''Dizzy Heights'' is the fourth studio album by British

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

The Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based s ...

, released in 1996, and reached No. 11 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. It was re-issued in Sony Mid Price range in August 1999.

Writing and recording

''Dizzy Heights'' was recorded at the

Eel Pie Island Eel Pie Island is an island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the maintained minimum head of water above the only lock on the Tideway and is accessible by boat or from the left (generally ...

studio, a barge on the River Thames

Ian Broudie Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...

had rented from

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. Work on the album was halted midway through 1996 so Broudie could concentrate on "

Three Lions "Three Lions" is a song by the English comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and the rock band the Lightning Seeds. It was released on 20 May 1996 to mark the England football team's participation in that year's UEFA European Championshi ...

," which

the Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

had approached him to write, in time for

Euro 96 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...

. According to Broudie, the album was recorded in two 'sections' – one with the band utilising live drums and bass guitar, the other using loops and samplers produced by Broudie.''Dizzy Heights'', Sugar Coated discography
lightning-seeds.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2011.

Songs

Singles

The first single to be released from the album was "Ready or Not", which featured B-side covers of "

Another Girl, Another Planet "Another Girl, Another Planet" is a song by English rock band the Only Ones. It is the second track on their debut studio album, ''The Only Ones'', released in 1978. The song is the band's most successful and has since been covered by several ot ...

" and

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

's "Outdoor Miner". It reached No. 20 in the UK charts. The single version differs from that found as the penultimate track on the album. "What If..." was released October 1996 in the UK. It peaked at No. 14 in the charts and, continuing in the vein of the previous single, included a cover of The Beach Boys' " Here Today" as a cassette-only B-side. The single's title track, co-written by Terry Hall and Broudie, featured a poppy sound reminiscent of

The Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

' " Happy Together". The song is regarded as a stand-out track of the album by Broudie himself, who cites The Beach Boys and The Turtles as influences behind the song.Like You Do – The Greatest Hits Interview with Ian Broudie and Martyn Campbell
/ref> "Sugar Coated Iceberg" was co-written with Stephen Jones of

Babybird Babybird are an English rock band formed by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Jones, who has been releasing music since 1995. While Jones' early solo work was released under the "Baby Bird" name, the altered "Babybird" was first us ...

, who Broudie admired as a contemporary songwriter partially due to the sense of humour exhibited in his lyrics. On hearing " You're Gorgeous" and "Too Handsome To Be Homeless" played live, Broudie suggested to Jones that it would be "great to get together and write a song". According to Broudie, the words were written around the title, coming from the concept of a sugar-coated iceberg. "You Showed Me", a cover of the Turtles song and the fourth single from ''Dizzy Heights'', was originally intended to be a B-side to "What If..." but it was decided by the band that the produced version was good enough to be on the LP. Coming together relatively quickly, the track utilised loops and samplers from the Turtles original, "going back to machines" as Broudie put it. The song was to be The Lightning Seeds' most successful chart release (not including the two versions of "

", co-written with Frank Skinner and

David Baddiel David Lionel Baddiel (; born 28 May 1964) is an English comedian, presenter, screenwriter, and author. He is known for his work alongside Rob Newman in ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' and his comedy partnership with Frank Skinner. He has als ...

) reaching No. 8 in the UK. By the time the song was released as a single, drummer Chris Sharrock had left the band to join

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

' backing group, and new percussionist

Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...

took his place in the video. All single releases featured on the band's 1997

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

compilation, '' Like You Do'', along with a re-recorded version of "Waiting for Today to Happen". The four single tracks can also be found on 2006 compilation '' The Very Best Of''.

Non-single tracks

The album opens with "Imaginary Friends", a tongue-in-cheek comment on modern society and moves into a more acoustic mode in "Waiting for Today to Happen", a track written by Broudie in collaboration with

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...

bassist

Nicky Wire Nicholas Allen Jones (born 20 January 1969), known as Nicky Wire, is a Welsh musician and songwriter, best known as lyricist, bassist and secondary vocalist of the Welsh alternative rock band, Manic Street Preachers. Prior to the group, Wire s ...

. "Touch and Go" and "Like You Do" are quoted by Broudie as being placed 'in a line' with "

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...

