''Rattlesnakes'' is the debut album by British group

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were a British rock/pop band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1982. Between 1984 and 1989, the band scored four Top 20 albums and five Top 40 singles in the UK; it also had success in several other countries in ...

, released on 12 October 1984. The album reached number 13 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and included the singles "Perfect Skin" (number 26 in UK), "Forest Fire" (number 41 in UK, number 25 in New Zealand) and "Rattlesnakes" (number 65 in UK, number 31 in the Netherlands).

Composition and recording

The bulk of the album was written by frontman

Lloyd Cole Lloyd Cole (born 31 January 1961) is an English singer and songwriter. He was lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo. Early life Cole was born in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. He grew up in ne ...

, who formed the band while a student at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. Cole cited

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and Booker T. & the M.G.'s as major influences, but also noted the impact of his studies in

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and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

on both the album's title, a reference to the novel ''

Play It as It Lays ''Play It as It Lays'' is a 1970 novel by the American writer Joan Didion. ''Time'' magazine included the novel in its " 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005". About the book, Joan Didion said, "I didn’t think it was going to mak ...

'' by

Joan Didion Joan Didion (; December 5, 1934 – December 23, 2021) was an American writer. Along with Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson and Gay Talese, she is considered one of the pioneers of New Journalism. Didion's career began in the 1950s after she won an ...

, and its lyrics, which also reference

Renata Adler Renata Adler (born October 19, 1938) is an American author, journalist, and film critic. Adler was a staff writer-reporter for ''The New Yorker'', and in 1968–69, she served as chief film critic for ''The New York Times''. She is also a write ...

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, and even th ...

and

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

. The album's songs were written at

Glasgow Golf Club Glasgow Golf Club, founded in May 1787, is the ninth oldest golf club in the world. It has changed location several times during its history, but has been based at Killermont in Bearsden since 21 May 1904. The Club is unusual in also having a li ...

, where Cole's father worked as club master and where the family lived. Cole recalled, " 'Perfect Skin' and 'Forest Fire' were written one weekend in the basement, underneath the golf club where we used to live and my parents used to work. We'd got our publishing deal so we bought a

Portastudio The TASCAM Portastudio was the first four-track recorder based on a standard compact audio cassette tape. The term ''portastudio'' is exclusive to TASCAM, though it is generally used to describe all self-contained cassette-based multitrack rec ...

, a

DX7 The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units. In the early 19 ...

and a drum machine. I

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

-ed both of them that weekend and we had a record deal within a month of that; it was that quick. Every single song on ''Rattlesnakes'' was written within a year of the record coming out." Cole described the songs on ''Rattlesnakes'' as "about the things people do when they are in love. People get in all sorts of weird scenarios and I quite like the idea of that. I write about that more than anything. Sometimes it is comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny and tragic at the same time. After years of trying to deny it, I'm also starting to realise that I basically write about myself." He later reflected, "It's like most of he characters in the songslive in that same basement flat. It's very romanticised." After the Commotions broke up, he later stated to being embarrassed by some of his lyrics on ''Rattlesnakes'': "'She looks like Eve Marie Saint 'sic''In ''

On the Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. ...

. Yes, some of the earlier lyrics were very naive. But I was a young man! I really was. You can just imagine me trying to wear a French trenchcoat at the time, thinking I looked very cool when, in fact, I looked really stupid. But maybe that's why people liked it." The track "Speedboat" was inspired by the novel of the same name by Renata Adler. In the book the narrator is startled when a rat runs across the table in the restaurant where she and her partner are dining and her partner says, 'You were all right there until you lost your cool": Cole admitted that he stole the line and included it in the song because he loved the phrase. Cole stated that "Down on Mission Street" is "about a character who says he'll never look back and will step all over other people". The character in "Charlotte Street" is "based very closely on me. My idea of romance obviously is meeting a wonderful, beautiful girl in the library. I wrote that song and it took me a year to realise that I hadn't actually mentioned that it was set in a library. I forgot to put that in, which is a bit stupid really." Of the album's closing track "Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?", he said, "It's about being ''so'' in love there's only one way to go – if you get so happy then you're ready to be heartbroken". The album was recorded during the British summer of 1984 in The Garden studio in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

in east London (built and owned by former

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...

frontman

John Foxx John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh; 26 September 1948) is an English singer, musician, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, teacher and lecturer. He was the original lead singer of the new wave band Ultravox, before leaving to embark on a ...

