"Dashed aside and torn apart. Apologizing as I write."
I must confess, Catherine Wheel is a "two-album wonder" for me. Yes, they recorded several other albums before finally falling silent in 2001, but Ferment (1992) and Chrome (1993) represent, to my ears, their true legacy. Ferment was their debut album, and situated them securely in the Shoegaze movement of the time, though, like most of the bands associated with this scene/genre, they reportedly disowned the moniker. Ferment (what an odd name for an album) was produced by Tim Friese-Greene, fresh from making the holy grail of Post-Rock to come, Talk Talk's Laughing Stock. While it's easy to focus on Ferment's obvious classic, "Black Metallic," it is overall a very consistent album, which offers some powerful Shoegaze Shimmer.
Ferment (Original Issue):
1. Texture (4:19)
2. I Want to Touch You (4:40)
3. Black Metallic (7:18)
4. Indigo Is Blue (5:31)
5. She's My Friend (4:16)
6. Shallow (3:28)
7. Ferment (5:10)
8. Flower to Hide (4:43)
9. Tumbledown (4:08)
10. Bill and Ben (4:09)
11. Salt (5:26)
12. Balloon (3:56)
A little late on this one but I just found the post. I agree with totally on the first 2 LP thing with these guys. I had both this and Chrome on cassette and wore them both out. I consider their output after Chrome to be OK at best. Any chance of seeing Chrome posted @ some point?
ReplyDeleteThis is my pick for best/favourite album of all time.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the Like Cats and Dogs compilation is more than worth getting, and they had a few really amazing songs in their post-Chrome, not many but you could find 1 or 2 in each of them.
Rock 'n' Roll Steve, it seems I'm a little late on my reply, but yes, I've been meaning to post "Chrome" for months, so it will appear at some point
ReplyDeletesummer freeze, thanks for the recommendation. I don't have the "Cats & Dogs" comp. Is the re-issue of "Ferment" worth searching out?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, I've only heard 3 of the bonus songs in the reissue and they're not as impressive as the songs on Ferment (although they're all pretty good). It could be worth getting, but I wouldn't be sure.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pick between that and their early EPs/Singles, I'd go with the later, but that's only because of how amazing each of them are, especially the few (I think there are 2) containing the song 'Wish', which would've even been a stand out on Ferment and sadly wasn't included in the b-sides compilation I previously mentioned.
This album actually began my cd catalogue. I was 15 when this album came out and I succumbed to everything this album had to offer. While I do agree that is one of their best albums, I don't know that I would agree that it was 'the' best.
ReplyDeleteMy vote would be more for Adam & Eve. To my ears, it seemed to marry a little of their previous three album's better qualities. Atmosphere, drama... and it didn't feel as rushed for commercial success as their later album did. I could be talking out of my hole here, but I thought it worth saying.
I'm not one for cover versions, but their "Wish You Were Here" cover on 'Cats & Dogs' was absolutely fantastic.
Anon., I haven't listened to "Adam & Eve" in quite a while. Your comment makes me feel like giving it another go. What do you think of "Chrome"? I've been meaning to post it forever
ReplyDeleteVoixautre, to be honest, i hated "Chrome" when i first heard it. i loved Ferment so much and "Chrome" had a much harder edge to it that i didn't appreciate right away. after a few more listens, however, i found that i grew to love some of the songs more than the "Ferment" album. If I were to pick any favs from "Chrome", it would be Crank (which I'm sure would be on the top of most fans list for this album), The Nude, Strange Fruit and Fripp (i love the lyrics of this song). Of course, when Happy Days came out, it was another blow to the head with the loss of the guitar wash sound i had become so accustomed to. This album took a lot more getting used to, but the songs stuck around longer in my head. i also found i could release a lot of tension screaming along with songs like Receive and My Exhibition. Fizzy Love and Eat My Dust You Insensitive F*%k were great ones for me.
ReplyDeleteThe whole reason "Adam and Eve" became such a favorite for me was because of the maturity of their sound and the 'evolution' of their song structures and atmospheres. They had to make a radio song or two, which i didn't discount, but liked a tad less. Future Boy, Phantom Of The American Mother and Ma Solituda have always been favs from that album.
If you get a chance, give it another listen, you may find a gem or two to put in constant rotation.
**As a side note : if you haven't heard Rob Dickinson's solo album, "Fresh Wine For The Horses", it's worth listening to as well.
Anon. thanks for the great analysis. You've persuaded me to check out "Adam & Eve" and the solo LP. I imagine I'll post the remainder of Catherine Wheel's albums at some point.
ReplyDeleteThanks for finally writing about > "Catherine Wheel- Ferment (1992) MP3 & FLAC" < Loved it!
ReplyDeleteHere is my blog post bohrabook.
com
I like the helpful info you provide in your
ReplyDeletearticles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently.
I am quite certain I'll learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
my webpage Psn Code Generator
Hi! Do you use Twitter? I'd like to follow you if that would be okay. I'm undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look
ReplyDeleteforward to new posts.
Also visit my web page - psn code generator