No Sense of Sin

This is another one of those "I can't believe this finally made it to CD" classics. I first heard the Lotus Eaters back around the mid-1980s when I cracked open a 12-inch single copy of "The First Picture of You." I was smitten. Great song. And other tunes like "It Hurts" were top-notch too. To finally have the complete album, and the bonus cuts, is a very special gift. As another reviewer mentioned, you'll you might be reminded of China Crisis or even Wild Swans --- and I'll thrown Fra Lippo Lippi for an added band as comparison. Above all, the songs of the Lotus Eaters are mostly melodic gems, highlighted by shimmering keyboard work and tasty guitar riffs. This is gorgeous music that doesn't sound dated at all.

Excellent vinyl record. I like the addition of the other vinyl for the remixed version of First Picture of You and that great song, It Hurts. The sound of both records is warmer, at least for me. I hope that Lotus Eaters will make one more album similar to this before we close the curtain.

If you want to listen to a pure new wave sound try this i give 5 star on this cd tnx amazon this is hard to find cd tnx

Like the album great collection to have

One of the best 80s album. I love, love, love the album:)

the previous reviewer gives you a great idea of what the lotus eaters were about, but his reservations about the bonus material here are off the mark.first off, it is worth searching out the british '98 reissue on arista called "the last picture." it includes 24 tracks, including the songs from "no sense of sin" that were mysteriously left off the japanese reissue mentioned by the previous reviewer. it also includes extended 12" versions of "the first picture of you" and one of their best songs "it hurts" in addition to all the b-sides included on the japanese release."no sense of sin" was indeed a great album, but the best songs here are the b-sides recorded while the band was making the album. these songs are better for being less overtly produced, allowing peter coyle's voice to come through with more power and subtlety than the frequently eviscerated and processed singing heard on the album. these songs also seem less concerned with being pop, and hence resist indulging in some of the sentimental cliches of the album. but the most important thing the b-sides do is give a sense of the aesthetic roots of the band, allowing a better understanding of what makes the album so original for its era. if edwyn collins and orange juice reinvented the byrds jingle jangle guitar style for the post punk era by marrying it with disco, and if micheal head and the pale fountains brought along burt bacharach, bossanova stylings, love's flamenco-psych, in addition to the byrds, then the lotus eaters mined the soft pop of the zombies and the left banke. indeed peter coyle can be considered the colin blunstone of the new wave era. "when you look at boys" sounds like colin singing along to the baroque guitar of maurice from felt, "two virgins tender" with its acoustic guitar backed by blade runner explosion echoes makes peter coyle's voice disturbingly, but beautifully, dark. "my happy dream" adds '60s style baroque strings and vocal melody, and the rest of the b-sides continue in this vein. hearing these songs gives a new understanding of "no sense of sin" itself: not just a blue nile or china crisis knockoff, the lotus eaters were mining areas of pop history that are now just established good taste. it's a shame they never got to make a second album (well, not at their peak anyway) because "it hurts" and the b-sides hint that it could have been one of the most strikingly original of the decade.

With their floaty and flighty, rich and resplendent tunes, the Lotus Eaters became erstwhile buoyant, but drew a hefty following within a specific musical genre that glorified angsty philosophy, reeled off despair and paranoia, and spew awful truths via piercing lyrics underlined by catchy melodies. This was the New Wave 80s. They were a group of lanky British lads clad in bright sleeved shirts, thin dark ties, and gelled dark hair that marked well, just as when goth was also padding the 'excessive decade' with spikes, skulls and velvet regalia in dominant black.Lotus Eaters sublimely offset the gloomsayers scene because their music was swayful and light. Infectious, inspiring and at times haunting, their power to enthrall listeners seem rooted from their predilection if at all preference for themes close to the heart...and linger in the psyche. While their songs particularly hint or hit on wanting and reciprocating love or trying to fill a certain void, they also bestow an unmistakable dollop of self-instrospection. Affection, compassion, inspiration and aspiration abound in their songs; even teenage love or schoolboy crush and prudishness peep through.Lotus Eaters have unconsciously segmented their immense audience with the charm their music has because their music blend youth and maturity. I was 13 the first time I heard them, remembering when they were featured in the London Calling album with some five other artists in the early 80s. I'm 30 now. Still their songs sweep me off or make me stop.What's fascinating and laudable about them is the quiet power their songs flaunt, thumps become virtually untraceable; in a sense 'somber and resolute' but very distinctive and defining of reflective moments. Peter Coyle's boyish and dithery vocals is devoid of strung out pyrotechnics. He sings with nonchalance yet enhances and complements the wispy piano backgrounds and wistful acoustics of guitarist Jeremy Kelly. Hearing every song makes No Sense of Sin a fluidly unobtrusive musical unison that simultaneously soothe and sway any listener. That makes their music lush. The signature tune 'The First Piture of You' wail poetic semantics that montages to some solitary person smiling to a weary kiss of breeze in a sun-drenched afternoon amidst a meadow swathed in dandelions, daisies and driftwoods. All while reminiscing a person he's fond of or recalling a situation that's deja vu. 'German Girl' pays homage to an uber lass portrayed as an innocent with worldy things to impart. 'Love Still Flows' and 'Can You Keep a Secret' serve as tortuous congenial tunes for lovers musing over or fancying someone or contemplating about commitment. 'Set Me Apart' expresses one man's individuality, prestige and sensitivity about his feeling for a sought after girl be known. 'You Fill Me with Need' and 'Put Your Touch on Love' wails varying thoughts for an affair. The latter even carries a modest orchestration and backing vocals that mirrors the music beat Burt Bacharach stapled in the 60s. 'You Don't Need Someone New' admonishes lovers there are strengths we can rake from our limitations. Aside from its sepulchrally blurred drumbeat, 'Out On Your Own' encourages self-acceptance when conquering or being conquered by this unconditional world.Exploratory and meandering on the highs and lows, gives and takes or even compromises of any circumstances like love, No Sense of Sin is a study in emotional tranquility. Peaceful and gentle, sheer yet indulgent, it departs from the mid to the late 90s techno and rave overkill. It is devoid of electro-boisterous and rambunctious pop synth riffs, albeit Lotus Eaters could never be classified as pure pop since its appeal crosses between alternative and swingy that's all underlined with purity. New Wave music that's nothing less than...timeless.The songs written by Kelly and Coyle with the brilliant backing and instrument ploys of Gerard Quinn, bassist Mike Dempsey and drummer Steve Creese drift slowly from its Zeitgeist, the cliche phrases and refrains evident now on overhyped crass types of Westlifes, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls and Britney Spearses. Lotus Eaters --- has music that endures because of its pristine reticence that transcends the mind and time. Once you hear every track from No Sense of Sin, you simply walk out or skippity-hop to the world cloaked in eternal youth and clear vibes. And your mind bears a cornucopia of things light and bright. It's time to feel young forever!

