544. Rattlesnakes

Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
1984

Tracks
1. Perfect Skin 
2. Speedboat 
3. Rattlesnakes 
4. Down On Mission Street 
5. Forest Fire 
6. Charlotte Street 
7. 2cv 
8. Four Flights Up 
9. Patience 
10. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? 

We continue our streak of decent to superb albums with "Rattlesnakes." I will once again demonstrate my musical ignorance by admitting that I had never heard of Lloyd Cole before. I really liked my first foray into his music and I hope he is represented on the List again.

All of the songs were fairly catchy and Lloyd Cole has a pretty unique voice that manages to be soft and powerful at the same time. I particularly enjoyed "Patience" and "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?" Damn, we haven't had good love songs like that in awhile. They warm my shriveled heart.

RATING: 4/5

543. Double Nickels on the Dime

Double Nickels on the Dime
The Minutemen
1984

Tracks
1. D.'s Car Jam/Anxious Mo-Fo 
2. Theatre Is The Life Of You 
3. Viet Nam 
4. Cohesion 
5. It's Expected I'm Gone 
6. #1 Hit Song 
7. Two Beads At The End 
8. Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want The Truth 
9. Don't Look Now 
10. Shit From An Old Notebook 
11. Nature Without Man 
12. One Reporter's Opinion 
13. Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing 
14. Maybe Partying Will Help 
15. Toadies 
16. Retreat 
17. Big Foist 
18. God Bows To Math 
19. Corona 
20. Glory Of Man 
21. Take 5 D. 
22. My Heart And The Real World 
23. History Lesson 
24. You Need The Glory 
25. Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts 
26. West Germany 
27. Politics Of Time 
28. Themselves 
29. Please Don't Be Gentle With Me 
30. Nothing Indeed 
31. No Exchange 
32. There Ain't Shit On T.V. Tonight 
33. This Ain't No Picnic 
34. Spillage 
35. Untitled Song For Latin America 
36. Jesus And Tequila 
37. June 16th 
38. Storm In My House 
39. Martin's Story 
40. Dr. Wu 
41. World According To Nouns 
42. Love Dance 
43. Three Car Jam

Thankfully, this album is not as long as it seems, as some of the songs don't even reach the two minute mark. Perhaps this is the reason for the band's name. As far as nicknames go, it seems rather cruel.

This band has a really great sense of humor, but that didn't exactly translate into music I enjoyed listening to. Sometimes it's hard to articulate why you don't like a certain album and if I knew how, I probably wouldn't have so many haters. I would be a beach somewhere, drinking mai tais and dissing Queen.

Anyway, a perfectly acceptable album, and maybe good for a few laughs. Otherwise, can easily be skipped.

RATING: 3/5

542. Ocean Rain

Ocean Rain
Echo and the Bunnymen
1984

Tracks
1. Silver 
2. Nocturnal Me 
3. Crystal Days 
4. Yo Yo Man 
5. Thorn of Crowns 
6. Killing Moon 
7. Seven Seas 
8. My Kingdom 
9. Ocean Rain

I wasn't able to find this album in its entirety on YouTube, but I did watch live versions of all the tracks, which I think still counts. I am going to assume that Ian McCulloch's voice didn't crack quite as much on the studio version, but who knows. Perhaps "Nocturnal Me" was meant to be a painful experience.

That being said, I did enjoy this album. Sure, it's a bit pretentious, but "Killing Moon" and "Crystal Days" made it worth it. While it was a bit gothic for my tastes, I am still ultimately pleased with this entry.

RATING: 3/5