Chrome (Catherine Wheel album)

Last updated

Chrome
CatherineWheelChrome.jpg
Studio album by
Catherine Wheel
Released20 July 1993 (1993-07-20)
Recorded1993
Studio Britannia Row (Fulham, London)
Genre Shoegaze [1]
Length53:46
Label
Producer Gil Norton
Catherine Wheel chronology
Ferment
(1992)		Chrome
(1993)		 Happy Days
(1995)

Chrome is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released on 20 July 1993 by Fontana Records in the United Kingdom and Mercury Records in the United States. It was produced by Gil Norton, who would later go on to produce Catherine Wheel's next album, Happy Days. The lead single, "Crank", reached No. 5 on Billboard 's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Contents

While not all that successful commercially, Chrome has been well received by critics and fans alike.

Background

Chrome was intended by the band to be a departure into more hard rock territory when compared to their debut, Ferment . Bassist Dave Hawes explained, "The main thing I remember when going to record Chrome was that we didn't just want to make Ferment 2. And through continually touring between Ferment and going into record Chrome we had evolved into a harder sounding band. It just seemed a natural process and so Chrome turned into a harder sounding album and I think Gil Norton was the perfect producer for us at that point of time. We went in with the songs well-rehearsed and I really enjoyed recording Chrome especially doing it in Britannia Row Studios where Joy Division had recorded Closer (a personal favourite band and album of mine)". [2]

The album cover photo was shot in an indoor swimming pool by Storm Thorgerson of the Hipgnosis design company. In 1999, the cover of this album appeared as the cover of the Hipgnosis/Thorgerson retrospective book Eye of the Storm: The Album Graphics of Storm Thorgerson (Sanctuary Publishing). The CD version was also available in a limited edition version with a shiny chrome-looking cover with embossed writing on it.

The track "Ursa Major Space Station" was named after a guitar effects pedal, [3] while "Fripp" was named after King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp.

Promotion and release

Chrome peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. [4] It was supported by the single "Crank", a No. 5 Modern Rock Tracks hit. [5]

Music videos were filmed for singles "Crank", "Show Me Mary" and "The Nude". The video for "Crank" featured the band playing in a hotel elevator and lobby to a motley cast of hotel guests, with several scenes emulating the persecution, death, and resurrection of Jesus; "Show Me Mary" had the band being driven around in a taxi; "The Nude" featured the smearing of wet clay across a topless woman's torso.

Catherine Wheel embarked on tours with Slowdive, Chapterhouse and INXS, among others, to promote this album.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [7]
NME 7/10 [8]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]

Melody Maker described Chrome as "a tighter, more robust affair" than Ferment and "perhaps the ultimate Catherine Wheel album". [10] NME called it "a triumph". [8]

In Trouser Press , Jack Rabid wrote that the album "combines songwriting prowess with more raging playing, pop tunes gone kablooey and a huge bonfire sound with a faint metal edge." [11] Writing in The Rough Guide to Rock , Anna Robinson was less favourable, describing much of the album's material as "comparatively lightweight" compared to Ferment. [12]

"Crank" was included in PopMatters ' 2010 list of the "Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s". [13] In 2016, Chrome was placed 9th in Pitchfork 's list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". [1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Rob Dickinson and Brian Futter

No.TitleLength
1."Kill Rhythm"3:51
2."I Confess"3:56
3."Crank"3:45
4."Broken Head"4:43
5."Pain"6:31
6."Strange Fruit"3:06
7."Chrome"3:53
8."The Nude"3:51
9."Ursa Major Space Station"5:09
10."Fripp"7:34
11."Half Life"4:08
12."Show Me Mary"3:19

Singles

Personnel

Catherine Wheel
Technical

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC) [14] 58
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [4] 26

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Wheel (band)</span> English band

