Search - Lloyd Cole :: Don't Get Weird on Me Babe

Tell Your Sister...and anyone else-this is a great record!

Johnny Bacardi | Horse Cave, KY United States | 04/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lloyd was feeling his oats as a songwriter at about this time, so he decided to stretch a bit stylistically and the result was this somewhat schizo, but uniformly excellent album. The first six cuts are mostly Commotions-style Byrdsy pop songs, with the shoulda-been-a-hit Weeping Wine and the vaguely funky and ironic-in-a-Randy Newman-sorta-way She's A Girl And I'm A Man as the standouts. Then Cole takes a left turn onto Lonely Street right by the Heartbreak Hotel and serves up an astounding suite of songs that deal with a wide tapestry of dark feelings, vitriol and heartbreak. From the self-loathing tone of Butterfly, with its marvelous string arrangement, to There For Her, which could be a great lost Jimmy Webb song by Glen Campbell; down to the centerpiece of the album, the harrowing Man Enough, which sounds just personal enough to be discomforting; then finally he brings the album to a close with the calm after the storm serenity of What He Doesn't Know, probably the finest cut on the record and in my opinion Cole's finest hour. In no way is Don't Get Weird an entertaining happy fun record; I've heard Cole wrote a lot of these lyrics about a relationship that ended about this time, so make no mistake, this borders on uneasy listening to be sure. But it is also an album of stylistic chance-taking, excellent playing, and insightful writing...I think everybody should at least give this outstanding music a listen and decide for themselves."

Second Half is Stronger Than the First

Johnny Bacardi | 02/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Couldn't disagree with the first reviewer more. Far from filler, I found the second half of the CD to be stronger than the first half and to contain some of Cole's best solo work to date."

Smart, Melodic Rock 'n Roll for Grown-ups

Johnny Bacardi | 06/19/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Don't Get Weird On Me Babe" is the second solo album by Lloyd Cole after he broke up the Commotions, his '80's Brit-rock band. Half the record is guitar and drum numbers, the other half orchestral-backed numbers. No smarm at all, in spite of the violins. His lyrics are intelligent on the subjects of relationships gone wrong, sometimes funny, never short on heart. Although I don't know many people who own this record, all that do count it among their favorites."