Full of simple songs about complicated emotions. These stark, sweet confessionals easily rank among the best of [Broudie’s] career.
Mojo, **** review on Tales Told’s original 2004 release
Ian Broudie’s beautiful solo debut Tales Told becomes available for the first time ever on vinyl and vinyl replica CD. The album was recorded in Liverpool during a series of sessions with members of The Coral and The Zutons.
On its original release in 2004, Tales Told marked a departure from Ian’s previous work with The Lightning Seeds. Instead, Ian stripped his songwriting to its bare fundaments, drawing on personal events in his life to create an album of tender, lovelorn ruminations.
Ian is best known for his work with The Lightning Seeds, whose debut single Pure heralded a run of well-loved hits which included Sense, The Life of Riley, Marvellous, Lucky You, Change and You Showed Me. With The Lightning Seeds, Ian was also responsible for the multi-platinum single Three Lions, which in 2018 made chart history when it enjoyed its fourth spell at number one – the most enjoyed by the same artist.
Ian’s role in the history of Liverpool’s music scene over the last 40 years is impossible to overestimate. Since joining the founding line-up of Big In Japan, alongside Holly Johnson, Bill Drummond, Jayne Casey and Budgie, Ian went on to work on the first three Echo & The Bunnymen albums, collaborated with The Wild Swans’ Paul Simpson in Care, produced albums by The Pale Fountains and Shack and also the first three albums by The Coral.
In 2014, Ian was asked to participate in a concert held to celebrate his contribution to music in Liverpool. Assisted by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, guests such as Ian McCulloch, Terry Hall and The Coral performed some of their best-known songs on stage with Ian.
For this release, brand new artwork has been created for the album, which itself has been specially mastered by Guy Davie at Electric Mastering for 180g vinyl. The album was pressed at the old EMI pressing plant in Hayes Middlesex, now operated by Vinyl Factory.
The vinyl pressing of the album comes with a four-track seven-inch EP including 3 previously unavailable songs. For the first time, the album also features liner notes (written by Ian Broudie) and lyrics. All 4 bonus tracks are also included on the CD version.