Electric Colour Climax is the second album from the band Spitfire, released in 1996 on Lowlife Records. At the time of recording, the band was living in Crawley but involved in running events at Brighton nightclub The Basement. The brothers Nick and Jeff Pitcher shared DJ duties at the club, playing 1960s and 1970s psychedelia and garage rock; bands like the MC5, The Stooges and The Ramones had a huge influence on the album's sound.
Electric Colour Climax had a harder rock sound than the band's previous album, Sex Bomb, and seemed even more at odds with the Britpop movement that was prevalent around the time of its release. However, members of Britpop bands Elastica, Menswe@r, Lush and Supergrass were seen wearing Spitfire's distinctive badges, featuring an 'S' logo stolen from TV programme World of Sport.
The 14 tracks that make up Electric Colour Climax were recorded from 9–13 March 1996 at ToeRag Studios, Shoreditch, London. (with the exception of track 5, Rip My Sweetheart). All tracks were written by Jeff and Nick Pitcher, with musicians sharing writing credits on 6 tracks.
The core of Spitfire was still the Pitcher brothers, Jeff on vocals and Nick on bass and guitars. Drummer Justin Welch had left before this album to join Elastica and for a short time it seemed that Lush's Chris Ackland might fill the vacancy. In the end, Scott Kenny (from a much earlier Spitfire line-up) and Rob Colley (originally with Brighton funk band Arthur) took over on drums. Additional guitars were provided by Matt Wise and Pete Whittick, with long-term roadie Turbo Bob McPherson guesting on three tracks. Piano, organ and additional vocals (most noticeably on track 4 Electric Colour Climax) were provided by Vanessa Widdup, a friend of producer Liam Watson. Track 9 samples Iggy Pop from a live album.
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Bruce Gilbert (guitar), George Gill and Robert Grey. They were originally associated with the punk rock scene, appearing on The Roxy London WC2 album, and were instrumental to the development of post-punk, while their debut album Pink Flag was influential for hardcore punk.
Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes and soundscapes of the US-led grunge music and to the UK's own shoegaze music scene. The movement brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British popular cultural movement, Cool Britannia, which evoked the Swinging Sixties and the British guitar pop of that decade.
Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume. It emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s among neo-psychedelic groups who usually stood motionless during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state. The name comes from the heavy use of effects pedals, as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during concerts.
Lush were an English rock band formed in London in 1987. The original line-up consisted of Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Steve Rippon and Chris Acland (drums). Phil King replaced Rippon in 1991. They were one of the first bands to have been described with the "shoegazing" label. Following the death of Acland, the group disbanded in 1996.
13 is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Blur, released on 15 March 1999. Continuing the stylistic shift away from the Britpop sound of the band's early career, 13 explores experimental, psychedelic and electronic music.
Elastica is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Elastica. It was released on 13 March 1995 through Deceptive Records in the UK and DCG/Geffen Records internationally. The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. This is the only album to feature the original line-up, and guitarist Donna Matthews.
"Connection" is a song by Britpop group Elastica. It was originally released on 10 October 1994 as a single and included on their self-titled debut album in 1995. The song debuted and peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and became one of the few Britpop songs to gain popularity in North America, reaching number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number nine on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Damon Albarn mentions playing the synthesizer intro on a Yamaha QY10 handheld sequencer.
Pink Flag is the debut studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released in November 1977 by Harvest Records. The album gained Wire a cult following within independent and post-punk music upon its initial release, later growing to be highly influential on many other musicians.
"Common People" is a song by English alternative rock band Pulp, released in May 1995 as the lead single from their fifth studio album Different Class. It reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming a defining track of the Britpop movement as well as Pulp's signature song. In 2014, BBC Radio 6 Music listeners voted it their favourite Britpop song in an online poll. In a 2015 Rolling Stone readers' poll it was voted the greatest Britpop song.
Spitfire are a British rock band from Crawley, West Sussex, whose ever-changing line-up revolved around brothers Nick and Jeff Pitcher. Other members included Steve White, Justin Welch, Steven Walker, Matt Wise, and Scott Kenny.
Justin Steven Welch is an English musician, best known as the drummer in Elastica, Suede, and later the drummer in Lush. Welch is currently the drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by ex-Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times, with Frischmann and Welch being the only members who remained in Elastica from its formation to its dissolution.
Miki Eleonora Berenyi is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known as a member of the alternative rock band Lush and currently a member of Piroshka.
Lovelife is the fourth and final studio album by English rock band Lush. It was released on 5 March 1996 by 4AD. On Lovelife, the band moved away from their earlier dream pop and shoegazing style and embraced a more Britpop-oriented sound. The album was produced by Pete Bartlett and the band at Protocol Studios in London, and engineered by Giles Hall. Three songs were released as singles: "Single Girl", "Ladykillers", and "500 ", all of which achieved moderate success on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the top 30 positions. On release, Lovelife reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart.
The Radio One Sessions is a compilation of BBC Radio One sessions recorded by Britpop group Elastica. The album is notable for the appearance of several songs not included on any other Elastica release.
Black Eye is the only full-length studio album by the English punk rock band Fluffy, released in 1996 by The Enclave. It was recorded at Metropolis Studios in London and produced by punk rock veteran Bill Price, who had recorded albums by Sex Pistols and The Clash. The album was recorded live in the studio and the music was not arranged by the producer in order to achieve a rough, live sound. The record contains loud punk songs that explore social issues such as sex and abuse.
Shoegazing Kids is the second studio album by French indie rock band Stuck in the Sound. Released on 26 January 2009 through Discograph Records, the album was available as both a physical release and download in their home country of France, but exclusively as a download in a number of other countries. The songs on the album were all recorded in the same studio and the record was mixed in New York City by producer Nick Sansano and mastered by Ted Jensen. The record contains a mixture of indie rock and shoegaze genres, and the track "Ouais" was in particular hailed for its Britpop style. The album featured the first instrumental track to be released by the band and has been described as more ambitious and experimental than Stuck in the Sound's previous effort, Nevermind the Living Dead.
"Waking Up" is a song by Britpop group Elastica. It was released as a single in February 1995 and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It preceded the release of their self-titled debut album, which came out the following month.
"Ladykillers" is a song by English rock band Lush. It was released through 4AD on 26 February 1996 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Lovelife (1996). Known for its feminist themes, the song became one of the band's bigger hits, peaking at No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 18 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and No. 15 on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 chart. The song appeared in the video game NCAA Football 06.
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