Equally Cursed and Blessed

Last updated

Equally Cursed and Blessed
Equally Cursed and Blessed.jpg
Studio album by
Catatonia
Released12 April 1999
Recorded1998–1999
Studio Monnow Valley (Monmouth, Wales)
Genre Pop, rock
Length44:49
Label Blanco y Negro
Producer TommyD and Catatonia
Catatonia chronology
International Velvet
(1998)		Equally Cursed and Blessed
(1999)		 The Crai-EPs 1993/1994
(1999)
Singles from Equally Cursed and Blessed
  1. "Dead from the Waist Down"
    Released: 29 March 1999
  2. "Londinium"
    Released: 12 July 1999
  3. "Karaoke Queen"
    Released: 1 November 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Alternative Press 3/5 [2]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [3]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
NME 6/10 [6]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Select 4/5 [8]
Spin 5/10 [9]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Equally Cursed and Blessed is the third studio album by Welsh band Catatonia, released in April 1999 via Blanco y Negro Records. It reached number one in the UK Album Chart, and three singles were released from it: "Dead from the Waist Down", "Londinium" and "Karaoke Queen".

Contents

Recording

While touring in the United States following the success of their second studio album, International Velvet , Catatonia recorded sample demos onto a DPS12 hard disk recorder in their tour bus upon the recommendation of their producer, TommyD. [11] They returned to the Monnow Valley Studio in Monmouth, Wales, [12] where they had recorded the previous album, [13] to record Equally Cursed and Blessed. [12]

Release and promotion

The album was announced in January 1999; the title taken from a line in the song "She's a Millionaire". The first single, "Dead from the Waist Down" was released on 29 March 1999, with the album released on 12 April. [14] [15] This repeated the release schedule used for International Velvet, which had been preceded by "Mulder and Scully" by the same period of time. [16]

Equally Cursed and Blessed faced competition from ABBA's 1992 compilation album Gold: Greatest Hits for the number one spot on the UK Album Chart, as the ABBA album had re-charted due to the success of the Mamma Mia! musical featuring the band's songs. But by midweek, the Catatonia album was 15,000 sales ahead and it went on to secure the top place in the chart. [17] [18] At the time, all three Catatonia studio albums were in the top 40. [18] Equally Cursed and Blessed went on to be certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry showing at least 300,000 copies sold. [19] The American release of the album saw two tracks from International Velvet added, including "Road Rage". [20]

Singles

The album spawned one top-10 single, "Dead from the Waist Down", which reached number seven. [17] The band had intended to release "Karaoke Queen" as the follow-up, but were overruled by the record label and they were forced to release "Londinium" on 12 July 1999 instead. [21] This angered lead singer Cerys Matthews, as did the expense of the video for the single which had cost more than Equally Cursed and Blessed took to make. [22] "Londinium" failed to reach the top ten, placing at number 20. "Karaoke Queen" was released as the third single on 1 November 1999 but stalled at number 36. [17] [23] "Nothing Hurts" was slated to be the fourth single release from the album but was shelved following the low chart placement of "Karaoke Queen". [24] For the release of the Make Hay Not War: The Blanco Y Negro Years boxset, released on Cherry Red in 2023, the song "Karaoke Queen" was removed from the reissue of this album at the band's request.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dead from the Waist Down" Mark Roberts, Catatonia 4:16
2."Londinium"Roberts, Catatonia4:36
3."Post Script" Cerys Matthews, Roberts, Catatonia4:56
4."She's a Millionaire"Roberts, Catatonia4:22
5."Storm the Palace"Mark Roberts, Catatonia2:38
6."Karaoke Queen (later removed from 2023)"Matthews, Catatonia5:06
7."Bulimic Beats"Matthews, Catatonia3:43
8."Valerian"Matthews, Catatonia4:21
9."Shoot the Messenger"Matthews, Paul Jones, Catatonia3:58
10."Nothing Hurts" Owen Powell, Catatonia3:11
11."Dazed, Beautiful and Bruised"Powell, Catatonia3:42
US release bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Road Rage"5:10
13."Mulder and Scully"4:10
14."Road Rage" (Enhanced video)4:18
Bonus one-sided 7" included with LP release
No.TitleLength
1."Nothing Hurts (live)"3:29
2015 reissue bonus disc [25]
No.TitleLength
1."Nothing Hurts" (live)3:29
2."Dead from the Waist Down" (radio edit)3:40
3."Branding a Mountain"1:57
4."Bad Bad Boy"2:49
5."Intercontinental Sigh"2:56
6."Apathy Revolution"4:20
7."Karaoke Queen" (remix)4:17
8."Don't Wanna Talk About It"3:35
9."Karaoke Queen" (remix edit)3:48
10."Karaoke Queen" (remix edit) (karaoke version)3:48
11."Dead from the Waist Down" (karaoke version)3:51

