Cloudcuckooland

Lightning Seeds

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 16, 1990)
• Original Release Date: April 3, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002O72
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,346 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. All I Want

2. Bound in a Nutshell

3. Pure

4. Sweet Dreams

5. Nearly Man

6. Joy

7. Love Explosion

8. Don't Let Go

9. Control the Flame

10. Price

11. Fools

12. Frenzy [*]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Lightning Seeds are actually a single seed, Ian Broudie, who sprouted from the same scene in Liverpool, England, as Echo & the Bunnymen and Icicle Works. Cloudcuckooland contains distant hints of Echo, especially in the guitar track on "Pure." But this album is much more liquid than anything the Bunnymen ever created. Cloudcuckooland is entirely programmed, with an overlay of acoustic rhythm guitar. Broudie's vocals approach a falsetto that Brit-pop fans will find soothing and others might find wimpy. These are entirely pleasant, full-bodied pop songs that are not at all demanding or raw, but too well composed and produced to be called bubblegum. --Beth Bessmer

Product Description

UK pressing. Rare original 1990 UK Ghetto issue 11-track CD album, in picture sleeve with lyrics. EMI. 2002. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hero For the Wallflowers, February 17, 2004

By	Kelly Hahn (Fort Wayne, IN) - See all my reviews

I am deeply disappointed that we in the States did not do justice to The Lightning Seeds. We fork out millions for unimaginative techno, yet let the beauty of Ian Broudie go unheeded. It's our loss.

Cloudcuckooland came out when I was a non-descript freshman in high school. He became my hero. I mean, look at him. He's not exactly Ricky Martin. Yet he wrote about wistful, unrealized longings that spoke to me as I tried to craft an identity among 1,500 other equally confused souls.

"Pure" was antithetical to the "I'm Gonna Sex You Up" mentality of the day. I think purity is a decent word to define the message of The Lightning Seeds (which is also why he was probably ignored). "Sweet Dreams" and "The Nearly Man" were just a few of the many brilliant songs he composed.

Okay, "Frenzy" was a stinker, but hey! It's the only one. It's hard to think about my youth without calling to mind sitting in my bedroom on a cold December night, listening to the encouragement of Ian Broudie--urging me to find the purity in someone, and not to take it away. If you ever battled loneliness as a youth--or even now--you may find your spirits lifted by Cloudcuckooland.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All I want to do is listen, pure and simple, May 17, 2000

By	J. Derek Reardon (KC, MO, USA) - See all my reviews

Amidst my angst-ridden first year of college, I remember this bright, shiny, and reflective spot that was the Lightning Seeds. I hadn't known Ian Broudie from his previous gig in Echo and the Bunnymen, so this was my first exposure to his music in 1989/1990. And I consider this a good thing - Cloudcuckooland is a piece of bouncy happiness and solemn reflection in a neat little bundle of alt-euro-guitar/piano/synth pop that is best enjoyed as pure, simple, and untainted brilliance.

Bubbly and upbeat, the release begins with "All I Want," a bouncy anthem for angst-filled yet hopeful people everywhere. Released as a single, this song was a decent success, however this is somewhat sad since other artists have since done their own covers (very poor ones, too). "Bound in a Nutshell" is a power ballad that gives the listener a glimmer of hope and inspiration. Then we get to "Pure," the debut single from this release that is a bundle of energetic happiness that can only be released by smiling and bouncing like a loon all over the room. "Sweet Dreams" is a happy (almost syrupy) power guitar/percussion driven love song with a fun beat. "The Nearly Man" is in interesting tune with minor harmonics, thoughtful lyrics, and an almost Mediterranean beat that are fun to sway and sing along to. "Joy" is a thoughtful power ballad that places one in more a self-reflective and somber mood. The joy factor is cranked back up with "Love Explosion" which sounds almost like a Belinda Carlisle tune in the orchestration. "Don't Let Go" is a slower, euro-style melancholic pop tune that has hopeful and reflective lyrics. "Control the Flame" is a funky attitude song that will make you sing along struttin' about the room. "The Price" is a slow strumming folk ballad that is very poignant and tearful for those angst-filled folks. "Fools" is a groovy but thought provoking song that is uplifting sounding yet has a much deeper, darker message. And the album ends on a frenzied note with "Frenzy," a melange of stressed out orchestrations and lyrics.

I give Cloudcuckooland a strong 4 star rating. I almost give the release 5 stars, especially given the memories I have with the first 5 songs. However, on this most recent listen (and I gave it several), the songs toward the end of the release started to sound the same. The tone, musical style, and vocals all start to sound alike from song to song and begin to almost lose my interest. While an excellent release, once I get past the first 5 songs, I don't really pay much attention to the rest of the release (which makes for excellent background music).

Since I have no knowledge or exposure to Echo and the Bunnymen, I can't relate this release to previous Ian Broudie ventures. So my recommendation here is for those who appreciate fun, eclectic alt-euro pop. I could perhaps relate this release as a more sugary version of earlier New Order. If you enjoy the samples here, you probably will enjoy this release and be happy to have it in your collection. And for you angst and brooding fans, this is a great release to take you on a pure emotional trip that will be all you want, or need.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There are actually two versions of this great album!, January 29, 2000

By	Renate Reichenbacher (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

And I own both! I had orginally received this album on cassette back in 1990, when, "Pure" and "All I Want" were actually American radio staples. Years later, when I was finally starting to buy CD's, I got one version of "Cloudcuckooland" in Germany, and the other at a Strawberries in Bangor. There are really only two subtle differences between the two, one of which is that there are two different-sounding versions of the first track "All I Want", the one on the American version including the lyrics "All I want, all I wanna do, you'd better listen from now on..." and "All I want, I want, is you" four times near the end, which was played on U.S. radio in 1990. The song version off the European release goes "All I want, all I wanna do, is make you listen, from now on" and has the lead singer Ian Broudie singing a lttle more clearly. The other difference is the choice of ending tracks. The American version has "Fools" and the bonus track "Frenzy", which is one of my favorite songs on the CD. However, the European version has neither, instead including the pitiful and mediocre-sounding "God Help Them". Bleecch! Anyway, I hope that this has cleared up some confusion. Back to this album's material. The slow ballads "Bound In A Nutshell", "Joy", "Don't Let Go", "The Price" and "Fools", I actually like the sound of all of them, as they are the good-sounding type of slow song that I do like. The fast ones beside the two aforementioned singles "Sweet Dreams", "The Nearly Man", "Love Explosion", "Control The Flame", and "Frenzy", I like the sound of them even better. All in all, this album is very cool and soothing to hear, and I recommend I highly. Since then I have collected all of the Lightning Seeds' material that I could find, more on that subject in my next review...