Pack Up the Cats

Last updated

Pack Up the Cats
LocalHPackUpTheCats.jpg
Studio album by
Local H
ReleasedSeptember 1, 1998
RecordedApril–May 1998
StudioRTB Audio Visual Productions (Lake Havasu City, Arizona)
Genre
Length47:38
Label Island
Producer Roy Thomas Baker
Local H chronology
As Good as Dead
(1996)		Pack Up the Cats
(1998)		 The '92 Demos
(1999)
Singles from Pack Up the Cats
  1. "All the Kids Are Right"
    Released: August 1998
  2. "All-Right (Oh, Yeah)"
    Released: 1998

Pack Up the Cats is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Local H, released on September 1, 1998, through Island Records. It was their last album released on Island before they split from the label, as well as the last album with original drummer Joe Daniels. [2] Local H described the album as "our little concept record about a shitty mid-level band". [3] The album was released around the time when PolyGram, the parent label of Island, merged with Universal, causing the album to be all but forgotten during the transition.

Contents

Production

Pack Up the Cats was recorded in the space of six weeks between April and May 1998 at RTB Audio Visual Productions in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. [4] [5] [6] In May 1998, the band mixed the album at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, Georgia. [5] [6] The album's working title was That Fucking Cat. [4] [6] The album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who was chosen in part because Local H was listening to classic rock while writing the songs for Pack Up the Cats. [7] The band was hoping for a huge rock sound that wasn't overly polished. [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Chicago Sun-Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [10]
Entertainment Weekly A− [11]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [13]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Village Voice A− [16]
Wall of Sound 77/100 [17]

The Hartford Courant wrote that the band has "lightened their sludgy sound on the surprisingly strong 15-track Pack Up the Cats by emphasizing melodic strength over brute force." [18] The Sydney Morning Herald noted the "air of clipped, hard wariness" and wrote that "Local H's small-sized wall of sound has been marshalled without grandeur." [8] The Morning Call praised the "chunky, jagged, joke's-on-me songs about the psychic dislocation that is part and parcel of the power duo's love affair with rock 'n' roll." [19] In his review for Rolling Stone , Robert Christgau called the album "an impassioned testament of the endangered alt life." [14] Less than two weeks after the review's publication, he stated in his Village Voice Consumer Guide: "At first I was just glad to ascertain they [Local H] weren't a fluke. Now I think they've gone and made themselves the straight rock album of the year." [16]

Pack Up the Cats was ranked No. 20 on Spin's list of the 20 best albums of 1998, [20] No. 17 on Robert Christgau's 1998 Dean's List, [21] and No. 2 on Greg Kot's list of the best albums of 1998. [22]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."All-Right (Oh, Yeah)"3:09
2."'Cha!' Said the Kitty"2:57
3."Lucky"0:48
4."Hit the Skids or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Rock"4:38
5."500,000 Scovilles"1:36
6."What Can I Tell You?"4:52
7."Fine and Good"4:08
8."Lead Pipe Cinch"1:04
9."Cool Magnet"4:07
10."She Hates My Job"4:08
11."Stoney"1:41
12."Laminate Man"3:17
13."All the Kids Are Right"3:48
14."Deep Cut"2:26
15."Lucky Time"4:59
Total length:47:38

Bonus disc

  1. "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" (AC/DC cover) - 4:52
  2. "Answering Machine" - 7:41

Personnel

Personnel per liner notes. [5]

Local H
Guest musicians
Production

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [23] 140
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [23] 7

Related Research Articles

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

Wilco is an American rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004 the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released thirteen studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with the Minus 5.

<i>The Band</i> (album) 1969 studio album by the Band

The Band, also known as The Brown Album, is the second studio album by the Canadian-American rock band the Band, released on September 22, 1969, by Capitol Records. According to Rob Bowman's liner notes for the 2000 reissue, The Band has been viewed as a concept album, with the songs focusing on people, places and traditions associated with an older version of Americana. Thus, the songs on this album draw on historic themes for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "King Harvest " and "Jawbone".

<i>Starless and Bible Black</i> 1974 studio album / live album by King Crimson

Starless and Bible Black is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released in March 1974 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It features most of the personnel which appeared on the group's preceding album, Larks' Tongues in Aspic, with only percussionist Jamie Muir not returning, and is the band's final album with violinist David Cross as a member, although he would appear on one track on Red. Much of the album was recorded live and edited together with studio recordings and overdubs. The album includes multiple fully improvised pieces.

