Cats & Dogs | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1981 | |||
Studio | Albert Studios, Sydney, Australia | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 39:24 | |||
Label | Regular Records | |||
Producer | Russell Dunlop, Bruce Brown (plus, on various international versions, Cameron Allan and/or Elvis Costello) | |||
Mental As Anything chronology | ||||
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Singles from Cats & Dogs | ||||
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Cats & Dogs is the third studio album by Australian band Mental As Anything. It was released in September 1981, produced by Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop, [1] the album peaked at #3 on the Australian chart and #2 on the New Zealand Album charts. [2]
At the 1981 Countdown Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Australian Album. [3]
Cats & Dogs was released in the USA and Europe as If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?.
In October 2010, Cats & Dogs was listed in the top 50 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums [4] having previously been listed in similar polls in the music magazines Rolling Stone, Juice and The Edge.
Greedy Smith claimed this was their first "proper" album: "With the first one, we didn't know what we wanted or what we should sound like, and the second one just got away from us all together. This time, we put our foot down with the record company and said we wanted more time. We were able to put tracks down, then leave them and think about them." [5]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AllMusic said, "the Mentals created their first true 'classic' album, which takes the best elements from their debut album and betters them by leaps and bounds. Everyone in the band shines on this album, from Martin Plaza's warm drawl to Reg Mombassa's amazing slide fretwork and Greedy Smith's confident and playful keyboards." [7]
Rip It Up agreed the album was, "generally acknowledged as the Mentals' most accomplished album, where their diverse ideas came together consistently." [5]
Cash Box reviewed the revised American version of the album called If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?, which has a slightly different track listing. They claimed "This album of down under 'punk funk and beatnik rockabilly' is actually comprised of selections from two previously released gold Aussie albums and a peppy single produced by Elvis Costello entitled 'I Didn't Mean to Be Mean'. Look for AOR, pop and progressive play on these shores, especially in the wake of the success of antipodean peers Men At Work." [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Too Many Times" | Andrew 'Greedy' Smith [9] | 2:52 |
2. | "Walking on Rails" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 2:34 |
3. | "If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?" | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:12 |
4. | "Berserk Warriors" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:51 |
5. | "Let's Cook" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:30 |
6. | "Got Hit" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:14 |
7. | "Ready for You Now" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:42 |
8. | "Looking for Bird" | Wayne Delisle , Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza [9] | 3:41 |
9. | "Chemical Travel" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 2:57 |
10. | "Catalina's Reward" | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:10 |
11. | "Psychedelic Peace Lamp" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 3:05 |
12. | "Sad Poetry" | Andrew Smith [9] | 2:50 |
13. | "Hararei I Akarana" | Martin Plaza, Reg Mombassa | 1:56 |
The Canadian edition of Cats & Dogs dropped the album's final five tracks ("Chemical Travel", "Catalina's Reward", "Psychedelic Peace Lamp", "Sad Poetry", and "Hararei I Akarana"), and added two earlier singles ("The Nips Are Getting Bigger", and "Egypt", both of which had originally appeared on Get Wet.)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Too Many Times" | Andrew 'Greedy' Smith [9] | 2:52 |
2. | "Let's Cook" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:30 |
3. | "If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?" | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:12 |
4. | "Berserk Warriors" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:51 |
5. | "Got Hit" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:14 |
6. | "The Nips Are Getting Bigger" (Produced by Cameron Allan from Get Wet) | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:19 |
7. | "Walking on Rails" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 2:34 |
8. | "Ready for You Now" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:42 |
9. | "Looking for Bird" | Wayne Delisle , Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza [9] | 3:41 |
10. | "Egypt" (Produced by Cameron Allan from Get Wet) | Reg Mombassa [9] | 2:42 |
The American edition of Cats & Dogs, re-titled If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?, dropped four tracks ("Chemical Travel", "Catalina's Reward", "Psychedelic Peace Lamp", and "Hararei I Akarana"), and added "The Nips Are Getting Bigger", "Egypt", and the newly recorded single "I Didn't Mean to Be Mean" (produced by Elvis Costello).
