The Lightening Seeds are scheduled to be headlining the Friday night of the 2019 Weekender in Minehead. Whilst we await for those familiar loved hits to be beamed to the masses Matt Mead investigates a unknown side to lead singer Ian Broudie with a review of his long lost solo album Tales Told which has recently received a well over due reissue via Needle Mythology Records.

There are many strings to Ian Broudie’s wide expansive bow. Having started out with Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes To Hollywood) and Bill Drummond (KLF) in Big In Japan, Ian went on to record with John Peel favourites Original Mirrors plus was also credited as producing the likes of Northside, The Wendys’, The Coral and Echo and The Bunnymen. Finally as we all know forming The Lightening Seeds in the late 80’s before conquering the hearts of the nation in the early 1990’s.

One of the more curious strings in that bow is Ian’s brief solo career. Tales told, released in 2004, the press release depicts the album as ‘a lost, lovelorn masterpiece which saw Broudie strip away all the ornamentation found on his best known Lightening Seeds songs’. Lending a hand on the album are members of The Coral and The Zutons who help to send the heartstrings fluttering.

Classy acoustic guitar replace the bouncy tones of his more popular compositions. Lead single Song For No One has a touch of sadness tinged to it. ‘I’ll touch the world with fingers crossed’ laments Broudie over dusted down percussion whilst his guitar shimmers in the foreground. Broudies voice has a similar tone to Robert Smith of The Cure. Unique in its style to deliver lyrics with empathy and diverseness.

Broudie is obviously a lover of 60’s bands. Got No Plans treats the listener to a Zombies-esque openly British pleasant ditty. Super Cinema, an instrumental, starts off as A Day In the Life ends with searing violins, with a Hit The Road jack bass line. If you like the catchy nature of The Coral’s best hits, this will be right up your street.

Further delights include Simon Diamond, sounding like the younger, sweeter sibling of Pink Floyds Green Is The Colour. The psychedelic He Sails Tonight descends into a beautiful wistful number and the title track plods along to an effective acoustic lullaby. All in all Tale Told is a charming release, different to anything Broudie has released with the Lightening Seeds. As he has been heard to saying recently ‘I’m proud that Tales Told has been chosen as one of the records to launch Needle Mythology’. Released on vinyl and vinyl replica CD featuring 4 extra tracks, this is certainly a detour which is intriguing to behold.

Needle Mythology can be found via their Facebook page.