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Lloyd Cole and the Commotions box set / full track listing revealed

lloyd cole collected recordings

The forthcoming Lloyd Cole and the Commotions box set was exclusively revealed via this blog a few weeks back, but now we can bring you the full track listing of the six-disc set.

To recap, Collected Recordings 1983-1989 contains the three albums released by the group between 1984 and 1987 (Rattlesnakes, Easy Pieces and Mainstream) with significant upgrades in audio promised for Rattlesnakes in particular, since they’ve gone back to the original tapes for remastering and they have apparently created the ‘best sounding version ever available’.

In addition, there is a disc of B-sides, remixes and outtakes. This CD is mainly B-sides to be honest, and as expected (LC hinted as such) the only remix is the ‘Dancing Mix’ of My Bag even though there were extended mixes and long versions of other singles issued. The two ‘outtakes’ are previously unreleased versions of From Grace and Brand New Friend.

Disc five contains the juicy stuff, with 18 ‘demo recordings and rarities‘. Everything is previously unreleased except the demos for Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? and Perfect Skin (they appeared on the 2004 deluxe reissue of Rattlesnakes). This CD includes six unheard songs and demos of many tracks including Forest Fire and Jennifer She Said, with the latter also appearing as an unreleased version produced by Stewart Copeland and Julian Mendelsohn.

The sixth and final disc is a DVD which includes ten promo videos (they all appeared on the limited edition CD+DVD version of 2004 compilation Lloyd Cole. The Commotions. The Singles.) and eight TV appearances including three from Top of the Pops, and two from The Old Grey Whistle Test.

As well as these six discs, the box comes with a a 48-page hardback book by journalist and broadcaster Pete Paphides, telling the ‘story’ of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions.

Collected Recordings 1983-1989 is released on 29 June 2015.



Lloyd Cole and the Commotions / Collected Recordings 1983-1989

Disc one – Rattlesnakes

  • 1 Perfect Skin
  • 2 Speedboat
  • 3 Rattlesnakes
  • 4 Down on Mission Street
  • 5 Forest Fire
  • 6 Charlotte Street
  • 7 2cv
  • 8 Four Flights Up
  • 9 Patience
  • 10 Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?

Disc two – Easy Pieces

  • 1 Rich
  • 2 Why I Love Country Music
  • 3 Pretty Gone
  • 4 Grace
  • 5 Cut Me Down
  • 6 Brand New Friend
  • 7 Lost Weekend
  • 8 James
  • 9 Minor Character
  • 10 Perfect Blue

Disc three – Mainstream

  • 1 My Bag
  • 2 From the Hip
  • 3 29
  • 4 Mainstream
  • 5 Jennifer she said
  • 6 Mr. Malcontent
  • 7 Sean Penn Blues
  • 8 Big Snake
  • 9 Hey Rusty
  • 10 These Days

Disc four – B-Sides, Remixes & Outtakes

  • 1. The Sea and The Sand (B-side to Perfect Skin)
  • 2. You Will Never Be No Good (B-side to Perfect Skin)
  • 3. Andy’s Babies  (B-side to Forest Fire)
  • 4. Glory (B-side to Forest Fire)
  • 5. Sweetness (B-side to Rattlesnakes)
  • 6. Perfect Blue (Hardiman mix) B-side to Jennifer She Said
  • 7. Jesus Said (B-side to My Bag)
  • 8. Brand New Friend (1985 Wessex Studio recording. Previously unreleased ***
  • 9. From Grace (Unfinished 1985 Wessex Studio recording. Previously unreleased ***)
  • 10. Her Last Fling ( B-side to Brand New Friend)
  • 11. Big World (B-side to Lost Weekend)
  • 12. Nevers End (B-side to Lost Weekend)
  • 13. Mystery Train  (Recorded live at The World, New York, 1986) B-side to Jennifer She Said
  • 14. I Don’t Believe You  (Recorded live at The World, New York, 1986) B-side to Jennifer She Said
  • 15. Love Your Wife (B-side to From The Hip)
  • 16. Lonely Mile (B-side to From The Hip)
  • 17. Please (B-side to From The Hip)
  • 18. My Bag (Dancing Mix) 12” single

Disc five – Demo Recordings & Rarities (ALL UNRELEASED except Trk 2 & 6)

