The Family Cat
DISCOGRAPHY


TOM VERLAINE
(BAD GIRL,1989, 12",BGRLT01)


1.Tom Verlaine
2.Gabriel's Wings
3.Octopus Jnr.

Great first single, quite hard to find now, but well worth the effort, this even made it into John Peel's festive 50. Famous cover by Iain Stronach, which spawned a well worn T-shirt design (man's head with cat on!).
All the tracks are on the CD of 'Tell 'em We're surfin'.

REMEMBER WHAT IT IS THAT YOU LOVE
(Bad Girl, 1990, 7"/numbered 7"/CD/12")
( BGRL03/BGRLE03/BGRLSCD03/BGRLT03)


1. Remember What It Is That You Love (7"/CD/12")
2. Push Comes To Shove (7"/CD/12")
3. (Thought I'd Died) And Gone To Heaven (CD/12")

Smart set of tunes, the 7" was numbered and all three tunes were ace ones from the set. Certainly one of the better Family Cat singles.
CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

PLACE WITH A NAME
(BAD GIRL,CDS/12",1990)
( BGRLSCD04/BGRLT04)

(Note: Two different covers for the 12" single were available.
One had a hole in the front exposing the label on the record, the other did not.)

1.Place With A Name
2.Concrete
3.Pass Away
4.Theme From "The Family Cat"


Potentially my fave single, certainly from the early days, this featured great B-side, single along lyrics...just a fab single!

CUD/FAMILY CAT Split Single......
(CLAWFIST, September 1990, 1500 Copies,PIG-2)
Family Cat - Strange Kind Of LoveCud - Remember What It Is That You Love
(single fold p/s, Mail Order Only)

Note:
I nicked this information from the excellent CUD pages at http://ion.le.ac.uk/~mar5/cud.html

Cud covers a song by Family Cat and Family Cat covers a song by Cud.
Claw: Family Cat: Strange Kind of Love
Fist: Cud: Remember What It Is That You Love

The Cud version of "Remember what it is that you love" can be found on their "Purple Love Balloon" CDS.
It's actually very good indeed..
The Strange Kind Of Love cover is typical of early Family Cat, there's an obvious fondness for the song..it's a tad roughly recorded but quite cool!

COLOR ME GREY (Feat. PJ Harvey)
(Bad Girl, 1991, CD/12")
(BGRL009SCD/BGRL009T)


1.Color Me Grey
2.I Must Have Been Blind
3.Great Ugly Place


Re-recorded for the debut album proper, this was a brilliantly melancholy song, featuring the tremendous vocals of PJ Harvey, the B-sides were great too, "I Must Have Been Blind" was a wonderful slow building and heart-aching tune....

STEAMROLLER
(Dedicated, 1992, 7"/CD/12")
FCUK001/FCUK001CD/FCUK001T)


1. Steamroller (CD/12")
2. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (CD/12")
3. Across The Universe (CD/12")
4. Steamroller (Radio Edit) (CD/12")
5. Steamroller Part 1 (7")
6. Steamroller Part 2 (7")

Possibly the best known single, and the first for Dedicated...top great long family cat builder, with ace b-sides thanks to the track included on the Revolution No.9 compilation, ie John Lennon's "Across The Universe"...and the live fave "What we talk about..." ACE!
Todd Oberley provided me with this info about the US one, mentioned later : "
Steamroller Mini LP (????)
from the packaging, it's techinically the "Steamroller EP":
Dedicated DED 07863 66137-2 (US, 1992)
1. Steamroller - 7:10
2. Tom Verlaine (Re-Bereted) - 4:46
3. Colour Me Grey - 4:00
4. Sandbag Your Heart (Re-Bagged) - 3:32
5. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love - 3:28

JESUS CHRIST
(7", Clawfist, HUNKA008)


Cover version of a big star song..one of the best christmas singles I've ever heard, for laughs.... The 'Karaoke' version on the B-side being similarly ace...
A: Jesus Christ (ALEX CHILTON)
B:Chill Out Ye Merry Gentlemen/Jesus Karaoke Christ/Christ Jesus (CHILTON ALEX)

RIVER OF DIAMONDS
(Dedicated, 1992, 7" with transfers/CD/12")
(
FCUK002/FCUK002CD/FCUK002T)

1. River Of Diamonds (Re-Navigated) (7"/CD/12")
2. Sandbag Your Heart (Re-Bagged) (7"/CD/12")
3. Tom Verlaine (Re-Bereted) (CD/12")

All tracks were re-recorded for the single....so PJ Harvey was no longer featured on 'River Of Diamonds'....
The B-sides were old favourites re-recorded, which meant we suddenly had really well produced versions of tracks from "Tell 'em we're surfin". Definitely worth a go.
The 12" is the same as the 7.

