NewsLloyd Cole offers more details on forthcoming Commotions box set
Lloyd Cole has revealed a little more about the forthcoming Lloyd Cole and the Commotions box that he’s working on with Universal Music.
The set will be six discs – five CDs and a DVD. The first three contain remastered versions of Rattlesnakes, Easy Pieces and Mainstream respectively. Of the other two audio discs, one is devoted to B-sides while the final CD celebrates ‘rarities’. The DVD will feature TV performances and promos.
Both bonus CDs are 18-tracks a piece and according to Cole are “about as full of sound as CDs can be”. He went on to divulge a little more to his fans on Facebook:
“What are the rarities? One unreleased 45 A-Side from 83, demos from 83, 85, 86, 87, final Commotions Paul Hardiman sessions (inc early versions of 2 Easy Pieces tracks), Stewart Copeland and Chris Thomas sessions. Most songs you’ll know, a few you almost certainly won’t have heard before. I’d forgotten a couple of them…”
The box set is expected in 2015 but there is no official word from Universal on exactly when.
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[…] news for all Lloyd Cole fans, as he’s currently compiling a large box set collecting all three of Lloyd Cole & The Commotions’ albums in remastered form, as well […]
lcsleeve
SEPTEMBER 2004
CD: UK PUNIVERSAL 982 4046
THIS COLLECTION IS OUT OF PRINT.
I bought this CD/DVD years ago with the following DVD of videos…
Disc 2 – Video
Perfect Skin
Forest Fire
Rattlesnakes
Brand New Friend
Lost Weekend
Cut Me Down
My Bag
Jennifer She Said
From The Hip
No Blue Skies
Don’t Look Back
Downtown
She’s a Girl and I’m a Man
Morning Is Broken
Weeping Wine
Butterfly
So You’d Like To Save The World
Like Lovers Do
Sentimental Fool
Baby
Mainstream
Fool You Are
[…] had my ear to the ground (on your behalf) trying to stay abreast of developments. There had been various updates from the man himself, so the box was hardly a ‘secret’ and a key development in the last seven […]
[…] As previously reported, Universal Music will release a Lloyd Cole and the Commotions box set in June. […]
Picture of box set here:
http://store.universalmusic.com/udiscover/*/Pre-Order/Collected-Recordings-1983-1989/4F3104PN000
[…] the six-CD Lloyd Cole and the Commotions box set that is expected around June time (more on this here), Universal Music have taken advantage of working with the singer-songwriter on that project, to […]
Can one assume that the following don’t count as bonus tracks since they were on the original CD issues?
1. ‘You Will Never Be No Good’
2. ‘The Sea And The Sand’
3. ‘Andy’s Babies’
4. ‘Sweetness’
5. ‘Her Last Fling’
6. ‘Big World’
7. ‘Nevers End’
This would leave 7 slots for more unheard bonus material.
Also, any mention of who has done the remastering? (This of course assumes they are remastered)
I love The Commotions and Lloyd Cole’s solo work, so this box set will be a great addition to my recors collection. I’d rather have individual 2 CD deluxe editions of the albums, though… Got the Rattlesnakes one, and it’s superb. Also, I’d love to get all the tracks from the singles, remixes included, AND a rarities compilation… but it doesn’t seem that we’ll get them all. Oh well, hope that there’ll be at least a nice booklet with at least an essay, all the liner notes and lyrics to all songs (B-sides and rarities too). And a nice package, of course :)
Once this box comes out, I’d imagine that will be it. Anyway, you’re getting more or less what you want, minus remixes.
Are you ready to be heartbroken (again)?
Really looking forward to this. The ‘…ashtrays’ collection was superb. I think he’s quite in tune with his audience. I trust him to get collections like this right which is more than I can say of most acts. Not sure how many times this will mean i’ve bought ‘Rattlesnakes’ but one more won’t hurt. I’d forgotten ‘Andy’s Babies’ was a b-side. It’s a terrific track.
