Tilt

Running Time: 44.03
Release date: 22nd November 1999
Date first charted: 4th December 1999
Highest UK chart position: 46
Weeks on chart: 3
Label: Epic
Catalogue number: 496263
Formats: CD, Cassette, Minidisc

Personnel credits:
– Ian Broudie: guitars, keyboards, vocals
– Martyn Campbell: bass, guitars and backing vocals
– Angie Pollock: Piano, keyboards and backing vocals
– Zak Starkey: drums

Produced by Ian Broudie
Tracks 1-6 and 8-12 co-produced by Simon Rogers
Tracks 1, 3-6 and 8-12 mixed by Dave Bascombe
Track 2 additional production and remix by Cutfather & Joe for XL Talent
Track 7 co-produced by Tim Simenon
Engineered by Cenzo Townshend, Jon Grey and Kenny Patterson
Track 2 additional engineering by Mads Nilsson

Running order and writing credits:

1. Life’s Too Short (Ian Broudie)
2. Sweetest Soul Sensation (Ian Broudie / Mark Cullen / Al Green)
3. If Only (Ian Broudie / Mike Pickering)
4. City Bright Stars (Ian Broudie / Stephen Jones)
5. I Wish I Was In Love (Ian Broudie / Terry Hall / Peter Green)
6. Happy Satellite (Ian Broudie / Mark Cullen)
7. Get It Right (Ian Broudie / Terry Hall)
8. Cigarettes and Lies (Ian Broudie)
9. Crowdpleaser (Ian Broudie / Mark Cullen)
10. Tales of The Riverbank (Ian Broudie)
11. Pussyfoot: Reprise (Ian Broudie)
12. All The Things (Ian Broudie)

My Notes:
The final album in the first phase of the Lightning Seeds era. With Chris Sharrock and Paul Hemmings departing in 1997 and 1998 respectively, Ian took over the guitar duties and Zak Starkey was enlisted as the full time drummer. With Britpop falling completely out of favour, the indie guitar sound that made an appearance on Dizzy Heights was banished and the machines came in. As did other producers in order to make the Lightning Seeds where it’s at, yo.

Initially, things seemed optimistic. Life’s Too Short was the lead single, with a memorable video to boot. A proper dance number with a great beat and a fantastic Martyn Campbell bass line. It’s a classic single, but it stalled at number 27 in the charts. It would have been a chart topper if it had the name “New Order” on the sleeve. The album was released late November 1999, and with hindsight, that wasn’t really a good idea as it was lost in the run up to Christmas and the rush for who could get the number 1 album for the turn of the millennium. Coupled with a pretty lacklustre promotion campaign from Epic, the album stalled at 46 and after three weeks on the chart fell out completely. They toured in December 1999 and played the Cream Millennium Bash on New Years Eve. In 2000, Sweetest Soul Sensation got a release with another memorable video but Ian soon got fed up. He put the Lightning Seeds in the back of the garage, put it up on bricks and declared it SORN.