), with

Paul Hardiman Paul Hardiman is a British record producer. He worked with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions (on their debut ''Rattlesnakes'') and Lloyd Cole's solo career. His other production credits include Chris de Burgh's most commercially successful albums '' ...

producing. All the band members remembered the recording of ''Rattlesnakes'' as a very easy and relaxed process: bass player

Lawrence Donegan Lawrence Donegan (born 13 July 1961) is a Scottish journalist and former musician.Lawrence Donegan

later said, "Every day we'd arrive at the studio, lay down a few backing tracks, nip along to

Brick Lane Brick Lane (Bengali: ব্রিক লেন) is a street in the East End of London, in the borough of Tower Hamlets. It runs from Swanfield Street in Bethnal Green in the north, crosses the Bethnal Green Road before reaching the busiest ...

for a curry and some pints, then head back and record some more. The album was finished in a month. Happy days indeed." Guitarist Neil Clark added, "It was great... Paul Hardiman was great to work with and the weather was great. We just went in and did our stuff. It was like the best job ever at the time. We'd start at 10am and finish at 6pm, though I did the 'Forest Fire' solo late one night but that was an exception. We were well organized and we'd played the songs in." The album cover is a picture by photographer Robert Farber which was chosen by design company Da Gama from a selection of stock photographs.

Critical reception

The reception for the UK music magazines at the time of the album's release was generally very positive. ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' stated, "''Rattlesnakes'' is a wonderful LP, the most refreshing, uncontrived ''gorgeous'' lump of gold to be mined from Scotland in ages, pursuing the alternately vibrant and tender pop courses discovered by 'Perfect Skin' and the classic 'Forest Fire'. And it still finds time for excursions into Dylanesque string-embellished balladry, age-old blues licks or eloquent country melody, all led on by the infinitely capable guitar of Neil Clarke (''sic'')." ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' felt that they could "forgive Lloyd Cole his pretentions towards poetry; his band and he have made one of the best debut albums for a long time". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' ranked it number 21 among the "Albums of the Year" for 1984 and said, "Is there anyone who doesn't like Cole and his cronies, who have made

the Velvets The Velvets were an United States, American doo-wop group from Odessa, Texas, United States. They were formed in 1959 by Virgil Johnson, a high-school English language, English teacher, with four of his students. Roy Orbison heard the group and ...

do a part C&W album and part deep-south blues-funk – gentle, self-mocking, inoffensive and superbly balanced. Every song is instantly memorable." ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' was somewhat more critical, believing that "like

Orange Juice Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange (fruit), orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. A ...

's ''

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'' and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's ''

The Lexicon of Love ''The Lexicon of Love'' is the debut studio album by English pop band ABC. It was released on 21 June 1982 by Neutron Records in the United Kingdom, by Mercury Records in the United States and Japan, and by Vertigo Records in Canada and Euro ...

'', ''Rattlesnakes'' is an album of cynicism masquerading as romance. It's about past pop's legacy to the present, rather than love or hate or any of the emotions it feigns. It's about how modes of expression haven't moved on one iota from early Bob Dylan, how a generation bereft of its own voice falls back on playing with the language of its peers." However, the review went on to state that the album had much to commend it and admitted that it "had been too hard here on purpose because this record's good enough to stand it. Compared to most else around, it's a gem but ''Rattlesnakes'' cried out to shed some of that perfect skin. Then, maybe, we'd ''believe'' as well as admire." In the US the reviews were also favourable. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' claimed that "Lloyd Cole and the Commotions are the most interesting new band since

Jonathan Richman Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic a ...

and

the Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist Ernie Brooks w ...

, and ''Rattlesnakes'' is a brilliant first album... This is the first album I've heard of late that rejects the techno-pop banality we've been drowning in without being overly self-conscious in its minimalism or wearing a chip on its shoulder." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' felt "too much of ''Rattlesnakes'' ..sounds like

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey and ...

and Bob Dylan doing the best of Lloyd Cole... But if ''Rattlesnakes'' arrives critically short of the greatness claimed for it in the British rock press, its promise is not so easily dismissed... A few more songs like Perfect Skin"and the man really could start a commotion." Reviewing the 2004 reissue, ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

'' hailed ''Rattlesnakes'' as "a timeless pop album". '' Q'' was less enthusiastic, observing that "the results were, and remain, equal parts irritating and beguiling". Calling the record "one of the finest debuts of the '80s",

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

stated that "''Rattlesnakes'' is a

college rock College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...

masterpiece of smart, ironic lyrics and sympathetic folk-rock-based melodies".