The b-sides list in Gazelle’s post would have made an amazing fourth album in its own right.
Great. Priority is
1 – 7″ edits
2 – 12″ mixes
3 – B Sides
This could be the high point of my reissue year – all three albums represent songwriting of the highest quality.
I’d be more interested in demos and rarities rather than different edits of singles tracks (but that’s my own personal preference – I know most people like to have all the known edits of songs).
However the DVD also sounds superb.
The icing on the cake (for me at least) would be a track by track commentary from Lloyd and some of the band members.
Let’s hope it really does arrive in 2015.
Sounds like Lloyd agrees with you because he’s mentioned that there is only “one remix worthy of inclusion” which I’m assuming is the My Bag one, but could be wrong. Don’t know why, but Lloyd Cole just isn’t the sort of artist where I’m that bothered about different edits, variations, remixes etc.
I agree. When I pulled together the list above, I was very surprised by the large number of remixes and extended versions that had been released by Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, which indicates that even back in the day they had failed to make much of an impression on me. Having said that, I feel the 7″ single remixes for ‘Cut Me Down’ and ‘From The Hip’ are arguably the definitive versions of these songs, even if they are unlikely to make this box set’s final track listing.
I expect Cole will sequence CDs 4 and 5 such that they can be listened to from start to finish as standalone albums in their right. I suspect they will be in chronological order and provide an alternative telling of the Commotions story through b-sides and studio outtakes.
We know these two discs will comprise 36 songs, of which I reckon the following seventeen tracks pick themselves:
1. ‘Down At The Mission’
2. ‘You Will Never Be No Good’
3. ‘The Sea And The Sand’
4. ‘Andy’s Babies’
5. ‘Glory’
6. ‘Sweetness’
7. ‘Beautiful City’
8. ‘Jesus Said’
9. ‘Perfect Blue’ [Paul Hardiman Recording]
10. ‘Her Last Fling’
11. ‘Big World’
12. ‘Nevers End’
13. ‘Mystery Train’ [Live at The World USA 1986]
14. ‘I Don’t Believe You’ [Live at The World USA 1986]
15. ‘Lonely Mile’
16. ‘Love Your Wife’
17. ‘Please’
If this is the case, this leaves space for the tantalising prospect of nineteen – presumably unreleased – gems that Cole has managed to unearth.
The ‘Dancing Mix’ of My Bag is definitely a fave of mine. It’s the only one I would chose from the list.
There is a version of Perfect Blue that is quite nice too (not heard it for years though so I have no idea which one it is).
I’m happy if Mr Cole favours rarities – it would be nice to have some of the some lesser-known tracks collected together.
I’m really looking forward to this! I hope its not the last time he revisits the Commotions era material.
Really looking forward to this. Cole did a great job of pulling together the ‘Cleaning Out The Ashtrays’ compilation of solo b-sides and rarities, complete with detailed essays, so am expecting this to be another quality collection.
