Cleaning Out the Ashtrays

This is a very good set of some of Lloyd Cole's leftovers. This 4 CD set is all Lloyd, no Commotions here. Also it should be said that most of the material here is Lloyd and guitar, so it can be and is very mellow. So if you are into Lloyd, and if you aren't you should be, and want to hear some of his songs and some very good covers that didn't quite make his solo albums, this is a great place to be.

Lloyd Cole is one of those very rare musicians that can do no wrong for me. I still remember the exact spot I was standing when I heard "Perfect Skin" from his Rattlesnakes album for the first time. I was so struck by it and captured by the unique sound that Lloyd Cole does better than anyone else. I just love the guy.But even with that level of adulation, I was skeptical about how good this 4 CD collection of songs stored on old DAT tapes stuffed in old shoeboxes, etc., could actually be. Surely even Lloyd Cole has some duds here and there.Well, if he does have some duds, they are not anywhere to be found on this collection. This is good stuff. If you like Lloyd Cole, it's worth every penny of the $50+ purchase price. And if you just like really good music performed by one of the best singer/songwriters of the past few decades, well, what are you waiting for? There's gold here.I will always remember Christmas 2012 as special, because that was when I got this rare rare treat of 4 CDs of Lloyd Cole.If by chance the artist occasionally drops by to read reviews of what others are saying, I'd like to add a heartfelt thank you for this. And, also, a great big thanks for reforming a group and issuing your 2010 release, Broken Record. Man, that was a great CD! Your talent and ability is as strong as ever.

As a long-time Lloyd Cole fan (including the Commotions), this purchase was a no brainer. The sound is great. The liner notes are even better;) Very personal. All the right b-sides and rarities. The packaging is excellent and attractive. This is well worth it for any fan.

Great collection. Love it.

...there is no room in today's music world for some one like Lloyd Cole. Thankfully for, we the faithful, this collection has come along to remind us what an elite group we are in, and how thankful that we should be to be in it. Outstanding.

This is an absolutely brilliant collection of songs. Every one is a gem. He is one of the best song writers out there

For Lloyd Cole fans, and lovers of good music everywhere, the 59 songs contained in Lloyd Cole's CLEANING OUT THE ASHTRAYS--primarily B-sides, alternative mixes of album tracks and songs whose planned releases never materialized--offer a treasure trove of lyrical and vocal brilliance.As excellent as the music is, there are just as many heartbreaks, bittersweet moments, heroes and villains contained in the liner notes as on the disks themselves. In the booklet that comes inside this attractively packaged 4-CD box set, Cole's personal essays tell not only the stories behind the songs but also provide an intriguing look at the challenges of keeping a musical career moving in the right (or any) direction throughout all the recent convulsions of the record business.Why did some of these tracks stay unreleased for so long? Cole informs us, for example, that "Bad Vibes sold so badly that we never made it to releasing the third single..." How easy is it to build on a successful single? After `Like Lovers Do' from 1995s Love Story became a hit in the UK, Cole notes that, "`Baby' failed to chart and we were back to business as usual..."Read along as you listen, or just sit back and enjoy alternate versions of Cole classics such as: Don't Look Back, No Blue Skies, Butterfly, Morning Is Broken, Like Lovers Do and Sentimental Fool. Plus great B-sides like: The Witching Hour, Wild Orphan, Blame Mary Jane and Millionaire. I'm also partial to his various Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, Marc Bolan and Burt Bacharach cover versions, including: Chelsea Hotel #2, Vicious, Mystic Lady, Children of the Revolution and I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself.CLEANING OUT THE ASHTRAYS gets five stars from me. No ifs or butts.

I will start with Lloyd's method of choosing the tracks for this great collection 'Cleaning Out The Ashtrays' is a four volume, 59 song collection of b-sides, album outtakes, alternate mixes and pretty much every studio recording from 1989 until 2006 which was intended for commercial release, but which did not end up on an album. Demo's are not included unless they were actually b-sides. The packaging alone in special, with a 7000 or so word document about the various time periods and a clever package that mimics the storage of these tracks over the years.This is more than good packaging though. The tracks are varied and show an artist pushing various musical styles from rock to straight pop, electronica, orchestration to a folk sound. The tracks all blend well and each disk covering a time period this brings these styles together well. Lloyd Cole is a great master of the word, and the songs often tell a story or have clever references. It is often amazing that these tracks did not make the album they were intended and listening to them there are many that could have. There are also interesting takes on released tracks giving them new flavours. The musicians that worked on these tracks are also top shelf.It is hard for me to list favourite tracks on this collection. I would be best to list least favourite, this for me would be the Romany Soup cover though I have read a review that listed it as a highlight. The tracks are just too amazingly good and I have many highlights. This is one of the best albums I have purchased, it sums up an amazingly rich songwriting talent.

For fans only....not as good as Lloyd's other box sets

King Cole.

