like This Can't Last
13. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
14. Four Flights Up
15. Forest Fire

Folksinger 2

Release date: January 30th 2009

Tracklist:
1. Woman In A Bar
2. My Other Life
3. Don't Look Back
4. Cut Me Down
5. The Lady Came From Baltimore
6. Rattlesnakes
7. Vin Ordinaire
8. Butterfly
9. Late Night, Early Town
10. Old Enough To Know Better
11. That Boy
12. No More Love Songs
13. I'm Gone
14. Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends
15. 2 CV
16. Pay For It
17. Music In A Foreign Language
18. Undressed
19. Impossible Girl
20. Lost Weekend
21. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
22. Perfect Skin
23. Unhappy Song

Stop! the Lloyd Cole Press!! My addiction to Lucky strike explained, my dad's Tanita Tikaram theory is given some kudos and why Daniel Lanois is not the right man!

January's artist of the month Lloyd Cole interview from BBC2's RAPIDO.

We mentioned in our review of Lloyd Cole's first solo album an interview that we couldn't place.

Well we have tracked it down and its cheered us up no end. The feature presents Cole's new image and mindset in terms of his musical direction in 1990 and maps out some of his earlier influences. The narrator of the piece also mentions Tanita Tikaram, which will undoubtedly please my father, who would try to wind me up at the time by claiming both artists were the same person and had I ever seen them together in the same place to disprove this ?

The mixing desk scene that I recalled hearing Sweetheart on for the first time is here and was probably the most well worn VHS strip on the planet until it finally gave way. The roots of the addiction that I had to Lucky Strikes during my twenties has also been revealed to me during this exercise, I knew it must have come from somewhere.

Cole's revelation that he and Fred Maher were pitching to produce the next Dylan album is fantastic, with Cole declaring "Lanois is not the right man", I for one would have been fascinated to see the outcome of that collaboration, and it would have been interesting to see how it may have altered Dylan's path.

Have a look and enjoy this snippet from BBC archives, marking a new chapter in Cole's career and the beginning of his solo work.

Track of the Year: 2010 Lloyd Cole's That's Alright

MOODSWING ANNOUNCES TRACK OF THE YEAR
LLOYD COLE'S THAT'S ALRIGHT
The criteria for track of the year was relatively simple; which record has not left the player, Ipod,Laptop for a good few months and is still going strong into the new year, which track has got so far under the skin that now everybody in the house/work place is singing along whether they like it or not and which track still sounds fresh after umpteen repeat listens.
Hands down then That's alright is moodswing's track of the year.
Fantastic lyrics echoing the first two solo albums with their sharp wit fused with some fairly down and dirty guitar playing, this was the sound of the Lloyd Cole for me the first time round having been a little bit too young for the commotions (I only came in at Mainstream on my 15 birthday, but it still remains in my top five long players of all time). I stood waiting in my local record shop for them to unpack the newly delivered Lloyd cole (X) L.P.The staff there took advantage of my youth and naivety and conned me into buying them all Pukka Pies and chips from the chippie two doors down before they would unpack the day's deliveries. To add insult to injury I got pulled for skipping school to pick this record up an wasn't allowed it back for a week!
The L.P from which That's alright is taken is Broken record ( see our albums of the year)
which hears Lloyd cole recording with a band again for the first time in about twelve years. The project was funded by avid Cole fans being encouraged to lay out $45 to pre-order the album, including his 'young idealist' fan collective, who also help sell and promote his work at his gigs. Musicians include Fred Maher who has played with Cole on his first few solo outings and also has the added Kudos of being Lou Reed's Drummer, Joan as Policewoman - Joan Wasser on various instruments and vocals and contributions, including a co -write on Oh Genevieve, by ex- Commotions member Blair Cowan. Bob Hoffnar a pedal steel guitar player who worked with cole on Bad Vibes in 1993 also features, adding a country tinge to the proceedings. The album was recorded within a few days early in the year at the Magic shop in Manhattan N.Y
with all overdubs taking place in Cole's current home state Massachusetts. The self depreciating title track lured me into a false sense of security in a kind of 'business as usual' Lloyd Cole outing until Writers Retreat! kicks in with a Harmonica, Pedal Steel and banjo and a chorus hook that evokes Gram Parsons' era Byrds. Flipside has possibly one of the most emotive vocal performances that Cole has committed to tape, it is perhaps not often enough we get to hear Cole without his wry and satirical armour in place, "We'll play Sister Morphine and dance to the end of the evening" ticked all the boxes for my money. Westchester County Jail begins "I look like a million bucks, sure I'm not  worth quite that much" delivers us back into Cole's comfort zone setting himself and his characters up for the fall over an up beat bar room stomp. Cole has said that like Bryan Ferry he only has two songs- Fast or Slow, but he likes to push and pull them into as many different shapes as possible and like one of his idols- Raymond Carver- its generally in the stories he tells that cole achieves this. The Genius of That's Alright can be seen in the twist of its simple "Hey Mama, That's Alright" , at one point in his career Cole was dubbed 'Elvis for intellectuals "That's Alright,Mama" the song provides a fitting retort. The amusing "There's no depression in France, Their too busy with the romance." smashes through the cultural zeitgeist in exactly the way So you'd like to save the world? did back in '93 "You can call it ultra violet radiation, but it's only sunlight" swimming upstream and laughing all the way. Oh Genevieve finds Cole teaming up with old Commotions band mate Blair Cowan who also adds accordion to this track echoing the sound of Easy Pieces album and provides the same catchy hooks that album had in abundance. Rhinestones was a close contender for our track of the year delivering some beautiful guitar playing and pay off lyrics "I say X and you say Y when you know I'm not a mathematical guy" "I wasn't looking for trouble, its just a lazy eye" bringing to mind the tempo and wry humour of Undressed.Double Happiness closes the record with a variety of different guitar parts that sees Cole flex his musical muscles that I for one hope to hear more of in the future, 'Tried to rock' please-no more apologies.

To accompany this track of the year article there follows :
January's Featured Artist A Steady Slowing Down Of The Heart: A Guide to the records of Lloyd Cole.