The CAT Club (Classic Album Thursdays)

The CAT Club, in association with Strange Brew podcasts, presents a classic vinyl album::OGDENS’ NUT GONE FLAKE – THE SMALL FACES There was no shortage of outstanding psychedelic albums in the late 1960s, but the Small Faces classic Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, proved to be one of the greatest. With special guest PHILL BROWN A sixteen year old called Phill Brown was the tape operator on Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake. Not only did he talk to a captivated CAT Club audience about that album but he regaled us with many a fine tale from his subsequent career as a renowned engineer and producer. Stories about working with the Stones, Hendrix, Bob Marley, Nilsson, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Talk Talk, Dido and many others including fellow legendary producer, Glyn Johns (and not working with Morrissey and the Smiths) had our jaws dropping and smiles beaming on our faces. We also learned that editing tape after being given a rather larger spliff from Aston "Family Man" Barrett of the Wailers isn’t a good idea. Only the proverbial tip of the iceberg was covered which is a good reason to have Phill Brown back at The CAT Club sometime in the future. Meanwhile, we recommend Phill’s fine memoir ‘Are We Still Rolling? Studios, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll – One Man's Journey Recording Classic Albums.’ JASON BARNARD of Strange Brew podcasts was in the interviewer’s chair. This event took place on 28th November 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

AN AUDIENCE WITH IAN RANKIN A Life in Music . .  The superb Inspector Rebus novels are littered with musical references throughout, so we were delighted when legendary award winning author, Sir Ian Rankin agreed to come along to talk about his own life with our favourite art form.  Originally, Ian’s friend (and also a best selling Scottish author), John Niven was to be the interviewer, but an important business trip to New Orleans came along and alternative arrangements had to be made. The CAT Club’s very own AMANDA COOK stepped into the breach and made us all so proud of her. After a brief chat about Ian’s latest blockbuster release, ‘Midnight and Blue,’ the musical tastes of John Rebus did indeed feature in a fascinating evening with a true giant of the wonderful world of literature. Ian took us on a personal journey through his life explaining how music played such an important role along the way. As well as being a great novelist, Ian is also a great raconteur with a terrific sense of humour and he captivated the sold audience for over two memorable hours. Special thanks to Amanda Cook for a terrific stint in the interviewer's chair. This event took place on 21st November 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk Happy Trails.

THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN with special guest ARTHUR BROWN. The eponymous ‘The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown,’ which included the smash hit single ‘Fire,’ was released in 1968. With Vincent Crane on keyboards, Drachen Theaker on drums and Nick Greenwood (billed as Sean Nicholas) on bass guitar, and with Brown’s extraordinary vocals, it was perhaps an album that could never be repeated and it remains an exhilarating slice of psychedelia at its prime and extremity. Arthur Brown is a seminal figure in the realm of psychedelic rock. Emerging in the late 1960s, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown melded surreal stage antics with pioneering sounds, cementing their place in rock history. Brown's captivating persona, marked by his operatic voice and wild, face-painted performances (including wearing a flaming helmet during the rendering of 'Fire') became a hallmark of their shows, influencing future generations of theatrical rock artists. Their music remains a symbol of the experimental and boundary-pushing spirit of the psychedelic era, continuing to inspire with their enduring legacy and ongoing musical contributions. Arthur Brown’s influence on shock, progressive rock and on electronic and heavy metal music also cannot be underestimated. It was a fascinating interview with a fascinating man that included one of Arthur’s famous helmets being set alight on the CAT Club stage during the video screening of the legendary 1968 Top of the Pops performance of ‘Fire!’ The gathering culminated with a stunning live performance with Arthur singing ‘I Put A Spell On You’ along to the original backing track ripped from the featured album. JASON BARNARD did an admirable job in the interviewer’s chair it must be said. This event took place on 24th October 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk Happy Trails.

OH MERCY – BOB DYLAN with special guest Michael Gray. In 1989 Bob Dylan appeared to be a busted flush, the God bothering had faded and the glory decades were long gone but with Daniel Lanois at the helm ‘Oh Mercy’ smashed any preconceptions of creative malaise and delivered his most vital work for years. For many ‘Oh Mercy' was a gateway drug to both Dylan and the genre of Americana. It is a genuine classic album that stands up to repeated listens.” (Rolling Stone). MICHAEL GRAY was the man who in 1972 wrote the first critical study of Bob Dylan’s work – the first to take him seriously as an artist and to discuss his work alongside that of the literary majors – all this more than 40 years before Dylan received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Michael has remained at the forefront of Dylan Studies and his books are widely used in colleges and libraries on both sides of the Atlantic. We were delighted to welcome the author of ‘Song & Dance Man,’ ‘The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia’ and ‘Outtakes On Bob Dylan’  for what proved to be a memorable evening – Dr. Michael Gray. This event took place on 26th September 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk Happy Trails.