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] Platinum300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Damas, Jason. "Equally Cursed and Blessed – Catatonia". AllMusic . Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "Catatonia: Equally Cursed and Blessed". Alternative Press (142): 80. May 2000.
  3. ↑ Brunner, Rob (31 March 2000). "Equally Cursed and Blessed". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  4. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (9 April 1999). "Catatonia: Equally Cursed and Blessed (Blanco Y Negro)". The Guardian . p. 19.
  5. ↑ Perry, Tim (17 April 1999). "Pop: Album Reviews". The Independent . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (8 April 1999). "Catatonia – Equally Cursed And Blessed". NME . Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  7. ↑ Lechner, Ernesto (13 April 2000). "Catatonia: Equally Cursed and Blessed". Rolling Stone . p. 124. Archived from the original on 26 December 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  8. ↑ Perry, Andrew (May 1999). "Beyond good and evil". Select (107): 80.
  9. ↑ Wolk, Douglas (May 2000). "Catatonia: Equally Cursed and Blessed / Broadcast: The Noise Made by People". Spin . 16 (5): 160–62. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  10. ↑ Stephen, Dalton (May 1999). "What's new, pussycat?". Uncut . No. 24. p. 78.
  11. ↑ "TOMMY D: Recording Catatonia's 'Dead From The Waist Down'". Sound on Sound. May 1999. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 Owens 2000, p. 213.
  13. ↑ Owens 2000, pp. 167.
  14. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 29 March, 1999: Singles". Music Week . 27 March 1999. p. 23.
  15. ↑ Bychawski, Adam (25 January 1999). "Catatonia: Kung Fu and Curses". NME. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Owens 2000, p. 189.
  17. 1 2 3 "Catatonia". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  18. 1 2 Owens 2000, p. 229.
  19. ↑ "Certified Awards – Certification Levels". BPI. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  20. ↑ Jenkins, Mark (29 March 2000). "Catatonia: Time to Wake America". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016– via HighBeam Research.
  21. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 12 July, 1999: Singles". Music Week . 10 July 1999. p. 23.
  22. ↑ Bychawski, Adam (29 June 1999). "Cerys: We Hate 'Londinium'". NME. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 1 November, 1999: Singles". Music Week . 30 October 1999. p. 33.
  24. ↑ Owens 2000, p. 258.
  25. ↑ "Equally Cursed And Blessed". Demon Music Group. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  26. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Catatonia – Equally Cursed And Blessed". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  27. ↑ "Charts.nz – Catatonia – Equally Cursed And Blessed". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  28. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  30. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  31. ↑ "British album certifications – Catatonia – Equally Cursed And Blessed". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 12 December 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catatonia (band)</span> Welsh rock band

Catatonia were an alternative rock band from Wales who gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s. The band formed in 1992 after Mark Roberts met Cerys Matthews and Kirsty Kennedy. The first major lineup featured Dafydd Ieuan of Super Furry Animals on drums, Paul Jones on bass, and Clancy Pegg on keyboards. With this line-up the band recorded two EPs, For Tinkerbell and Hooked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerys Matthews</span> Welsh singer-songwriter (born 1969)

Cerys Elizabeth Matthews is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the "Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s.

<i>International Velvet</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Catatonia

International Velvet is the second album by Welsh band Catatonia. It was the band's breakthrough, reaching number 1 in the UK Albums Chart, spawning two Top 10 singles, "Mulder and Scully" and "Road Rage", three other Top 40 singles, "I Am the Mob", "Game On" and "Strange Glue", and catapulted the band and lead singer Cerys Matthews into the spotlight. Album sales reached 900,000, as it became one of the biggest selling albums of 1998 in the United Kingdom. The album was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulder and Scully (song)</span> 1998 single by Catatonia

"Mulder and Scully" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Catatonia, released as a single by Blanco y Negro Records from the band's second album, International Velvet (1998). The song makes direct reference to fictional FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, the two main characters of the popular American sci-fi TV series The X-Files who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In an interview Cerys Matthews, co-writer of the song, explained that while she was not a serious fan of the show, the basic premise of the series matched the concept of what she was trying to express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am the Mob</span> 1997 single by Catatonia

