Don't Look Back: An Introduction to Lloyd Cole and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

An album of two halves, the first 10 tracks are taken from the three studio albums released by Lloyd Cole & The Commotions and the second half features 10 tracks from Cole's first four solo albums. All of the songs featuring the Commotions are near faultless and they continue to be one of the most enduring bands of the eighties.To this day, 'Mainstream' remains one of my most listened to albums (I have a lot of memories tied up in it!) and it's a pity that 'My Bag' - where Cole almost breaks into a rap ("Spin, spin whiskey and gin...") - didn't make the cut. But this compilation is 78 minutes long and it costs about the price of a pint so I have no complaints whatsoever.I lost touch with Cole and his music after the release of his eponymous debut solo album in 1990. At the time I was listening to other types of music and, like a lot of music from that period, the production on his debut sounded too clinical and sterile. The Commotions' sound was always more sophisticated than they were perhaps given credit for and (again keeping with the times) their production could sometimes be too clean but with his debut, Cole seemed to be embracing an even more mature sound and reaching out to an equally more mature audience. I still contest that 'No Blue Skies' sounded more Dire Straits than Lloyd Cole at the time!Nonetheless, I'm now 25 years older and, I like to think, more mature and I must admit that I now regret missing out on most of these solo recordings the first time around. Listening to them now it's clear that there are some cleverly crafted songs here - the playful 'Undressed', 'Margo's Waltz' with it's orchestration and female backing vocals, the heavy rocking 'She's a Girl and I'm a Man', the Top 30 single 'Like Lovers Do', etc - that have stood the test of time and more or less carry on from where the Commotions left off.An ideal budget primer for the forthcoming Commotions' box set, this is also the perfect introduction to the formative years of Cole's still ongoing solo career for anyone, like me, who never gave it the attention it clearly deserved. The Commotions' box set is on order and, better late than never, I'll be investigating Cole's back catalogue on the strength of the second half of this album.

Lloyd Cole is definitely underrated and you never see clips of him on those retro 80s programmes. I wonder why because he was a beacon of quality in a charts that often had a lot of disposable dross in it. He was better when he had a band - the Commotions, a bit like Elvis Costello did his best stuff with the Attractions in my opinion.

It's a good induction to Lloyd cole and it has the hits on the cd.

I was looking for a few CDs for the car when I came a cross this CD. A good mix of songs at a budget price.

Excellent compilation from one of the top songwriters of the last 30 years. Only one complaint, My Bag is not included on this album.

This is a great collection of Lloyd songs with and without the Commotion. Well worth the bargain price !

Great starting point for the uninitiated. Better best of for fans alike.

Reliable artist, solid collection.

Lowest price of the various Lloyd Cole compilations available. Has all of the hits with the Commotion, plus an introduction to his solo sounds.

I’ve into Lloyd Cole’s music late.This gives a little indication of the journey of his musical styles.

Une bien belle approche de l'artiste avec un échantillon bien représentatif de son talent. Je le conseille vivement à tous.

C'è ancora qualcosa da dire .....è da ascoltare ...se ve li siete persi ......ascoltateli ora ! ! ! ! !

Good cd for the hits and also Lloyd for his own talent. Good overview