NEBRASKA – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN A CAT Club presentation in association with the E Street and Strange Brew Podcasts. Recorded on four-track cassette in his New Jersey bedroom, 'Nebraska' has proved one of Springsteen’s most enduring works. A raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching not for salvation through music, but simply a reason to believe. JASON BARNARD & JEFF MATTHEWS headed up our panel. Jason’s Strange Brew Music podcasts are in the top 1.5% in the world. Jeff is the host of the acclaimed E Street Cafe podcasts and veteran of around one hundred Springsteen live shows over 43 years. It was a fascinating event with a special live performance of the title track by Liverpool legend and one of the finest singer/songwriters on the current music scene, Robert Vincent. This event took place on 12th September 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

POWER, CORRUPTION & LIES – NEW ORDER with special guest Lindsay Reade. 'Power, Corruption & Lies' cemented New Order's place as the most exciting dance-rock hybrid in music. Released on Factory, the album stands as a thrilling introduction to a band finding its feet and leaping ahead of the pack. With special guest LINDSAY READE. We were delighted to welcome Lindsay Reade as our guest, who was at the heart of the vast cultural changes that took place within Manchester and its evolving music scene during the past three decades. Lindsay worked at Factory Records, sang lead vocals on a Durutti Column single, was an early manager of The Stone Roses and much more besides. Lindsay was also married to Factory Records owner and Haçienda director, Tony Wilson. Her new memoir, ‘A Continual Farewell,’ l tells the incredible story of their tempestuous and mercurial relationship. AMANDA COOKE was in the interviewer's chair. This event took place on 15th August 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

BLUE – JONI MITCHELL with special guest Barney Hoskyns. Sad, spare, and beautiful, 'Blue' is the quintessential confessional singer/songwriter album. Forthright and poetic, Joni Mitchell's songs are raw nerves, tales of love and loss. Mitchell's music moves beyond the constraints of acoustic folk into more intricate and diverse territory, setting the stage for the experimentation of her later work. Unrivalled in its intensity and insight, 'Blue' remains a watershed. With special guest BARNEY HOSKYNS.Barney Hoskyns edited the acclaimed 2017 publication 'Joni: The Anthology.' He has worked for, and contributed to Melody Maker, NME, Vogue, The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Observer, Rolling Stone, Mojo, Uncut, Spin, The BBC and many more. He is the co-founder of Rock’s Backpages. He has been referred to as one of the country’s best rock journalists & the finest British rock writer of his generation. Barney Hoskyns has written some of the best music books ever published. In the interviewer’s chair for the very first time was Allan Wilkinson who ensured that a splendid time was by all. This event took place on 25th July 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

AN AUDIENCE WITH MANZANERA . . . Phil Manzanera is one of the UK’s best-known musicians and record producers, having shot to prominence in the early ‘70’s as the lead guitarist with the seminal band, Roxy Music. He is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading guitarists and is in much demand both as a performer and record producer. In 2019 Roxy Music were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame playing live at the ceremony. As a writer, producer and solo artist, Phil Manzanera has worked with many of the luminaries of modern music, such as Steve Winwood, David Gilmour, John Cale, Godley and Creme, Nico (Velvet Underground) and John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia). He has co-written material with many artists, including Brian Eno, Tim Finn, Robert Wyatt and David Gilmour. Manzanera co-wrote Pink Floyd’s single ‘One Slip’ from their 1988 ‘Momentary Lapse of Reason’ album. In the world of Rock en Español Manzanera has also produced seminal albums for Draco Rosa, Enrique Bunbury, Héoes del Silencio Aterciopelados, Paralamas and fFto Paez. His state of the art Gallery Studios, now also a post production studio for films, in West London. Artists that have recorded there include Robert Wyatt, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Hot Chip, David Gilmour, Annie Lennox, Paul Weller, Kevin Ayers and Chrissie Hynde. The Rock And Roll Hall of Famer has written his acclaimed memoir, titled Revolución To Roxy, and he was with us at The CAT Club to talk about the book and his extraordinary life. Phil will also brought along his guitar . . . In the interviewer’s chair was Jason Barnard who ensured that a splendid time was by all. This event took place on 13th June 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

