Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is an alternative rock band from Copenhagen formed in October 1988 in Valby. The power trio consists of Tim Christensen, Martin Nielsen and Søren Friis. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy have stated that they are influenced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Nirvana, but are not very fond of the designation grunge, which Dizzy perceived as an overused buzzword in 1994. Between 1994 and 1997, they were highly successful in Denmark and Japan and are credited for heading the 1990s rock revival in Denmark with their studio albums Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and Rotator. After the group disbanded in 1998, Christensen started a successful solo career.
In 2010, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy undertook a reunion tour in Denmark and Japan in their original line-up. The popularity of Live in Concert 2010, recorded during this reunion, caused the band to consider a more permanent comeback, which they announced in late 2014. Their third studio album Forward in Reverse, and its successor Alter Echo were both released to critical acclaim and helped regain their position as Denmark's most popular rock band. To date, the band has released four studio albums and three live albums.
History
Formation and early years (1988–1994)
When Tim Christensen's family moved from Espergærde to Valby, a district of Copenhagen, he started attending the Hanssted Skole, where he became friends with his classmate Martin Nielsen on the first day of school, They already cared more about music than about their school work, and decided to start a band. Nielsen picked up the bass because Christensen already played the guitar, and a friend recommended Søren Friis to them. Prior to choosing "Dizzy Mizz Lizzy", they also considered "Heaven", "King's Cross", "Battlefield", "After the Storm" and "Boyazont" as a band name.The trio practiced instrumentally in the first year while looking for a fourth member who could sing and play guitar, because Christensen, the band's songwriter, was too shy to sing. This continued until they held an audition with Noller from Hvidovre, who sang so badly that they sent him home after a glass of cola. It was then that Friis and Nielsen convinced Christensen to do the vocals in the absence of a better singer, because they felt that every time he sang to demonstrate how he wanted the melody, it sounded exactly the way it should. Later attempts at expanding to a quartet with an extra guitarist failed, and critics would explain: "From the outset it was clear that Tim Christensen was the group's undisputed center, but the band benefited significantly from the collective dynamics."
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy's debut concert was in Valby on 8 December 1989 for about 75 people. In search of their own musical style, they used a cheap youth club in Hvidovre for a rehearsal room while playing "porn rock with nauseating choruses." Their inspiration came from poodle rock bands such as Europe, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. They won the competition "Rock Træf" in 1990, using the 5,000 kr in prize money to record a demo. The band subsequently entered Denmark's largest music championship DM i Rock in 1991 and came in fourth.
Inspired by Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind and especially the breakthrough hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit", their style became more inspired by grunge. As the band would explain, "Suddenly there was something about playing rock music the old-fashioned way." They would throw themselves into "Hey Joe" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles' cover of the Larry Williams song "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy", from which they derived their band's name. They started writing potential song material and decided to dedicate themselves to a career in music.
Christensen received a Marshall 4x12 G1275 amplifier from his parents for his 18th birthday, which helped him write heavier music and would shortly thereafter result in the riff to the hit song "Waterline". Their style would frequently be compared to Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam, even though critics admitted that "the trio wants—and inexplicably even manages—to create their own musical identity." This style would become known as power rock, which the band would later also use to describe their genre and which they were more comfortable with than the label "grunge", explaining: "We are not so wild about the descriptor grunge, as it has become a predicate for a variety of dimensions. We focus on the music, not the descriptions. What we play is genuine, vivid, and with the energy in high gear." As a reviewer would put it: " 'Grunge light' perhaps - but well-composed, well-acted, engaging and above all different and personal. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy had the pedal to the metal, and it did something." Christensen explains: "It's like The Police, who came out of the punk-wave without being punk, and still did well. It's the same with us. We came out of the grunge-wave, without being grunge."
