Neil Clark (born 3 July 1958, [1] [2] [3] in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a Scottish guitarist, known for his work with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. He has regularly worked and toured with Lloyd Cole post-Commotions including playing on and touring in support of Cole's 2006 album, Antidepressant. He also worked on Cole's albums Bad Vibes, Love Story, Etc, Music in a Foreign Language, and Guesswork. Clark was a member of Bloomsday with Stephen Irvine of the Commotions and Chris Thomson of The Bathers. Clark features on the Bathers' 1993 album, Lagoon Blues. He collaborated with Canadian singer Mae Moore on her album Dragonfly - his guitar playing featured on her single "Genuine", which reached No. 6 on the RPM "Top 100" singles chart in Canada. In 1995 and 1998 he worked on two albums with French singer Axelle Renoir.
Two songs, co-written by Clark for Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, have been covered by other artists: "Rattlesnakes", by Tori Amos and "(Are You) Ready to Be Heartbroken?", by Sandie Shaw.
He lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and has released two solo albums, Sundogs in 2008 and Second Story Sunlight in 2010. Both albums mix minimalist and cinematic guitar styles with ambient electronica. He currently also plays and writes with Ambrose Pottie (drums) and Alisdair Jones (bass) in post-jazz trio, Sleepers.
Clark toured the UK, Ireland, France, New-Zealand, Australia with Lloyd Cole in an acoustic concert at multiple venues [4] in October, November and December 2019.
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.
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.
Blair Cowan is a Scottish musician, formerly a member of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. Following the breakup of that band, he continued to collaborate with Lloyd Cole early in the singer's solo career, playing and co-writing on 1990's Lloyd Cole and 1991's Don't Get Weird on Me Babe.
The Bathers are a Scottish chamber pop band. The vehicle for singer-songwriter Chris Thomson, they have released seven albums and have been referred to as "the best-kept secret in Scottish music". They were initially active between 1985 and 2001 and reformed in 2016.
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".
Christophe Godin is a French guitarist and singer, known for his work with the French bands Metal Kartoon, Gnô and Mörglbl. Godin plays a variety of styles, including heavy metal, jazz fusion, blues and more.
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 18 November 1985 and included the hit singles "Brand New Friend", "Lost Weekend" and "Cut Me Down". 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".
"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.
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.
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.
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.
Stephen Irvine is a Scottish musician, formerly a member of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. Following the breakup of that band, he continued to work in the music industry and as a session musician worked with Del Amitri, Étienne Daho and Sarah Cracknell. He was part of the band Bloomsday, managed bands and worked with MTV.
Love Story is the fourth solo studio album by the English musician Lloyd Cole, released in 1995. Cole supported the album with UK and North American tours.
Music in a Foreign Language is the sixth solo studio album by English musician Lloyd Cole, released on 9 June 2003 through Sanctuary Records. It includes a cover of Nick Cave's track "People Ain't No Good" from his 1997 album The Boatman's Call, as well as contributions from Dave Derby, who worked with Cole in the band the Negatives, and former Commotions member Neil Clark on guitar.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
On Pain is the twelfth solo studio album by English musician Lloyd Cole and was released on 23 June 2023 through Edel Music/Earmusic. Like Cole's previous album, Guesswork (2019), On Pain was produced by Chris Hughes and again features contributions from Cole's former Commotions bandmates Blair Cowan and Neil Clark. Cole will embark on a tour of the UK and Ireland later in 2023 in support of the album.