Rotator (album)

Rotator
Studio album by Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
Released	24 May 1996
Recorded	1995/1996 Abbey Road Studios (London) Grapehouse studio (Copenhagen)
Genre	Grunge Alternative rock Power rock
Length	50:30
Label	EMI-Casadida
Producer	Nick Foss, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy chronology
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (1994) Rotator (1996) The Best of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (2002)

Rotator is the second and final studio album released by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy.^[1]

Overview

EMI-Medley head of A&R and producer Nick Foss had made an agreement with lead singer and guitarist Tim Christensen that if their debut album Dizzy Mizz Lizzy sold gold (equal to 40,000 copies at that time), the next would be recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London,^[2][3] which it did in 2 months' time,^[3] and would continue to sell 5× platinum.^[4] As a result, Rotator was recorded in the same studios The Beatles had recorded in, which was Christensen's boyhood dream.^[2]

Despite the record-breaking successes^[5] of the band's eponymous debut, the band did not perceive it as pressuring them musically, although it perhaps would on certain other points.^[6] The band did not attempt to create songs that resemble the old, and assumed it at least would not be a complete fiasco given their continued success.^[6] While recording at the Abbey Road Studios, it turned out the other band members did not share Christensen's enthusiasm,^[5][7] and did not appreciate the unique symbolism recording in these legendary studios,^[8] which meant Christensen had no one to share his palette of emotions with^[2] and as a result the recording sessions did not really fulfill all of Christensen's expectations.^[2] In 2004, he would return to the Abbey Road Studios to play and record a live show.

Rotator is heavier and less carefree than its predecessor, with a hint of bitterness.^[6] As lead singer Tim Christensen explains: "There are several songs about the [music] industry. One song for example describes how you should first do well before they take you in from the cold. Nobody makes it from the start; they must smell the money. We are the cause that other bands have had the problem that the record label tells them, 'Now that Dizzy is running so well, we won't be taking in other bands.' It embarrasses us a bit, but cannot do anything about it."^[6] Drummer Søren Friis elaborates: "One can actually take ourselves as an example, as we first had to win DM i Rock before it happened." Bassist Martin Nielsen clarifies, "The songs aren't about how bad we have it, but mostly about how bad the business can be sometimes."^[6]

The song "11:07 PM" is about the death of John Lennon, an event which has had a profound impact on Christensen, even though he was only six years old at the time.^[9] The title of the song refers to a presumed time of death.^[10]

On this album, Nic Wastell, an Englishman, corrected some of the lyrics. "The idea came from both myself and from our label, because I am fairly lazy when it comes to writing lyrics. Since we had recorded all the music, I could see that some of the lyrics weren't entirely complete," says Christensen.^[6]

Reception

The album reached gold status the very day it went on sale on 24 May 1996, and they appeared to have lived up to the notorious expectations of creating a worthy sequel to their debut album.^[11] It sold 100,000 copies in Denmark, "which is exceptionally high for a guitar rock album in Denmark"^[12] and was good for double platinum,^[4] but it could not match the commercial success of its eponymous predecessor Dizzy Mizz Lizzy by a long shot. In Japan, another 100,000 copies were sold.^[13] Reviews were generally positive; GAFFA described it as "a solid bastion of a publication,"^[14] with which "Dizzy Mizz Lizzy really set new high standards for trio-rock - both in terms of musicality and finesse."^[14] It was however considered a bit too polished, with "rapid tight rhythm shifts, pulsating beats, and tight guitar riffs [so that] one sometimes wonders why the band did not allow themselves a little more room for spontaneity, and just let go in the practice room and in their timing, because although the band has plenty of personality, it lacks an actual outbreak amidst all the rehearsed style exercises."^[14] The album won the 1997 Danish Grammy for "Rock Album of the Year" and Nick Foss received the prize for "Best Producer".^[15] The singles "11:07 PM" and "Rotator" became hits in Denmark.

Remastering

The album was re-released on 29 March 2010 as part of the Dizzcography box set. It was digitally remastered by Nikolaj Vinten who had also mastered the album in 1996. A remaster of the Japanese bonus track "Pain Before My Eyes" was included on another disc in the box set. The track listing remained unchanged. The cover art had completely been redrawn by Paul Wilson of Yellow1 because the original designs by MandOverBord had not been saved.^[16] The booklet was expanded with liner notes by Jan Poulsen. The packaging has changed from jewel case to Digipak.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Tim Christensen, except where noted. 

Singles

• "Rotator" (1996), EMI-Medley
• "11:07 PM" (1996), EMI-Medley

Personnel

Dizzy Mizz Lizzy

• Tim Christensen – guitar, vocals, songwriter, co-producer
• Martin Nielsen – bass
• Søren Friis – drums

Production

• Nick Foss – producer, mixer
• Lars Overgaard – engineer, mastering, mixer, co-producer
• MandOverBord – cover art

References