from the rough guide to rock :
formed yeovil, england, 1988; disbanded 1994.
the family cat -paul
frederick (vocals/guitar), stephen jelbert (lead guitar),
tim mcvay (rhythm guitar), john graves (bass) and kevin
downing (drums) - made their london debut in april 1989, and were
immediately signed up by john yates for his new bad girl label. their
first release in july of the same year, tom
verlaine, was an immediate success. an nme single
of the week, it featured layered guitars meandering over a hypnotic lead
and sturdy bassline, and did not disappoint those who had already
witnessed the band's blistering live shows.
the success of tom verlaine sent the band and
its producer, ex-jam drummer rick buckler, into the studio to record a
mini-lp, tell 'em we're surfin' (1989), but the results were
let down by a lacklustre production. as one review at the time put it,
'the family cat are snarling when they should be roaring'. buckler was
relieved of production duties and the band's next release, "remember what
it is that you love", was more indicative of their live sound, and showed
well in the indie charts. thanks to the distinctive artwork of iain
stronach, the family cat were also becoming as famous for their record
sleeves and highly original t-shirts as they were for their records. on an
upward curve, the band felt they had reached a point in their career where
bad girl was no longer big enough to support them and so, after releasing
a place with a name towards the end of 1990, they left to sign to
dedicated.
after a year of touring and recording, early
1992 heralded the release of steamroller, a sustained guitar-led
onslaught built on a staccato-style drum base. the music press hailed it
as a glorious return to form but its failure to make even the smallest of
dents on the chart set the scene for frustration in years ahead. the band
enlisted the help of polly harvey on backing vocals for
their next two singles, colour me grey and river of diamonds, but rave
reviews were accompanied by a confusing lack of
sales.
the band's second
album, furthest from the sun (1992), suffered the same fate,
disappearing after just one week in the lower reaches of the charts.
airplane gardens, released in august 1993, scraped the very foot of the
charts, then the family cat embarked on eight months of further recording
and gigging, before the release of their third album, magic
happens (1994). again, favourable reviews weren't matched by
commercial recognition. the single wonderful excuse almost hit the top
40, as did goldenbook, which was backed by the admirably titled bring
me the head of michael portillo. however, years of being unable to
convert media adulation into commercial success finally took its toll and,
frustrated and disillusioned, the family cat went their separate ways at
the end of 1994.
furthest from the sun (1992; dedicated/big
cat). the band's first full-length lp, and a solid progression from their
previous work. thumping soundscapes and cascading guitar-driven melodies
work magnificently on tracks such as colour me grey and with a war,
while the title track finds the band in a more poignant, soulful mood.
magic happens (1994; dedicated/big cat).
another progression, this captures the band in a more thoughtful state of
mind, perhaps brought on by their consistent inability to achieve
mainstream recognition. tracks such as amazing hangover and
rockbreaking show real depth, whilst gone, so long is perhaps the most
evocative track the band ever recorded.
andy lowe
taken from the rough guide to rock. © rough
guides ltd. first edition published aug 96 / nov 96 (usa)
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jason ankeny, all music -
formed in yeovil, england in
1988, the noisy family cat comprised vocalist paul
frederick, guitarists stephen jelbert and tim mcvay, bassist john
graves and drummer kevin downing. after making their london debut
the following april, the group was promptly signed to the fledgling
bad girl label, soon issuing their debut single tom verlaine to
widespread acclaim. with ex-jam member rick buckler handling
production chores, the family cat recorded their first mini-lp,
tell 'em we're surfin', in 1989; the follow-up, remember
what it is that you love, was also a major hit on the indie charts.
after releasing a place with a name at
the end of 1990, the family cat jumped to the dedicated label, and
spent the whole of 1991 on tour and in the studio. finally, in 1992
the steamroller single appeared to favorable reviews, but little
chart interest; a similar fate met the subsequent colour me grey
and river of diamonds, both of which featured backing vocals from
polly jean harvey. after 1992's furthest from the sun lp, the
family cat fell silent for close to a year, resurfacing in august
1993 with airplane gardens. another lengthy tour followed before
the release of 1994's magic happens; although both wonderful
excuse and goldenbook narrowly missed the u.k. top 40, the band,
having grown frustrated by its lack of success, separated soon after
the record's release.
guide
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nitsuh abebe, all music guide --
despite the
fact that furthest from the sun contains two tracks from the family
cat's steamroller ep, it fails to deliver on the entertainment that
record offered -- the lp certainly isn't bad, but it lacks the
appealing pop dedication that made the ep interesting.
the five tracks on the steamroller ep have a
fuzzy pop dedication and a vaguely post-punk/new-wave tone that would make
them completely at home on the soundtrack of a john hughes film -- the
band draws from britpop influences like a house and the psychedelic furs
(tom verlaine steals a guitar riff from all that money wants), and
winds up with a highly melodic sound that has some truly appealing
moments. two tracks, steamroller and color me gray wound up on 1993's
furthest from the sun lp -- a record which, strangely enough, isn't nearly
as entertaining as steamroller.
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personally,
i thought the family cat were amazing, i saw them many times in the years after
furthest from the sun
and was never dissapointed with their performance!
the record's vary in quality, but you really can't go wrong with either album.
of all the people i quote above, it is nitsuh i disagree with
the most, (he's done opinions for other band's and an 'expert' he is not). for
example 'furthest from the sun' contains the epic 'fire music', the pj harvey
fronted (though admittedly not in the album guise), 'color me grey' etc etc
etc.
the steamroller ep came out after it (in the uk), whether he means the us one
or not we don't know! etc etc etc...
sorry to nit pick but i spent a long time getting all this stuff and it bugs
me!
anyway, enjoy the site, hunt out the records and feel free to
mail
me!
- edmund.
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