"I Am the Mob" is a song by Welsh rock band Catatonia from their album International Velvet. It became the band's second top 40 hit, peaking at No.40. The song's lyrics refer to the gangster movie The Godfather, with lines "I put horses' heads in people's beds, cause I am the Mob", and "That Luca Brasi: ah, he sleeps with the fishes".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strange Glue</span> 1998 single by Catatonia

"Strange Glue" is a song by Welsh rock group Catatonia. Written by guitarist Owen Powell, it was the band's fourth single to be released from International Velvet and charted at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. As a solo artist, lead singer Cerys Matthews later sang "Strange Glue" merged with the song "Galway Shawl" in concert.

"Karaoke Queen" is a song by Welsh rock group Catatonia taken from the album Equally Cursed and Blessed and inspired by the talent-TV show Stars in Their Eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road Rage (song)</span> 1998 single by Catatonia

"Road Rage" is a song recorded by Welsh band Catatonia, taken from their second studio album, International Velvet (1998). It was written by band member Mark Roberts, with the production credit given generally to the band. "Road Rage" was released as the third single from the album on 20 April 1998 by Blanco y Negro, following their breakthrough success with the song "Mulder and Scully". The title "Road Rage" was based on the murder of Lee Harvey by his girlfriend Tracie Andrews in December 1996, something for which singer Cerys Matthews later apologised to Harvey's mother.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Catatonia album) 2002 greatest hits album by Catatonia

Greatest Hits is a compilation album of Welsh alternative rock band Catatonia's best known songs, mainly the singles, but also includes collaborations between Cerys Matthews with Space and with Tom Jones himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TommyD</span> Musical artist

Tommy Asher Danvers, better known by his stage name TommyD, is a British producer, songwriter, arranger, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of NFT marketplace, Token||Traxx. He is best known for his work with artists such as Right Said Fred, Catatonia, KT Tunstall, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Graffiti6. He has also worked with Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Noel Gallagher, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kanye West, Jay Z, Beyoncé, Adele, Emeli Sandé, and fun.

Owen Powell is a Welsh guitarist. He played in the Welsh rock band Catatonia from 1995 until the band disbanded in 2001.

Aled Richards is a Welsh drummer and was a member of the Welsh rock band Catatonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game On (song)</span> 1998 single by Catatonia

"Game On" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Catatonia, released as the fifth and final single from their second studio album, International Velvet (1998), in October 1998. It was written by band members Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts and produced by TommyD and the band. Commercially, the song charted on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 33.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead from the Waist Down</span> 1999 single by Catatonia

"Dead from the Waist Down" is a song by Welsh rock band Catatonia, taken from their third studio album, Equally Cursed and Blessed. It was written by Mark Roberts with Catatonia and produced by the band and TommyD. Released on 29 March 1999, the song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and was the band's only song to chart in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 44.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Londinium (song)</span> 1999 single by Catatonia

"Londinium" is a song by Welsh band Catatonia from their third studio album, Equally Cursed and Blessed (1999). It was written by Mark Roberts with Catatonia and produced by TommyD and the band. Released on 12 July 1999, the song reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Stone by Stone" is a song recorded by the Welsh band Catatonia, taken from their fourth studio album, Paper Scissors Stone. It was written by Mark Roberts and the band, and produced by TommyD. It was released as their only single from that album in 2001.

"Lost Cat" is a song recorded by the Welsh band Catatonia, taken from their first studio album, Way Beyond Blue. It was written by Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts, and produced by Stephen Street.

"Sweet Catatonia" is a song recorded by the Welsh band Catatonia, taken from their first studio album, Way Beyond Blue. It was written by Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts, and produced by Paul Sampson and Stephen Street. The title of the track was the original name for the band.

<i>For Tinkerbell</i> 1993 EP by Catatonia

For Tinkerbell is the debut extended play by Welsh band Catatonia, and also their first release. It features five tracks, some of which were later re-recorded on their first studio album Way Beyond Blue. All the tracks were later compiled with those from the Hooked EP on The Crai-EPs 1993/1994.

"Whale" is the debut single by Welsh band Catatonia, released in 1994 as a non-album release on the Rough Trade label. It later appeared on the compilation album The Sublime Magic of Catatonia, and was re-recorded for Catatonia's first studio album, Way Beyond Blue.

References

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.