Search - Richard Lloyd :: The Cover Doesn't Matter

Amazing guitar playing, marred by weak vocals

stevie_g | Ellicott City, MD USA | 05/18/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My previous exposure to Richard Lloyd was through Television and Matthew Sweet. I still think Matthew Sweet's 'Girlfriend' and '100% Fun' are two of the finest rock album's of the 90's, largely due to the guitar work of Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine. I have long considered Richard to be one of the most talented and underappreciated guitarists in rock.I love Richard's inventive, unpredictable, chaotic yet melodic guitar stle, and found it in spades on this disc. But I was also surprised with the overall quality of the songwriting. The layered, interlocking guitar parts are pure genius, and most songs are miniature guitar masterpieces. Truly amazing guitar playing!But one unfortunate factor prevents me from giving this a five-star rating - the vocals. I found the lyrics strained and awkward, and Richard's delivery strained and awkward as well. At first I was really put off by it, but I've found the vocals have become less intrusive with each listen. So it's not enough to sink the ship, but I really wish Richard had concentrated more on his strengths - guitar playing and songwriting - and brought in someone else to contribute the lyrics and vocals. Of course that would have undermined Richard's entire intention in making this album, and it would have been much less of a personal creative statement. But still I believe that with better lyrics/vocals, this disc could have become an absolute classic, and may have even attained some mainstream popularity.Overall, I am really impressed with this disc! One of the best guitar-rock releases I've ever owned. Can't wait to see Richard live."

Edgy as ever

mr_fishscales | Rochester, New York | 06/22/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I used to think that Verlaine was the interesting guitarist in Television and that Lloyd was the traditional one. But I was disappointed by the improvisational parts of Verlaine's Warm and Cool and I am impressed by Lloyd's increasing proficiency with absolutely no loss of passion and fire. Lloyd spends a lot of his time teaching guitar now and maybe that has made him more reflective about his playing. I just saw Lloyd and his band earlier this week (double bill with Steve Wynn and band!) and was amazed by his live playing. I have to concur with an earlier reviewer who finds Lloyd's vocals to be distracting. His singing has come a long way since Field Of Fire and it was even better live than it is on this album. His singing seems more uncertain than anything else. With repeated listens you do get used to his phrasing. His songwriting has come a long way too. His lyrics on Field of Fire were sometimes way too close to the June/moon/spoon variety. That is gone now (mercifully).I am not impressed by mere technical mastery. I don't listen pop music to be wowed by the playing. That would throw the lesson of punk right out the window. Television flew in the face of punk back in the 70s by putting out long, elaborate guitar-based songs, but there was always a frantic, erratic quality about the playing that made it new and exciting. Lloyd has preserved that combination of complexity and craziness. See him live for the real deal. Stand-outs on this record include "Torn Shirt" and "Serpent", but there are no duds whatsoever."