Cats In Space - Chapter 1 - Progressive Voyages Review PV053
Cats In Space – Chapter 1 – Progressive Voyages Review PV053
Cats In Space sit somewhere between the Progressive and Classic Rock genres, with much to their sound that could be exciting for followers of either style, Their music is very commercially oriented and is delivered with a style and swagger that makes them stand out, They wear their influences on their sleeve boldly and acknowledge freely the debt they owe to the likes of Queen, ELO and 10cc amongst others, their shows are electric, Theatrical and wholly enjoyable by those who see them live in their favourite setting, delivering their show to an enthusiastic audience, they thrive on stage and yes they certainly can deliver in a live setting.
The history of Cats In Space goes back to main man Greg Hart’s days in 80’s band Moritz and his decision in 2008 to release the Moritz demo’s this led to a further series of adventures for the band with also for Greg, The realisation that the AOR sound of Moritz was losing its appeal as he was writing material that was in a completely different vein (This being in a more 1970’s type feel and sound) so much so that needed it own outlet, this was originally envisaged as a solo project for Greg however it was suggested by Steevi Bacon that Greg should take this sound on the road, This in turn led to the concept of Cats In Space emerging as a fully fledged concept to make music on their own terms, Greg subsequently parted ways with Moritz who elected not to embrace Greg's new vision for the band, The parting was amicable and so it was that in 2015 Cats In Space released their debut album Too Many Gods, This is the first album in this box set of the first chapter of the Cats story, here which has been Remastered with 2 bonus tracks added, As the album has long been out of print, so its re-emergence in this set is most welcome indeed.
For any that don’t know, Cats In Space’s music has a definite 1970’s vibe to it, you can hear those influences very clearly, it’s not a copy but is more a case of being “heavily influenced” by music.
This first album certainly sets the bar at a high level with such great songs as Mr Heartache and Unfinished Symphony which have more than a hint of Thunder in the style and dynamics, the production is great, very balanced and layered sound with good separation and lots of intricate touches that taken together make the album sound really good, the 70’s vibe is strong but it’s really more about the material that Cats In Space make being really delightful and strong.
Oh did I mention that this album has the Cats classic Greatest Story Never Told. A song they always play at every show. The track Only In Vegas has ELO stamped all over it it’s a catchy and memorable song with good use of a vocoder and a great guitar riff. The more I hear of this album you can hear the strength and influence of Jeff Lynne, who Cats were scheduled to support on the final cancelled ELO show recently. Five Minute Celebrity is another sprightly rocking song, with a strong driving rhythm and a terrific sound including a voice box!
This has everything bar the kitchen sink in it and yes it sounds glorious truly glorious
The bonus tracks on this album include a cover of Slade’s How Does It Feel with Danny Bowes of Thunder providing the excellent vocals and the previously unreleased Scandalous,
The album is a great introduction to the concept behind Cats In Space. Its a bone fide classic album that is certainly due for re evaluation for the gem it truly is.
The next album is the Sophomore release of Scarecrow which again has 2 bonus tracks namely an acoustic version of September Rain and an alternative vocal version of Felix And The Golden Sun.
The Scarecrow album raised the bar even higher for Cats In Space garnering praise from Queen’s Brian May who spoke highly of how the band sounded both live and, on their recordings, High praise indeed and not undeserved either., Brian felt that Cats injected some much-needed fun into modern music, with great songs good musicianship and strong performance values. A sentiment that continues to drive them today there is a lot of joy in their music an appreciation for what has gone before and a positivity for the future it transcends the music and helps form an ethos of the band that it is a partnership with the fans.
Seeking that helps make the band the force they are, it is really very refreshing and good to know that your support is so valued in this way, I guess that the way the “music industry” has changed has called for a new way of gaining supporters and followers and this home grown ethos certainly works for this particular group of musicians who form Cats In Space. The albums epic is the title track Scarecrows which enjoys and benefits from it’s extended length of nearly seven and a half minutes, this is an up-tempo number with great musical interludes in its composition including some honky tonk style piano, power chords and soaring synthesiser lines this is very progressive in nature with definite touches of Genesis “Duke era” stylings, A good use of sound effects adds to the great sounds on offer here. Its a tremendous track that shows Cats at their finest, absolutely brilliant song and performance.
The next album is a live snapshot captured in Cardiff on Cats live whilst on a support slot for Thunder, This Seven song mini album captures Cats In Space in their element before a paying crowd and gaining new friends in the process, the sound is clear and well fixed capturing the band in full flight and sounding very impressive indeed, the sets are culled from the Too Many Gods and Scarecrow albums, this is high energy Rock and Roll the band are certainly on fire here, very dynamic and sounding great. The likes of Only In Vegas and Mad Hatter’s Tea Party sound incredible live very powerful and dynamic, The Greatest Story Never Told fares well here too, it’s the longest track on the album at 8 minutes 25 seconds this time is used well making this epic track a highlight of the show, this is followed by the closer Five Minute Celebrity, which has some audience participation, including a brief drum solo from Steevi Bacon before a fine guitar part from Greg Hart and Dean Howard, the outro tape is The Aristocrats which is entirely appropriate the cats delivered a blistering experience for the 4000 who were in attendance in Cardiff.
The last albums of this set is the splendid Day Trip To Narnia their third full length album again they manage to raise the bar yet again with this great selection of songs, including a Seven-part epic entitled Johnny Rocket that takes up whole second part of the album,
The part of the album begins with an introductory song called Space Overture, which acts as a sort of introduction to the Johnny Rocket story, this song name checks lots of space related TV shows like Lost In Space (the Robinsons family), The clangers (Soup dragons) in order to create some context for what follows
Thunder in the night is next and this is a totally over the top track with an almost disco beat, Yet somehow this really works well here its certainly catchy with a fine chorus, Cats are not afraid to uses different genres in their songs, After all it’s the songs that matter here One Small Step has elements of 10CC to it , which is not surprising considering that Mick Wilson was involved with 10cc in the past. Twilight has a touch of ELO in its orchestrations and use of the vocoder, it’s certainly a very strong and memorable song. You have to admire Cats In Space for not taking themselves too seriously and also for the epic production in their songs, OK it might sound a little overblown and cheesy but it is such good fun and feel-good music you can’t help but smile and be impressed by it all.
Yesterday’s News is a gentler song with good emotional impact especially in the fine vocal from Paul Manzi, its a power ballad really and a good one at that. Destination Unknown ends the Johnny Rocket story with an upbeat song about life love hopes and dreams and making an escape to a new life together.
Bonus tracks are a cover of Led Zeppelins Communication Breakdown which puts the ŕaunch back up to 10, it’s a fine cover done Cats style, the other bonus is the 12” Mix of Thunder In The Night which is just great fun, very Disco sounding in style but it is so well done here, this is a really good track that shows the strength of the song.
So there you have it, this is a most impressive set of albums all of which can only show that Cats In Space do have some to offer behind their cartoonish “Retro stylings” their sense of fun is admirable but the music they offer is seriously well considered performed and delivered with style and panache.
This is very enjoyable and worth hearing for yourself
Info here: Cats in Space: Chapter 1, 4CD Remastered Box Set https://share.google/0OM6RezPJJBmIm3Np