It all seems faintly absurd now but Lloyd Cole supposedly alienated a large part of his potential fanbase by inserting so many literary references into his lyrics. Surely if the songs themselves were up to scratch then this point would be irrelevant. As it happens, 'Rattlesnakes' was a great album in anyone's language and - as this "deluxe edition" proves - it still is an excellent body of work. Essentially the music is country rock with added wry British pop touches and Cole's unusual but perfectly suitable hiccuping vocals. That it's aged so well is purely down to the songs; 'Perfect Skin', 'Forest Fire' and the title track (in itself a perfect bedfellow for Echo And The Bunnymen's 'Silver') were all singles but any one of eight of these tracks was a worthy "45" in truth; the pick of the remaining jangly pop gems being 'Charlotte Street' and 'Patience'. The bonus disc - although inevitably not as essential as the original album - has its fair share of high points too. Clearly, 'Beautiful City' really deserved its place on 'Rattlesnakes' and the dry, witty B-side 'Andy's Babies' just wins out over some energetic radio and live versions. Victims of inverted snobbery at the time, Lloyd Cole And The Commotions deserve a place in history for these moments alone.