<i>Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots</i> 2002 studio album by the Flaming Lips

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporating acoustic guitars and rhythms influenced by hip hop and top 40 music. The album was well-received critically and commercially, helping the band break into popularity, and was adapted into a musical in 2012. In 2022, the band announced a 20th anniversary box set version of the album and that they would perform the album in full twice in early 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Christgau</span> American music journalist (born 1942)

Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West. He was the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice for 37 years, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music; he was a visiting arts teacher at New York University. CNN senior writer Jamie Allen has called Christgau "the E. F. Hutton of the music world—when he talks, people listen."

<i>Cant Buy a Thrill</i> 1972 studio album by Steely Dan

Can't Buy a Thrill is the debut studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released in November 1972, by ABC Records. It was written by band members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and recorded in August 1972 at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles with producer Gary Katz. The album is one of Steely Dan's most stylistically eclectic, encompassing the sounds of soft rock, pop rock and jazz-rock, alongside philosophical, elliptical lyrics.

<i>As Good as Dead</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Local H

As Good as Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Local H. Following lackluster sales of their debut, Ham Fisted, and under pressure from their label Island Records, the band quickly returned to the studio to record their follow-up. Released on April 16, 1996, As Good as Dead is a concept album about dead-end, small-town life based on the band's origins in Zion, Illinois. The album was positively received by critics and became an unexpected success behind its second single, "Bound for the Floor", and it ultimately sold over 320,000 copies. As Good as Dead produced three other singles: "High-Fiving MF", "Eddie Vedder", and "Fritz's Corner". It remains Local H's best-selling album to date.

<i>Resolver</i> (Veruca Salt album) 2000 studio album by Veruca Salt

Resolver is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Veruca Salt. It was released on May 16, 2000, on Beyond Records, followed by an Australian release on December 6, 2002. The album was the first for the band after the departure of all the founding members but Louise Post, who became the band's sole frontwoman.

<i>Beggars Banquet</i> 1968 studio album by the Rolling Stones

Beggars Banquet is the seventh U.K. and ninth U.S. studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and by London Records in the United States. It was the first Rolling Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, whose production work formed a key aspect of the group's sound throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

<i>Between the Buttons</i> 1967 studio album by the Rolling Stones

Between the Buttons is the fifth British and seventh American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and 10 February in the US. Reflecting the band's brief foray into psychedelia and baroque pop balladry during the era, the album is among their most eclectic works; multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones frequently abandoned his guitar during the sessions in favour of instruments such as organ, marimba, dulcimer, vibraphone, kazoo, and theremin. Keyboard contributions came from two session players: former Rolling Stones member Ian Stewart and frequent contributor Jack Nitzsche. Between the Buttons would be the last album produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, who had, to this point, acted as the band's manager and produced all of their albums.

<i>Eagles</i> (album) 1972 studio album by the Eagles

Eagles is the debut studio album by American rock band the Eagles. The album was recorded at London's Olympic Studios with producer Glyn Johns and released on June 1, 1972, by Asylum Records. It was an immediate success for the then-new band, reaching No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and achieving a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Three singles were released from the album, each reaching the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100: "Take It Easy", "Witchy Woman", and "Peaceful Easy Feeling". The band, starting with this album, played a major role in popularizing the country rock sound.

<i>Julie Ruin</i> 1998 studio album by Julie Ruin (Kathleen Hanna)

Julie Ruin is the debut solo album by Kathleen Hanna, released on September 29, 1998, through Kill Rock Stars. She recorded the album in 1997 whilst taking a break from Bikini Kill. Hanna recalled:

[It] was made as Bikini Kill was in breaking up, a guy who worked across the street from my apartment building was stalking me and I was being treated, in my own community, like a historical oddity. The solo record helped me remember that I was just a fucking person who liked being creative.

<i>The Rolling Stones, Now!</i> 1965 studio album by the Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones, Now! is the third American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 13 February 1965 by their initial American distributor, London Records. Although it contains two previously unissued songs and an alternative version, the album mostly consists of songs released earlier in the United Kingdom, as well as the group's recent single in the United States, "Heart of Stone" backed with "What a Shame". Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote four of the songs on the album, with the balance composed by American rhythm and blues and rock and roll artists.

<i>Aftermath</i> (Rolling Stones album) 1966 album by the Rolling Stones

Aftermath is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The group recorded the album at RCA Studios in California in December 1965 and March 1966, during breaks between their international tours. It was released in the United Kingdom on 15 April 1966 by Decca Records and in the United States in late June by London Records. It is the band's fourth British and sixth American studio album, and closely follows a series of international hit singles that helped bring the Stones newfound wealth and fame rivalling that of their contemporaries the Beatles.