Catherine Wheel were an English alternative rock band from Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The band was active from 1990 to 2000, releasing five full-length albums in their career, embarking on many lengthy tours and experiencing fluctuating levels of commercial success. Their early music was associated with the shoegazing scene, but gradually evolved to a more aggressive style influenced by hard rock and metal. Initially receiving attention and success after releasing their debut album Ferment in 1992, the band achieved peak success with the release of "Crank" and their album Chrome in 1993. The band also achieved minor success with other albums, including Happy Days, which featured a popular song "Judy Staring at the Sun" as a collaboration with Tanya Donelly. Catherine Wheel also scored heavy rotation on MTV and performed there several times. Despite never having any albums or songs that achieved major success in their homeland, Catherine Wheel continue to be popular among alternative rock and shoegaze fans and critics.

<i>Meddle</i> 1971 studio album by Pink Floyd

Meddle is the sixth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released by Harvest Records. The album was produced between the band's touring commitments, from January to August 1971 at a series of locations around London, including EMI Studios and Morgan Studios.

<i>Relics</i> (album) 1971 compilation album by Pink Floyd

Relics is a 1971 compilation album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd. The album was released in the UK on 14 May 1971 and in the United States on the following day. Initially released by Starline, the compilation was reissued by Music for Pleasure in the United Kingdom, while Harvest and Capitol distributed the album in the United States. A remastered CD was released in 1996 with a different album cover, picturing a three-dimensional model based on the sketch drawn by drummer Nick Mason for the album's initial release.

Hipgnosis were an English art design group based in London, that specialised in creating album cover artwork for rock musicians and bands. Their commissions included work for Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, T. Rex, the Pretty Things, Black Sabbath, Wishbone Ash, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, The Nice, Paul McCartney & Wings, the Alan Parsons Project, Yes, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Electric Light Orchestra, Rainbow, Styx and Al Stewart.

<i>Venus and Mars</i> (Wings album) 1975 studio album by Wings

Venus and Mars is the fourth studio album by the British–American rock band Wings. Released in May 1975 as the follow-up to Band on the Run, Venus and Mars continued Wings' run of commercial success and provided a springboard for a year-long worldwide tour. The album was Paul McCartney's first post-Beatles album to be released worldwide by Capitol Records rather than Apple.

<i>Motörhead</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Motörhead

Motörhead is the debut studio album by English rock band Motörhead. It was released on 12 August 1977 by pub rock and early punk rock label Chiswick Records, one of the first for the label, and the band's only release under Chiswick. The album contains the "classic" Motörhead line-up of Lemmy Kilmister on bass and vocals, "Fast" Eddie Clarke on lead guitar, and Philthy Animal Taylor on drums. The sleeve artwork featured the debut of Snaggletooth, the War-Pig, the fanged face logo created by artist Joe Petagno that would become an icon of the band.

<i>Go 2</i> 1978 studio album by XTC

Go 2 is the second studio album by the English band XTC, released 6 October 1978 on Virgin Records. The United Kingdom version contained no singles, but the American and Canadian versions included the single "Are You Receiving Me?" released on 27 October 1978 along with a music video produced for the song.

<i>Animal Magnetism</i> (Scorpions album) 1980 studio album by Scorpions

Animal Magnetism is the seventh studio album by German rock band Scorpions, released in 1980. The RIAA certified the record as Gold on 8 March 1984, and Platinum on 28 October 1991.

<i>Ferment</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Catherine Wheel

Ferment is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released 9 June 1992 by Fontana Records. Produced by Tim Friese-Greene and John Lee, the album combined aspects of shoegazing, alternative rock and neo psychedelia. Ferment is the only album to contain the neo psychedelia element of the bands discography. Their next album, Chrome, produced with famed alternative rock producer Gil Norton, shifted the musical direction of the band. While Ferment was originally not all that successful in the charts, the album continues to be well received by critics and fans, even 30 years after its release.

<i>Happy Days</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Catherine Wheel

Happy Days is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel. It was released 6 June 1995 by Fontana Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. Like its predecessor, Chrome, it was produced by Gil Norton.

