Easy Pieces

Last updated

Easy Pieces
Easy Pieces.jpg
Studio album by
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Released22 November 1985 (1985-11-22) [1]
StudioWestside Studios (Shepherd's Bush, London)
Genre Indie pop
Length39:36
Label Polydor (UK and Europe)
Geffen (US and Canada)
Producer
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions chronology
Rattlesnakes
(1984)		Easy Pieces
(1985)		 Mainstream
(1987)
Singles from Easy Pieces
  1. "Brand New Friend"
    Released: 2 September 1985
  2. "Lost Weekend"
    Released: 1 November 1985
  3. "Cut Me Down"
    Released: 6 January 1986

Easy Pieces is the second studio album by the British rock and pop band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. It was released on Polydor Records in the UK on 22 November 1985 and included the hit singles "Brand New Friend" (#19 in UK), "Lost Weekend" (#17 in UK) and "Cut Me Down" (#38 in UK). The title of the album derives from the American drama film Five Easy Pieces (1970), which Cole described as "one of my very favourite films", saying, "I want to write at least five songs out of that film". [2]

Contents

Following the praise and healthy sales of their debut studio album Rattlesnakes the previous year, Easy Pieces became the band's fastest-selling album, selling more in its first two weeks than Rattlesnakes had managed in a whole year. [3] It was also their highest charting album in the UK, peaking at number 5. The album produced three UK top 40 singles. However, despite Easy Pieces' commercial success, the reception from critics was lukewarm and the band themselves were unhappy with the end result. [3] Cole would later say, "It strikes me that there's something really fresh on the first album which has been dragged onto the second album, and the freshness is not there and something to replace the freshness is not there either". [4] Bassist Lawrence Donegan was more succinct, describing the album as "terrible". [5]

Composition and recording

The band intended Easy Pieces to be more accessible than Rattlesnakes, with Cole saying, "We wanted the sound to be warmer, more luscious". He described the lead single "Brand New Friend" as being "about a character who's in a fairly pitiful position of being aware that he's not as happy as he once was, but not being sure what to do about it. He's also aware that he's verging on self-pity, which is also quite ridiculous. So it's quite funny too. He's aware it's a little cry for help." [6] Cole would later disown some of his writing on the album, stating in 1990, "There are two terrible songs on Easy Pieces, one called "Grace" and another called "Minor Character" which is literally the worst lyric ever written. I really believed I was the Raymond Carver of song when I wrote that. It's truly appalling." [7]

Following promotion for Rattlesnakes, the band went back into the studio with Paul Hardiman again to record the follow-up. However, the relaxed atmosphere that had surrounded the recording of the first record was not replicated – Polydor had left the group alone while recording Rattlesnakes but now the band were well known and commercially successful, they took a more active interest and soon dismissed Hardiman, after the initial recording sessions did not immediately prove fruitful. Experienced producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who up until that point had worked with Madness, the Teardrop Explodes, Dexys Midnight Runners, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions, were drafted in to replace him. Unlike Hardiman, who had taken a hands-off approach, Langer and Winstanley made more suggestions during the recording process, which the Commotions didn't always agree with. Langer asked Cole to control the vibrato in his voice, which Cole had no idea how to do as it was his natural way of singing, and as a result he became self-conscious about his singing. Reflecting in 2004 on the process of recording Easy Pieces, Cole felt that they had been pushed into making a second record too quickly: "We didn't give ourselves time to step back and think. The record company was telling us 'this is your moment and you must take it now' – which is crap. People would have waited for us. We were insecure so we made the record too soon and the record company fired Paul Hardiman." [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [10]
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Unlike the widespread praise for Rattlesnakes, the reception for Easy Pieces was noticeably cooler. Melody Maker felt that "these songs and their performances sound second-hand. The music is mushy and lacks edges, keyboards brought forward to dilute the guitars. Cole's lyrics sound as though they were written to fit the metre rather than to say anything." [12] NME damned the album with faint praise, saying that "taken on its own terms, it's that most simultaneously fine and useless of creations, a very good pop record". [13] Sounds observed that "the solid production swells to leave no white space. That, though, is the downfall. So solid is this backing, and so relatively unvaried, every verse filled with Cole tones alone, that each tune becomes part of a suety whole. Individually many of the tracks are opalescent, but the overriding feel becomes one of a long (too long) excursion into [...] American country pop." [11]

In the US, Spin was more enthusiastic, stating, "The promise reflected on their impressive debut album Rattlesnakes has been kept... [Cole] and the Commotions write clean, crisp, guitar-oriented pop songs with addictive hook lines." [14]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Lloyd Cole, all songs composed by Cole except where noted.

