Walking the Cat
| Walking the Cat | ||||
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| Roger Chapman's studio album | ||||
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Publication |
1989 |
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| Label (s) | Maze Music / Polydor | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
11 (12) |
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running time |
45:31 (12 tracks) |
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| occupation |
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Byron Byrd |
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Studio (s) |
The Point and Terminal Studios / IBM Studios |
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Location (s) |
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Walking the Cat is Roger Chapman's eighth solo album . It was released in 1989 in Germany in two versions: on the Canadian label Maze Music with twelve tracks and on the German label Polydor , without the song Toys '89 , with eleven tracks. It is assigned to the genres of blues rock , alternative rock and pop rock . After the disappointing performance of Techno Prisoners on June 26, 1989, Walking the Cat was able to place itself in the German charts (peak position 55) and stayed there for a total of twelve weeks. It was Chapman's album that stayed in the charts the longest and also his last top 100 placement.
Music genre
Musically he tied back to his great love, R&B (rhythmically strongly accented blues) and used various musical styles (R&B variations) that can be assigned to rock , soul , reggae , country , funk and gospel . In addition to traditional shortlist musicians such as Tim Hinkley (keyboards), Nick Pentelow (keyboards) or Steve Simpson (guitar), guitarists Alvin Lee ( Ten Years After ), his former companion Bob Tench ( Streetwalkers , Jeff Beck Group ), were used for the record production , Humble Pie ) and Mick Rogers ( Manfred Mann's Earth Band ). Nevertheless, the album manages without a single drastic guitar solo. Instead, Chapman relied on harmonica and saxophone breaks in his songs, as well as strong bass lines and a background choir. The pieces of music were arranged in a melodious, poppy manner and therefore suitable for radio.
Chapman sings his songs according to his vocal repertoire. From a calm, calm voice ( The Fool ) to screaming ( Kick It Back ), his trademark.
The album was mixed by Terry Medhurst, who had made a name for himself with Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
The American R&B musician Byron Byrd (Sun) took over the production and some keyboard parts.
The album title Walking the Cat is, as is so often the case with Chapman, ambiguous and in connection with some of the songs can be translated as “going out with my girlfriend”, “having fun with a woman” or “having fun”.
The cover was designed by KITE and shows a crowd under a crescent moon in the style of abstract art .
The opening piece Kick It Back is a rhythmically strongly accentuated funky-rock piece of music and sings about the Saturday night party after exhausting work.
Son of Red Moon , the single from the album, is a fast-paced rock 'n' roll track. The sound is shaped by Lee's hard rhythm guitar and Mickey Moody's slide guitar. In terms of content, a romantic togetherness is sung about on moonlit night.
Stranger Than Strange was arranged as a soul piece, which is carried by Hinkley's keyboard. Chapman sings about the diversity of the human being, who can be anything, from the “sinner” to the “angel” and therefore sings about him as “stranger than strange”.
Just a Step Away (Let's Go) begins with a gospel intro and turns into a repetitive basic rhythm of the radio with a strong bass break. Chapman's singing is accompanied by a background choir. The main musical instrument is the saxophone. The world of fantasy and fairy tales is sung about, which is only one step away from each of us.
The Fool is a ballad by the American country singer Lee Hazlewood . Micky Moody's slide guitar underlines the calm atmosphere. The Fool is a man in the song who calls himself that because he left his wife and bitterly regretted it in the end.
Toys '89 is a remake of the song Toys: Do You? from the album Mango Crazy . Chapman's singing is striking in rap style. The title ironically addresses competition and pressure that is exerted on people in order to get the best possible place in society or to be able to compete with others.
Walking the Cat lives musically from the driving rhythm, incisive bass lines and Alvin Lee's guitar. The text is cryptic and ambiguous. It is about a musician who loves his music and about girls ("gals", "girls") who love his music and him.
J&D imitates a gospel song in reggae rhythm and with a hard break at the end of the song. The song then leads to a country outro with Steve Simpson's fiddle as the main instrument. Chapman plays questioningly with the idea of what if Jesus and the devil made a common cause.
Come the Dark Night is a blues with a saxophone solo by Nick Pentelow. Chapman himself did the backing vocals. Like the song Walking the Cat, the lyrics are cryptic and ambiguous. A typical textual blues scheme with negative content is sung about. A failed existence is compared to dark nights and waits for a new morning that can change everything for the better. There is a content reference to the song Shadow on the Wall ("Now when the night is over another day begins. [...] shed your identity and take another skin. [...]. Just a name and number, a shadow on the wall" ).
