The Lightning Seeds are best associated with a single man, producer Ian Broudie, born August 4, 1958 in Liverpool, England. Broudie first made a name for himself as a member of the post-punk group Big in Japan. When the band split in 1979, Ian spent a brief period of time in a band called the Original Mirrors before turning to producing.

By 1982, Broudie wished to return to performing, and teamed up with Wild Swans vocalist Paul Simpson to form a pop duo called Care. After a series of singles, Broudie, backed by hired session players, created the Lightning Seeds. Their first single, Pure, was internationally sucessful, as was their follow-up album, Cloudcuckooland, which was released in 1989. Despite the album's success, Broudie hiatused from performing, and went on to produce other bands' albums.

The Lightning Seeds' next single, Sense, was released in 1992, after which the band acquired its second actual member in synth programmer Simon Rogers. Following the release of Jollification in 1994, Broudie formed a touring band consisting of keyboardist Ali Kane, ex-Rain bassist Martin Campbell, and ex-Icicle Works drummer Chris Sharrock. A string of hit singles followed, including Change (included on the soundtrack of the 1995 hit movie Clueless), Ready or Not, and a cover of The Turtles' You Showed Me (which was included on the Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery soundtrack). They reached the pinnacle of their fame with the English football anthem Three Lions in 1997.

The Lightning Seeds are revered by many as the quintessential band of the sweet side of the Britpop phenomenon. The majority of Lightning Seeds songs are catchy, saccharin pop ballads distinguished by Ian Broudie's borderline falsetto voice, while his producer background results in lush, multi-layered tracks, perfectly arranged to every last detail. The band's sound betrays Broudie's roots in the post-punk movement, and has changed very little since the 1980s.


Discography

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