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?" | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:12 |
2. | "Let's Cook" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:30 |
3. | "Too Many Times" | Andrew 'Greedy' Smith [9] | 2:52 |
4. | "Got Hit" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:14 |
5. | "Looking for Bird" | Wayne Delisle , Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza [9] | 3:41 |
6. | "Ready for You Now" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:42 |
7. | "I Didn't Mean to Be Mean" (Produced By Elvis Costello) | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:25 |
8. | "Walking on Rails" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 2:34 |
9. | "Sad Poetry" | Andrew Smith [9] | 2:50 |
10. | "The Nips Are Getting Bigger" (Produced by Cameron Allan from Get Wet) | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:19 |
11. | "Egypt" (Produced by Cameron Allan from Get Wet) | Reg Mombassa [9] | 2:42 |
12. | "Berserk Warriors" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:51 |
The UK and European edition of Cats & Dogs was resequenced, remixed and re-titled If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?. It included all tracks from the Australian edition ("Harerei I Akarana" was renamed "Holiday in Auckland"), and added "I Didn't Mean to Be Mean". All the tracks were remixed by Dunlop and Brown, in some cases resulting in significantly different timings from the tracks on the original Australian/NZ release. Also note that the version of "I Didn't Mean to Be Mean" included on this album uses a different vocal take than the Australian single mix.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?" | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:11 |
2. | "Let's Cook" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:30 |
3. | "Too Many Times" | Andrew 'Greedy' Smith [9] | 2:45 |
4. | "Got Hit" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:10 |
5. | "Looking for Bird" | Wayne Delisle , Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza [9] | 3:40 |
6. | "Ready for You Now" | Martin Plaza [9] | 2:40 |
7. | "Chemical Travel" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 3:00 |
8. | "I Didn't Mean to Be Mean" (Produced By Elvis Costello) | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:25 |
9. | "Walking on Rails" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 2:34 |
10. | "Sad Poetry" | Andrew Smith [9] | 2:50 |
11. | "Berserk Warriors" | Peter O'Doherty [9] | 3:45 |
12. | "Psychedelic Peace Lamp" | Reg Mombassa [9] | 3:02 |
13. | "Catalina's Reward" | Martin Plaza [9] | 3:11 |
14. | "Holiday in Auckland" | Martin Plaza, Reg Mombassa | 1:53 |
Chart (1981/82) | Peak position |
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Australian (Kent Music Report) [10] | 3 |
Canada (RPM (magazine)) [11] | 44 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [12] | 2 |
Chart (1982) | Position |
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New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [13] | 49 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [14] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
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Australia & New Zealand | September 1981 | Regular Records | Vinyl LP, Cassette | L37646 |
UK & Europe | 1982 | A&M Records | Vinyl LP, Cassette | AMLH64921 |
Canada | November 1982 | Solid Gold Records | Vinyl LP, Cassette | SGR1009 |
United States | November 1982 | A&M Records | Vinyl LP, Cassette | SP4921 |
Australia | 1992 | Regular Records | CD | D19562 |
Mental As Anything are an Australian new wave and pop rock band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne de Lisle on drums; and Andrew "Greedy" Smith on vocals, keyboards and harmonica. Their original hit songs were generated by Mombassa, O'Doherty, Plaza and Smith, either individually or collectively; they also hit the Australian charts with covers of songs by Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and Chuck Berry.
Peter O'Doherty is a New Zealand-born Australian musician and visual artist. He is a founder of Australian pop band, Dog Trumpet, in 1991 on guitar and vocals, alongside his older brother, Chris O'Doherty on guitar, keyboards, harmonica and vocals. They were also members of new wave group, Mental as Anything, which O'Doherty joined in August 1977 on bass guitar and vocals, until they both left in 2000. As a visual artist, O'Doherty specialised in still life and everyday suburban scenes. He is married to Susan, who is also a visual artist.
Martin Edward Murphy, commonly known by the pseudonym Martin Plaza, is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and visual artist who is a founding member and vocalist and guitarist of the new wave band Mental As Anything. He has also worked with other bands and is an accomplished artist. Plaza also has a solo music career and had a No. 2 hit in Australia with his 1986 cover of the song "Concrete and Clay".
Icehouse is the first album released by the Australian rock/synthpop band Flowers, later known as Icehouse, on the independent label Regular Records in October 1980. The title and the artist are sometimes incorrectly swapped, because the band changed their name from Flowers to Icehouse after this album was released. Containing the Top 20 Australian hits "Can't Help Myself", "We Can Get Together" and "Walls"; the album made heavy use of synthesisers, which would continue to be used throughout the band's career. Founder Iva Davies wrote all the tracks including four co-written with keyboardist Michael Hoste, however Hoste was replaced during recording sessions by Anthony Smith.
