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The mood you're in is as important as the music itself in deciding what you'll think of this band, I feel. I'm less charitible towards them when I'm in a good mood, but when there's storm clouds on my horizon, I _adore_ them. Especially "Chrome".
I accidentally met Dave, the bassist, via E-bay. He was selling some Talk Talk ephemera, and I was buying same. (Go figure). When I saw his tag-name, I just thought he was a fan of the band. But when he told me who he really was, and when he found out that I was a fan of the Wheel as well as TT, he sent me an autograph also. Sweet guy! Hope things are better for him now.
― stripey, Friday, 21 May 2004 21:27 (twenty years ago) link
they always looked old.
― keith m (keithmcl), Friday, 21 May 2004 22:15 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 30 December 2004 21:04 (nineteen years ago) link
Anyway, there's reason for the revive -- it looks like Rob Dickinson is releasing a solo album on the 13th! Fresh Wine for the Horses is the title, and considering what I've heard people say about Wishville (as I haven't heard it myself), the three songs I've heard are a most likely marked improvement -- they're lighter and with even more of a pop sensibility than I'm accustomed to on initial listen, a sort of matured CW with orchestra, but I imagine I'm going to like the songs more with each listen (as is par for the course with my reactions to Catherine Wheel -- I never really sink into anything of theirs until the second listen).
― Ian Riese-Moraine: Let this bastard out, and you'll get whiplash! (Eastern Mantr, Thursday, 8 September 2005 17:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― Bax the Boy Robot (EdBax), Friday, 9 September 2005 02:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― BeeOK (boo radley), Friday, 9 September 2005 02:31 (eighteen years ago) link
― BeeOK (boo radley), Friday, 9 September 2005 02:44 (eighteen years ago) link
There's a Warren Zevon cover (Mutineer), Marty Willson-Piper (of The Church) pops in for a guitar solo (Oceans), and two tracks (The Storm, Towering and Flowering) are de-facto Catherine Wheel reunions (Futter, Sims, & Friese-Greene).
― Edward Bax (EdBax), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 17:36 (eighteen years ago) link
Nah, it still sounds great, and I actually like it more than Chrome.
― Ian Riese-Moraine: Let this bastard out, and you'll get whiplash! (Eastern Mantr, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 18:10 (eighteen years ago) link
Ferment is peerless, a hands down classic.
Chrome is fucking fantastic.
Happy Days is less so, but has its standouts.
Like Cats and Dogs is lush and beautiful.
Adam and Eve is a career high, their masterpiece.
And hey, Wishville isn't half bad.
― Stephen Bush (Stephen B.), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 04:34 (seventeen years ago) link
Phrasing on "Black Metallic" is the bomb.
― roxymuzak, Wednesday, 3 October 2007 01:36 (sixteen years ago) link
i like chrome
― omar little, Wednesday, 3 October 2007 01:38 (sixteen years ago) link
the opening track on chrome is a very assured, scorching number. i'm a little bit afraid of the the STP comparison way upthread :/... thankfully i don't really hear it, and the guitars are a-wash enough to qualify this as shoegazey.
― Charlie Howard, Saturday, 28 February 2009 16:10 (fifteen years ago) link
Refusing to believe that Wishville is as bad as everyone says it is, I'm listening to it now. It's frustratingly close to being good, while being pretty damn half-assed. The power is out, the fannydangle is in.
― This is the day when fisticuffs happened everywhere (country matters), Wednesday, 11 March 2009 00:06 (fifteen years ago) link
...but, weirdly, no track has flat-out offended me yet, unlike Happy Days, where pretty much every track offended me.
― This is the day when fisticuffs happened everywhere (country matters), Wednesday, 11 March 2009 00:10 (fifteen years ago) link
"Mad Dog" is kinda offending me
― This is the day when fisticuffs happened everywhere (country matters), Wednesday, 11 March 2009 00:14 (fifteen years ago) link
LOVED Chrome as a high school kid. Are the Catherine Wheel's first two LPs tough to find on vinyl? what if i started buying second-tier shoegaze records?? egads.
― ian, Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:23 (fifteen years ago) link
LIKE CATS AND DOGS IS THE ONLY ALBUM I'VE HEARD OF THEIRS AND IT BORED MEDO I NEED TO GIVE IT ANOTHER TRY?
― turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:26 (fifteen years ago) link
Chrome rules. i never liked anything before or after it as much. Chrome just has that amazing friggin' rock production and that crunch and the coolest songs.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:28 (fifteen years ago) link
sheesh, folks on gemm want $100+ for chrome & ferment :(
― ian, Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:28 (fifteen years ago) link
I will try this Chrome
― turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:30 (fifteen years ago) link
play it loud.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:31 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm breaking my no downloading rule for this
― turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:34 (fifteen years ago) link
one morning in high school, i was hung over with my friend phil. we ate at denny's then drove down to the beach and listened to CHROME and the butthole surfers "pychic, powerless." a special memory.
