Ferment (album)

2025-04-09T07:48:24Z

158.140.167.58:

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Ferment
| type = studio
| artist = [[Catherine Wheel (band)|Catherine Wheel]]
| cover = CatherineWheelFerment.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1992
| recorded = 1991–1992
| studio = [[Monnow Valley Studio]], [[Rockfield, Monmouthshire|Rockfield]], Wales
| venue =
| genre = * [[Shoegaze]]
* [[alternative rock]]
* [[dream pop]]
* [[neo-psychedelia]]
| length = 57:10
| label = [[Fontana Records|Fontana]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
* [[Tim Friese-Greene]]
* John Lee
}}
| prev_title = [[Painful Thing]]
| prev_year = 1991
| next_title = [[Chrome (Catherine Wheel album)|Chrome]]
| next_year = 1993
| misc = {{singles
| name = Ferment
| type = studio
| single1 = [[Black Metallic]]
| single1date = 11 November 1991
| single2 = Balloon
| single2date = 27 January 1992
| single3 = I Want to Touch You
| single3date = 6 April 1992
}}
}}
'''''Ferment''''' is the debut studio album by English [[alternative rock]] band [[Catherine Wheel (band)|Catherine Wheel]], released in 1992 by [[Fontana Records]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Simpson |first1=Dave |title=Kiss Me Kate — Ferment by Catherine Wheel |magazine=Melody Maker |date=15 Feb 1992 |volume=68 |issue=7 |page=32}}</ref> Produced by [[Tim Friese-Greene]] and John Lee, the album combined aspects of [[shoegazing]], alternative rock and [[neo psychedelia]]. Ferment is the only album to contain the neo psychedelia element of the band's discography. Their next album, ''[[Chrome (Catherine Wheel album)|Chrome]]'', produced with famed alternative rock producer [[Gil Norton]], shifted the musical direction of the band. While ''Ferment'' was originally not all that successful in the charts, the album continues to be well received by critics and fans, even 30 years after its release.

== Promotion and release ==
Four songs from the album – "Shallow", "I Want to Touch You", "She's My Friend" and "Salt" – had previously appeared on independently released [[gramophone record|12"]] [[extended play|EP]]s, and were re-recorded for inclusion on the album.

The album's lead single, "[[Black Metallic]]", reached No. 9 on the ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart and its video earned heavy rotation on [[MTV]].<ref name=allmusic>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/black-metallic-mt0009358512|title=Black Metallic - Catherine Wheel | Song Info | AllMusic|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>

Limited numbers of the UK version came with a three-track live EP, recorded at Bath [[Moles (nightclub)|Moles Club]] on 6 November 1991.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-3cEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1773 |page=1773 |title=Discover UK Shoegaze and Dream Pop |author=Vernon Joynson |year=2023 |isbn=9781899855254 |publisher=Borderline Productions}}</ref>

The album was reissued in March 2010, containing bonus tracks (including the 1992 ''30th Century Man'' EP and both sides of the "Balloon" single) and extensive sleeve notes.

== Reception ==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/ferment-mw0000079412 |title=''Ferment'' – Catherine Wheel |last=Kellman |first=Andy |publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=15 September 2017}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev2Score = 4/5<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Catherine Wheel: ''Ferment'' |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |issue=21 |date=March 1992 |last=Linehan |first=Graham |page=63}}</ref>
}}
''[[PopMatters]]'' described ''Ferment'' as "the band's most unique record".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/131143-come-back-again-catherine-wheels-ferment-reissued/ |title=Come Back Again: Catherine Wheel's <nowiki>'</nowiki>''Ferment''<nowiki>' Reissued |</nowiki> PopMatters |last=Fisher |first=Joseph |date=30 September 2010 |website=[[PopMatters]] |accessdate=15 September 2017}}</ref> ''[[Trouser Press]]'' wrote: "With soaring choruses and producer [[Tim Friese-Greene]]'s shimmering textures, the entire album—both delicate and demonstrative—sparkles and smolders."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=catherine_wheel |title=Catherine Wheel |last=Rabid |first=Jack |website=[[Trouser Press]] |accessdate=15 September 2017}}</ref>