"The Nips Are Getting Bigger" is the debut single by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in July 1979. It was released as the first single from the album Get Wet and the song reached at number 16 on the Kent Music Report. The song was written by Mental As Anything lead vocalist Martin Plaza.
Russell James Dunlop was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and record producer-engineer. From the late 1970s he collaborated with Bruce Brown in a production company for albums and singles by Australian performers including Mental As Anything, The Reels and Machinations. As a musician he was a member of various groups such as Aesop's Fables (1968–70), Levi Smith's Clefs (1971), Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (SCRA) (1971–72) and Ayers Rock (1976).
Creatures of Leisure is the fourth studio album released by Australian band, Mental As Anything. It was released in March 1983 and peaked at #8 on the Australian Album charts.
Fundamental or Fundamental As Anything is the fifth studio album released by Australian rock/pop group, Mental As Anything. The album was produced by Richard Gottehrer and was released on Regular Records in March 1985. It peaked at #3 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums charts.
Get Wet is the debut studio album released by Australian band Mental As Anything. It was released in November 1979, and peaked at #19 on the Australian Album charts.
Espresso Bongo is the second studio album released by Mental As Anything. It was released in July 1980, and peaked at #37 on the Australian Album charts.
Simon Cyril Hussey is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter-arranger, record producer and audio engineer. In 1984 he formed Cats Under Pressure on keyboards with David Reyne on vocals and Mark Greig on guitar. On the Australian Crawl album Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Hussey co-wrote four tracks with the band's lead singer, James Reyne. In 1987 when James undertook his solo career, Hussey joined his backing band on keyboards, and co-wrote six tracks for James' debut self-titled album including top 10 hit singles, "Hammerhead" (October) and "Motor's Too Fast". In May 1988 Hussey was the producer, and provided keyboards and song writing, for Edge (November), the comeback album by Daryl Braithwaite (ex-Sherbet), which peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart for three weeks in mid-1989.
Greatest Hits Volume 1 is the first compilation album by Australian pop rock band Mental As Anything, released in April 1986. Greatest Hits Volume 1 peaked at number 2 on the Australian chart and number 36 in New Zealand.
Essential As Anything or Essential As Anything – 30th Anniversary Edition is the fourth compilation album by Australian rock band Mental As Anything, which was released in May 2009 via Warner Music Australia. It celebrates the band's 30th anniversary. Essential As Anything includes tracks from their eight studio albums. It also included a DVD featuring Monumental and Monumental II; two compilations of the band's music videos plus bonus footage and interviews. The album reached number 54 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was later re-released by Universal Music Australia through Syray Music.
"Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile Off Santa's Face)" is a Christmas song by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in November 1984. The song reached at number 37 on the Kent Music Report.
Mouth to Mouth is the sixth studio album by Australian pop rock band Mental As Anything, released in July 1987, and the album was produced by Richard Gottehrer. The album peaked at number 14 on the Australian chart.
"Possible Theme for a Future TV Drama Series" is a song by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in November 1979 as the second single from the album Get Wet and the song reached at number 57 on the Kent Music Report. The song was written by Mental As Anything lead vocalist Martin Plaza.
"He's Just No Good for You" is a song by Australian pop rock band Mental As Anything, released in July 1987. It was released as the second single from the band's sixth studio album, Mouth to Mouth. The song was written by Mental As Anything guitarist Greedy Smith and peaked at number 15 on the Australian charts.
"If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?" is a song by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in May 1981 as the lead single from their third studio album Cats & Dogs. The song peaked at number 4 on the Kent Music Report.
"Too Many Times" is a song by Australian rock band Mental As Anything, released in September 1981 as the second single from their third studio album, Cats & Dogs. The song peaked at number 6 on the Kent Music Report.
Berserk Warriors is a song by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in December 1981, through Regular Records. The song was written by band member Peter O'Doherty. It is a thinly-veiled reference to the marital travails of the members of ABBA. It was released as the third and final single from the band's third album Cats & Dogs. The Song first charted on December 14, 1981, and it peaked at no. 30 on the Kent Music Report and it stayed in the charts for 16 weeks. The song Berserk Warriors was used in the 2010 movie Animal Kingdom.