lambchops's Full Review: Happy Days by Catherine Wheel
Catherine Wheel was a band that lurked on the outskirts of mainstream success throughout the 1990s. Their pop melodies fused nicely with the murky guitar goodness of their shoegazing roots. At the same time this diversity was a musical strength, it was also what kept them off the charts stateside.
Only once in their decade-long run did Catherine Wheel really make any impact. There were a few songs that grazed the charts and earned them some kudos, but it was with Waydown from 1995’s Happy Days that mainstream America turned up their radios. The album only ever reached #163 on the Billboard 200 but it is the British band’s best selling release. The only other album in my collection from Catherine Wheel is 2000’s tragic Wishville. Happy Days is better than that fiasco but I still can’t help but feel let down by the uninspired affair.
Founding members Rob Dickinson (vocals, guitar), Brian Futter (guitar), Dave Hawes (bass guitar), and Neil Sims (drums) stuck with Catherine Wheel until their seemingly permanent hiatus in the early 2000s. The irony with Happy Days was that it wasn’t what the band’s “real” fans wanted--it was straightforward rock n’ roll with little of the dark shoegazing that listeners had come to expect. Despite the problems that this departure created for the band and the original fans, it bred a new base of listeners. Rock and roll fans were clamoring for the next big thing and it seemed for a moment that Catherine Wheel may be it.
Of course in retrospect that was a ridiculous thought. Happy Days boasts a sound that mixes an early Radiohead sound with post-grunge intensity ala Silverchair with a touch of the dramatics of Queensryche. There are moments when it works (as with Waydown) but then there are others that are falsely emotional and difficult to enjoy like My Exhibition. By and large, this is a mediocre album with a few flashes of brilliance and a few really awful songs. Overall Happy Days is fine, but nothing outstanding which really is confusing considering its relative popularity.
Maybe it’s obvious, but Waydown is the best, most energetic, and most original songs here. Heck—I think it’s one of the best ever from Catherine Wheel. I love that so much of it concentrates on Dickinson’s voice and the arrangement is relatively simple. It’s hip and it is high intensity and FUN. If it wasn’t for that song in the second spot I would have been really confused about the direction of the album. God Inside My Head is a loud, metal-tinged song that is fine enough, I suppose, but lacks any real spark or heart. This distinct lack of that “something special” and the overall lack of originality are what make me really question the overall appeal of Happy Days.
Aside from Waydown I like just two other songs. Heal is a pure, mid-tempo song that doesn’t try too hard to be “heavy” or “intense.” I appreciate that it is emotionally honest and steps away from the direction the band was going on this album. The second song I really enjoy is (unfortunately) toward the end. It takes patience to reach the final few songs. The reward for doing is the lesser known single Judy Staring At The Sun. Taking the best of the rock, best of the pop melodies, and best of the vocals this song is definitely appealing. Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, The Breeders, Belly) is featured in the duet—her echoing and beautiful voice is the perfect compliment to Dickinson’s throaty sound.
I hate to not really go any further with this review but it is hard to say much about the other songs. A major problem is that I hear bits of The Verve Pipe throughout. I highly doubt either was influenced by the other, but there is a sound that is common throughout both. The pop is there, Dickinson’s voice is similar to Brian Vander Ark, and the guitars are prominent. I don’t particularly like The Verve Pipe and as a result I find it nearly impossible to stomach Happy Days as a complete album. For most of the disc I’m just left unfeeling and uncaring. The songs are even-keel and hollow (save for the few I’ve mentioned). They use similar equations—mid to fast tempo arrangements, punching vocals, and heavy guitars. Some songs toss in a little metal, a few use grunge, a few toss in a little blues, and a few return vaguely to shoegazing however as a whole Happy Days is tired. It is also clinical, pretentious, and angst-ridden which is in the end what sinks the effort.
Catherine Wheel leaves me nearly completely unwilling to check out their other albums. I’ve found very little to enjoy on Happy Days and Wishville though I do fully realize that Chrome (1993) is regarded as their best album and others like Ferment (1992) and Adam and Eve (1997) are better than the discs I own. In the end, I’m just disappointed by Happy Days. I can’t help but think that a good majority of the folks who bought the album when it was released on the strength of Waydown reacted similarly.
Rating: 2/5 stars
01. God Inside My Head
02. Waydown
03. Little Muscle
04. Heal
05. Empty Head
06. Receive
07. My Exhibition
08. Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck
09. Shocking
10. Love Tips Up
11. Judy Staring At The Sun
12. Hole
13. Fizzy Love
14. Kill My Soul
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