ALADDIN SANE – DAVID BOWIE with special guest Suzi Ronson. On 5th July 2017, The CAT Club's featured album was Bowie's 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.' Our special guest that day was the band's drummer, Woody Woodmansey. We've wanted to present the follow up record to Ziggy Stardust, the truly wonderful 'Aladdin Sane' for some time now but never seemed to get it together. Until a certain memoir was recently published . . . Suzi Fussey was working in a Beckenham hair salon in the early seventies when Mrs Jones came in for her weekly shampoo and set. After being introduced to her son David and his wife Angie, Suzi finds herself at the Bowies’ bohemian apartment and is soon embroiled in their raucous world. Having crafted his iconic Ziggy Stardust hairstyle, Suzi becomes the only working woman in David’s touring party and joins the Spiders from Mars as they perform around the globe. Amid the costume blunders, parties and groupies she meets her husband-to-be, Mick Ronson, and together they traverse the absurdities of life in show business, falling in with the likes of Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed along the way. Dazzling and intimate, ‘Me and Mr Jones’ provides not only a unique perspective on one of the most beguiling stars of our time but also a world on the cusp of cultural transformation, charting the highs and lows of life as one of the only women in the room as it happened. We were delighted that Suzi Ronson joined us to talk about her life with both David Bowie and Mick Ronson and, of course, about 'Aladdin Sane.’ In the interviewer’s chair for the very first time was Amanda Cook who ensured that a splendid time was by all. This event took place on 6th June 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

SIMPLE MINDS – NEW GOLD DREAM (81-82-83-84) with special guest Derek Forbes. “Ecstatic” is a good word. 'New Gold Dream' remains a bewitching, mystic work. Following five albums of often magnificent abstraction, Simple Minds located the sweet spot between art and pop, shadow and light, trance and melody. The lead single from the album, 'Promised You a Miracle,' became their first hit. They were on their way. We were delighted to welcome DEREK FORBES, the legend known for those iconic spine-rattling bass riffs which we recognise in numerous Simple Minds' songs (many of which he also wrote and co-wrote). The Ivor Novello award winner talked about the classic 'New Gold Dream' album as well as his acclaimed autobiography, 'A Very Simple Mind: On Tour’ and much besides. He also brought his bass and guitar which was a special treat.  Jason Barnard in the interviewer’s chair and a splendid time was had by all. This event took place on 23rd May 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND with special guest Philip Norman. John Lennon’s stunning debut album is quite rightly regarded as his best. Bleak, exhilarating and soulful, ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’ is a true classic album. Legendary author & journalist, Philip Norman wrote 'Shout! The True Story Of The Beatles,' the multi million seller biography that was published in 1981. 'John Lennon: The Life' was published in 2008. In a classic conversation with Jason Barnard, PHILIP NORMAN reels off stories about the Fabs, Yoko, Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor, Margo Fontaine and David Bailey just to name a few. It’s a funny, sad, poignant and riveting interview that had the sold-audience captivated throughout. If you would like to learn more about Philip’s extraordinary life we highly recommend his memoir, ‘We Danced On Our Desks.’ Philip’s new blog, ‘Read Me Do’ can be found at:https://open.substack.com/pub/philipnorman/p/the-man-who-made-the-beatles?r=2uoo5g&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email JASON BARNARD was in the interviewer's chair. This event took place on 25th April 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

