| Lightning Flash | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1983 | |||
| Genre | Pop, MOR | |||
| Length | 41:21 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Tony Hiller | |||
| Brotherhood of Man chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Lightning Flash | ||||
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Lightning Flash is the 12th album by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. Released on EMI Records in 1983, it remains their final commercially released studio album.
The album was released on EMI Records in July 1983 and was their only album with the label. This album was the first (and only) to feature new member Barry Upton who had replaced Lee Sheriden a year earlier and was their last work with long-time manager/producer and co-writer Tony Hiller. [1] Upton took on the musical arrangement duties on ten of the twelve tracks, a role previously filled by Sheriden. Upton worked with studio session drummer Peter Boita at Boita's house in Upper Norwood London, programming all the drum tracks for the album. On going into Odyssey Studios all the drum tracks for the album were laid in one day Boita's LinnDrum computer which was also hooked up to his Simmons SDS7 Electronic drum head unit via a custom interface unit that Boita himself had developed. This method of working was new for its time; before then it was not uncommon for artistes to spend a whole day in a recording studio just to perfect the drum sound that would then be used to underpin the album when all the other musicians were brought in to start work. Peter Boita had briefly worked with Martin Lee when Lee was the lead singer in the Johnny Howard Band in 1973 and Boita was the drummer. The song "I Love Everybody" was arranged by Ivor Raymonde, a long-time hit producer, who used a string quartet heavily in the verses. Another song "Heartbreaker" was taken from their unreleased 1980 album Good Fortune and included here in its original recording, featuring Sheriden on vocals and as arranger.
The album contained the singles "Lightning Flash", "Cry Baby Cry" and "When the Kissing Stops". Of these, only the first managed to chart, their first UK singles chart placing for nearly four years. [2] Commenting on the group's new material, Upton said "we're returning with a new sound, a new look and our sights aimed a lot higher. People can expect good, classy pop songs from us". [3] The front cover of the album only has the lettering B H o M as an indication of a title or artist, the back cover states the group's name, while only the record itself gives the title as Lightning Flash on the label. This is the official title given to the album according to release information. Track "Is it Love" is erroneously titled "It is Love" on the back sleeve, but correct title is given on the record's label. The song "When the Kissing Stops" had been entered into A Song for Europe earlier in 1983, and although the group briefly considered performing it themselves, ultimately a three-piece group, Rubic was chosen to sing it. The song made it to the finals, but stalled at 5th place (out of eight entries). [4] Brotherhood of Man themselves released the song in June 1983 as their final ever single. [5]
Despite being highly regarded by fans, the album failed to chart and met with critical response from the music press. Writing for Smash Hits , Neil Tennant said of the "Lightning Flash" song that despite its synthesized sound, "the group have failed to capture the freshness that new pop demands". [6] In reviewing the album, Record Mirror commented on the low budget sound of the music claiming that it was "mortgaged to the hilt". [7] Lightning Flash was to be Brotherhood of Man's final release for a record company as they parted with EMI soon after its release. The group did go on to produce three more albums which were released independently by themselves ( The Butterfly Children in 1992, Greenhouse in 1997 and The Seventies Story in 2002). [8]
Side One
Side Two
Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop.
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s. They won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me".
"Figaro" is a song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released as a single in January 1978 and became the group's third and final number one hit in the UK.
Dusty is the second album of singer Dusty Springfield to be released in the USA. It was issued on the Philips Records label in 1964 and includes Springfield's hit singles "All Cried Out", "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" and the double A-side "Guess Who?"/"Live It Up".
Martin Lee is an English singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Good Things Happening is the first album released by the new lineup of pop group Brotherhood of Man. This lineup consisted of Martin Lee, Lee Sheriden, Nicky Stevens and Sandra Stevens and was to be the main lineup of the group's history and would hold for the next ten albums. It contains their first europeen hit "Lady" which was a hit in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Oh Boy! is the third album released by pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in 1977 and featured the UK top 10 hit, "Oh Boy ". It was released earlier in some European countries as Midnight Express.
Images is the fourth album by pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in 1977 and featured the No.1 hit, "Angelo".
B for Brotherhood is the fifth album by pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in June 1978 and released on Pye Records. The album featured the UK No.1 single "Figaro" and top 20 hit "Beautiful Lover". On the UK albums chart it reached No.18 and was certified silver for sales of over 60,000 copies.
Twenty Greatest is the sixth album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man and their first compilation. It was released in 1978 and became their biggest selling album, peaking at No.6 in the UK and being certified gold. As the title suggests, it is a collection of twenty songs, including their three number one hits, "Save Your Kisses for Me", "Angelo" and "Figaro" alongside their current single release, "Middle of the Night".
Higher Than High is a 1979 album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in June and contained four singles.
Singing a Song is a 1979 album by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in December and was their final album for Pye Records after several years with the label.
Good Fortune is a 1980 album by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. The album was recorded on manager Tony Hiller's label, Dazzle Records, but went unreleased in the UK. The album did get a release however in Australia and New Zealand on RCA Records. Today the album is virtually impossible to get hold of and is considered to be the 'holy grail' among fans.
20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs is a double album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man which was released as two separate albums, but sold together as a 'buy one get one free' package, as was the popular trend at the time.
Sandra Stevens is an English singer and member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Lee Sheriden is an English singer/songwriter and musical director, best known as a member of pop group Brotherhood of Man.
The Butterfly Children is the title of a series of children's books created by husband and wife team Pat and Angela Mills. The books were published during the 1990s by Peter Haddock Ltd. In 1990 a musical based on the characters was staged featuring songs written by Martin Lee, Paul Curtis and David Kane. A corresponding album was recorded in 1992 by pop group Brotherhood of Man.
Love and Kisses from Brotherhood of Man is the second album released by the new line-up of British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released in the UK the day before their 1976 Eurovision win with "Save Your Kisses for Me", which the album contained. In some European countries the album was released in October 1975 with a slightly different track listing.
The Seventies Story is the 16th and most recent album by pop group Brotherhood of Man, released in 2002. It is based on a live stage show the group had undertaken at the time.
"My Sweet Rosalie" is a 1976 song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released as the follow-up single to the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest winner, "Save Your Kisses for Me". The song was written by band members Martin Lee and Lee Sheriden with producer Tony Hiller.