  • 1. Down At The Mission [Unreleased single A-side]
  • 2. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? [Unreleased single B-side (appeared previously on Rattlesnakes Deluxe Edition 2004)]
  • 3. Patience [Demo recording]
  • 4. Eat My Words [Demo recording (Never before heard)]
  • 5. Forest Fire [Demo recording]
  • 6. Perfect Skin [Demo recording (appeared previously on Rattlesnakes Deluxe Edition 2004)]
  • 7. Poons [Demo recording (Never before heard)]
  • 8. Old Hats [Demo recording]
  • 9. You Win [Demo recording (Never before heard)]
  • 10. Old Wants Never Gets [Demo recording (Never before heard)]
  • 11. Another Dry Day [Demo recording. (Never before heard)]
  • 12. 29  [Demo recording]
  • 13. Jennifer She Said [Demo recording]
  • 14. Hey Rusty [Demo recording]
  • 15. Everyone’s Complaining [Unreleased recording. Studio Grande Armée (Paris). Produced by Chris Thomas]
  • 16. Mr Malcontent [Unreleased recording. Studio Grande Armée (Paris). Produced by Chris Thomas]
  • 17. Jennifer She Said (Polished Rough Mix) [Unreleased recording. Sarm Studios (London). Produced by Stewart Copeland and Julian Mendelsohn]
  • 18. Hey Rusty [Unreleased recording. Sarm Studios (London). Produced by Stewart Copeland and Julian Mendelsohn]

DVD – Promotional videos & television performances

Promotional videos

  • 1 Perfect Skin
  • 2 Forest Fire
  • 3 Rattlesnakes
  • 4 Brand New Friend
  • 5 Lost Weekend
  • 6 Cut Me Down
  • 7 My Bag
  • 8 Jennifer She Said
  • 9 From The Hip
  • 10 Mainstream

Television performances

  • 11 Perfect Skin (Top of the Pops, June 1984)
  • 12 Rattlesnakes (The Old Grey Whistle Test, November 1984)
  • 13 Speedboat (The Old Grey Whistle Test, November 1984)
  • 14 Brand New Friend (Wogan, September 1985)
  • 15 Brand New Friend (Top of the Pops, September 1985)
  • 16 Lost Weekend (Top of the Pops, November 1985)
  • 17 Mister Malcontent (Recorded live in concert at Ibrox Park, Glasgow, June 1986)
  • 18 My Bag (Wogan, September 1987)

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions / Collected Recordings 1983-1989


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48 Comments

48 thoughts on “Lloyd Cole and the Commotions box set / full track listing revealed

  1. Raffaele – I haven’t gone back to review the tracks included in “Cleaning Out the Ashtrays” but I feel comfortable saying that there will be no overlap between the two box sets, since Cleaning Out the Ashtrays focused on Lloyd’s work after the Commotions’ split.

  2. hello, is there somebody who can tell if there are overlaps with the tracklisting of the “Cleaning out the Ashtrays” box set?

  3. This looks like a fantastic package. My only disappointment is that it isn’t more along the lines of “Cleaning out the Ashtrays” and chock full of rarities and unreleased songs/recordings…or maybe even a full concert (i.e. Nottingham in Nov. ’87). Regardless, Lloyd takes so much care with any of his releases, there is no doubt this box set will be the highest of quality.

  4. This must be just about the best music site on the web.

    All these positive and aimable comments about bands and their re-release programs are brilliant.

    I am hooked on these Deluxe releases and this is the place to get informed, as well as the Deal Alerts, the updates etc. are great. Does hit the bank balance tho.

    As for this although I have the albums already, it is a must buy and Universal are to be congratulated on their packaging etc, will sit nice with Tears and Simples box sets.

  5. This is a definite purchase for me. Having decent remasters of their three albums is a huge draw but to add in the b-sides, demos and alternate versions is the icing on the cake. Given the quality of the releases that Lloyd has previously overseen then I’m sure that it shall be executed to the highest quality possible.

    Having said that the exclusion of Beautiful City is strange given that both a studio and live version was included on the deluxe edition of Rattlesnakes. Also, I am disappointed that the single remixes have not been included. Both the 7″ versions of Cut Me Down and From The Hip really should have been included.

    I don’t own the original 7″ singles of either Brand New Friend or Forest Fire so I wonder if any knowledgeable SDE can confirm if either of these were edited/mix for their UK release?

    1. If memory serves, the ‘Brand New Friend’ 7″ contained an edit, but the original ‘Forest Fire’ 7″ was the same as the album version.