  1. "Rich" – 4:23
  2. "Why I Love Country Music" (Cole, Blair Cowan) – 3:00
  3. "Pretty Gone" (Neil Clark, Cole) – 3:32
  4. "Grace" – 4:05
  5. "Cut Me Down" – 4:29
  6. "Brand New Friend" (Cole, Cowan) – 4:52
  7. "Lost Weekend" (Clark, Cole, Lawrence Donegan) – 3:14
  8. "James" – 3:53
  9. "Minor Character" (Clark, Cole) – 3:46
  10. "Perfect Blue" – 4:30
  11. "Her Last Fling" (B-side of "Brand New Friend") – 2:47 (bonus track on cassette and CD)
  12. "Big World" (B-side of "Lost Weekend") – 2:17 (bonus track on cassette and CD)
  13. "Nevers End" (Clark, Cole) (B-side of 12" of "Lost Weekend") – 2:33 (bonus track on CD only)

Personnel

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Additional personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [21] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
United Kingdom 18 November 1985 Polydor LP LCLP 2
Cassette LCMC 2
Europe LP827 670-1
Cassette827 670-4
United Kingdom & Europe CD 827 670-2
United States 1985 Geffen LPGHS 24093
Canada XGHS 24093
United States25 October 1990 Capitol CDCDP 7 91183 2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Cole</span> English singer-songwriter

Lloyd Cole is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was lead vocalist of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Cole and the Commotions</span> British rock/pop band

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were a British rock and 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 including Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand. After they broke up in 1989, Cole embarked on a solo career but the band reformed briefly in 2004 to perform a 20th anniversary mini-tour of the UK and Ireland.

Paul Walter Quinn is a Scottish musician who was the lead singer of cult 1980s band Bourgie Bourgie, and also released records with Jazzateers, Vince Clarke and Edwyn Collins and sang on an early track by the French Impressionists.

<i>Rattlesnakes</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Rattlesnakes is the debut studio album by the British rock and pop band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released on 12 October 1984 by Polydor Records. The album reached number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and included the singles "Perfect Skin", "Forest Fire" and "Rattlesnakes".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfect Skin (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions song)</span> 1984 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"Perfect Skin" is a song by the British rock and pop band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1984 as the debut single from their debut studio album Rattlesnakes. The song was written by Lloyd Cole and produced by Paul Hardiman. It peaked at number 26 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for ten weeks.

<i>Mainstream</i> (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions album) 1987 studio album by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Mainstream is the third and final studio album by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. It was produced by Ian Stanley and released by Polydor Records in the UK and by Capitol Records in the US on 26 October 1987. It included the singles "My Bag", "Jennifer She Said" and "From the Hip". Although the album reached number nine in the UK, it failed to chart in the US and was not embraced by all critics: Mainstream is the only Lloyd Cole and the Commotions album not to sell at least 100,000 copies in the US.

<i>Standards</i> (Lloyd Cole album) 2013 studio album by Lloyd Cole

Standards is a rock album by English singer, songwriter and musician Lloyd Cole released on 21 June 2013 by Tapete Records. It is Cole's tenth solo album under his own name, although only his second since 1995 to feature a full band of additional musicians.

<i>Lloyd Cole</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Lloyd Cole

Lloyd Cole, also known as The X Album, is the debut solo album by English singer, songwriter and musician Lloyd Cole released on 21 February 1990 by Polydor and Capitol. Previously Cole was best known for his work with the Commotions but this album marked a departure from their signature sound and an opportunity for him to collaborate with other musicians and explore new ideas.

<i>Dont Get Weird on Me Babe</i> 1991 studio album by Lloyd Cole

Don't Get Weird on Me Babe is the second solo album by the English musician Lloyd Cole, released in 1991. The title comes from a Raymond Carver expression. Unlike the original release, the American version of the album leads with the "rock" half and ends with the orchestral songs.