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy's new-found sound took them to the DM i Rock semifinals in 1992, where they were beaten by Passion Orange. With Dizzy Mizz Lizzy's third attempt at DM i Rock in Jazzhus Montmartre on 30 April 1993, the trio won because of "their obvious talent and charisma." Part of the grand prize was a recording session for a 4-track demo at Sweet Silence Studios, which spawned the songs "Waterline" and "Silverflame" that became huge hits on DR P3 and DR P4. The grand prize also contained a spot in the travelling Rock Show '93 and performances at the L'Europe d'Art d'Art festival in Niort, France, the Nordic Rock '93 competition that they also won, and all the major Danish summer festivals. A reviewer from that time remarked, "They are not quite as extroverted as one might have expected, but in return they play much better than one might dare hope for. Dense and energetic, making one wonder why there are only three men on stage. One is tempted to look into the back room to see where the rest of the band is hiding." They would also entertain with ironic covers of among others "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees.
Other contestants in the 1993 DM i Rock competition included Kashmir, who came in second, Inside the Whale, and Impotators. These bands have all had a significant place in the 1990s revival and the further development of rock in Denmark, but of which Dizzy Mizz Lizzy has been the most successful. Friendships have grown among this generation of musicians, which can among others be seen in Christensen's contributions to several Kashmir albums, his continued songwriting with Inside the Whale frontman Marcus Winther-John, and with Inside the Whale guitarist Lars Skjærbæk being the lead guitarist in Christensen's solo band since 2000.
''Dizzy Mizz Lizzy'' (1994–1996)
The high expectations raised by the demo put enormous pressure on the band to deliver, especially because the demo was in limited circulation. The demand grew, but the band took their time to release their debut album. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy had declined various offers from foreign labels, waiting for a Danish label to come forward. They "quite literally felt on home soil" when they were contacted by Nick Foss, head of A&R at EMI-Medley, and known by the band as the producer of several albums by D-A-D and The Sandmen. He signed them to the label and went into the studio with them for three months.At long last, the eponymous debut album Dizzy Mizz Lizzy was released on 4 March 1994 in Europe and 18 January 1995 in Japan. It was a huge success in Denmark, was on the local record chart for almost two years and sold 220,000 copies, which makes it the best selling debut rock album ever in Denmark. This record still stands, and has sold over 250,000 copies by 2011. One notable fan is King Frederik X, who is an outspoken lover of rock music, and who has attended many of their concerts. By accident, a copy of the CD fell into the hands of someone at EMI's Japanese division, who was excited about the album and had it released in Japan, where it sold about 100,000 copies. Five singles were released from the album and all got much radio play: "Silverflame", "Barbedwired Baby's Dream", "Love Is a Loser's Game", "Glory" and "Waterline". The band is recognized for heading the early 1990s rock revival in Denmark, which Christensen would later explain as follows: "The Dizzy records were a mild version of what took place in Seattle with a delay of two years, and therefore perfect for Denmark," referring to the grunge movement. However, they lacked an entrance to the UK and US like the modern Danish rock bands do.
Interviews paint a picture of rather well-behaved musicians; they kept living with their parents until their debut album and the ensuing tour had earned them enough money to each buy their own homes in Copenhagen. The closest they ever came to rock star misbehavior was a backstage food fight in Aalborg with Inside the Whale, and trashing a disappointing hotel room in Germany at a time they felt depressed and homesick. The band members rehearsed 3–4 times a week but also received choreography lessons since at that time they considered themselves "an incredibly boring band to watch" in terms of their performance.
They were the support act of the Spin Doctors on their October/November 1994 tour through Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland. before they flew to Japan to play three sold-out shows in the cities Sapporo, Osaka and Tokyo. The performance in Osaka on 16 July 1995 was recorded and released as the Japan-only CD One Guitar, One Bass and a Drummer, That's Really All It Takes — Live in Japan, which was later included in the Dizzcography box set. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy performed for four consecutive years at the Roskilde Festival, from 1993 through to 1996. The 1994 performance was on frontman Christensen's 20th birthday, when sales of their debut album had just crossed the 50,000 mark. In 2003, Christensen considered that particular performance a special highlight in his career. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy won the 1995 Danish Grammys for "Danish group of the year", "Danish newcomer of the year", "Danish rock album of the year", and the "People's choice award" which included a fee of 25,000 kr to help cover travel expenses. In the time leading up to the release of the band's sophomore album, it was speculated the band would be changing their name to "Dizzy". Although this abbreviation is in widespread colloquial use among both band members and fans, the band never considered using it as an official name.