A Maximum High
| A Maximum High | ||||||||
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| Studio album by Shed Seven | ||||||||
| Released | 1 April 1996 | |||||||
| Recorded | 1995–1996, RAK Studios, Master Rock, London | |||||||
| Genre | Rock, Britpop | |||||||
| Length | 50:31 | |||||||
| Label | Polydor | |||||||
| Producer | Chris Sheldon | |||||||
| Shed Seven chronology | ||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| NME | (8/10) |
| Select |   |
| The Guardian | |
A Maximum High is the second studio album by the British rock band Shed Seven, released in April 1996 via Polydor Records. The album was written by all four band members at the time of release; Rick Witter, Paul Banks, Tom Gladwin and Alan Leach.
Shed Seven held writing and rehearsal sessions at a local potato plant, RS Cockerill's of York, prior to recording the album. One of the first tracks recorded, with their new producer Chris Sheldon, was the lead single, "Where Have You Been Tonight?", written in late-1994 and debuting live at the band's Christmas show on 23 December. It was one of five tracks completed during a three-week recording session at RAK Studios in February 1995, before the band departed midway through the mixing process at to embark on their first tour of Japan, satisfied with what they had achieved;
Along with the lead single, they completed a further four songs during their first stint in the recording studio; "This Day Was Ours", "Bully Boy", an untitled track, which was said to be the first Shed Seven song to feature drummer Alan Leach on lead vocals, and "Lies". This version of "Lies" was previewed on an NME compilation cassette given away free with their 6 May 1995 issue, almost a year before the album was released. Following gigs in Spain and Japan, the band headed back to the studio in May 1995 to begin work on further material for inclusion on the album, which, at that point, was titled In Colour. Numerous tracks recorded in this period feature the highly renowned session musicians, The Kick Horns and The Phantom Horns, adding a brassier undertone to the featured songs and marking a notable change in sound to that of the band's previous output.
A Maximum High garnered a generally positive response from critics upon release. Ian Harrison of Select drew a number of comparisons with The Smiths in his review, summarising the album as "sexy, Smiths-fuelled and superb";
(I)t's apparent that Shed Seven's closest inspiration isn't Northside or The Railway Children, but The Smiths. Of all the contenders to be the heirs to The Hated Salford Ensemble, this band pull it off with the best spirit and the least number of groaning timbers. Continually there're the lilting/grinding guitars à la Marr, while Rick's voice twists and soars like Moz pre-Brendan Behan look-alike period.
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