Putting the BBC tracks to one side, which are already represented on the two ‘At The BBC’ compilations, I believe the following tracks should be up for consideration for the forthcoming box set:
B-sides
‘You Will Never Be No Good’ (from ‘Perfect Skin’ single)
‘The Sea And The Sand’ (from ‘Perfect Skin’ single)
‘Andy’s Babies’ (from ‘Forest Fire’ single)
‘Glory’ (from ‘Forest Fire’ single)
‘Sweetness’ (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ single)
‘Her Last Fling’ (from ‘Brand New Friend’ single)
‘Big World’ (from ‘Lost Weekend’ single)
‘Nevers End’ (from ‘Lost Weekend’ single)
‘Jesus Said’ (from ‘My Bag’ single)
‘Lonely Mile’ (from ‘From The Hip’ single)
‘Love Your Wife’ (from ‘From The Hip’ single)
‘Please’ (from ‘From The Hip’ single)
Alternative Mixes
‘Forest Fire’ [Extended Version] (from ‘Forest Fire’ single)
‘Brand New Friend’ [Single Edit] (from ‘Brand New Friend’ single)
‘Brand New Friend’ [Long Version] (from ‘Brand New Friend’ single)
‘Lost Weekend’ [Extended Version] (from ‘Lost Weekend’ single)
‘Cut Me Down’ [7” Remix] (from ‘Cut Me Down’ single)
‘Cut Me Down’ [12” Extended Remix] (from ‘Cut Me Down’ single)
‘My Bag’ [Dancing Mix] (from ‘My Bag’ single)
‘My Bag’ [Dancing Remix/Mixed by Francois Kevorkian] (from ‘My Bag’ single)
‘My Bag’ [Dancing Remix Dub/Mixed by Francois Kevorkian] (from ‘My Bag’ single)
‘Perfect Skin’ [Commotions Meet The Irresistible Force] (from ‘My Bag’ single)
‘Perfect Blue’ [Paul Hardiman Recording] (from ‘Jennifer She Said’ single)
‘From The Hip’ [7” Remix] (from ‘From The Hip’ single)
‘From The Hip’ [12” Extended Remix] (from ‘From The Hip’ single)
‘Forest Fire’ [7” Remix/Mixed by Bruce Lampcov] (from ‘Forest Fire’ 1989 reissue single)
‘Forest Fire’ [12” Remix/Mixed by Bruce Lampcov] (from ‘Forest Fire’ 1989 reissue single)
‘Perfect Blue’ [Paul Hardiman Recording Remixed by Bruce Lampcov] (from ‘Forest Fire’ 1989 reissue single)
‘Perfect Skin’ [Remix] (from 1985 Australian ‘Heaps Of Hits’ compilation) * I have never heard this, so do not know if it differs from Commotions Meet The Irresistible Force mix *
Live Versions
‘Four Flights Up’ [Live at Golders Green Hippodrome for BBC Radio Bruno Brooks Show] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ single)
‘2CV’ [Live Version] (from ‘Brand New Friend’ single)
‘Speedboat’ [Live Version] (from ‘Brand New Friend’ single)
‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?’ [Live – September 1985] (from ‘Cut Me Down’ single)
‘Forest Fire’ [Live – December 1984] (from ‘Cut Me Down’ single)
‘Mystery Train’ [Live at The World USA 1986] (from ‘Jennifer She Said’ single)
‘I Don’t Believe You’ [Live at The World USA 1986] (from ‘Jennifer She Said’ single)
‘Forest Fire’ [Live in London] (from 1985 NME free 4-track EP)
‘Glory’ [Live at Nightmoves 15/06/1984] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
‘Beautiful City’ [Live at The Marquee 15/11/1984] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
‘Charlotte Street’ [Live at The Marquee 15/11/1984] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
‘Sweetness’ [Live at Barrowlands 09/09/1985] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
‘2CV’ [Live at Barrowlands 09/09/1985] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
Demo Versions
‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?’ [Demo] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
‘Perfect Skin’ [Demo] (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
Outtakes
‘Beautiful City’ (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ deluxe edition)
‘Down At The Mission’ (from unreleased ‘Down At The Mission’ single)
Addendum: Apparently there was also an instrumental version of the Langer/Winstanley recording of ‘Perfect Blue’ included on the double 7″ pack for ‘Cut Me Down’.
I was disappointed this wasn’t included in the box set – and I can’t find it anywhere.
I still have the 7″ in the loft with nothing to play it on !
This makes me very happy!
Looks quite good. I am more of a fan of Mainstream and Lloyd’s solo work, but this will be a great way to appreciate the first two albums with a lot of cool rarities.
I always really liked all three Commotions albums…
This is all great, but one day id like to see a box set of his Debut solo album from 1990 with a DVD of the Wakefield gig that was shown on Rock Stedy :)