In 2016, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' ranked the album at No. 23 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time", with reviewer Ben Cardew commenting that "a good half of the songs on ''Ferment'' [...] are enduring shoegaze-disco classics, while 'Black Metallic', in its full seven-minute glory, makes a strong claim to being the genre's 'Stairway to Heaven'."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/?page=3|title=The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=24 October 2016|accessdate=24 October 2016|page=3}}</ref> In 2017, ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' ranked the album at No. 6 on its list of "10 Shoegaze Albums for People Who Don't Like Shoegaze".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/shoegaze/10-shoegaze-albums-for-people-who-dont-like-shoega|title=10 Shoegaze Albums for People Who Don't Like Shoegaze |last=Lopez |first=Samantha |date=9 March 2017 |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |accessdate=31 January 2024}}</ref> Chris Ott, also of ''Pitchfork'', described ''Ferment'' as "the unknowing inheritor of an American shoegaze fanbase that had grown steadily through [[word of mouth]], [[mixtape]]s and the tireless efforts of [[The Cure]], who first made [[dream-pop]] bankable here."<ref name="Ott">{{cite web |last1=Ott |first1=Chris |title=Castoffs and Cutouts: The Top 50 Most Common Used CDs |url=http://pitchforkmedia.com/features/castoffs-and-cutouts/index4.shtml |website=Pitchfork |access-date=3 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031002021340/http://pitchforkmedia.com/features/castoffs-and-cutouts/index4.shtml |archive-date=2 October 2003 |page=4 |date=August 2003}}</ref>

==Track listing==

{{track listing
| all_writing = [[Rob Dickinson]] and Brian Futter
| title1 = Texture
| length1 = 4:19
| title2 = I Want to Touch You
| length2 = 4:40
| title3 = [[Black Metallic]]
| length3 = 7:18
| title4 = Indigo Is Blue
| length4 = 5:31
| title5 = She's My Friend
| length5 = 4:16
| title6 = Shallow
| length6 = 3:28
| title7 = Ferment
| length7 = 5:10
| title8 = Flower to Hide
| length8 = 4:43
| title9 = Tumbledown
| length9 = 4:08
| title10 = Bill and Ben
| length10 = 4:09
| title11 = Salt
| length11 = 5:26
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Bonus track on US edition
| title12 = Balloon
| length12 = 3:56
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Bonus 12" with vinyl LP
| title1 = Shallow
| length1 = 3:27
| title2 = I Want to Touch You
| length2 = 5:58
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side B
| title1 = Salt
| length1 = 6:39
}}

==Singles==
* '''"She's My Friend"''' 28 January 1991
** 12" vinyl
**# "She's My Friend" – 4:29
**# "Upside Down" – 3:13
**# "Wish" – 3:10
**# "Salt" – 3:54
* '''"Painful Thing"''' 30 May 1991
** 12" vinyl, CD
**# "Shallow" – 3:27
**# "Spin" – 2:44
**# "Painful Thing" – 3:59
**# "I Want to Touch You" – 5:05
*'''"Black Metallic"''' 11 November 1991
** CD, 12" vinyl
**# "Black Metallic" – 7:16
**# "Crawling Over Me" – 5:39
**# "Let Me Down Again" – 3:17
**# "Saccharine" – 5:49
** 7" vinyl
**# "Black Metallic (Edit)" – 4:09
**# "Let Me Down Again" – 3:17
** US promo CD
**# "Black Metallic" – 7:16
**# "Black Metallic (UK Edit)" – 4:09
**# "Black Metallic ([[KROQ-FM|KROQ]] Edit)" – 5:30
**# "Let Me Down Again" – 3:17
*'''"Balloon"''' 27 January 1992
** CD
**# "Balloon (Edit)" – 3:56
**# "Intravenous" – 3:31
**# "Let Me Down Again (Live)" – 3:06
**# "Painful Thing (Live)" – 6:21
** 12" vinyl
**# "Balloon" – 4:14
**# "Intravenous" – 3:31
**# "Let Me Down Again (Live)" – 3:06
**# "Painful Thing (Live)" – 6:21
** 7" vinyl
**# "Balloon (Edit)" – 3:56
**# "Intravenous" – 3:31
* '''"I Want to Touch You"''' 6 April 1992
** CD
**# "I Want to Touch You (Remix)" – 4:35
**# "Ursa Major Space Station" – 5:04
**# "Collideoscopic" – 4:07
**# "Our Friend Joey" – 1:30
** 12" vinyl 1
**# "I Want to Touch You (Remix)" – 4:35
**# "Dead Girl Friend" – 4:27
**# "Ursa Major Space Station" – 5:04
**# "Half Life" – 3:53
** 12" vinyl 2
**# "I Want to Touch You (Original Demo)" – 5:04
**# "Black Metallic (Original Demo)" – 4:04
**# "Wish (Original Demo)" – 3:09
** 7" vinyl
**# "I Want to Touch You (Remix)" – 4:35
**# "Ursa Major Space Station" – 5:04
* '''"30 Century Man"''' 29 December 1992
** CD, 12" vinyl
**# "30 Century Man" ([[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]] cover) – 5:19
**# "Free of Mind" – 3:33
**# "[[That's When I Reach for My Revolver]]" ([[Mission of Burma]] cover) – 4:07
**# "[[Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely]]" ([[Hüsker Dü]] cover) – 3:31