<i>1984–1989</i> 1989 compilation album by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

1984–1989 is the first compilation album by the British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released on 27 March 1989 through Polydor Records in the UK. It compiles material released by the band on their three studio albums, Rattlesnakes (1984), Easy Pieces (1985), and Mainstream (1987). It reached the top 20 in the UK and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown (Lloyd Cole song)</span> 1990 song by Lloyd Cole

"Downtown" is a song by English singer, songwriter and musician Lloyd Cole, released in 1990 as the third and final single from his self-titled studio album. The song was written by Cole and Blair Cowan, and produced by Cole, Fred Maher and Paul Hardiman. It failed to enter the UK Singles Chart but reached number 5 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was included in the soundtrack of the 1990 American psychological thriller film Bad Influence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Look Back (Lloyd Cole song)</span> 1990 song by Lloyd Cole

"Don't Look Back" is a song by English singer, songwriter and musician Lloyd Cole, released in 1990 as the second single from his self-titled studio album. The song was written by Cole and produced by Cole, Fred Maher and Paul Hardiman. It peaked at number 59 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for three weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost Weekend (song)</span> 1985 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"Lost Weekend" is a song by the British pop and rock band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1985 as the second single from their second studio album Easy Pieces. The song was written by band members Neil Clark, Lloyd Cole and Lawrence Donegan, and produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It peaked at number 17 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for seven weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">From the Hip (song)</span> 1987 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"From the Hip" is a song by British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1988 as an extended play from their third and final studio album Mainstream (1987). The song was written by the band and produced by Ian Stanley. It peaked at number 59 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Fire (song)</span> 1984 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"Forest Fire" is a song by British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1984 as the second single from their debut studio album Rattlesnakes. The song was written by Lloyd Cole and produced by Paul Hardiman. It peaked at number 41 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for six weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer She Said</span> 1987 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"Jennifer She Said" is a song by British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1987 as the second single from their third and final studio album Mainstream (1987). The song was written by the band and produced by Ian Stanley. It peaked at number 31 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for five weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Bag (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions song)</span> 1987 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"My Bag" is a song by British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1987 as the lead single from their third and final studio album Mainstream (1987). The song was written by the band and produced by Ian Stanley. It peaked at number 46 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for three weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut Me Down</span> 1985 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"Cut Me Down" is a song by the British rock and pop band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1986 as the third single from their second studio album Easy Pieces. The song was written by Lloyd Cole and produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It peaked at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 75 for four weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rattlesnakes (song)</span> 1984 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"Rattlesnakes" is a song by British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1984 as the third and final single from their debut studio album of the same name. The song was written by Lloyd Cole and produced by Paul Hardiman. It peaked at number 65 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for three weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brand New Friend</span> 1985 song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

"Brand New Friend" is a song by British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, released in 1985 as the lead single from their second studio album Easy Pieces. The song was written by band members Lloyd Cole and Blair Cowan, and produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It peaked at number 19 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for nine weeks.

References

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150617084001/https://www.lloydcole.com/album/easy-pieces/
  2. ↑ Wilkinson, Roy (21 November 1987). "Pretentious, Moi?". Sounds . London, England: Spotlight Publications: 24–25.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lloyd Cole & The Commotions – The 'Rattlesnakes' Pack". Music Week . London, England: United Business Media. 18 September 2004.
  4. ↑ Solanas, Jane (26 September 1987). "Cole Industry". NME. London, England: IPC Media: 16–17.
  5. ↑ Donegan, Lawrence (15 February 2004). "It was 20 years ago today..." The Observer . London, England: Guardian Media Group.
  6. ↑ Linfield, Carole (7 September 1985). "Lloyd Cole: Do the lo-commotion". Sounds. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 26–27.
  7. ↑ Deevoy, Adrian (March 1990). "Parlez-vous existentialism?". Q (42). London, England: EMAP: 26–28.
  8. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Easy Pieces > Review at AllMusic
  9. ↑ Doyle, Tom (June 2023). "Soul dressing". Mojo . p. 96.
  10. ↑ Levy, Eleanor (23 November 1985). "Review: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Easy Pieces". Record Mirror . London, England: Spotlight Publications: 14.
  11. 1 2 Brown, Glyn (23 November 1985). "Review: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Easy Pieces". Sounds. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25.
  12. ↑ Sweeting, Adam (23 November 1985). "Review: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Easy Pieces". Melody Maker . London, England: IPC Media: 34.
  13. ↑ Kelly, Danny (23 November 1985). "Review: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Easy Pieces". NME. London, England: IPC Media: 37.
  14. ↑ Berens, Jessica (February 1986). "Review: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Easy Pieces". Spin . 1 (10). New York City, USA: Spin Media LLC: 30.
  15. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 69. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lloyd Cole & the Commotions – Easy Pieces" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Charts.nz – Lloyd Cole & the Commotions – Easy Pieces". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Lloyd Cole & the Commotions – Easy Pieces". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  19. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1986 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  21. ↑ "British album certifications – Lloyd Cole & the Commotions – Easy Pieces". British Phonographic Industry.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.