Him:- I Meow that’s ‘ what I call music!
Richard Heggie purr-uses a new CD that aims to bring Scottish rock bands the attention they deserve.
The launch of a new Scottish record label always gives cause for celebration. The latest foray into the scary world of album sales is being made by Catscratch Records. an enterprise which is run by energetic rock entrepreneur Robert Fields and is closely linked with Glasgow‘s Cathouse Rock Club.
The first Catscratch release is a sixteen-track compilation CD. which is blessed with the dodgy title The Gathering Of The Clans and is due for release in early September. Collections of unsigned bands tend to conjure up images of hopeless strummers giving it laldy. in the tragically optimistic dream that an important music-biz person might happen to discover them. Consider that these ‘hopeless strummers‘ include such cult-luminaries as Crisis. Dunderfunk and many. many more (sic). and the suspicion grows that Catscratch are not purveyors ofsows' cars.
‘This CD will surprise a lot of people who don‘t realise what a wealth of unsigned talent there is up here,‘ says Robert Fields. who personally picked the eight bands and is now intent on helping them chip away at the austere structures of the established Scottish music scene.
‘I’ve put the whole thing together to bring to the attention of the music media and the music business in general. especially in the south of England, that there‘s more to Scottish rock music than Simple Minds and Deacon Blue. The Ca Va Sessions was supposed to do something like this. but it was all stufflike Carol Laula. There were no
The Crows
real rock bands.‘
By real rock bands. Fields means anything from the mainstream rock ofThe Crows to the thrash-based power—metal of the now-departed Drunken State, the radical nouveau rhythm-rock of the aforementioned geniuses Crisis and Dunderfunk and the confused but alluring inelegance ofsub-punks Gobstopper.
Don't be frightened off by the term ‘rock‘. Also present are Dr Pop and Re-Al with their respective animated dance frenzies and solid melodic pop-rock. whilst Adam 8 l 2 offer. according to Fields. a cross ‘between The Dan Reed Network and Hot Chocolate‘.
Such is his confidence. he is already enthusiastically talking ofa second compilation CD. which he hopes will feature Angel Heart. 'I'rumpetworm. Marsha Fresca and many. many more (etc). In the longer term. releases by . individual bands may follow.
j ‘We‘ve made all our mistakes and had all our
teething troubles putting this one together. so we
3 know what we‘re doing now. We‘ll learn from our mistakes.‘
l
: Bands from The Gathering Of The ( 'luns play The l Albert Hall. Stirling on 511122 and The ( 'uthouse
| Glasgow on 510123 and M02124.
Crisis
irom revered definitive C-86 architects g The Lott sat there y’know, togged up to
V LIVE 3 the nines in all the genuine gear. THE ROCKINGBIRDS You‘re not trying to say he regards this
as any more than a iilI-in stopgap in his King Tut’s, Glasgow, 14 Aug.
llourishing indie career, are you? Yup,
For all the emotionally dispossessed. sure am, pardner. The question is not for all aspiring bar-room cynics, tor all 5 why, but why not? the "hellth captives 0' lhe .1 The Rockingbirds have managed to brandy/wine/trendv Ellfelleeh latte! tend oil disbeliel and mistrust bottle, K00“ Bl" Authentic Tribute l because. apart from the patenfly Bands Inc proudly present those I
|
honesty, and a serial" Uhdefs‘ehdihil l next to the cheery chugathon ‘Jonathan that the songwriter has tattered on the i Jonathan’ urine purer bluegrass of "lawn" Dieeipiee lhel is en achv. i current single ‘Gradually Learning'. hreakv heerl- And Vocalist Nah TVIeT. ; Sadly, their contribution to the 4 reminiscent otThe Primevals' Michael 3 ionhcoming nigm Said Fred covers Ep ' Rooney with his disheveiled, i ‘Deeply Dippy’ is kept under wraps; ; debauched Ianguor. cuts a particularly . instead they roll out Big Star's ‘Free convincing dipsomaniac tigure. ‘ Again’ and, dam it, their own
The Reeklnghifds mean it mall. and celebratory material pisses all over it. they’ve heffewed The Mekehs' heSSisl The good life is out there somewhere a! She"l heliee and dispensed Wllh e and The Rockingbirds intend to lasso it seendeheek due '0 Pfessllfe 0' lime. and make it theirs - and yours, humble
i i_ lust 10 display lhelf ‘lhe Show must 90 conspirators in the United lnebriate : on‘ commitment. Actuallythey broke , From, (Fiona Shepherd)
l
‘
obvious reason that they are territic patrons oi the pedal steel, those lush enienainers, the mm or Iotharios, those caring Camden
. newly-imbibed sasparilla on a singer's cowboys, The Rockingbirds. This is a husky breath coupled with slide guitar game, right? That’s the ex-drummer
accompaniment traditionally betokens
down on the motorway but that’s neither romantic nor important, not I
The List-i7. '1’: fiao‘gfifi'iész 81
l ;