AIRPLANE GARDENS
(Dedicated, 1993, Numbered purple vinyl 7"/CD/12"
( FCUK003/FCUK003CD/FCUK003T)


1. Airplane Gardens (7"/CD/12")
2. Atmospheric Road (7"/CD/12")
3. Amazing Hangover (CD/12") (Single version with pedal steel)


Excellent single, worth finding the CDs for the B-sides too, as the version of 'Amazing Hangover' with the added pedal steel tops even the album one.

SPRINGING THE ATOM
(Dedicated, 1993, 7" picture disc/CD/12")
(FCUK004/FCUK004CD/FCUK004T)


1. Springing The Atom (7"/CD/12")
2. Prog 4 (7"/CD/12")
3. Happy To Be Here (CD/12")

What happens when good tracks get bad covers! Not a great selection of B-sides, and I'm pretty sure it never made a dent. At the time, I wasn't sure if it had been released!
A shame really, as the single was pretty cool itself, with the third track being an extended rock workout.. the 7" looked top too!

WONDERFUL EXCUSE
(Dedicated, 1994, Clear vinyl 7"/CD/MC/Numbered 12" (4000 only)) (74321208437/74321208432/74321208434/74321208431)


1.Wonderful Excuse
2.Unwieldy World (CDS)/Counting Crosses (12")
3.Sign Of The Bloodcell (CDS) / Gameshow (Giftshop Version) (12")
4.Propeller Blades (CDS) / Wonderful Excuse (Acoustic) (12")


Brilliant single from the Magic Happens album, with the traditional top B-sides. One of the easier singles to find these days, and well worth it. The angular guitar sound at the start crashes so well into the poppy chorus..
I hadn't got the 12" until April 2001, so I didn't realise there were extra tracks on that, they are quite nice acoustic versions, hardly essential, but nice enough. Counting Crosses has some dodgy lyrics mind....lovely song though...

GOLDENBOOK
(Dedicated, 1994, Green vinyl 7" Part 1/Gold vinyl 7" Part 2/CD)
(74321220077/74321220187/74321220072)

1. Goldenbook (7" Part 1/7" Part 2/CD)
2. Bring Me The Head Of Michael Portillo (7" Part 1/7" Part 2/CD)
3. Blood Orange (Acoustic) (CD)
4. Gone To Heaven (CD)
5. Springing The Atom (acoustic) (7" Part 1)
6. River Of Diamonds (acoustic) (7" Part 1)
7. Goldenboot (7" Part 2)
8. Old Faithful (7" Part 2)

The two seven inches have one track on each side and went into the same case.
To my knowledge this was the last family cat release, though as usual it garnered press attention without sales, this time for the b-side "Bring Me the head of Michael Portillo", Portillo being an English politician.
All B-sides were family cat produced, engineered by Damian Korner, with Audrey Riley on Cello and David Heath on Flute and Piano on the excellent acoustic version of Blood Orange.
Generally (as last singles always are), unremarkable....an unfitting end!

ALBUMS

TELL 'EM WE'RE SURFIN
(Bad Girl, MINI LP, 1989)

VinylCd
1. Albert Hoffmann's Bike
2. Final Mistake
3. Sandbag Your Heart
4. Slept In Clothes
5. From the City to the Sea
6. Taken by Surprise
7. Endless Cigarette
8. Gabriel's Wings
9. Tom Verlaine (Extra track on CD, taken from 1st single)
10. Octopus Jnr (Extra track on CD, taken from 1st single)

The first mini album, (8 tracks on the vinyl, 10 on the CD), the band were unhappy with this (in an interview, they said, that the studio people had simply gone "We can't do that", when they asked for certain sounds to be changed...).
It's still relevant, but there are odd versions and so on...

I personally used to listen to it insessantly....so go figure!

