643 Hello The Lightning Seeds - Pure

Chart  entered : 22  July  1989

Chart  peak : 16

Number  of  hits : 15

Here  begins  the  final  chapter  in  one  musical  cycle  as  we  come  to  the  last  punk  to  make  good.

Ian  Broudie  was   born  in  Liverpool  in  1958  and  was  part  of  the  Eric's  scene  in  Liverpool  in  the  late  seventies. He  joined  the  group  Big  in  Japan  in  1978  as  their  guitarist  and  was  their  most  incongruous  member  , a  nerdy-looking  teenager  alongside  the  transgressive  flamboyance  of  Holly  Johnson  and  Jayne  Casey. We've  covered  their  output  ( such  as  it  was )  in  the  Johnson  post. Although  not  a  partner  in  the  enterprise  Ian  worked  with  his  former  bandmates  Bill  Drummond  and  Dave  Balfe  at  Zoo  Records honing  his  skills  as  a  producer  on  the  first  Echo  and  the  Bunnymen  album Crocodiles .

However  Ian  still  wanted  to  perform  and  in  1979  founded  the  band  Original  Mirrors  with  vocalist  Steve  Allen  from  the  Liverpudlian  art-rock  outfit  Deaf  School. Other  members  included  keyboard  player   Jonathan  Perkins  who  had  a  short  spell  with  XTC  and  thirtysomething  drummer  Pete  Kircher  from  late  sixties  one  hit  wonders  Honeybus. Along  with  The  Photos , the  Original  Mirrors  were  one  of  those  bands  mentioned  a  lot  in  the  music  papers  I  was  buying  at  the  start  of  the  eighties  that  never  got  much  airplay. They  played  a  brash  modern  pop  decorated  by  synthesiser  flourishes. I  think  Simple  Minds  is  the  closest  comparison. Despite  the  press  attention, a  high  profile  support  slot  on  Roxy Music's  UK  tour  in  1980  and  backing  from  Peel, the  band  never  sold  many  records., largely  I  think  because  Allen's  singing- while- throwing- up  vocal  style  was  unattractive  and  the  songs  were  a  bit  lacking  in  substance. My  review  of  their  second  and  final  album  (  on  a first  listen, their  debut  was  slightly  better )  is  here. The  group  split  up  in  the  middle  of  1981.

Ian  occupied  himself  with  producing  the  next  Bunnymen  album  "Porcupine "  then  formed  a  duo  with  another  Zoo  alumnus  Paul  Simpson , keyboard  player  in  the  pre-fame  Teardrop  Explodes  and  more  recently  singer  with  The  Wild  Swans. Care  merged  Simpson's  poetic  lyrics  and  heroic  vocals  with  Ian's  melodic  nous  and  sonic  craft  to  create  a  baroque  synth-pop  with  late  sixties  influences  similar  to  Liverpudlian  contemporaries  the  Pale  Fountains  and  Icicle  Works  ( both  of  whom  he  later  produced ).  They  got  a  deal  with  Arista  and  released  three  singles "My  Boyish  Days", "Flaming  Sword"  and  "Whatever  Posssessed  You" . "Flaming  Sword"  with  its  piccolo  trumpets  almost  cracked  the  Top  40  in  the  autumn  of  1983  but  that  was  as  close  as  they  got. Again  Ian  had  linked  up  with  a  singer  whose  vocals  were  an  acquired  taste; Simpson's  wobbly  baritone  sounds  a  bit  mannered. The  pair  recorded  enough  material  for  an  album  but  it  never  saw  the  light  of  day  until  a  compilation  CD  ( which  neither  of  them  sanctioned )  "Diamonds  and  Emeralds"  in  1997. The  duo  went  their  separate  ways  in  1985.

For  the  next  few  years  Ian  concentrated  on  his  producing  work   and  his  client  base  expanded  to  include  Richard  Jobson, The  Colourfield, The  Fall  and  The  Bodines. However  he  was  still  writing  and  recording  some  material  for  himself   and  unveiled  himself  once  more  as  the  sole  member  of  "The  Lightning  Seeds"  with  this  single.

"Pure" is  not  too  far  removed  from  a  less  ornate  "Flaming  Sword"  with  Simpson's  sub-opearatics  replaced  by  a  rather  thin, reedy  vocal  that   dovetails  with  the  idea  of  keeping  things  "pure  and  simple  every  time".  It  floats  on  a  sea  of  lush  synths  with  the  odd  little  brass  interjection  to  add  a  sense  of  purpose. It  did  seem  anachronistic  at  the   time, the  sound  of  Cherry  Red  circa  1982  suddenly  reappearing  in  the  Top  20 alongside  Stock, Aitken  and  Waterman. The  song  is  an  expression  of  love  for  his  young  son  Riley  and  its  obvious  sincerity  proved  a  winner  even  without  a  particularly  strong  chorus.  The  melodic  bass  solo in  the  middle  sounds  like  it's  been  copped  from  New  Order's  Love  Vigilantes.