Not the second coming of Jellyfish- but a good album
A. S. Design | Everett, WA USA | 02/04/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Huge Jellyfish fan here.
When I bought Solid State Warrior (Roger's last album), it was almost like JellyFish never left. That album was really great and I play it all the time. Absolutely brilliant record. I prefer the original version to what was released in the US.
Catfish Dynamite... musically, nobody can touch Roger. The guy's chord changes and harmonies are brilliantly crafted. His voice... not sure how to say it but if Karen Carpenter was a guy, she'd have Roger's voice. It's smooth, clear and has that Karen Carpenter purity. Love his voice and how he transitions from his normal voice to his falsetto voice so easily.
I think the problem I have with Catnip Dynamite is some of the studio tracks have some quirkiness built in that I don't really dig. "Drive Thru Girl's" lyrics and kind of fake live vibe (it's not live) just don't thrill me, especially when there are live tracks at the end of the record. "Love's Never Half as Good"- Great song until we get to the spoken "Put your hands together and sing along" section. Just too corny to me and doesn't fit the track. It's weird, but Roger's music always gives me that 70's... TV show vibe. His songs could've been huge hits for The Partridge Family. That sounds like a slam, but it's not. Some of those hits were written and performed by top writers and players. Some of Roger's music has that quality but on a current sounding canvas. Maybe this is just my opinion.
"The Quickening" is one of the coolest songs I've heard in a long time. The lyrics to "Down in Front" are awesome as it seems that public rudeness is at an all time high and the lyrics lament that. "Imaginary Friend" also rocks. Great song with a very cool hook line.
The live tracks at the end of the album are really where the album goes south for me. It seems that they were under rehearsed- or beyond his live band's capability to perform live. The version of "You Were Right" is just not 'there'. Dropped and flat harmonies just don't make it and they certainly don't improve on the studio version. The guitar solo on it is very cool though.
"Europa and the Pirate Twins"- this would've been a great studio track, but live, it doesn't work at all. Roger's vocal pitch and the harmonies are all over the place. The playing's decent, but vocally, things are not together.
His version of Elton John's "Love Lies Bleeding" is okay, but again, the harmonies are all over the place. Almost as if it was a board tape that wasn't mixed properly. Some harmonies stick out that shouldn't and I was surprised by this because Roger's vocals are always so spot on. I'd have preferred to hear 3 more of Roger's studio tracks and leave the live stuff to find in bootleg circles. The vocals on these live tracks just don't measure up.
The album does have some great moments and it's worth the price of admission. But I feel, especially with the addition of the live tracks, that this has a rushed feel to it.
As I look at another version of this album, there's something called "American Affluenza". I can only assume that this is another studio track that went on the original version instead of the live tracks. Not sure who's kind of cutting up Roger's albums for different markets, maybe it's Roger himself, but I would sure like that the album remains intact and true to what it was originally supposed to be. Kind of like what Capitol in America did to Rubber Soul and Revolver in the 60s. Leave the album running order alone and just release it as it should've been.
Buy this album. It's worth it."
Another home run for RJM!
Gary Scharg | Boulder, CO USA | 02/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just got the "autographed" US version today and am loving it! IMHO just as good as LOPI/SSW which was one of my top all-time picks. After listening to each song a couple of times, here's my take:
The Quickening - Rock Anthem (think Genesis, Styx, ELO, but with better vocals)
Love's Never Half as Good - Supertramp meets Sedaka meets Brian Wilson meets Queen in this happy ballad. Vocal arrangement is beyond description. Composition is wonderful.
Down in Front - Power pop ballad with a driving melodic rock tilt. Upbeat, influences of Queen in the vocal arrangement. Composition is excellent. Roger throws in many more changes (takes more chances) than any of the mainstream songwriters out there. Possibly the best song on the album.
My Girl - A ballad Paul McCartney could have written around 1970. Simply done initially comes out very polished with full and lush breaks, outro is like Paul Simon.
Imaginary Friend - Sixties groove psychedelic ballad. British and LA influences. Like if the Doors did an album with the Beatles in 67.
Haunted Henry - Roger's signature piano sound dominates, Elton influences (Yellow Brick Road era) lush vocal production out-does Beach Boys or Queen.
Tinsel Town - California Country Rock Ballad with some unbelievable keys thrown in along Roger's incomparable vocal arrangements. Possibly the best song on the album. It's the only song on the album that isn't all Roger (pedal steel Dave Pearlman).
The Turnstile at Heaven's Gate - Remember The Who early 70's? (Who's Next, Tommy Quadrophenia) throw in some Supertramp and Beatles. Roger's vintage keyboards give it a retro sound, yet his composition is fresh.
Survival Machine - Eighteenth Century harpsichord ballad with flute/fife, organ gives this a cathedral sound. At almost eight minutes, most labels would never include this as a song on a CD, confirming Roger's outlaw status (good for him).
Living in End Times - Head banger rocking guitar beat might scare some away, but by 1:55 you hear what you were waiting for when Roger's vocals take charge. The ending is pretty scary though.
Drive Through Girl - McCartney-esque, sort of campy piano ragtime sing along, (think Rocky Raccoon, Oh-Bla-Di)actually has kazoo solo. "The Inventive Genius" proves he could actually carry a room by himself and a piano. So traditional and sparse for Roger, sounds like it could have been written way back when in the days of chorus and verse, though he does throw in the now expected RJM bridge to keep him honest.
Bonus Live Tracks: Europa and the Pirate Twins - a Thomas Dolby penned song I'm not familiar with.
You Were Right - from LOPI/SSW, surprised it sounds as well as it does, tough song to attempt live due to the heavy vocals and high expectations of studio version. Actually translates quite well live, Roger's vocals are quite good and in timing and key, really hard to do with the high falsetto portions whilst playing keyboards. Bravo!
Love Lies Bleeding (Funeral for a Friend intro) - Technically excellent. Tough song to cover and they nail it live.
"
Brilliant - 'nuff said.
Lee Robinson | 02/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is a wonderful treat for any Jellyfish fan. Even better than Roger's first solo release. Please read the detailed reviews on the import version for several well-thought track-by-track analyses of this album. The three live tracks are not as good as the one studio track "American Influenza" that was replaced on the U.S. release. However, the studio tracks on this release are all outstanding and this album is well worth the money!!! You will not regret this purchase."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1