Track listing

All lyrics by

, all music composed by Cole except where noted. Side one #"Perfect Skin" – 3:13 #"Speedboat" – 4:37 #"Rattlesnakes" (Cole, Neil Clark) – 3:28 #"Down on Mission Street" – 3:49 #"Forest Fire" – 4:34 Side two

"Charlotte Street" – 3:55
"2cv" – 2:52
"Four Flights Up" (Cole,
Lawrence Donegan Lawrence Donegan (born 13 July 1961) is a Scottish journalist and former musician.Lawrence Donegan
) – 2:37
"Patience" (Cole, Blair Cowan) – 3:40
"
Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken? "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?" is a song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from the 1984 album ''Rattlesnakes''. The song was covered by Sandie Shaw in 1986. Her version reached number 68 on the UK Singles Chart in June that year. In 2006, Ca ...
" (Cole, Clark) – 3:06

On the North American version of the album, released on

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

, the tracks "Perfect Skin", "Four Flights Up" and "Patience" were remixed by

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...

1985 CD bonus tracks

The album was first released on CD in April 1985, six months after the LP/cassette. The CD included four additional songs, all of which had been

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

to the singles.

"Sweetness" (B-side of "Rattlesnakes") – 2:48
"Andy's Babies" (Cole, Donegan) (B-side of "Forest Fire") – 2:50
"The Sea and the Sand" (B-side of "Perfect Skin" 7" and 12") – 3:02
"You Will Never Be No Good" (Cole, Cowan) (B-side of "Perfect Skin" 12") – 2:41

The CD also included the extended version of "Forest Fire", which had appeared on the 12" version of the single. At 5:11 it is almost 40 seconds longer than both the 7" single and original album versions. The Deluxe Edition released in 2004 reverted to the shorter version.

2004 Deluxe Edition

In 2004, the band reformed for a brief reunion tour of the UK and Ireland to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary. At the same time, a 2-CD deluxe edition of the album was released on

Universal International Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

in North America. It comprised the ten original album tracks on the first disc, and the four tracks from the CD version and 14 additional tracks, including demos, concert and radio performances, on the second disc. The extended version of "Forest Fire" was not included on this edition. The album was remastered by Gary Moore from the original master tapes where possible. The CD booklet included comments from Cole and the rest of the band on the various tracks. The BBC tracks were included on the album ''Live at the BBC Volume 1'' released in 2007. Disc one: As original LP/cassette version of album. Disc two: Demos #"Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?" (Cole, Clark) Demo – 2:08 #"Perfect Skin" Demo – 3:09 Live

"Glory" (
Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey and ...
) Live at Nightmoves (15 June 1984) – 2:29
"Beautiful City" Live at
The Marquee The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...
(5 November 1984) – 3:43
"Charlotte Street" Live at The Marquee (5 November 1984) – 3:40
"Sweetness" Live at The Barrowlands (9 September 1985) – 2:42
"2cv" Live at The Barrowlands (9 September 1985) – 2:50

Radio Sessions

"Patience" (Cole, Cowan) Saturday Live –
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
Session (26 May 1984) – 3:21
"Forest Fire" Richard Skinner Session – BBC Radio 1 (5 July 1984) – 4:13
"Speedboat" Richard Skinner Session – BBC Radio 1 (5 July 1984) – 3:59
"Rattlesnakes" (Cole, Clark) Richard Skinner Session – BBC Radio 1 (5 July 1984) – 3:29

B-sides/out takes

"The Sea and the Sand" – 3:03
"You Will Never Be No Good" (Cole, Cowan) – 2:39
"Andy's Babies" (Cole, Donegan) – 2:52
"Glory" (Tom Verlaine) (B-side of 12" of "Forest Fire") – 2:39
"Sweetness" – 2:51
"Beautiful City" (''Rattlesnakes'' recording) – 3:37
"Jesus Said" (Cole, Clark) (B-side of "My Bag")CD Booklet, "Rattlesnakes" deluxe edition, 2004 – 3:13

Personnel

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions: * Neil Clark – guitar *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Blair Cowan –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Lawrence Donegan Lawrence Donegan (born 13 July 1961) is a Scottish journalist and former musician.Lawrence Donegan

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Stephen Irvine Stephen Irvine (born 1959) is a Scottish musician, formerly a member of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. Following the breakup of that band, he continued to work in the music industry and as a session musician worked with Del Amitri, Étienne Da ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

Production: *

– producer *

– remix on "Perfect Skin", "Four Flights Up" and "Patience" *

Anne Dudley Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genre ...

and the Commotions – string arrangements *Derek MacKillop – management Artwork: *Robert Farber – cover photo *Da Gama – cover design

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1984 debut albums Lloyd Cole and the Commotions albums Albums produced by Paul Hardiman Geffen Records albums Polydor Records albums