― ian, Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:51 (fifteen years ago) link
and i mean a rocky, ugly new england beach. not some socal shit.
― ian, Wednesday, 11 March 2009 05:52 (fifteen years ago) link
Weird career trajectory. Their last three albums veered from awful to utterly brilliant to insipid. Fanboyish thread of praise for the astounding "Adam & Eve": Catherine Wheel's 'Adam And Eve' is a pretty astounding record
You really are advised to give that record a go.
― This is the day when fisticuffs happened everywhere (country matters), Wednesday, 11 March 2009 10:48 (fifteen years ago) link
Am listening to Chrome for the first time now - halfway throughok, this is very enjoyableI Confess is the best so far Not an album i could find myself falling in love with but one I see myself listening to quite a few more times.Will try Adam and Eve next and then try Cats and Dogs again
― turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Tuesday, 17 March 2009 10:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Really enjoyed listening to the Swervedriver reissues and saw the reunion tour last year. I think it's Catherine Wheel's turn now. A nice double-deluxe remaster of Ferment with all the B-sides, pretty please. I remember when "Black Metallic" was first played on 120 min, hosted by Dave Kendall, because I was recording it, as a friend's band was also debuting that night. I don't know why this is a fond memory, as I was living in a creepy dark basement of a mansion just out of college, with a deeply strange older shoe salesman as a roommate. I guess most memories easily gauze over to nostalgia when it's got a good soundtrack.
I had most of the albums, but some reason never got around to picking up Chrome until this week. Damn good album.
― Fastnbulbous, Wednesday, 6 May 2009 04:32 (fifteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, and they also remind me of a woman I dated with an identical twin sister (I swear I could only tell them apart by the slight difference in size of their chests). They were both huge fans of the band, and they got to meet them, right around the time Cats And Dogs with the twins-themed cover art came out.
― Fastnbulbous, Wednesday, 6 May 2009 04:41 (fifteen years ago) link
Partial revive due to all the shoegaze poll talk but what's heartening to see is that for all that "Black Metallic" was the breakout song it was Chrome rather than Ferment which most people love the best on this thread. Rightly so. Just listened to "Crank" for the first time in forever and that's actually a pretty damn tricky lead-off single for a sophomore album with high commercial expectations for it.
I think I still have a 'chrome' (well, silver) promotional version of the CD, and the deep blue tour shirt with the cover art is still a favorite of mine.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 31 October 2010 00:33 (thirteen years ago) link
i've suddenly decided i really dislike this band. previously i found them inoffensive at most, but the fact that people champion them as one of the more pivotal shoegaze acts renders me clueless to the point of vexation. as i've said previously, they're not far removed from bush in my eyes, and seem wilfully content to huff and puff their way through a chest-beating belated british take on grunge.
― charlie h, Sunday, 31 October 2010 09:28 (thirteen years ago) link
'crank' is utter garbage frankly.
― charlie h, Sunday, 31 October 2010 09:51 (thirteen years ago) link
reminds me of 'glycerine', seriously.
― charlie h, Sunday, 31 October 2010 09:54 (thirteen years ago) link
http://vimeo.com/76496410
catherine wheel singer dude now does hyper-expensive Porsche restorations
― free dong commissioner (haitch), Tuesday, 31 December 2013 10:09 (ten years ago) link
Myodesign 2 months agoGood day Singer,The paint colour is stunning. Would you please tell me if this is a stock Porsche colour? And if so, would you disclose the colour code?Thank you.
There's a fairly obvious joke to be made here
― VENIET IMBER (imago), Tuesday, 31 December 2013 23:03 (ten years ago) link
Yeah a friend had discovered that a few years ago, apparently he's pretty active in that circuit. And why not?
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 31 December 2013 23:09 (ten years ago) link
it's not like he never referenced cars or driving in his lyrics tbf
― VENIET IMBER (imago), Tuesday, 31 December 2013 23:26 (ten years ago) link
outro of 'for dreaming' still one of the greatest moments in rock history obv
― VENIET IMBER (imago), Tuesday, 31 December 2013 23:32 (ten years ago) link
Catherine Wheel seems to be more disliked than I would have thought on ILM, but I suppose there are always winners and losers. This band I really heard tangentially once on TV and found that CD used and then liked it enough to eventually get some more as I would run into other ones by them CDs for a buck or two. I think Catherine Wheel had quite a good of atmosphere at times, I kind of hear it Pink Floyd as much as shoegaze. Maybe it's because I have put them together on 90s CDR comps, they seem a bit like a UK Afghan Whigs without the soul fetish.