This is a must for new wave-80's fanatics..brings back a lot of college memories. Every song is so heartfelt...I recommend you to buy it right away, cause' it took me almost ten years to have it on cd, i own it on cassettetape and the sound is almost fading, but not the music....it stays in your heart...

Fabulous service and album

SI JE L'AI ACHETÉ, C'EST PARCE QUE JE LE SAIS ET JE L'AIME. JE NE VAIS FATIGUER PERSONNE AVEC MES PREFERENCES MUSICALES. POUR MOI PARFAIT

Muy buen precio y buena compilación

ロータスイーターズは日本で発売された当時にレコード(LP)で買いました。(正直ジャケ買いした)けれどコレ当りでした。いわゆるネオアコだけれど、何か爽やかで良いんですよ。その後CD発売されたの知りませんでした。国内盤もう手に入りづらいから輸入盤買ったけれど、曲が増えてる。つらつらと書いちゃいましたが、ロータスおすすめ。メタル好きにはお勧めしないけどW

Großer Pop ohne Scham, der nach mehr als dreißig Jahren einer Welt des Draufhauens die Stirn der Sanftheit bietet. Das Debüt von Peter Coyle und Jeremy Kelly gehört zu den vergessenen Schätzen der britischen Popszene. Während die New Romantics kurzzeitig große Erfolge feierten und im Seichten untergingen, erkannte selbst John Peel die Schönheit dieser unsterblichen Songs und lud zu einer der sagenumwobenen Peel Sessions. Doch während das Mutterland lieber Spandau Ballet und Culture Club feierte, erlangten die Lotusesser nur in Frankreich, Spanien und Italien Kultstatus. Wer sie heute entdeckt – und das Zweitwerk “Silentspace” von 2001 gleich mithört, wird sich wie die Mannen des Odysseus fühlen:„Und neun Tage trieb ich, von wütenden Stürmen geschleudert,Über das fischdurchwimmelte Meer; am zehnten gelangt’ ichHin zu den Lotophagen, die blühende Speise genießen.Allda stiegen wir an das Gestad’, und schöpften uns Wasser.Eilend nahmen die Freunde das Mahl bei den rüstigen Schiffen.Und nachdem wir uns alle mit Trank und Speise gesättigt,Sandt’ ich einige Männer voran, das Land zu erkunden,Was für Sterbliche dort die Frucht des Halmes genössen:Zween erlesene Freund’; ein Herold war ihr Begleiter.Und sie erreichten bald der Lotophagen Versammlung.Aber die Lotophagen beleidigten nicht im geringstenUnsere Freunde; sie gaben den Fremdlingen Lotos zu kosten.Wer nun die Honigsüße der Lotosfrüchte gekostet,Dieser dachte nicht mehr an Kundschaft oder an Heimkehr:Sondern sie wollten stets in der Lotophagen GesellschaftBleiben, und Lotos pflücken, und ihrer Heimat entsagen.Aber ich zog mit Gewalt die Weinenden wieder ans Ufer,Warf sie unter die Bänke der Schiff’, und band sie mit Seilen.Drauf befahl ich und trieb die übrigen lieben Gefährten,Eilend von dannen zu fliehn, und sich in die Schiffe zu retten,Daß man nicht, vom Lotos gereizt, der Heimat vergäße.Und sie traten ins Schiff, und setzten sich hin auf die Bänke,Saßen in Reihn, und schlugen die graue Woge mit Rudern.Also steuerten wir mit trauriger Seele von dannen.“Homer, Odyssee, IX. Gesang, v. 82–104