Cats (1980) and Big Street (1983)
Cats were a rock band based in Philadelphia, who were active from 1976 until 1981, and released one self-titled new wave-era album in 1980. The band Cats had no connection to the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical; the very first stage performance of Webber's Cats took place one year after the Cats album was released. One of Cats' songs, "(He's Got) The Rest Of His Life", sounds lyrically similar to Billy Joel's hit "You May Be Right", which was released the same year. However, that Cats song had appeared the previous year on a 1979 various artists compilation which showcased Philadelphia musicians, so it predated the release of Joel's song. Also, since this band bore some musical similarity to Queen, you might suspect them of lifting the title of their album's opening track "On The Prowl" from Queen's "Man On The Prowl", but -- guess what? Cats predated that Queen song by four years.
Considering the band's 1976 origin, you might have guessed that this apparent new wave band got their start by playing a different type of rock music. Sure enough, many of the songs on Cats suggest that they were '70's arena rockers at heart. Keyboardist Fred Zarra had a unique and quirky style, the main factor that places this album within the new wave genre. Likewise, the sometimes electronic drum sounds from Tommy Stewart are also indicative of that time and genre. The guitar sound, however, tended to favor arena rock. This combination invites comparison to the similarly named Cars, but vocalist Michael Corr came on more like Freddie Mercury than like Ric Ocasek. (The fifth track, "Go Bother Someone Else", is sung by Zarra, and is the most Cars-like track). "Minus 10" is a track which stands out with the help of its classic rock backbone. The album falters a bit toward the end with two ballads ("Just Broken Up Love Affair" and "The Woman In White") that sound forced, but Cats is a good find for fans of early-'80's new wave who enjoy hearing an extra dash of hard rock energy mixed into it.
After the album failed commercially, Cats called it quits in 1981. However, three of their six members -- keyboardist Zarra and guitarists Danny Watson and Peter Keltz -- soon resurfaced in a quintet called Big Street. That band recorded one self-titled five-song EP in 1983. All of the tracks on Big Street were written by the band; the lyrics of one ("No Turnin Back") were written by former Cats singer Michael Corr. But the lead vocalist of Big Street was one Rick Hamilton, a raspier-voiced singer from the Springsteen school. It makes sense that "No Turnin Back" is the song that is most reminiscent of Cats, with its thick, grinding guitar sound. But the EP could have used more of Zarra's keyboards, which were less prominent in Big Street's work. Although we hear occasional flashes throughout, the closing track "When You Were Mine" (not the Prince song) is the only one in which Zarra gets much of a showcase. The opening song "Camouflage" also stands out with its infectious power pop hook. On the downside, the obnoxious "You're Just Too White For Me" (a title that would not go over well during a more sensitive time -- like, say, the current one) showed the cats from Cats suddenly sounding rather inept at the new wave thing, going so far as to add grating saxophone sounds, and background vocals from someone calling themselves The Nads. It's nice to be able to dig up evidence of Big Street's existence, but it's not too surprising that the band didn't have a future.
Cats "Cats" (Elektra 6E-275) 1980
Track Listing:
1. On The Prowl
2. One Last Look
3. It Doesn't Matter Anymore
4. You Gotta Smile Again
5. Go Bother Someone Else
6. Goodbye Again Forever
7. Minus 10
8. Just Broken Up Love Affair
9. (He's Got) The Rest Of His Life
10. The Woman In White
Big Street "Big Street" EP (Montage ME-410) 1983
Track Listing:
1. Camouflage
2. You're Just Too White For Me
3. Shakin Johnny Down
4. No Turnin Back
5. When You Were Mine
Considering the band's 1976 origin, you might have guessed that this apparent new wave band got their start by playing a different type of rock music. Sure enough, many of the songs on Cats suggest that they were '70's arena rockers at heart. Keyboardist Fred Zarra had a unique and quirky style, the main factor that places this album within the new wave genre. Likewise, the sometimes electronic drum sounds from Tommy Stewart are also indicative of that time and genre. The guitar sound, however, tended to favor arena rock. This combination invites comparison to the similarly named Cars, but vocalist Michael Corr came on more like Freddie Mercury than like Ric Ocasek. (The fifth track, "Go Bother Someone Else", is sung by Zarra, and is the most Cars-like track). "Minus 10" is a track which stands out with the help of its classic rock backbone. The album falters a bit toward the end with two ballads ("Just Broken Up Love Affair" and "The Woman In White") that sound forced, but Cats is a good find for fans of early-'80's new wave who enjoy hearing an extra dash of hard rock energy mixed into it.
After the album failed commercially, Cats called it quits in 1981. However, three of their six members -- keyboardist Zarra and guitarists Danny Watson and Peter Keltz -- soon resurfaced in a quintet called Big Street. That band recorded one self-titled five-song EP in 1983. All of the tracks on Big Street were written by the band; the lyrics of one ("No Turnin Back") were written by former Cats singer Michael Corr. But the lead vocalist of Big Street was one Rick Hamilton, a raspier-voiced singer from the Springsteen school. It makes sense that "No Turnin Back" is the song that is most reminiscent of Cats, with its thick, grinding guitar sound. But the EP could have used more of Zarra's keyboards, which were less prominent in Big Street's work. Although we hear occasional flashes throughout, the closing track "When You Were Mine" (not the Prince song) is the only one in which Zarra gets much of a showcase. The opening song "Camouflage" also stands out with its infectious power pop hook. On the downside, the obnoxious "You're Just Too White For Me" (a title that would not go over well during a more sensitive time -- like, say, the current one) showed the cats from Cats suddenly sounding rather inept at the new wave thing, going so far as to add grating saxophone sounds, and background vocals from someone calling themselves The Nads. It's nice to be able to dig up evidence of Big Street's existence, but it's not too surprising that the band didn't have a future.
Cats "Cats" (Elektra 6E-275) 1980
Track Listing:
1. On The Prowl
2. One Last Look
3. It Doesn't Matter Anymore
4. You Gotta Smile Again
5. Go Bother Someone Else
6. Goodbye Again Forever
7. Minus 10
8. Just Broken Up Love Affair
9. (He's Got) The Rest Of His Life
10. The Woman In White
Big Street "Big Street" EP (Montage ME-410) 1983
Track Listing:
1. Camouflage
2. You're Just Too White For Me
3. Shakin Johnny Down
4. No Turnin Back
5. When You Were Mine
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