We lost touch, me and Lloyd. We were close but when he spilt from the Commotions in ’89 he went his way and I went mine. Now and again I’d spot his chubby face hiding beneath a greying beard but wasn’t tempted to hear what he was up to. Fear of disappointment I guess.
Only The Smiths offer competition to 1984 debut Rattlesnakes for the album of that decade. It still sounds fabulous today; Cole’s sharp lyricism married to a folk rock jangle. By chance I stumbled across Broken Record, released, it seems, back in September and gave it a listen for old time’s sake. It’s like we’ve never been apart. Everything falling back in place so effortlessly it could be the slightly more countrified follow-up to Rattlesnakes. A quarter of a century evaporating. Everything is reassuringly familiar: the unmistakable rich round voice with exaggerated vowel sounds and breathy sigh, the wistful romanticism, the Americana and Gallic references, and countless typically Cole couplets that don’t quite twist but gently bend (“I look like a million bucks/ Sure, I ain’t worth quite that much” and “I wasn’t looking for trouble/ I've just a lazy eye”).
According to Wikipedia he lives in America and plays golf with Alice Cooper. The same source also reports Broken Record reached number 150 in the UK album charts, which by my reckoning means it almost sold double figures. Lloyd, I’m sorry for the neglect. It’s great to have you back.
In a way, it's a good thing he had his time in the spotlight when he did.
ReplyDeleteI've often thought that Jimmy Carr bears a striking resemblance to Lloyd Cole, with a little bit of slapped arse added.