Exciting Welsh rock band with attitude
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 10/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While I generally prefer rock music from an earlier era, this is mainly because I don't find much to get excited about in the modern era - but there are exceptions, including Catatonia. Their biggest UK hits were Mulder and Scully and Road rage, though lead singer Cerys Matthews also had hits duetting with Space and Tom Jones. Those hits are included here. The duet with Tom Jones (Baby it's cold outside) is an old chestnut - it's one of the best versions of this song (and I've heard a lot of them).Cerys was the centrepiece of the band. Great though the musicians were, Cerys was the star, with an ability to sing anything - sounding really sexy on a love song, but really aggresive on songs that express strong opinions. The band has split up now, but I will be interested to see what Cerys does next.Before the band split, they released four albums, of which the middle two (International velvet, Equally cursed and blessed) were the most successful. Understandably, it is tracks from these two albums that dominate the first CD.According to the liner notes, this edition is limited to ten thousand copies. After that, only the single CD version will be available. The bonus CD contains three tracks each from their other two albums (Way beyond blue, Paper scissors stone) and four b-sides (shouldn't b-sides be called something else for a modern band, now that CD's only have one playing side), including Do you believe in me?, a favorite of the band."
Such a shame that they split so soon
Mr. B. G. Fowler | 03/02/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Last year it was announced that Welsh indie group Catatonia would be splitting up, but lead singer Cerys Matthews would be pursuing a solo career. Now this struck me as a great shame, mostly because their last album, Paper, Scissors, Stone was their best album to date. Right from the very start this was a band with promise, although unfortunately their debut album Way Beyond Blue was lost amidst Britpop mania. That doens't mean to say that it's not misrepresented on the Greatest Hits, with the lively Sweet Catatonia and You've Got A Lot To Answer For featuring on the first disc alongside Lost Cat and Bleed. However, it was the critically lauded International Velvet, that topped many British critics' lists of the best records of the year, that was Catatonia's breakthrough. Hitting off with their breakthrough glorious throwaway track Mulder and Scully was definitely a good idea. The band's most popular song Road Rage (and a personal favourite) is also included, as well as the less popular tracks from the album, Strange Glue and Game On. With their third album, Equally Cursed And Blessed Catatonia expanded their sound with sweeping ballads such as Dead From The Waist Down, the pop of Karaoke Queen and the irreverance of Londinium. My only really complaint here is that one of their best songs, Bulimic Beats, from that album wasn't included on the second CD. However, it wasn't a single or a rarity so it's understandable. The band's fourth album isn't well represented on the first disc due to the fact that the only single released was Stone By Stone, which unfortunately only scraped into the British top 20. Still, a selection of the best are included on the second CD so passive fans will get a change to listen to a more melancholy Catatonia on Godspeed and the wonderfully anthemic Mother of Misogyny.Surprisingly the second disc is well worth owning and doesn't seem like a cop-out to persuade more people to part with their cash. As well as including the potential singles from the last album, there are also some rarities that are unavailable elsewhere such as the brilliant Do You Believe In Me? Thankfully, given the fact that the band's singles are only culled from four albums, Cerys's forrays away from the band are also included. From the simply magnificent, bitter, weird and wonderful The Ballad Of Tom Jones, a duet with Space, to her duet with Tom Jones himself on a cover of Baby, It's Cold Outside.Quite simply, Catatonia were one of the most interesting and diverse bands of the British indie scene of the 90's, and it's a shame to see them go, but with Cerys's solo album being released soon maybe it's not goodbye after all."
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1