FURTHEST FROM THE SUN
(
Dedicated LP/CD ,DEDLP007, 1993)


Too Many Late Nights
Colour Me Grey
Prog One
Furthest From The Sun
Steamroller
Keep It to Yourself
With A War
River Of Diamonds
Gameshow
Fire Music

The band's first album proper, which received great reviews, on it's release both on vinyl and cd, there were 2 extra tracks (on 7" if you got the vinyl):

Kolumbus and Montague Terrace

Also, in certain shops, you could get 'goodies' from a goody bag!
I got a Steamroller 7", anyone else??

Basically, this album is worth owning for Fire Music alone..............
Tremendously well received and excellent, featuring the PJ Harvey versions of River Of Diamonds, but not of Color Me Grey.....

MAGIC HAPPENS
(LP/CD Dedicated (20466) Time 50:17, 1995)

Wonderful Excuse (Family Cat) - 2:55
Amazing Hangover (Family Cat) - 4:08
Move over I'll Drive (Family Cat) - 4:19
Your Secrets Will Stay Mine (Family Cat) - 4:27
Airplane Garden (Family Cat) - 4:21
Gone, So Long (Family Cat) - 5:02
Hamlet for Now (Family Cat) - 5:12
Goldenbook (Family Cat) - 2:38
Rockbreaking (Family Cat) - 3:37
Springing the Atom (Family Cat) - 4:04
Blood Orange (Family Cat) - 4:17
No Where to Go But Down (Family Cat) - 5:17

Producer, Engineer, Mixing :Paul Q. Kolderie
Producer, Engineer, Mixing : Audrey Riley
Cello : Sean Slade
Producer, Engineer, Mellotron, Mixing: John England
Design : Mike Dignam
Engineer, Mixing :  Pascal Gabriel
Producer, Mixing : Ronnie Randall
Photography : Helen Woodward
Assistant Engineer : Kevin Metcalfe
Mastering : Donal Whelan
Mastering : Paul Frederick

The even better second album, chock full of quality tunes. There were limited editions with a book in them (never seen it myself), but even the normal one (which I see around a fair bit), is definitely worth owning.
The album received excellent reviews, the gigs had never been better, but no one bought it...

COMPILATIONS

Please note, I've removed all the ones that just had a single on em', there were quite a few (indie top 20 volume 10, super snax ii etc), but I thought any real fans would be after extras! Not the same songs again!

1997 Revolution No. 9: A Tribute To The Beatles
Revolution 909 Beatles Tribute
(Need A Copy)

1. Revolution (Brag, Billy) - 1:50
2. True Life Hero (Pooh Sticks) - 2:16
3. She Said, She Said (Driscolls) - 3:29
4. Across the Universe (Family Cat) - 4:10
5. I Must Be in Love (Senseless Things) - 1:57
6. Norwegian Wood (Moonflowers) - 5:24
7. I Am the Walrus (Otway, John) - 3:23
8. All to Much (Loves Young Nightmare) - 4:33
9. Don't Let Me Down (Weller, Paul) - 4:05
10. If I Needed Someone (Anyways) - 3:33
11. It Won't Be Long (Heavenly) - 2:08
12. Hard Day's Night (Mega City 4) - 2:55
13. Flying (Sidebottom, Frank) - 2:18
14. Drive My Car (Brilliant Corners) - 3:27
15. I'm Only Sleeping (Family) - 3:14
16. Rain (Beatle Hans & The Paisley Pervers) - 4:40

Got this on tape from Gary Crowley's show on XFM, it's a cover of the Lennon song and absolutely great!
It cropped up as a B-side to the Steamroller single too! But not in the US. UK only...hence the inclusion. Sadly I'd be amazed if this every made it out of the UK......what a pain!


Steamroller Mini LP (????)
Need a Copy


1. Steamroller (Family Cat) - 7:10
2. Tom Verlaine Re-Bereted (Family Cat) - 4:46
3. Colour Me Grey (Family Cat) - 4:01
4. Sandbag Your Heart Re-Bagged(Family Cat) - 3:32
5. What We Talk About When We Talk About (Family Cat)

Seems to have been an American promotional item, though which versions of these songs they are, I'm not sure.
I would imagine they're from the River Of Diamonds and Steamroller singles, though Colour me grey could be with or without PJ Harvey.