" and "Pure" as being semi-autobiographical, which he cites along with a number of other songs from previous albums as feeling like 'one big song' to him. "Like You Do" would provide the title of the band's 1997 greatest hits compilation though the song did not appear on the collection itself. The album closes with "Fishes on the Line" which contains lyrics bordering on the surreal and an anthemic guitar outro.

Release and reception

Andy Gill of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' criticised the "clichéd and unimaginative" nature of tracks such as "Imaginary Friends", blasting "Fingers and Thumbs" and the 'flimsy' "Wishaway" as borrowing too heavily from

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. Billboard's Jonathan Cohen was equally as critical of "Wishaway" and "Touch and Go" on his website Nude as the News, claiming the album is "sucked into a netherworld of redundant riffs". Special criticism is reserved for "Sugar Coated Iceberg" which, according to Cohen, is ruined by "cornball" synth programming, and although "Ready or Not" and "Imaginary Friends" are praised, the album as a whole is described as "un-original". The Spectator's Marcus Berkmann was slightly more praising of ''Dizzy Heights'' and indeed the first five Lightning Seeds albums, albeit in retrospect, in his 2006 article 'Seeds of Joy'. Steven Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide is also largely praising of the album, stating that a number of "terrific moments" "keep Broudie's reputation as a pop craftsman intact".

Track listing

All songs written by

(except where stated). # "Imaginary Friends" – 2:44 (Broudie, Terry Hall) # "You Bet Your Life" – 3:34 # "Waiting for Today to Happen" – 3:34 (Broudie,

) # "What If..." – 3:23 (Broudie, Hall) # "Sugar Coated Iceberg" – 3:53 (Broudie, Stephen Jones) # "Touch and Go" – 3:53 # "Like You Do" – 3:23 (Broudie, Terry Hall) # "Wishaway" – 3:17 # "Fingers and Thumbs" – 3:21 # "

You Showed Me "You Showed Me" is a song written by Gene Clark and Jim McGuinn (later known as Roger) of the Byrds in 1964. It was recorded by the Turtles and released as a single at the end of 1968, becoming the group's last big hit in the U.S. The song ...

" – 4:08 ( Gene Clark,

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...

) # "Ready or Not" – 3:50 # "Fishes on the Line" – 3:54

B-sides

Not including remixes, this is a list of all b-sides released by The Lightning Seeds during the 96-97 ''Dizzy Heights'' phase. ;from "Ready or Not" *"Another Girl Another Planet" *"Whole Wide World" *"Punch And Judy (Electric '96 Version)" *"Outdoor Miner" ;from "What If..." *"Never" *"The Crunch" ;from "Sugar Coated Iceberg" *"This Power" *"S.F. Sorrow Is Born" *"Porpoise Song" *"Why Why Why (Group Version '97)" *"Telling Tales (Group Version '97)"

Personnel

– vocals, guitar, producer *

Simon Rogers Simon Rogers is an English musician, record producer and composer who has been a member of The Fall, and The Lightning Seeds. Biography In 1976, Rogers entered the Royal College of Music, London, later becoming an associate (ARCM) and winn ...

– keyboards, programming, producer * Martyn Campbell – bass, backing vocals * Angie Pollock – keyboards, backing vocals *

Chris Sharrock Chris Sharrock (born 30 May 1964) is an English drummer, hailing from Bebington, Cheshire (now Merseyside), England. He has been a member of the Icicle Works, the La's, the Wild Swans, World Party, the Lightning Seeds, Robbie Williams's liv ...

– drums * Clive Layton – Hammond organ, piano * Terry Hall, Carl Brown, Paul Roberts – backing vocals Technical * Dave Bascombe – producer, mixing *

Cenzo Townshend Vincenzo Capellini Townshend (born 28 October 1963) is an English record producer, mixer, and audio engineer, and has worked with artists and bands including the Rolling Stones, a-ha, Kaiser Chiefs, U2, Snow Patrol, Florence and the Machin ...

– engineer * John Grey – engineer * Kenny Patterson – engineer *

Mark Farrow Mark Farrow was named Designer of the Year in the Creative Review Peer Poll in 2004, voting him ‘the most important graphic designer working today’. His career began in the early 1980s designing experimental sleeves and posters for Factory Reco ...

– design * John Ross – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

* United Kingdom ( BPI): Silver, Gold (1 January 1997)

Singles

References

{{Authority control 1996 albums The Lightning Seeds albums Albums produced by Ian Broudie Epic Records albums