Hands Off features casual rock 'n' roll harmonies and an accentuated rhythm and is carried by Mark Feltham's mouth harmonica. The song deals ironically with a gangster who has to defend his territory and warns: "Hands Off ..." Skin of my wife; don't let me touch you; don't get caught ”).
Jivin ' is a classic R&B song with a driving bass. Lyrically, reference is made to the dance jive in a funny way . At the end of the piece there is the second reference to Shadow on the Wall by briefly playing the riffs and singing the lyrics "Shadow on the Wall" of the song.
Saturday Night Kick Back is a typical Chapman song, a bit shrill and experimental. The piece of music relates textually and rhythmically to the opening piece Kick It Back and musically closes the album.
History of origin
After the mostly negative criticism of his last album Techno Prisoners , Chapman was under pressure to succeed in this production. With the help of Tim Hinkley, a "real studio band" was put together again, ie with experienced, high-class rock musicians, which was criticized in his last production. In addition, because of the musical versatility, five different guitarists were hired.
Chapman recalled in an interview with Pete Feenstra that the album production "started with a lot of trouble" (orig .: "We had a hassle starting the album"). There were the usual money problems that led to discussions in the studio and also everyone involved in the production had to deal with Chapman's "rough approach" (orig .: "to put up with my rough and ready approach in the studio").
The album was promoted by the Walking the Cat Tour '89 in Germany (before the fall of the Berlin Wall also in Magdeburg and Dresden, April 19 and 23), the Netherlands and Austria from May 19 to December 11, 1989.
For this tour, Chapman was accompanied by musicians Steve Simpson, Bob Tench, Peter Stroud (all guitar), Nick Pentelow (saxophone), John Lingwood (drums) and Ian Gibbons (ex- Kinks , keyboards).
Track list
1. Kick It Back (Chapman) 4:21
2. Son of Red Moon (Chapman) 3:46
(Single - B-Side Walking the Cat)
3. Stranger Than Strange (Chapman) 4:41
4. Just a Step Away (Let's Go) (Chapman) 5:35
5. The Fool ( Lee Hazelwood ) 2:53
6. Toy '89 (Chapman, Palmer, Whitehorn) 3:40
7. Walking the Cat (Chapman) 5:13
8. J&D (Chapman / Hinkley) 3:35
9. Come the Dark Night (Chapman / A. Brown) 4:55
10 Hands Off (Chapman / Hinkley) 4:03
11 Jivin '(Steve Simpson) 2:58
12 Saturday Night Kick Back (Chapman) 1:51
Chart successes & reception
The album was well received in Germany and stayed in the charts for a total of twelve weeks (peak: 55). On the other hand , Walking the Cat was unable to rank internationally . There were generally good reviews from music experts.
For the concert promoter "Komma", Walking the Cat was " a clear turning point back to the old qualities".
“The Brook” saw Roger Chapman back where he belonged, “at the top”. Songs like Son of Red Moon, Come the Dark Night and Hands Off show him as a songwriter and artist at the height of his work. Allmusic, on the other hand, only got three out of five stars.
Individual evidence
- ^ Roger Chapman - Walking The Cat. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman - Walking The Cat. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Official German Charts - Official German Charts. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ 3. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Terry Medhurst. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Allmusic . September 11, 2018 ( allmusic.com [accessed October 3, 2019]).
- ^ Urban Dictionary: Walk my cat. Retrieved October 3, 2019 (American English).
- ^ Urban Dictionary: I'm going to Walk the cat. Retrieved October 3, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ LP ROGER CHAPMAN - Walking The Cat - 1989 Germany. Retrieved October 4, 2019 .
- ↑ RinkRatz: DIARY OF A ROCK STAR GONE AWOL. July 27, 2009, accessed October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ RinkRatz: DIARY OF A ROCK STAR GONE AWOL. July 27, 2009, accessed October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ RinkRatz: DIARY OF A ROCK STAR GONE AWOL. July 27, 2009, accessed October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ 3. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ 3. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Search for setlists: roger chapman (page 10) | setlist.fm. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman. In: FamilyBandstand. April 4, 2009, Retrieved October 3, 2019 (American English).
- ^ Roger Chapman - Walking The Cat. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman - Walking The Cat. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman | Event center Komma Wörgl. Retrieved October 3, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman - Family & Friends. Retrieved October 3, 2019 (UK English).
- ↑ Walking the Cat - Roger Chapman | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved October 3, 2019 (American English).