Search - Lloyd Cole :: Etc

A must for hardcore Cole fans

Mactavish | 04/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Listed details on this CD are very sparse. These 14 songs are outtakes from '96 - 2000 and sound like a sister CD to "Love Story". Acoustic melancholy pop with tasty guitar fills from Quine and of course the strong singing of Lloyd. I do not recommend this for curious newcomers. Buy every LC solo album and Commotions album first, then get this. First the bad news, it is only 37 minutes long, has four short instrumentals and two okay cover songs. The packaging is lame: little info, stupid cover image, and a photo of Lloyd from a 1987 Commotions compilation. Jeez, couldn't they have found a picture from the 90's at least! The good news is that there are eight original songs (with vocals) that no true fan should be without. They range from really good to excellent!"

R.I.P Robert Quine

Gianmarco Manzione | Tampa, FL USA | 07/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While Lloyd once again delivers his trademark earnestness and immediacy to "Etc," the album's undeniable beauty and power would have been impossible without the stinging guitar work of Robert Quine, who committed suicide this past May following the death of his wife. Quine, whose gloriously raucous work on Lou Reed's "The Blue Mask" is the stuff of immortality, lends a sublime melancholy to this album that reflects the deadly pain he was approaching. Lloyd's incomparable cover of Bob Dylan's "You're A Big Girl Now" is brought to life by Quine's sonically boundless and echoing guitar licks, while his quieter performances throughout the set imply the maturity both he and Cole brought to the table to make this one of the finest albums of Cole's career. The biting courage of songs such as "Love Like This Can't Last" and "Memphis" is matched in power only by the instant classic "Alright People," one of the few songs on the album that aspires toward the musical adventurousness achieved on the brilliant "The Negatives." While the disappointing story of Cole's failure to connect with a wider audience is tragic, there is a kind of selfish pleasure in feeling as though gems like "Etc" are secrets his fans can claim for themselves. Although, I am willing to bet that anyone who listens to this album will agree that it is a secret more people ought to be in on."

For the record

J. Bean | Cape Cod | 10/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"while i agree lloyd cole is a wonderful song writer, he is from scotland, not america.



cheers"