Amazing Lloyd Cole as ever

A must for Lloyd Cole fan

One of my favourite Lloyd Cole & The Commotions tracks, 'Lonely Mile', which was on the B side of the 'From The Hip' single, isn't on here, and as far as I can gather is not available anywhere. I had to buy a very expensive second hand copy. Ho, and indeed hum. However, that very personal and minor gripe aside, this box set is a wonderful trawl through Cole's voluminous back pages, and proof positive that some of his B sides and ephemera beats most acts' entire albums in terms of songcraft and appeal. Not everything is great, as he admits himself, but Cole's illuminating liner notes reveal much about the times and circumstances of the individual songs under scrutiny, and where he was at back then.I wouldn't recommend this to anyone new to Cole's music, but for those already on the Cole bus, it is an essential purchase. Lloyd's not the greatest singer in the world, but he tailors his songs to his vocal limitations brilliantly, and his way with words has never lost him. If you've got the time, settle back and give this a thorough listen. It gets better every time.

Tutto ottimo materiale (artisticamente e tecnicamente parlando) di Lloyd Cole.Il box include tutto materiale maiuscito sugli album in studio, quindi chi (come me) solitamente acquista soltanto album, troverá qui tante canzoni nuove, uscite solo come singolo, b-side, su compilation, nonchè alcuni mix alternativi (più o meno interessanti, più o meno "simili" alle versioni originali) di brani giá pubblicati sugli album.In ogni caso materiale di ottima qualitá... nulla che possa essere considerato "scarto" o insensato "riciclo" di registrazioni d'archivio. Per chi ama Cole, assolutamente da non perdere.

Love the Cole. These are tracks with subtle differences from the original commercial releases, and its fascinating to hear how he develops songs and arrangements

grandissimo disco molto sottovalutato ma ricco di grandi sonorità.........cene fossero di questi dischi!!!!!!soldi ben spesi soldi ben spesi soldi beeeeennnnn sssspeeeessssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

これはキツイなあ．．と思ってた。何故ってジャケットを見て！髭面のイカツイおじさんが通せんぼしてる、そしてＣＤ４枚で５９曲とあり、聴ききれるかどうか不安だったけれど、正月をどう過ごすか考えていたら買ってしまった。４枚中大半がシングルカットされた曲のｂ−ｓｉｄｅの収録で、小冊子に「ｂ−ｓｉｄｅにいれるしかなった」とあり、又シングルカットされたものの原曲やバージョン違いものが多々あり、決して手抜きしないんだなとも思った。その他にも諸事情があったみたいだけど、　まずは　ＣＤ１はコモーションズ的な音を使わない（だってピンなんだから）という挑戦で、既に耳慣れた彼のヒットソングスも磨きに磨きをかけてリリースされたのかと知って、その努力に驚嘆した。ところで、”the”Ｌ”word "　や　”chelsea hotel"　が入っていたのでこれは嬉しく、また”she's agilr and I'm a man"　の原曲があり、コモーションズ時代につくりずっと封印していた”everyone'scomplaining"　が入っていて、これらは必聴ものだと思う。　ＣＤ２は彼がアダム　ピータースと組み、シンセサイザーの魅力に取りつかれ実験的と言われる音作りに夢中になり、やる気満々だったのに大コケして、フォンタナに売られたいきさつが小冊子に書かれていた。ＣＤ２中の”morning is broken"　の音にしても音を揺らしすぎで音酔いしそうだし、”love you so what"はいきなり雄叫びから始まるからビックリした。彼の声にエフェクトかけちゃ台無しだし、他にも音全体のバランスが悪く聴こえ、"eat your greens"　の音がすごく自然に聴けて良かった。とにかく空回りしている作品が目立つ。　ＣＤ３はDANGEROUS MUSIC とあり、”何が？”と思っていたが、この時期彼自身がヤバかった。「コモーションズのような音に戻れ」との指摘を受けて、アコースティックな音に戻るのが非常に難しく神経過敏になったとあり、彼本来のスタイルだと思っていた”sentimental fool”や”like lovers do " を聴いているだけに、それがとても信じられなかった。ところで、1995年作の”missing"　と”rain on parade"　はアルバム”music in a foreign langauge"　に入っていても不思議ではない曲で、このＣＤ３は全体的に未発表のままにしておいてはいけないもの揃いだ。　ＣＤ４は”fool you are" と”that boy" と”my alibi"　の３つ意外に聴いたことがないものばかりですごく楽しめた。ジル　ソビュールと一緒に歌っているものもあり、フランス語の”si tu dois partir"があり、このＣＤ４に超傑作と言える歌はないけれど、”santa cruz"ではハーモニカの音を主にして、"late night,early town"　は思いっきりフォークソングで、"my alibi"は楽器をピアノの音のみにし、これらが未発表のままでは惜しい。　彼が今まで未発表にしていたものを含んだＣＤ４枚を聴き終えて、その変遷を楽しんだと同時に器用で何でもできることが決して美徳とは言えない世界があり、ここでは、やっぱり、彼が歌う彼にしかつくれない音楽を求めて聴いているリスナーがいて、”あのコモーションズのような音を”とまでは私は思っていないけれど、何十年経っても聴きたい歌をつくらせたら、彼のようなsinger/song writer　はもう現れないだろうな　と思っている。

ロイドのアルバムは全部持ってるけど、このアルバムも、懐かしかったり、新しい発見があったり大好きだからたくさんの曲もあっという間の4枚でした。本当にいい曲書くなあ。渋谷の小さなライブハウスで歌うロイドはカッコ良かったなあ。