I picked up these two albums over the weekend, in part because I remember liking the one when I spun it on my college station so many years ago (Don't Get...) and in part because Billy G is so very into him, and I respect his opinion.



I am just not feeling it, though. Should I be listening to something else? (Rattlesnakes is his best, right?) Or, if I don't like these, should I just not even bother? It seems like the kind of thing that I should be into, but the production is just killing it for me; so 80's and early-90's AOR. Maybe they're growers?

Yep, Rattlesnakes is great, if you don't like it you'll never like Lloyd Cole. I put in on and instantly I am back to that time period.

While I still like it, Don't Get Weird on Me is not one of LC's better albums. I'd put "Easy Pieces" right behind "Rattlesnakes" in quality and if you don't like it, I wouldn't wager that you'd like "Rattlesnakes" much more as its from the same period and is going to have similar production issues.

I think you can file all of his work as "growers" so keep listening although I could see how the production could kill it for you if you are listening for the first time now. If you were to give one other album a chance, I'd recommend getting one of his more recent albums which isn't going to have the production issues. Anti-Depressant is a really good album or you might go with one of the folksinger live albums which present songs from throughout his career (along with some covers) in a very stripped down, live acoustic setting. Who knows maybe if you heard the solo acoustic version of "Why I like Country Music" you'd go back to "Easy Pieces" and like the album more.

I'm also a very big fan. The production does have some issues to say the least on some of the albums. The Folksinger live albums are indeed great as well as the 4 disc rarities/alternate takes/b-sides thing he put out awhile back.

Rattlesnakes is on my mental "to check out" list for after I move and get a SqueezeBox.

I've been listening to Rattlesnakes a shitload lately but am kind of afraid to listen to other albums for fear they are nowhere as good and kind of ruin Rattlesnakes a little bit. Is this fear unwarranted? Same case with Aztec Camera. Love High Land, Hard Rain, everything else seems like it will be a let down.

Rattlesnakes is excellent, highly rec'd

Your fear is absolutely unwarranted. Easy Pieces, Mainstream and S/T are near equals in quality. Etc is the only real total dud in LC's catalog. I wouldn't say any of Aztec Camera's albums would ruin Hard Land, Hard Rain but anything after Love is pretty meh. If you were to ignore the presence of Oblivious on HLHR, Knife would be its equal and I like Love more than Knife. The last Roddy Frame solo album is pretty nice too.