This debut long player by the East Anglian fireworks is a definite high point of the early nineties. Boosted by relentless gigging and some great singles. I Want to Touch You, Black Metallic and Balloon are great singles. Black Metallic is a seven minute epic that threatened to be one of those songs that can make and break your career, a bit like the Mock Turtles, Can You Dig It? or the Soup Dragons, I’m Free. It is memorable with it’s towering guitar and walls of sound.
Catherine Wheel were not just about effects and waves of distortion, there are well written songs, thoughtful melodies which are well combined with the guitar noise. After it’s release Catherine Wheel changed direction.
Their second album Chrome was a harder, more rock record. This alienated people like myself who thrived in the shoegazing circles, but it ultimately kept them going. Otherwise they would of been amongst the fallen heroes of the shoegazing scene.
Catherine Wheel : Ferment
http://open.spotify.com/album/7LLZLkkBTR42Kb9JPRAzKb
The most under-rated beautiful and amazing band the world will never know. <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteAnother great album. I especially liked 'Bill and Ben' though it's the most incongruous title going for its moody, cinematic feel.
ReplyDeleteTheir version of '30th Century Man' was pretty good - on a standalone EP between this and the second album if I remember right - and 'Crank' off the second album was pretty good too.
Cheers,
Stephen.
Great album, but I loved their rock direction. 'Adan And Eve' is one of my all-time fave albums.
ReplyDeleteif you want the rock, play chrome. if you want the honey, play ferment. seriously. how did you not mention indigo is blue??!?! and to think...all this time...i trusted you
ReplyDeleteIndigo is Blue has very weak vocals and at the beginning it sounds like they are tuning up their instruments. It does have great guitar noise from halfway through.
ReplyDeleteChrome and Ferment are their two most-solid releases front to back in terms of full lengths. I have the chrome version of Chrome, which is a great collector's piece, but I love the original art. One of my favorite album covers of all time.
ReplyDeleteI wanted this album for a while - found it in a second hand store in Bolton. Great stuff, though I find 'I Want To Touch You' a bit creepy.
ReplyDeleteI reckon that being a more trad. rock band was always their aim, though - probably in Rob Dickinson's genetic make up, really.
Great blog as well, by the way.
all-told this is my favourite Catherine Wheel LP, found 'Chrome' dull, apart from 'The Nude'. Thankfully they got better again after that.
ReplyDeleteBetter than Chapterhouse, nowhere near as good as Ride....