It’s here! Tomorrow’s finally here. Today. This is a retrospective compilation spanning the 35 year career of the band from debut single Pure right up to the last single Emily Smiles. And this time, rather than leave it 12 months before reviewing an album, I’m reviewing it 2 days after it has been released. I’ve been listening to most of these songs for over a quarter of a century, so I think I should know them enough by now to write about a compilation.
I really do know them, too. I’ve listened to this lavish back catalogue of songs more than anyone else’s and I know these songs more than anyone else’s songs. They provide a comforting familiarity yet I can always pop one of these songs on and find something I’ve not heard before. As well as being the soundtrack to my growing up, these songs have brought comfort when needed, made moods better, provided the backdrop for happy memories and in some cases have been as much a companion as just something to listen to. The Lightning Seeds were among the first batch of music that I bought for myself as a teenager, so the fact that 35 years after the release of the debut single there’s a bit of a celebration and renewed interest from the public is bloody brilliant. I’ve been telling people how good the Lightning Seeds are outside the football song for the last 3 decades.
This compilation is great because all the hits are there, including THAT song which is stuck right out there at the end. But Pure, The Life of Riley, Change, Lucky You, Sugar Coated Iceberg, You Showed Me are all there and you all know and love these. Less familiar singles such as What You Say and Life’s Too Short are included, plus a very welcome inclusion of most recent single Emily Smiles. The beauty of Emily Smiles is it sounds like it’s a natural fit in this lineup of classics, and it’s also the very last tune Terry Hall co-wrote before his untimely death.
But there’s a few choice album tracks sprinkled here and there as well. They are beautifully selected too as they show another side to the Lightning Seeds being suitably different enough from the singles to whet the appetite of the casual listener. Hopefully they’ll then go and seek out the new vinyl re-issues and soak up the rest of the back catalogue. You get the fabulous Waiting For Today To Happen – re-recorded in 1997 – as well as The Nearly Man (my favourite song from Cloudcuckooland) and Like You Do from Dizzy Heights. Even better is the inclusion of My Best Day, a duet with Alison Moyet from Jollification.
It’s a nice package, too, moreso than Like You Do for instance. There are some period photos of Broudie and the band through the years and different line-ups, plus a lovely selection of old memorabilia on show, too. The cover photo is an outtake of Ian from the Cloudcuckooland album cover photoshoot. Sleeve notes are by Pete Paphides, whose record label Needle Mythology was set up so he could own a copy of Tales Told (Ian’s solo album) and a Lilac Time album on vinyl, but it also helps that he’s a superb writer. But what I really love is the use of the Sense-era space rocket throughout instead of the strawberry for a change.
It’s a solid 9 out of 10, then, for this compilation. My personal preference would have been to include the full length version of Change and include the single versions of All I Want and Marvellous. But the real black mark is in not including the single version of Ready Or Not. La la la la. But that really is nitpicking in the extreme, so I’ll just be happy that there’s a new compilation out that I can play in the CD player player player player player (remember those? Ask your Dad) in my car to replace my knackered copy of Like You Do… Best of the Lightning Seeds.
Things could be marvellous? You bet your life – roll on the Liverpool Olympia date in December. I can’t wait.
Paul Renowden, October 2024.
lightningseedsarchives.co.uk 
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