This is Todd's discography for it:
Steamroller EP
Dedicated DED 07863 66137-2 (US, 1992)

Through The Looking Glass 1966 LP
(Imaginary Records, Illusion 023)


1.Who are the brain police? (MONKS OF DOOM)
2.These Boots Were Made For Walking (BEEF)
3.Tommorow Never Knows (A WITNESS)
4.Paint It Black (NO PRISONERS)
5.Montague Terrace (SPIRAL JETTY)
6.Eight Miles High (RIDE)
7.Monday Monday (LUDDI HILL DEATH SQUAD)
8.Call Me (BARBEL)
9.I'm Losing You (CREATURE COMFORTS)
10.Psychodaisies (JOE FOSTER AND THE DEVIL)
11.Bus Stop (THE FAMILY CAT)
12.Eleanor Rigby (Levellers 5)

Includes both Ride doing "8 Miles High"!!!! and The Family Cat doing The Hollies' "Bus Stop", amazingly cool!

Stoned Again: A tribute to the Stones
(Imaginary Records, LP, Illusion 006)
Rolling Stones Tribute

1. Respectable (The Shop Assistants)
2. Sympathy For The Devil (The Prudes)
3. 2000 Light Years From Home (Dr Phibes)
4. Child Of The Moon (Dave Kusworth And The Bounty Hunters)
5. Standing In The Shadow (The Bomb Party)
6. Salt Of The Earth (Death Of Samantha)
7. The Last Time (Imaginary Boys)
8. Under Cover Of The Night (What? Noise)
9. Tell Me (The Henry Kaiser Band)
10. Anjie (The Membranes)
11. 19th Nervous Breakdown (The Thunderbirds)
12. Gimme Shelter (Inspiral Carpets)
13. As Tears Go By (The Waltones)
14. Rocks Off (The Family Cat)

Its Not Where You're From
(Free Tape with issue 2 of "Its Not Where You're From Its Where Your At" Fanzine)

NEED A COPY
1. Something Missing (Pop Am God)
2. Albino Ballerina (Sweet Jesus)
3. Splendid (The Strangers)
4. Ocean Run Dry (Jane From Occupied Europe)
5. Annabel Lee (Jane From Occupied Europe)
6. Kingdom By The Sea (Jane From Occupied Europe)
7. Look Back In Anger (The Bitter Tears)
8. Only One (The Hinnies)
9. Im On Fire (The Strangers)
10. Concrete Demo (The Family Cat)

Great Xpectations live
XFMCD 1 (UK, 1993)
(THANKS TO TODD OBERLEY FOR THIS AND MORE!!!!)

1. The Family Cat - Colour Me Grey (4:20)

2. Kingmaker - Armchair Anarchist (3:33)
3. Kingmaker - Queen Jane (4:13)
4. Catherine Wheel - I Want To Touch You (4:59)
5. Catherine Wheel - Chrome (3:55)
6. Senseless Things - Keepsake (4:01)
7. The Frank & Walters - Walter's Trip (2:56)
8. Damon Albarn & Graham Coxon - For Tomorrow (4:39)
9. Belly - Full Moon, Empty Heart (3:14)
10. Belly - Dusted (2:45)
11. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Bloodsport For All (4:28)
12. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Cheer Up, It Might Never Happen
(4:16)
13. The Cure - Just Like Heaven (3:42)
14. The Cure - Disintegration (7:10)

From the back of the jewel box: "on june 13th 1993 27,000 people attended
the great Xpectations event at finsbury park, london, in support of xfm
in its bid for a london radio licence for alternative music. this album
is dedicated to all those who were there."
Great version in my opinion...............

LIVE GIGS

The Black Sessions
Brilliant Live radio recording including their cover of Jacques Du Tronc's "Hippie Hippie Hourah"!
I've got a copy and am happy to swap a tape.

Borderline (5/9/1990)
Reasonable quality crowd recording, nice gig! You're welcome to a copy if you send me a blank tape.

London Venue (26/7/91)
Again, you're more than welcome to a copy.

Family Cat Radio Sessions
Peel Session 1992, Radio 5 Mw 1992, Evening Session 1995
There are others, hell yes, but these are all I have...quite funny moments in the radio five one (an AM session, you heard me right...)
Oh and there's a recording I made many, many moons ago from a tv broadcast...dunno where it's from at all, but I think it was outdoor!

PROMOS

TOM VERLAINE (Demo)
Numbered 7" flexi, BGRLFC001
Tom Verlaine
1. Tom Verlaine (Demo)

Superb record, really amazing flexi! Was sent this and am SOOOOO grateful!
The other, Chris sent me! All hand sprayed!

ROCKBREAKING
(Fan Club Only Flexi 7") CAT002


A:Rockbreaking
A one sided flexi taster for the Magic Happens album, sent to the fan club.

