The Singles

by Lloyd Cole

Overview

The first eight tracks (out of 21 total) on this best-of are from Lloyd Cole's Commotions days. The early tracks are an essential part of his canon; however, their inclusion causes a severe overlap with that other best-of, Lloyd Cole & the Commotions' 1984-1989. Fans would be better served by a purer look at Cole's solo work throughout the '90s, which comprised four strong albums. (OK, Bad Vibes was an experiment gone awry, but it has its moments.) This is clearly a case of a major label squeezing a veteran artist's catalog for every last dollar before putting him out to pasture. Too bad, because Cole's songcraft -- imagine a guitar-playing Morrissey drawing equal parts influence from the Byrds and Leonard Cohen (which is to say it eludes comparison) -- simply gets better as he nears forty. The drop-dead gorgeous, melodically perfect "Like Lovers Do" (from 1995's Love Story) or the previously unreleased "That Boy" (which would reappear on 2001's excellent Lloyd Cole & the Negatives) attest to this. The tracks overlooked here are too numerous to mention. ~ Erik Hage

Product Details

Release Date:	09/23/2004
Label:	Universal Distribution
UPC:	0602498240472

Tracks

1. Perfect Skin
2. Forest Fire
3. Rattlesnakes
4. Brand New Friend
5. Lost Weekend
6. Cut Me Down
7. My Bag
8. Jennifer She Said
9. From the Hip
10. No Blue Skies
11. Don't Look Back
12. Downtown
13. She's a Girl and I'm a Man
14. Weeping Wine
15. Butterfly
16. So You'd Like to Save the World
17. Morning Is Broken
18. Like Lovers Do
19. Sentimental Fool
20. Baby
21. Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lloyd Cole   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions   Primary Artist
Lawrence Donegan   Bass (Electric)
Neil Clark   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
John Micco   Bass
Stephen Irvine   Drums,Tambourine
Blair Cowan   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Adam Peters   Arranger,Producer,Performer
Alan Winstanley   Producer
Dan McCarroll   Arranger,Performer
Bob Clearmountain   Mixing
Lawrence Donegan   Composer,Group Member
Bashiri Johnson   Arranger,Performer
Curtis Watts   Arranger,Performer
Fred Maher   Mixing,Arranger,Producer,Performer
Lloyd Cole   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Group Member
Robert Quine   Arranger,Composer,Performer
Matthew Sweet   Arranger,Performer
Ian Stanley   Producer
Clive Langer   Producer
Neil Clark   Composer,Group Member
Mick Glossop   Mixing
Bruce Lampcov   Mixing
Steven Lindsay   Arranger,Performer
Norman Watson   Photography
John Carruthers   Arranger,Performer
John Micco   Arranger,Performer
Bunt Stafford-Clark   Mastering
Peter Anderson   Photography
Derek MacKillop   Composer
Duke Quartet   Arranger,Performer
Stephen Irvine   Group Member
Paul Buckmaster   Arranger,Performer,String Arrangements
Stephen Street   Producer
Paul Hardiman   Mixing,Producer
Blair Cowan   Composer,Group Member
Nicky Holland   Arranger,Performer
Anne Dudley   Arranger,Performer