Rattlesnakes (album)

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Rattlesnakes
Rattlesnakes cover
Studio album by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Released October 1984
Genre College rock, alternative pop, alternative rock
Length 35:29
Label Geffen, Capitol
Producer Paul Hardiman
Professional reviews
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions chronology
Rattlesnakes
(1984)		 Easy Pieces
(1985)

Rattlesnakes was the debut album by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and was released in 1984. The album reached #13 in the UK record charts and included the hit singles "Perfect Skin" (#26 in UK), "Forest Fire" (#41 in UK) and "Rattlesnakes" (#65 in UK, #31 in the Netherlands).

Contents

[edit] Influences

The bulk of the album was written by frontman Lloyd Cole, who formed the band while a student at the University of Glasgow. Cole cites Bob Dylan and Booker T. & the MGs as major influences, but also notes the impact of his studies in English and philosophy on both the album's title, a reference to the novel Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion, and its lyrics, which also reference Renata Adler, Simone de Beauvoir and Norman Mailer.[1]

[edit] Track listing

All songs were written by Lloyd Cole, except where noted.

  1. "Perfect Skin" – 3:16
  2. "Speedboat" – 4:37
  3. "Rattlesnakes" (Cole, Neil Clark) – 3:28
  4. "Down on Mission Street" – 3:49
  5. "Forest Fire" – 4:39
  6. "Charlotte Street" – 3:55
  7. "2cv" – 2:52
  8. "Four Flights Up" (Cole, Lawrence Donegan) – 2:37
  9. "Patience" (Cole, Blair Cowan) – 3:40
  10. "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?" (Cole, Clark) – 3:06

[edit] 1985 bonus tracks

In 1985, Polydor released a "Bonus Tracks" edition of the album, including all the original tracks and four additional songs:

  1. "Sweetness" – 2:48
  2. "Andy's Babies" (Cole, Donegan) – 2:50
  3. "The Sea and the Sand" – 3:02
  4. "You Will Never Be No Good" (Cole, Cowan) – 2:41

The "Bonus Tracks" CD also included "Forest Fire (extended version)" which is 45 seconds longer than the original release. The duluxe edition released in 2004 reverted to the shorter version.

[edit] 2004 anniversary

In 2004, the band reformed for a brief European reunion tour to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary.[1] At the same time, a deluxe edition of the album was released on Universal International and Capitol. The deluxe edition includes the 10 original album tracks, the four tracks from the bonus edition and 14 additional tracks, including demos, concert and radio performances.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Performance

[edit] Production

  • Paul Hardiman – producer
  • Ric Ocasek – remixing (on "Perfect Skin", "Four Flights Up", and "Patience")
  • Anne Dudley and the Commotions – string arrangements
  • Derek MacKillop - management

[edit] Cover

  • Robert Farber – cover photo
  • Da Gama – cover design

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Shanahan, Mark. November 1, 2006. Cole spell. Boston Globe. Accessed August 24, 2007.
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