Just Make Great Pop Songs - Like You Do! (Like You Do: The Best Of The Lightning Seeds - Lightning Seeds)

Member Name: blackjane

Product:	Like You Do: The Best Of The Lightning Seeds - Lightning Seeds
Date:	13/01/02 (536 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Pop Songs, All the very best from an under-rated group

Disadvantages: -

'Like You Do' was the reward for almost a decade in the life of music maestro Ian Broudie (as well as a variety of companions), and serves as a pocket-sized reminder of the great music that the 'group' produced between 1989 and 1997.

It is interesting to note that another studio album, 'Tilt', was also released subsequent to this 'Best Of' set, but 'Like You Do' contains the vast majority of tracks that most people will remember. It is apparent that Broudie struggled somewhat to maintain the momentum after 'Like You Do', which is a curse that befalls many artists after a retrospective is released. However, the Lightning Seeds have never been the most prolific of acts chartwise, so perhaps this should have come as no surprise to anyone.

It has never really been possible to pigeon-hole the Lighntning Seeds into one particular genre, although during the mid 1990s they did ride on the coat-tails of the Britpop phenomenon. In some ways, the fact that they have never fit easily into any category could be perceived to be a strength, but in other ways, including the lack of more widespread acclaim, it has surely been a hindrance too.

Onto the album itself, and it is perhaps difficult to comprehend that the Lightning Seeds failed to be more successful than history shows them to have been. However, to listen to the sixteen tracks assembled on this collection is indeed a testament to a very important but sadly under-rated chapter in 1990s popular music.

'What You Say' was included specifically for this collection, and is a dreamy mid-tempo ballad with the familiar yearning vocal from Broudie. Although not as memorable as many of Broudie's earlier songs, it is a worthy inclusion here, all the more for it being a collaboration with Terry Hall. Following on from a relatively low-key opening comes 'The Life Of Riley', an altogether different track with an upbeat melody, and a so
ng that will be familiar to many as the background music played on many sporting programmes. 'Lucky You' (another song co-written with Terry Hall) continues the upbeat theme with more than a hint of jangly guitar and a killer melody that belies the bitterness in the lyric.

'You Showed Me' had previously appeared on the 1996 album 'Dizzy Heights' and is a variation of a song that was originally written by Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, but recorded by the Turtles. The mood and the sheer simplicity of the song are conveyed perfectly by Broudie, making it one of the group's most memorable singles. 'Change' picks up the mood again with a driving guitar backed melody, although once again the upbeat backing track acts as the perfect foil to a more cynical lyric.

'Waiting For Today To Happen' appears here in a new version, and although one of the more obscure tracks on this album it is probably one with which many people can identify. Who hasn't at least once laid in bed first thing on a Monday morning and thought 'Paralysed by the fears within me, Waiting for the Day To Happen.' Next up is 'Pure', which was my first introduction to the Lightning Seeds, way back in 1989. On its first airing the song appears to be just a happy-go-lucky upbeat love song, and several dozen listens later (and over twelve years) it is still just that.

'Sugar Coated Iceberg' is yet another instance of a positive melody acting as perfect cover for a more sinister lyric. It's worth remembering that what you see on the outside may only be the tip of the iceberg, but if you look a little bit deeper then things are not always what they seem. A whole rollercoaster of emotions are apparent on 'Ready Or Not' with Broudie expressing them in his usual eloquent manner in a perfectly crafted pop song.

The verses of 'All I Want' always remind me of 'You've Lost
That Loving Feeling' by the Righteous Brothers, but this aside, this song conveys a much more upbeat message than many on this album. Simple lyrics and strong melodies have become Ian Broudies's trademark and this song is no exception. 'Perfect', beginning with a host of strings and psychedelic undertones, leading into guitars and a piano part not too far removed from the beginning of 'Let It Be', certainly more than hints at a Beatles influence.

'What If' examines the doubts that can appear after many years in a relationship, and is an attempt to offer reassurance that such doubts are natural in an attempt to get over them. 'Sense' is another typical love song with the trademarks of Broudie and Terry Hall stamped indelibly on it. This is one track that is more dependent upon the piano for the melody than the guitar, for once.

'Brain Drain' was another new song for this album, and one with which I am less familiar. Perhaps it is slightly unfair to say that it is the weakest offering on the album, but it certainly gives the impression more of being a filler than a killer track. 'Marvellous' is a different story altogether, and despite an unnecessarily long introduction this is one of the best songs on this collection. Despite being recorded five years on from 'Pure' it captures all the same simplicity as well as all the other classic ingredients that go to make up a great pop song.

This CD comes to a fitting end with 'Three Lions' as performed with David Baddiel and Franker Skinner, who also provided the now memorable lyrics. Nobody ever thought that this song would be a popular as it was, but it certainly captured the moment of Euro '96, as well as becoming a number one single for a second time in a remade version for the World Cup in France in 1998.

This is also one of those all-so-rare text encoded CDs, that will flash up the song titles if you have a
compatible player. The booklet for the CD includes a full set of lyrics for all tracks, which is always handy to have. All in all this CD would be a worthy addition to your CD collection, and a reminder of some of the most overlooked pop songs of recent times. What's more, this CD offering only cost me a mere £2.99 from a well known chain of stores that sell second-hand goods, incuding CDs - and at that price who could possibly complain?

{Another original Dooyoo opinion
© Blackjane 2002}

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