Happy Days (album)

Last updated

Happy Days
CatherineWheelHappyDays.jpg
Studio album by
Released6 June 1995
Recorded1994
Studio Ridge Farm, Britannia Row, The Green House, Front Row, Nomis, Wessex Sound, The Crypt, The Church, Ft. Apache
Genre
Length62:13
Label Mercury, Fontana
Producer Gil Norton, Rob Dickinson
Catherine Wheel chronology
Chrome
(1993)
Happy Days
(1995)
Like Cats and Dogs
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Entertainment Weekly A [3]

Happy Days is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel. [4] [5] 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. [6]

Contents

"Judy Staring at the Sun" featured guest vocals by Tanya Donelly. [7] On the single mix, Donelly performed the song's chorus and second verse; on the album, however, her vocals appeared only in the chorus, and all verses were sung by Rob Dickinson. The single peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart; second single "Waydown" peaked at number 15 on the Modern Rock chart and number 24 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and was also the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 163.

Track listing

All tracks written by Rob Dickinson and Brian Futter.

  1. "God Inside My Head" – 3:52
  2. "Waydown" – 3:14
  3. "Little Muscle" – 3:04
  4. "Heal" – 6:13
  5. "Empty Head" – 3:12
  6. "Receive" – 3:35
  7. "My Exhibition" – 2:27
  8. "Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck" – 8:06
  9. "Shocking" – 3:58
  10. "Love Tips Up" – 3:55
  11. "Judy Staring at the Sun" – 3:56
  12. "Hole" – 3:49
  13. "Fizzy Love" – 3:34
  14. "Glitter" – 4:10 (exclusive to vinyl edition, UK, and Australian CD edition)
  15. "Kill My Soul" – 5:10

Personnel

Technical

Singles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Throwing Muses</span> American alternative rock band

Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects.

<i>Lovesongs for Underdogs</i> 1997 studio album by Tanya Donelly

Lovesongs for Underdogs is the solo debut album by American singer Tanya Donelly, who had formerly recorded with Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly. It was released on September 9, 1997. Two singles were released for promotion of the album. "Pretty Deep" was released in July 1997, while "The Bright Light" was released in October 1997. In the U.S both 4AD released singles were released in two parts, each including 2 newly released B-Sides. "Pretty Deep" featured "Spaghetti", "Morna", "These Days" and "Influenza". "The Bright Light" featured "Bury My Heart", "How Can You Sleep?", "Life On Sirius" and "Moon Over Boston". A music video for each single was produced and aired on Vh1 and MTV2. Both videos differed highly in creative and artistic direction from previous Belly videos and exclusively featured Tanya solo, in movie like settings. "Pretty Deep" and "The Bright Light" enjoyed heavy airplay on Triple A radio stations in the U.S Northeast. "Lovesongs For Underdogs" peaked at #36 on the Official UK Albums Chart for 2 weeks upon its release. The singles, "Pretty Deep" and "The Bright Light" peaked at #55 and #65 for 2 weeks each upon their 2 CD Single releases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Donelly</span> American musician

Tanya Donelly is an American Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England who co-founded Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersh. Donelly went on to co-form the alternative rock band The Breeders in 1989, before leaving to front her own band Belly in 1991. By the late 1990s, she settled into a solo recording career, working largely with musicians connected to the Boston music scene.

<i>Pod</i> (The Breeders album) 1990 studio album by the Breeders

Pod is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released by 4AD records on May 29, 1990. Engineered by Steve Albini, the album features band leader Kim Deal on vocals and guitar, Josephine Wiggs on bass, Britt Walford on drums, and Tanya Donelly on guitar. Albini's production prioritized sound over technical accomplishment; the final takes favor the band's spontaneous live "in studio" performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do Me Bad Things</span>

Do Me Bad Things are a nine-piece English blues/rock/soul/metal band from Croydon, London, England, who formed in 2003 and split up in January 2006 before recently re-forming in early 2015.

<i>Chrome</i> (Catherine Wheel album) 1993 studio album by Catherine Wheel

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.

