Review: “Dizzy Heights” by The Lightning Seeds (CD, 1996)

Today’s Pop Rescue from an uncertain future, is the 1996 album Dizzy Heights by the British band The Lightning Seeds. Will this album make you dance yourself Dizzy, or is it Sugar Coated nonsense? Read on…

The Lightning Seeds - Dizzy Heights (1996) album. — The Lightning Seeds – Dizzy Heights (1996) album.

This 12 track CD opens with some wonderfully wobbly synths of Imaginary Friend, and it starts getting almost heavenly with some really nice female backing vocalists, before Ian Broudie then drops in on the microphone, flanked by guitars. The track has a fun narrative to it, and the contrast between Ian’s vocals and that of the backing vocalists works a treat.

Next up is You Bet Your Life, and this throws us some really nice fun narrative again, backed with a load of backing vocals (the late Terry Hall is credited as on backing vocals throughout this album) and gently strummed guitars. Lurking around is a sleigh bell, which somehow, along with the theremin-sounding instrument, gives it a fun sound that seems to echo something you’d expect from Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Then it’s Waiting For Today To Happen, which opens with a wash of acoustic guitars like it’s some kind of Oasis track, and even Ian’s initial vocals here sound like he’s channelling a non-feudal Gallagher brother we’ve yet to hear about. Again, the song wafts well with the warm layers, but this one doesn’t really go anywhere… perhaps in waiting for today.

That’s followed by What If…, which stood as the album’s second single, and the track that followed the success that a ‘Lightning Seed’ had seen alongside David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, with the Three Lions #1. This single, which at times seems to echo The Beach Boys vocal harmonies and Pulp’s musical style in the chorus, which makes sense considering it was released with a Beach Boys cover on the cassingle version. The track gave the band a moderate hit, reaching #14 in the UK chart.

Sugar Coated Iceberg sees the bass drum thud relentlessly here, and it feels like an injection of drum machines and dance music – almost to Dubstar levels. Here, the energy is up, and the vocals deliver a flawlessly catchy song, and the strongest track here so far. The song, when released as the album’s third single, gave them a #12 UK hit, and I remember it turning up in television indents and adverts too.

Following that is a dreamy little David Bowie-esque lullaby of a song called Touch And Go. This brings the tempo down nicely, and Ian’s vocals work well here. At times it also sounds a bit like some of the more story-telling Beatles tracks too. It’s a really mellow song with occasional bursts of guitar energy.

Like You Do follows this and we’re plunged back into some fun synth sounds. This gives us some more catchy melodies and shuffling beats and string sections help to keep it lively and playful. I could easily imagine the contemporary band Space doing this track.

Then it’s Wishaway, returning us to some dreamy vocals and sounds – highly affected drums and synth sounds remind me of William Orbit’s style. It’s a nice enough sounding song but it’s trajectory feels a bit like it has nowhere to go.

Next up is Fingers And Thumbs which returns us to the harder Oasis-style sound. Guitars are pulling on their leashes here, as Ian’s soft Liverpudlian voice cuts through them like butter on a knife. It’s melodic and well structured, and a really decent track.

You Showed Me is next, and this was the album’s fourth and most successful UK single – reaching #8. It’s crackly vinyl sound, and vintage feel makes it feel a bit downbeat but also as if it’s some kind of ’60s cover. It treads this line magically, and works a treat. Whilst it lacks the energy of Sugar Coated Iceberg, it is an equal in the wonderful yesteryear sound it gives instead.

That leads on to penultimate track, and lead single Ready Or Not, opening with space and pseudo-jungle sounds before bursting into a wave of guitars and calling vocals. Ian’s then soon rattling through his excited lyrics. This single gave them a Top 20 UK single – hitting 20 on the nose. It’s a really nice track.

The album closes with Fishes On The Line and returns us to a gentle lullaby-esque song, literally about a fish. Again, David Bowie or the Beatles would have been proud of this track. The track picks up pace with drums and a nice plodding rhythm giving us another nod to a vintage sound.

The Lightning Seeds’ lead single ‘Ready Or Not’ (1996).

Verdict

Over all, this album is a mixture of indie and pop, and it just about manages to balance this.

There’s a wonderful vintage playfulness in this album, partly due to the melodies and choice of instruments, but Ian Broudie’s soft Liverpudlian vocal and songwriting gives us a strong 1960’s musical nod and it’s a great feeling. Alongside this though, is a few catchy as hell indie pop tracks where great melodies, harmonies, and synths drop by.

The highlights here are undoubtedly Sugar Coated Iceberg and You Showed Me, both which found success as singles, but also You Bet Your Life and lead single Ready Or Not are very close to this fine grade. Whilst there are no stinkers here, there are few tracks that have less interest about them. Wishaway and Waiting For Today To Happen are probably these.

If you’re a fan of The Lightning Seeds’ singles, then you will definitely find plenty here to amuse you, and it is definitely one that you need to hear. Not quite dizzy heights, but a high without nausea.