Gabriels Wings Cassette Promo
MIA
Don't know anything about this, anyone got a copy?

Here's some photos of tapes....I don't know which ones, that I've been sent!



TOM VERLAINE Cassette Promo
MIA
1. Tom Verlaine
2. Gabriel's Wings

TOM VERLAINE 12" Promo, BGRLT01
MIA
1. Tom Verlaine
2. Gabriel's Wings
3. Octopus Jnr

REMEMBER WHAT IT IS THAT YOU LOVE 12" Promo, BGRLT03
MIA
1. Remember What It Is That You Love
2. Push Comes To Shove
3. (Thought I'd Died) And Gone To Heaven

PLACE WITH A NAME CD/12" Promo, BGRLCD04/BGRLT04
MIA
1. Place With A Name (CD/12")
2. Concrete (CD/12")
3. Pass Away (CD/12")
4. Theme From "The Family Cat" (CD/12")

STEAMROLLER 7" DJ Promo/12" Promo, FCUK001DJ/FCUK001T
MIA
1. Steamroller (12" Promo)
2. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (12" Promo)
3. Across The Universe (12" Promo)
4. Steamroller (Radio Edit)
(7" DJ Promo/12" Promo)

RIVER OF DIAMONDS 12" DJ Promo, FCUK002TDJ

1. River Of Diamonds (Re-Navigated)
2. Sandbag Your Heart (Re-Bagged)
3. Tom Verlaine (Re-Bereted)

AIRPLANE GARDENS CD DJ Promo/12" DJ Promo, FCUK003CDJ//FCUK003TDJ

1. Airplane Gardens (CD DJ Promo/12" DJ Promo)
2. Atmospheric Road (CD DJ Promo/12" DJ Promo)
3. Amazing Hangover (CD DJ Promo/12" DJ Promo)
4. Airplane Gardens (edit) (CD DJ Promo)

WONDERFUL EXCUSE 7" Promo/CD, 74321208437/FAMILY1
MIA

1. Wonderful Excuse (7"/CD)
2. Unwieldy World (7"/CD)

TELL 'EM WE'RE SURFIN Mini LP Promo, BGRLMLP01
MIA

1. Albert Hoffmann's Bike
2. Final Mistake
3. Sandbag Your Heart
4. Slept In Clothes
5. From the City to the Sea
6. Taken by Surprise
7. Endless Cigarette
8. Gabriel's Wings

OTHERS:

GLAM ROCK COPS
(Chrysalis, 1994, CD Part 1, 724388123921)

1. Glam Rock Cops (Carter USM)
2. Lean On Me I Won't Fall Over (The Family Cat)
3. Glam Rock Cops-Kojack Dub (Carter USM)

Never heard this, fascinated by it!


ADDITIONAL:

Thanks to Chris Evans for:

A huge truckload of scans!
See those new images! Those are his!

Thanks to Todd Oberley for this little tale:

Vaguely interesting bit of trivia: I'm not British, I'm American. I
first heard "Colour Me Grey" in 93/94 on a compilation CD and from there bought the two full albums and a number of singles.
........ I don't talk music with too many people,
but I bought a Family Cat single at a record shop in Baltimore years ago,
and the clerk told me he was also a fan, and once saw them play in New
York City. He requested they play the "Michael Portillo" song, and they
were shocked he'd heard it before! I bought "Magic Happens" from a promo
bin at another Baltimore store (I think) for $4, and to this day it's the
best $4 I've ever spent on a CD. Later I realized that practically every
US record store with a healthy selection of used/promo CD's also has a
copy (for $4 or less). Sad but true.

So it is possible!
Todd also sent me numerous updates and information! Cheers Todd!
Especially for that stuff about the Steamroller single!

And thanks to Matt for the following!:

"There are also two Family Cat releases you may have missed (at least they're not mentioned on the page) which I have copies of. One is a cover version of Carter USM's 'Lean On Me I Won't Fall Over' which featured on the b-side of their (frankly awful) 'Glam Rock Cops' single. The other was a very rare flexi-disc with a hand (spray-) painted sleeve featuring a demo version of Tom Verlaine which claims to be their first studio recording, recorded in Shoreditch in the Summer of 1988. The catalogue number is BGRLFC001. "

I've now added these as you can see above!
Still want to hear the Glam Rock Cops track!
Thanks Matt!

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