==Personnel==
;Catherine Wheel
*[[Rob Dickinson]] – [[guitar]], [[singing|vocals]]
*Brian Futter – guitar, vocals
*Dave Hawes – [[bass guitar|bass]]
*Neil Sims – [[drums]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]]
;Technical
*[[Tim Friese-Greene]] – producer
*John Lee – producer, [[Audio engineering|engineer]]
*[[Tim Palmer (record producer)|Tim Palmer]] – [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]]
*[[Alastair Thain]] – [[photography]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{Discogs master|7924|Ferment}}

{{Catherine Wheel}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1992 debut albums]]
[[Category:Catherine Wheel albums]]
[[Category:Fontana Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tim Friese-Greene]]
[[Category:Dream pop albums by English artists]]

Food Records

2025-02-01T09:17:29Z

158.140.167.58:

{{Short description|Former British record label (1984–2000)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox record label
| name = Food Records
| image =
| image_bg =
| parent = [[EMI]] (1994–2000)
| founded = 1984
| defunct = 2000
| founder = [[David Balfe]], [[Andy Ross (music executive)|Andy Ross]]
| distributor = [[Rough Trade Distribution|Rough Trade]]
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Alternative rock]]
* [[Rock music|rock]]
* [[indie rock]]
* [[pop rock]]
}}
| country = United Kingdom
| location =
| url =
}}

'''Food Records''' was a British [[Rock music|rock]] [[record label]] set up in 1984 by [[David Balfe]] (formerly of [[Zoo Records]]), who later took on [[Andy Ross (music executive)|Andy Ross]] as his partner. Originally formed as an [[independent record label]] with distribution going through [[Rough Trade Distribution]], Food also licensed acts through [[Warner Music Group|WEA Records]], before becoming closely associated with the [[EMI]] group's [[Parlophone]] label. [[EMI]] invested in the label and then in 1994 EMI gained complete control and folded it into Parlophone in 2000. Ross died in 2022 aged 65.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retropopmagazine.com/blur-reunion-label-co-founder-andy-ross-jesus-jones/|website=Retropopmagazine.com|title=Blur reunion suggested to honour late label co-founder Andy Ross|access-date=7 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/tributes-paid-to-food-records-founder-andy-ross-who-has-died-3146146|title=Tributes paid to Food Records boss Andy Ross, who has died aged 66|website=Nme.com|date=25 January 2022|access-date=7 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/business/record-labels/andy-ross-dead-food-records-tributes-uk-label-1235023297/|title=Andy Ross Dies at 66: Tributes Pour In for Label Boss Who Signed Blur and Jesus Jones|first=Richard|last=Smirke|website=Billboard.com|date=26 January 2022|access-date=7 February 2022}}</ref>

==Artists==
Food was sold to EMI by David Balfe in 1994. Andy Ross continued running Food as a sub-label of EMI, where it was the record label of [[Blur (band)|Blur]], [[Strangelove (band)|Strangelove]], [[Idlewild (band)|Idlewild]], [[Jesus Jones]], [[Dubstar]], [[The Supernaturals]], [[Octopus (Scottish band)|Octopus]] and [[Grass Show (band)|Grass Show]] and Fungus from Sweden.

==''The Food Christmas EP''==
{{Infobox album
|italic_title=no
| name = The Food Christmas EP
| type = ep
| artist = Various
| cover =blank
| alt =
| released = December 1989
| recorded = 1989
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Indie-rock]]
| length = 11:27
| label = Food
| producer = Mike Edwards, Rick Wilson, John Butler
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
In December 1989, Food Records released '''''The Food Christmas EP''''' (FOOD 23) that featured Food artists covering each other's songs. [[Crazyhead]] covered Diesel Park West's "Like Princes Do", [[Jesus Jones]] covered Crazyhead's "I Don't Want That Kind Of Love" and [[Diesel Park West]] covered Jesus Jones' "Info-Freako". The EP was released on CD, 7" vinyl, 12" and a limited gatefold sleeve 12" vinyl.

The EP charted at #63 on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name=OCC>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/food%20christmas%20ep/ | title=The Official Charts Company - Food Christmas EP| publisher=Official Charts Company| access-date=2015-07-04}}</ref>

;Track listing (7" and 12")
#"I Don't Want That Kind Of Love" (Reverb) – 4:10 performed by [[Jesus Jones]]
#"Like Princes Do" (John Butler) – 3:25 performed by [[Crazyhead]]
#"Info Freako" (Mike Edwards) – 3:52 performed by [[Diesel Park West]]
#*CD versions reverse the track order to begin with "Info Freako".

;Credits
*Mike Edwards - producer ("I Don't Want That Kind Of Love")
*Rick Wilson - producer ("Like Princes Do" and "Info Freako")
*John Butler - producer ("Info Freako")

==See also==
* [[List of record labels]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct record labels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1984 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2000 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Record labels established in 1984]]
[[Category:Record labels disestablished in 2000]]
[[Category:British independent record labels]]
[[Category:EMI]]
[[Category:Parlophone subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Indie rock record labels]]
[[Category:Pop record labels]]

wiki143 - User contributions [en]

Ferment (album)

Food Records