BUZZCOCKS – A DIFFERENT KIND OF TENSION with special guest, Paul Hanley. Buzzcocks’ 1979 album, 'A Different Kind of Tension' may have been released the same year as ‘Singles Going Steady,’ but it is a different shape of beast to ‘Singles.' For a start it was recorded intentionally as an album rather than cobbled together by a naive U.S. label in search of punk dollar. Track three is “You Say You Don’t Love Me” which automatically rates the album a straight 10, but there are other objects d’interest up in this sweet, sweet bastard of a record. By this point, on their third studio album proper, Pete Shelley was firmly entrenched as the band’s driving creative force—yet songs by Steve Diggle like “Sitting Round at Home” and “You Know You Can’t Help It” are rough-hewn gems in the catalogue worth seeking out. For the most part, as for majority of their output, the songs are short, sharp, punk-pop shocks that electrify and energize—and while their formula may have been perceived by some as tired by this point, the band would continue on in various incarnations right up until the present day. Even now, with Shelley gone, Diggle has chosen to keep pushing Buzzcocks into the future. The eternal teenagers somehow continue their path, unswerving, and it’s a beautiful thing to both reflect on and behold. With special guest PAUL HANLEY Man of letters and former Fall drummer, Paul Hanley has written a book on Buzzcocks called ‘Sixteen Again: How Pete Shelley & Buzzcocks Changed Manchester Music (And Me),’ to give it its full title. The book mixes together biography, interview, critique and social history to create a full picture of the legendary Manchester group, equally beloved of fans of punk, post punk and indie. Route Publishing – who have also published Hanley's ‘Leave The Capital: A History Of Manchester Music In 13 Recordings’ and the masterful ‘Have A Bleedin Guess: The Story Of Hex Enduction Hour’ – have the following to say: "Paul Hanley's obsession with Buzzcocks peaked between the ages of 14 and 16, exactly the age when ‘favourite band’ actually means something important. An essential part of the charm of Buzzcocks to him were their proximity and approachability." Paul Hanley is also one half of the drumming duo who power recent Q Album Of The Year, House Of All, and co-host of the Oh! Brother podcast with kin Steve Hanley, JASON BARNARD of Strange Brew podcasts was in the interviewer’s chair. This podcast in association with Strange Brew podcasts. This event took place on 21st March 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD – DUSTY IN MEMPHIS with special guest LUCY O'BRIEN Surprisingly unsuccessful at the time, the album has thankfully become a monument to the unique soulfulness of one of Britain’s finest-ever voices. The record that’s widely held to be the greatest album in the distinguished catalogue of Dusty Springfield – in fact, for many, one of the greatest albums, period – was released on March 31, 1969. Despite being surprisingly unsuccessful at the time, Dusty In Memphis has thankfully become a monument to the unique soulfulness of one of Britain’s finest-ever voices. The album was Dusty’s fifth, some five years into her hitmaking career. It marked a new era, as it was the first time that she had recorded an LP outside the UK. Masterfully overseen by three of the all-time giants of American soul and rock music production, Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin, and Tom Dowd, it had a famously difficult birth. Happily, what endures is the brilliant quality of the songs and performances. Our special guest, LUCY O'BRIEN launched the paperback version of her updated & definitive biography, Dusty. Lucy has written critically acclaimed books about Karen Carpenter, Madonna, Annie Lennox as well as 'She Bop: The Definitive History Of Women In Popular Music.' IAN CLAYTON was in the interviewer's chair. This event took place on 29th February 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

An Audience with TORIA GARBUTT The CAT Club's 'Sunday Showdown' presented the extraordinary ‘High Priestess of The Spoken Word,’ TORIA GARBUTT in a brutally honest conversation, followed by a stunning performance. Gary ‘Guestlist’ Lethbridge was in the interviewers’ chair. Since bursting onto the scene in 2014, Toria Garbutt has been a regular tour support for Dr John Cooper Clarke, most recently on his ‘Luckiest Guy Alive' tour on which Toria performed extensively at venues across the UK and Europe.   In 2016, Toria released her début album 'Hot Plastic Moon’ with spoken word label Nymphs and Thugs and in 2018 her début poetry collection ‘The Universe and Me' was published by Wrecking ball press. Toria's second collection 'Another Time in Space' was published in December 2022. Toria’s words have also been featured in Not Too Tame’s Northern Souls show at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, and recently in The Guardian for their feature on The Rise and Rise of the New Poets.  In September 2021, Toria featured on the front cover and centrefold of The Big Issue North.  She was recently interviewed by Chis Hawkins on Radio 6 for National Poetry Day, and appeared on Radio 3's The Verb, with Ian McMillan and Radio 4's Front Row with Nick Ahad, as part of BBC's Contains Strong Language festival.   Toria is currently writing Funerals for Birds, a radio drama about her experience of addiction. “Toria Garbutt is Saturday Night Sunday Morning in one woman and in our lifetime, we are lucky to have her. Glorious, brutal, sharp, and tender. She has written an extraordinary love letter to us all.” Salena Godden “Toria Garbutt is a beacon of a poet whose work draws us all together, closer to safety. Political, irreverent, warm, and necessary her performances are the stuff of legend. Superb.” Joelle Taylor “Joan Jett and Patti Smith’s better-looking kid sister.” John Cooper Clarke “Powerful, accessible, intelligent, and musical. Just about all the things I love in a poet.” Benjamin Zephaniah “Toria has a unique skill of wrapping an audience up in her arms and making them feel that everything is gunna be alright.” Mike Garry "A sage and a seer." Ian McMillan This event took place on 21st January 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