<i>Like Cats and Dogs</i> 1996 compilation album by Catherine Wheel

Like Cats and Dogs is a compilation album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released 9 September 1996 by Fontana Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. The album includes an alternate version of "Heal" from Happy Days, several outtakes and B-sides spanning the band's career, and cover versions of songs originally by Pink Floyd and Rush. The Rush song "Spirit of Radio" had been recorded earlier in the year for a CD entitled "Spirit of the edge Vol. 2" which was put out by Toronto radio station CFNY for which the song had originally been written.

<i>Adam and Eve</i> (Catherine Wheel album) 1997 studio album by Catherine Wheel

Adam and Eve is the fourth studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel. It was released on 29 July 1997 by Mercury Records. This was the band's last album to feature original bassist Dave Hawes.

<i>Wishville</i> 2000 studio album by The Catherine Wheel

Wishville is the fifth and final studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released 23 May 2000 by Columbia Records. It was the band's only album not to feature bassist Dave Hawes, who was fired prior to its recording. Without a permanent bassist, the band focused on guitar-centered hard rock arrangements. The album's only single was "Sparks Are Gonna Fly".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Day (musician)</span> British musician

Gary Edward William Day is a British musician who plays bass for Morrissey, The Nitros, Carlos and the Bandidos, The Poncés and Dante's Eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storm Thorgerson</span> English graphic designer

Storm Elvin Thorgerson was an English graphic designer and music video director. He is best known for closely working with the group Pink Floyd through most of their career, and also created album or other art for Led Zeppelin, Phish, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, Al Stewart, Scorpions, UFO, Peter Gabriel, the Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Yes, Kansas, Dream Theater, Muse, Audioslave, the Mars Volta, The Cranberries, Helloween, Ween, Shpongle and Catherine Wheel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flame (Cheap Trick song)</span> 1988 single by Cheap Trick

"The Flame" is a power ballad written by British songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham. The song was released in 1988 by the American rock band Cheap Trick and the first single from their tenth album Lap of Luxury.

Loud were a hard rock band with alternative rock, gothic rock and heavy metal influences, formed in Bradford, England in 1989.

"Crank" is a song by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released 28 June 1993 by Fontana Records. It was the first single from their 1993 album Chrome. The song remains one of the most popular songs from Catherine Wheel.

<i>Painful Thing</i> 1991 EP by Catherine Wheel

Painful Thing is an EP by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released in May 1991 on Wilde Club Records. The EP was mixed by Simon Davey at Purple Rain Studios in Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not the Only One (Fiction Factory song)</span> 1985 single by Fiction Factory

"Not the Only One" is a song by new wave band Fiction Factory, released in 1985 as the lead single from the band's second and final album, Another Story. The song was written and produced by Kevin Patterson and Chic Medley.

References

  1. 1 2 "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork . 24 October 2016. p. 5. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Broscheid, James (18 November 2018). "Catherine Wheel revisited – an interview with Dave Hawes". The Big Takeover . Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  3. ↑ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, eds. (2002). "Catherine Wheel". AllMusic Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Backbeat Books. p. 192. ISBN   0-87930-653-X.
  4. 1 2 "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . 11 September 1993. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard . 11 September 1993. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  6. ↑ Rabid, Jack. "Chrome – Catherine Wheel". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  7. ↑ DiMartino, Dave (6 August 1993). "Chrome". Entertainment Weekly . p. 58. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Catherine Wheel: Chrome". NME . 17 July 1993. p. 31.
  9. ↑ "Catherine Wheel: Chrome". Q . No. 84. September 1993. p. 80.
  10. ↑ "Catherine Wheel: Chrome". Melody Maker . 24 July 1993. p. 34.
  11. ↑ Rabid, Jack. "Catherine Wheel". Trouser Press . Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Robinson, Anna (2003). "Catherine Wheel". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. pp. 179–80. ISBN   1-8435-3105-4.
  13. ↑ Fisher, Joseph (15 September 2010). "Definitely Maybe the Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s". PopMatters . Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  14. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.