There’s nothing particularly rare or collectable about Rattlesnakes on vinyl. It doesn’t necessarily fit the Vinyl Files template (thus far) of being especially relevant on any personal level, and neither is it an obscure gem, or even a “cult” favourite. It always reminds me of certain people and a specific flat/abode I lived at way back when it first came out, but that’s about it.
What it is, however, is a genuinely underrated masterpiece. That’s why it’s here, and that’s why it survived the most recent vinyl cull.
It also stands out as a debut release, and the most important work in what would prove to be a long and successful career for key protagonist, Lloyd Cole. Of all the very literate albums released during an era when literate was de rigueur - think mid-80s wordy stuff from The Smiths, Costello, et al - Rattlesnakes has arguably stood the test of time better than any of them.
Songcraft, and the frequently stunning set of lyrics - artful, clever, and littered with pop culture references (to Mailer, Adler, de Beauvoir, and others) - are at forefront of everything that makes the album special. Its soft-rock immortality heightened by the sense of romance on hand, whether through added strings or the band’s predilection for ballads over the more fashionable harder edged alt-rock of its time.
And wasn’t there something just a little bit Elvis-like/lite about Lloyd Cole at that time? That gorgeous voice and those handsome features … (probably just me).
The album produced three (minor) hit singles: ‘Perfect Skin’, ‘Forest Fire’, and the title track, and it was named by the NME as one of the top 100 albums of its decade. If you have no other Lloyd Cole work - either under the Commotions banner or in a solo guise - Rattlesnakes is the album to own.
(The Vinyl Files is a short series of posts covering the best items in your blogger’s not very extensive vinyl collection)
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