<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 single was "Sparks Are Gonna Fly".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Part Chimp</span> British rock band

Part Chimp is an English noise rock band from Camberwell, London, that was formed by Tim Cedar, Jon Hamilton and Nick Prior in 2000. Their current line-up is Tim, Jon (drums), Joe McLaughlin (bass), Robin Freeman (bass), and Iain Hinchliffe (guitar).

"Freddy Kreuger" [sic] is the fifth single by Surrey-based rock band Reuben, and the second single taken from their debut album Racecar Is Racecar Backwards. The song's title refers to Freddy Krueger, the horror protagonist from Wes Craven's slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street, but is misspelled. It was released in June 2004, and was the first release on XtraMile/Sony, whom the band had at last signed a proper record deal with. The single was released on CD and 7" vinyl format, and reached #53 in the UK charts. It also made the #1 spot on the Chain With No Name independent chart, and Zane Lowe made it his Radio 1 single of the week. It was Reuben's first track to be playlisted on XFM and their first track to be played on Mary Anne Hobbs’ Rock Show. It was also played on Virgin Radio sporadically.

<i>For LP Fans Only</i> 1959 compilation album by Elvis Presley

For LP Fans Only is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on February 6, 1959 by RCA Victor. It compiled previously released material from an August 1956 recording session at 20th Century Fox Stage One, a September 1956 session at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, sessions on January 10 and 11 at the RCA Victor Studios in Nashville, two more at the RCA Victor Studios in New York, and multiple sessions at Sun Studio. The album reached number 19 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feed the Tree</span> 1993 single by Belly

"Feed the Tree" is a song by American alternative rock band Belly, released as the band's first single from their debut album, Star, in 1993. It is the band's biggest hit, reaching number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. According to lead singer Tanya Donelly, the song is a metaphor about commitment and respect, with the tree being a place on a large farm where a family would be buried.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shake Your Head</span> 1983 song by Was (Not Was)

"Shake Your Head" is a song by American pop rock group Was. It was originally released in 1983 on the album Born to Laugh at Tornadoes. In 1992, it was re-recorded and remixed by house music producer Steve "Silk" Hurley, and features actress Kim Basinger alongside a re-recorded Ozzy Osbourne on vocals. It appears on the group's compilation album, Hello Dad... I'm in Jail.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skinny Minnie</span>

"Skinny Minnie" is a 1958 song co-written and recorded by Bill Haley and his Comets. The song was released as a Decca single which became a Top 40 chart hit in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chrome Cranks</span>

The Chrome Cranks are an American punk-styled blues band based in New York City. They were originally formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1988. The core membership consists of singer-guitarist Peter Aaron, guitarist William Gilmore Weber III, drummer Bob Bert, and bassist Jerry Teel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter (Love and Money song)</span> 1991 single by Love and Money

"Winter" is a song by Scottish band Love and Money, which was released in 1991 as the third and final single from their third studio album Dogs in the Traffic. The song was written by James Grant and produced by Steve Nye. "Winter" reached No. 52 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Know Why I Love You (The House of Love song)</span> 1989 single by the House of Love

"I Don't Know Why I Love You" is a song from English alternative rock band the House of Love, which was released by Fontana in the UK in 1989 as the second single from their second studio album The House of Love (1990). The song was written by Guy Chadwick, and produced by Stephen Hague and Dave Meegan. "I Don't Know Why I Love You" peaked at number 41 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby (Lloyd Cole song)</span> 1995 song by Lloyd Cole

"Baby" is a song by English singer, songwriter and musician Lloyd Cole, released in 1996 as the third and final single from his fourth studio album Love Story. The song was written by Cole and produced by Stephen Street, Adam Peters and Cole. It peaked at number 99 in the UK Singles Chart and remains his last top 100 entry to date.

References

  1. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Catherine Wheel - Happy Days Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  2. Sacher, Andrew (12 June 2021). "30 essential songs from the shoegaze / heavy crossover". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  3. Brod, Doug (23 June 1995). "Happy Days". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  4. Pareles, Jon (25 August 1995). "POP REVIEW; Pushing Mope-Rock With Punk Muscle". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 180. ISBN   978-1-84353-105-0 via Google Books.
  6. Rabid, Jack. "Catherine Wheel". Trouser Press . Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  7. Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   978-0-87930-607-6 via Google Books.