  6. The difference between Orange Juice and LC&TC is Orange Juice own the rights and licensed them to Domino Records.

    Like Paul, I think the price will drop, but this will probably depend on how many pre-orders they get. Time will tell.

  7. Orange Juice’s excellent “Coals to Newcastle” 6CD/1DVD set was £45 on issue in 2010 (and now selling for over £100 on Amazon). I bring this up because the bands are from the same era, were on the same label and I think appeal to much the same fans. The OJ set was completely expansive in terms of coverage, also collecting rarities demos and R1 sessions, and great video content, but also all single mixes and extended versions – LC has dealt with his radio sessions in previous releases. Since I like both bands equally I didn’t flinch at the price then so maybe I shouldn’t now.

  8. Pretty much all my thoughts have been covered by the comments above.

    I would have included ‘Beautiful City?’ on disc four and moved the dancing remix of ‘My Bag’ to a seventh “completist’s disc” of all the single mixes, extended mixes and remixes.

    I’m looking forward to the book by Pete Paphides, although am a little disappointed that Lloyd hasn’t included essays on each disc as per his excellent solo ‘Cleaning Ot The Ashtrays’ collection.

    I like the look of the cover art too.

    Overall, this looks like a well thought out and executed release.

  9. ah hell… i’m unemployed at the moment, but i’m afraid it won’t stop me from getting this when it comes out – employed or not.

  10. Will have to wait till the price drops. BTW can someone tell me which version of My Bag (12″) is on here? Is it the one with a guitar intro?

  11. Wow; the collection of Lloyd’s that was recently released is going for 2 pound 99p on Amazon UK; just ordered one; I wonder why so cheap?

  12. Pre-ordered mine a while back and got a better deal than what is currently listed. Cannot wait. I would have preferred more extended mixes than demos but either way, getting these remastered with Cole’s oversight is the real draw.

  13. Is there not still time to petition to get the 12″ mixes and other missing items included?

    It’s not as if there isn’t space on the discs…

    1. From reading the Facebook posts, this set is quite personal to Lloyd, so if he’d wanted them on there, they would be there. Nothing is going to change, that’s for sure.

  14. I’d assume the book is ramping up the price….a 5CD+1DVD set really should be below the £35 mark these days.

    The cover’s fine, most of the content is fine (apart from aforementioned remixes being absent), but it will take a price drop to attract most people, I imagine.

  15. Would it have been so difficult and incrementally costly to add a sixth disc with the extended/alternate mixes of singles just to complete the picture?

  16. The price is putting me off also. These things are always more of an art than a science but as much as I love the music i’ll probably never watch the DVD and the book is likely to go unread. Wish there was a cheaper CD option which was £20 to £30 cheaper.

    1. I think it may drop a bit… but we shall see if it goes sub-£40 which is probably the point where waverers may pull the trigger.

      1. Good point Paul. If it hits there I’d consider it. I have the first three plus the deluxe of the first album. I Dow ish there had been a vintage concert I clided on CD as well.

  17. Would always end up buying this but I do feel slightly underwhelmed due to price vs. new content. Agree the comments in these areas already made….

  18. Actually, I meant to mention the price.

    How can Universal price this at £50 when other sets like Tears For Fears and Simple Minds, which have similar amount of discs and newly created 5.1 surround mixes be cheaper. Strange.

  19. I don’t care much for 12″ mixes, but there are some single remixes that were better than the album versions. Shame they’re not included, but totally looking forward to the unreleased material.

  20. Think it is a shame that the extended versions weren’t included. There is enough room on the first three discs. Especially at the current price.

  21. The Extended Version of Lost Weekend was featured on a 2006 Music Club compilation called Extended 80s, although it’s possibly taken from vinyl.

  22. I hope the promo videos are in stereo. There are 22 videos on the bonus dvd that came with the 2004 Singles Collection, and Perfect Skin is the only one that is in stereo, all 21 others are in mono only.

    1. Never knew that. I do have that set, but probably fleetingly looked at the videos once and that was it. All we know for sure is that they won’t be 5.1 :)

  23. Looks like a great package – really looking forward to the demos (I love demos). Particularly keen to hear the Stewart Copeland produced tracks.
    Cover looks great to me also!
    Even more exciting than the (much-delayed) Present Arms reissue…

  24. I hope the price falls – there’s not much on here that a serious Cole-ite wouldn’t already have. The design’s not up to much, either.

    1. I really like the cover image. There is a whole disc of unreleased recordings. Not sure if that falls into the category of stuff people will ‘already have’! :)

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