<i>Get Up with It</i> 1974 compilation album by Miles Davis

Get Up with It is an album by American jazz musician Miles Davis. Released by Columbia Records on November 22, 1974, it collected previously unreleased material that Davis had recorded between 1970 and 1974, some of which dated from the sessions for his studio albums Jack Johnson (1971) and On the Corner (1972).

<i>Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?</i> 2004 studio album by Local H

Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles is the fifth studio album by the alternative rock band Local H. It was released on April 6, 2004, on Studio E Records. It received an Australian release doubled with Alive '05 on July 16, 2007. "California Songs" and "Hey, Rita" have become staples at many of Local H's live performances. The album is Scott Lucas' favourite Local H record.

<i>White Music</i> 1978 studio album by XTC

White Music is the debut studio album by the English rock band XTC, released on 20 January 1978. It was the follow-up to their debut, 3D EP, released three months earlier. White Music reached No. 38 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned the single "Statue of Liberty", which was banned by BBC Radio 1 for the lyric "In my fantasy I sail beneath your skirt". In April 1978, the group rerecorded "This Is Pop" as their third single.

<i>Number 5</i> (Steve Miller Band album) 1970 studio album by Steve Miller Band

Number 5 is the fifth studio album by American rock band Steve Miller Band. The album was released in July 1970, by Capitol Records. It is the last of the group's albums to feature original drummer Tim Davis. The album reached number 23 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

<i>Welcome to the Canteen</i> 1971 live album by Traffic

Welcome to the Canteen is the first live album by English rock band Traffic. It was recorded live at Fairfield Halls, Croydon and the Oz Benefit Concert in the canteen of the Polytechnic of Central London London, on 3 July 1971 and released in September of that year. It was recorded during Dave Mason's third stint with the band, which lasted only six performances.

Tom Hull is an American music critic, web designer, and former software developer. Hull began writing criticism for The Village Voice in the mid 1970s under the mentorship of its music editor Robert Christgau, but left the field to pursue a career in software design and engineering during the 1980s and 1990s, which earned him the majority of his life's income. In the 2000s, he returned to music reviewing and wrote a jazz column for The Village Voice in the manner of Christgau's "Consumer Guide", alongside contributions to Seattle Weekly, The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, NPR Music, and the webzine Static Multimedia.

References

  1. ↑ Martins, Jorge (December 25, 2023). "Top 10 Post-Grunge Albums From the '90s That Actually Stood the Test of Time". Ultimate Guitar . Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Local H - Here Comes The Zoo - On Second Thought - Stylus Magazine". March 29, 2006. Archived from the original on March 29, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Facebook . Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. 1 2 Fischer, Blair R. (April 15, 1998). "Local H Heading Back Into Studio: Local H : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Pack Up the Cats (booklet). Island Records. 1998. 314-524 549-2.
  6. 1 2 3 Layne, Anni (May 14, 1998). "Local H "Pack Up The Cats" For New Album: Local H : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  7. ↑ Ferguson, Jon (September 25, 1998). "How does all that splendid noise come from just two guys?". Happenings. Intelligencer Journal. p. 9.
  8. 1 2 Mathieson, Craig (November 27, 1998). "H Two Go". Metro. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 5.
  9. ↑ "Pack Up the Cats - Local H". AllMusic.
  10. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (September 1, 1998). "Local H, 'Pack Up the Cats'". Chicago Sun-Times . p. 28. ProQuest   258475835.
  11. ↑ Kim, Jae-Ha (September 4, 1998). "Music Review: 'Pack Up the Cats'". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ Fuoco, Christina (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 1127. ISBN   978-1-57859-061-2 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ Moon, Tom (September 6, 1998). "The Music Report" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . p. F10 – via newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (September 17, 1998). "Pack Up the Cats". Rolling Stone . No. 795. pp. 98, 100. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via robertchristgau.com.
  15. ↑ Kot, Greg (2004). "Local H". In Brackett, Nathan (ed.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide . Simon and Schuster. pp.  492–493. ISBN   9780743201698.
  16. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (September 29, 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . p. 68. Retrieved March 24, 2024– via robertchristgau.com.
  17. ↑ Graff, Gary. "Wall of Sound Review: Pack Up the Cats". Wall of Sound . Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  18. ↑ Orefice, Mat (September 7, 1998). "Pack Up the Cats Local H". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 7.
  19. ↑ Righi, Len (January 2, 1999). "1998: The Year in Review—Pop Music". The Morning Call. p. A29.
  20. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (January 1999). "Top 20 Albums of the Year". Spin . Vol. 15, no. 1. SPIN Media, LLC. p. 91.
  21. ↑ "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 1998: Dean's List". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  22. ↑ Kot, Greg (December 6, 1998). "Sound Decisions". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  23. 1 2 "Local H". Billboard . Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
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.