This track "Saccharine" I thought was really good 90s psychedelic rock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKMYooP2vZc
― earlnash, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 00:32 (nine years ago) link
yeah that's cool
they were definitely going for Pink Floyd
― imago, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 00:41 (nine years ago) link
one of these days i'll have every catherine wheel b-side downloaded
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Wednesday, 10 September 2014 00:49 (nine years ago) link
also i always loved adam & eve but the ilx pro-a&e contingent made me love it more
Not only going for Pink Floyd to the point of covering "Wish You Were Here," Storm Thorgerson designed some of the album covers. What more do you need, really.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 00:55 (nine years ago) link
The sidelong suite? You could make a case for the second half of A&E
― imago, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 00:58 (nine years ago) link
i actually own all Catherine Wheel singles.
i should do a poll, hmm.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 02:58 (nine years ago) link
Always kind of likedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTyFyQCq5KY
― Good Time Charlie Don't Surf (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 10 September 2014 08:41 (nine years ago) link
dude has a seriously unearthly voice and sense of phrasing. it seems like he chooses particular lyrics to sort of tweak the melody, maximizing its power? voice is a gift from god for real
― 1 P.3. Eternal (roxymuzak), Friday, 26 September 2014 16:16 (nine years ago) link
and he's bruce dickinson's cousin but you probably knew that already!
― LIKE If you are against racism (omar little), Friday, 26 September 2014 16:21 (nine years ago) link
yeah like doi tbh! but it is amazing that one fam could produce two such different and amazing voices
― 1 P.3. Eternal (roxymuzak), Friday, 26 September 2014 16:23 (nine years ago) link
amazing, amazing
repeating the word "amazing" is such a high thing to do
― 1 P.3. Eternal (roxymuzak), Friday, 26 September 2014 16:24 (nine years ago) link
ok "corncrake" just made me actual lol
― jello my future biafriend (roxymuzak), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 02:58 (nine years ago) link
"Corncrake"? The Wicker Man?
― The "5" Astronomer Royales (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 03:06 (nine years ago) link
"call me crank"
what
― jello my future biafriend (roxymuzak), Tuesday, September 30, 2014 9:37 PM (two years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i think about this post whenever i listen to "Crank"
― nomar, Tuesday, 21 March 2017 00:55 (seven years ago) link
mmmm corncrake
― a but (brimstead), Tuesday, 21 March 2017 00:56 (seven years ago) link
:D
― an uptempo Pop/Hip Hop mentality (imago), Tuesday, 21 March 2017 02:10 (seven years ago) link
i posted in the thread almost 12 years ago? it has been a wild ride and maybe i need to move on too?
have not thought about Catherine Wheel in a very long time. i think i saw them four time total. they were great live.
― To Live and Die In L.A. (Bee OK), Tuesday, 21 March 2017 03:53 (seven years ago) link
It's interesting how pretty much all the original shoegaze crew as such has hit the reunion phase but this bunch didn't. (Other non-returnees off the top of my head: Boo Radleys, Pale Saints.) And yes granted CW weren't exactly shoegaze but they were of that generation, had a greater amount of success over here at the time compared to a lot of them, etc.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 21 March 2017 03:58 (seven years ago) link
Ferment is getting a vinyl reissue at the end of June. hope Chrome follows suit quickly thereafter...
― nomar, Friday, 26 May 2017 16:34 (six years ago) link
My favorite Catherine wheel is the one-two punch of "strange fruit" and "chrome"
― brimstead, Friday, 26 May 2017 17:51 (six years ago) link
and then "the nude" so it's really like three punches
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, 26 May 2017 18:41 (six years ago) link
re: the first punch, no song has ever punched me more
― geoffreyess, Friday, 26 May 2017 20:55 (six years ago) link
and now CHROME is getting a proper reissue via Music on Vinyl in September!
― nomar, Tuesday, 25 July 2017 16:54 (six years ago) link
So…something’s uphttps://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160083830801136&id=545041135&_rdr#!/story.php
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 29 July 2022 05:38 (one year ago) link
There's never been expanded reissues, and lord knows there's material aplenty...
New material would be welcome, of course, if a bit trepidatious about the potential.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 29 July 2022 14:27 (one year ago) link
Seems like it was just announcement of Adam and Eve streaming (hadn't realize it hadn't been?)
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 29 July 2022 14:51 (one year ago) link
Well, specific dates in this one.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqYs7e6NzIf/
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 29 March 2023 21:01 (one year ago) link
What does this mean? Is there new stuff or is this for reissues? I would like to see them live again as it was always great. I think I saw them around seven times.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 29 March 2023 22:16 (one year ago) link
Guess we'll find out! After last year's tease that wasn't much, I'm suspicious, but the fact that there are two dates mentioned is intriguing.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 29 March 2023 22:18 (one year ago) link
probably the only band I'd spend all my money and fly anywhere to see
― sloop johnnin' skater (geoffreyess), Wednesday, 29 March 2023 23:09 (one year ago) link
maybe they can hire a graphic designer with it
― here 1st (roxymuzak), Thursday, 30 March 2023 21:44 (one year ago) link
lol
― I. J. Miggs (dandydonweiner), Friday, 31 March 2023 00:30 (one year ago) link