| Cloudcuckooland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 January 1990 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, indie pop | |||
| Length | 46:34 | |||
| Label | Ghetto (GHETT 3) MCA (US/Canada) | |||
| Producer | Ian Broudie | |||
| The Lightning Seeds chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Cloudcuckooland | ||||
Cloudcuckooland is the debut album by British band the Lightning Seeds, released in 1990. " Pure" was the band's first hit in the United Kingdom, and their only top 40 entry in the United States. [3]
Liverpool scene peers Andy McCluskey and Ian McNabb – frontmen of OMD and the Icicle Works, respectively – appeared in guest roles.
Reception and legacy
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  
[4] |
Dean Carlson of AllMusic awarded the album 4/5 stars, and wrote: "Even in these early days, with singles like "Pure" and "All I Want", you can hear why comparisons to a less burlesque Pet Shop Boys or a Matthew Sweet synth tribute band didn't have to be unpleasant criticisms." [4]
"All I Want" was covered by Susanna Hoffs, formerly of the Bangles, on her 1996 album Susanna Hoffs. It was a minor US hit and a UK hit at No. 33 for two weeks.
Track listing
The CD version of Cloudcuckooland included the extra track "God Help Them", originally a B-side and not on the LP version. The U.S. track listing differs from the UK version with "God Help Them" replaced by the B-sides "Fools" and "Frenzy", and it was released on the MCA label rather than the indie label Ghetto. The re-release of the U.S. album includes a new recording of "All I Want". [5]
All songs written by Ian Broudie (except where stated).
- "All I Want" – 2:50 (Broudie, Peter Coyle)
- "Bound in a Nutshell" – 4:29
- " Pure" – 3:45
- "Sweet Dreams" – 4:25 (Broudie, Richard Jobson)
- "The Nearly Man" – 3:06
- "Joy" – 4:13
- "Love Explosion" – 4:10
- "Don't Let Go" – 3:54
- "Control the Flame" – 3:22 (Broudie, Peter Coyle)
- "The Price" – 4:20
The track "Sweet Dreams" was released in the U.S. as a promo single on MCA Records, which included a cover of Tim Hardin's " Hang onto a Dream" and a version of " Flaming Sword", originally by Care, a former band of Broudie. [6]
Bonus tracks
- UK CD bonus track
- "God Help Them" – 3:44 (Broudie, Paul Simpson)
- U.S. bonus tracks
- "Fools" – 4:08
- "Frenzy" – 3:56
Personnel
|
|
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums ( ARIA) [7] | 143 |
| UK Albums Chart | 50 |
| US Billboard 200 | 46 |
References
- ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 3 June 1989. p. 30.
- ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 7 October 1989. p. 55.
- ^ "Pure by The Lightning Seeds – Songfacts". Songfacts.
- ^ a b Carlson, Dean. "The Lightning Seeds: Cloudcuckooland > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ^ Cloudcuckooland track listing at www.lightning-seeds.co.uk
- ^ "The Lightning Seeds Sweet Dreams US Promo". Eil.com.
- ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 18 March 1991". Retrieved 20 March 2022.
