Catatonia (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (January 2009) |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009) |
| Catatonia | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Cardiff, Wales, UK |
| Genres | Alternative rock Indie rock Britpop |
| Years active | 1992 – 2001 |
| Labels | Blanco y Negro Records |
| Members | |
| Cerys Matthews Mark Roberts Paul Jones Owen Powell Aled Richards | |
| Former members | |
| Dafydd Ieuan Clancy Pegg Kris Jenkins Daisy Hewitt | |
Catatonia were an alternative rock band from Wales who gained a national following in the United Kingdom in the mid-late 1990s. The band consisted of Cerys Matthews on vocals, Mark Roberts on guitar, Paul Jones on bass (both now members of Y Ffyrc, and former members of Sherbet Antlers and Y Cyrff), Owen Powell (who is a judge on 'Wawffactor' – akin to a Welsh X Factor) on guitar, and Aled Richards (who now drums for Amy Wadge) on drums. Matthews and Roberts were the main songwriters. The band was part of the Cardiff music scene.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Formation
Initially the line up fluctuated, at various times including Clancy Pegg (later of Tystion) on keyboards, Daisy Hewitt as a harmony singer, Dafydd Ieuan and Kris Jenkins (of Super Furry Animals) on drums and percussion, before settling down to the "classic" line up in 1995.
It is rumoured that Matthews and Roberts first met in Cardiff when she was busking. They hit it off and began writing songs together in 1992. For four years after this they were also in a relationship, many aspects of this being played out publicly in their lyrics [1].
The couple came across the word catatonia, believing it to mean a sense of extreme pleasure and sleep, and the band was subsequently originally called 'Sweet Catatonia'. On discovering the real meaning of the word (i.e. a psychiatric symptom of certain mental disorders) they dropped the prefix 'sweet'.[2]
[edit] Sound
Catatonia deliberately tried to make their songs accessible to a broad audience, while at the same time not shying away from original, experimental, or even potentially abrasive sounds. The result was a mix of hooky pop and underground indie rock. Their songs are characterized by clever lyrics and Matthews' enticing, raspy, prominently Welsh accented vocals, which made her something of a sex symbol.
[edit] Welsh music
The band, in its music, lyrics, and PR, were proudly, or at least happily, Welsh. The chorus of the (mostly Welsh) song International Velvet declares "Every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord I'm Welsh." This, they insisted, should not be taken too seriously, as they are more internationalists than nationalists (hence the name of their 1998 release, International Velvet). Catatonia, in fact, only ever released 5 Welsh tracks - International Velvet being the only one to appear on a UK album (As well as Gyda Gwen, which was a hidden track on their debut album "Way Beyond Blue". The others appeared as B sides and on EP collections.
[edit] Success
After their rise to fame with their second album "International Velvet", and subsequent success with third release "Equally Cursed And Blessed" they returned in 2001 with their fourth studio album Paper Scissors Stone. During promotional appearances for this album it became clear that Matthews was not coping well with the increased pressure, suffering from anxiety and nervous exhaustion which resulted in the cancellation of several tour dates and a deterioration in the relationships between the band members. On 21 September 2001, the band officially split.
[edit] Solo career
Matthews went on to release her first solo album, Cockahoop, in May 2003. Her second album Never Said Goodbye was released in August 2006. In November 2007 she released a mini-album of Welsh language songs Awyren=Aeroplane on the My Kung Fu label. Matthews returned in late 2009 with a world first record breaker: she is the first recording artist to release an album in both Welsh and English (Paid Edrych I Lawr and Don't Look Down, respectively). At the same time she released her Moon Songs EP, featuring four English-language tracks which were recorded in the Don't Look Down sessions, but didn't make the album track listing.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Details | Peak chart position | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [3] | AUS [4] | GER [5] | IRL [6] | NZL [7] | |||
| 1996 | Way Beyond Blue
| 32 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1998 | International Velvet
| 1 | 27 | — | 39 | 32 | |
| 1999 | Equally Cursed and Blessed
| 1 | 48 | — | — | 28 |
|
| 2001 | Paper Scissors Stone
| 6 | — | 55 | 37 | — |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||
[edit] Compilation albums
| Year | Details | Peak chart position | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [3] | AUS [4] | GER [5] | IRL [6] | NZL [7] | |||
| 1995 | The Sublime Magic of Catatonia
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1998 | The Crai-EPs 1993/1994
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2002 | Greatest Hits
| 24 | — | — | 43 | — | |
| 2006 | Platinum Collection
| — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||
[edit] Singles and EPs
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [3][9] | AUS [4] | IRL [10] | NZL [7] | ||||
| 1993 | May | "For Tinkerbell" (EP) | — | — | — | — | Non-album EP |
| 1994 | Jun | "Hooked" (EP) | — | — | — | — | The Sublime Magic of Catatonia |
| Sep | "Whale" (vinyl-only) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | Jan | "Bleed" | 158 | — | — | — | |
| Dec | "Christmas '95" (fan club vinyl)1 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| 1996 | Apr | "Sweet Catatonia" | 61 | — | — | — | Way Beyond Blue |
| Jul | "Lost Cat" | 41 | — | — | — | ||
| Oct | "Bleed" (re-issue) | 46 | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | Feb | "You've Got A Lot To Answer For" | 35 | — | — | — | |
| Oct | "I Am the Mob" | 40 | — | — | — | International Velvet | |
| 1998 | Jan | "Mulder and Scully" | 3 | — | 17 | — | |
| May | "Road Rage" | 5 | 40 | 29 | — | ||
| Jul | "Strange Glue" | 11 | — | — | — | ||
| Oct | "Game On" | 33 | — | — | — | ||
| 1999 | Apr | "Dead From the Waist Down" | 7 | — | — | 44 | Equally Cursed and Blessed |
| Jul | "Londinium" | 20 | — | — | — | ||
| Oct | "Karaoke Queen" | 36 | — | — | — | ||
| 2000 | Mar | "Storm the Palace" (EP) | — | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | Sep | "Stone by Stone" | 19 | — | — | — | Paper Scissors Stone |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||
- 1 - The A-side being "Blow the Millennium, Blow".
[edit] Miscellaneous / Promos
- "Tourist" (Japan EP) - 1996
- "A's & B's Of Catatonia" (Promo EP) - 1998
[edit] References
- ^ The good life | | guardian.co.uk Arts
- ^ Am I Right - Band Name Origins -> C
- ^ a b c "British chart positions". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=7652. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ a b c "Australian chart positions". australian-charts.com. http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Catatonia. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ a b "German album positions". musicline.de. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/CATATONIA/longplay. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Irish chart positions". irish-charts.com. http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Catatonia. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ a b c "New Zealand chart positions". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Catatonia. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ a b c "British certificates: searchable database". bpi.co.uk. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "UK Chartlog: Chris C. – CZR". zobbel.de. http://zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_C.HTM. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "Irish singles positions". irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
Tiada ulasan:
Catat Ulasan