''Electric Colour Climax'' is the second album from the band

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

, released in 1996 on Lowlife Records. At the time of recording, the band was living in

Crawley Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

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 Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

and garage rock; bands like the

MC5 MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...

The Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

and

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

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 Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

movement that was prevalent around the time of its release. However, members of Britpop bands

Elastica Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave musi ...

, Menswe@r, Lush and

Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey (drums, ...

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 Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

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 James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

from a live album.

Track listing

# Judy Garland 2:24 # Hey Go Easy 1:33 # Rubber Rosie 3:25 # Electric Colour Climax 4:03 # Rip My Sweetheart 2:09 # Gemini Born Angel 3:06 # Turbo Starbars 2:17 # Gimme Ya Good Times 2:30 # I Am The Greatest 3:37 # Give Blood 3:13 # Baredoll 3:45 # Shit City 6:30 # Dead End 1:37 69. C'mon Get On (Hidden Bonus Track)

External links

Spitfire Official Website
1996 albums {{1990s-rock-album-stub