CREAM – FRESH CREAM with special guest MALCOLM BRUCE Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker formed Cream and released their stunning blues based debut album in 1966. ‘Fresh Cream' represents so many different firsts, it's difficult to keep count. Cream, of course, were the first supergroup, but their first album not only gave birth to the power trio, it also was instrumental in the birth of heavy metal and the birth of jam rock. Our special guest offered some other unique insights into one of the great debut offerings from the fertile sixties. Like his father Jack, Malcolm Bruce is not only steeped in the blues, but also in the classical & jazz traditions. He is the co-executive producer, arranger and performer for 'Heavenly Cream,' a project headed by Cream lyricist Pete Brown. The album was released in late 2023 to critical acclaim. Malcolm Bruce’s new album is ‘Fake Humans And Real Dolls.’ Jason Barnard was in the interviewer's chair. This event took place on 11th January 2024 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

TELEVISION – MARQUEE MOON with special guest Will Sergeant. This interview took place before and after we listened to the vinyl album. 'Marquee Moon' is a revolutionary album, but it's a subtle, understated revolution. Without question, it is a guitar rock album – it's astonishing to hear the interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, but it is a guitar rock album unlike any other. Where their predecessors in the New York punk scene, most notably the Velvet Underground, had fused blues structures with avant-garde flourishes, Television completely strip away any sense of swing or groove, even when they are playing standard three-chord changes. Marquee Moon is comprised entirely of tense garage rockers that spiral into heady intellectual territory, which is achieved through the group's long, interweaving instrumental sections, not through Verlaine's words. That alone made Marquee Moon a trailblazing album – it's impossible to imagine post-punk soundscapes without it. Of course, it wouldn't have had such an impact if Verlaine hadn't written an excellent set of songs that conveyed a fractured urban mythology unlike any of his contemporaries. From the nervy opener, "See No Evil," to the majestic title track, there is simply not a bad song on the entire record. And what has kept 'Marquee Moon' fresh over the years is how Television flesh out Verlaine's poetry into sweeping sonic epics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine.  With special guest WILL SERGEANTWill is best known for his work as songwriter and guitarist with Echo & The Bunnymen with whom he has recorded and performed world-wide for thirty years. He also has long-term ties with the experimental side of life, in the fields of performance, recording and the visual arts. Here he talks about his life as a Bunnyman and more besides before waxing lyrical about his favourite album – Television’s ‘Marquee Moon.’ Ryan Walker was in the interviewer's chair. This event took place on 14th December 2023 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

AN AUDIENCE WITH GLEN MATLOCK We were delighted when the Sex Pistols and Rich Kids legendary bass player, Glen Matlock joined us at The CAT Club to talk about his fascinating new book, Triggers: A Life In Music – which charts his life and career through the lens of thirty of his most formative songs – from the ones that influenced him as a child to the ones he wrote and played on as a star. CAT Club stalwart, JASON BARNARD of Strange Brew podcasts was in the interviewer's chair. The interview was followed by a live performance. Happy Trails. This event took place on 3rd December 2023 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons.

THE BAND – The eponymous second album with special guest JOHN NIVEN. This interview took place before and after we listened to the vinyl album. The Band’s debut, ‘Music From Big Pink’ and their eponymous second LP are two of the most influential albums ever made. John Niven’s novella, Music From Big Pink caused the Band’s Robbie Robertson to ask, “Was that guy in the room?” John is one of the UK’s greatest writers and has published over ten acclaimed books. His latest offering is the truly wonderful O Brother. It’s a brutally honest family memoir about his young brother Gary, that is both hilarious and devastatingly tragic. CAT Club stalwart, Ian Clayton was in the interviewer's chair. THE BAND – edited review by Jason Draper (www.udiscovermusic.com) The self-titled second album by The Band honed everything from ‘Music From Big Pink’ with deft performances and an innate knack for storytelling. If The Band single-handedly created Americana with their debut album, on their self-titled sophomore effort (aka “The Brown Album”), they honed everything that made ‘Music From Big Pink' so quietly epochal. Initially, the group relocated from their iconic Woodstock home to a New York studio in order to work up the 12 songs that formed their self-titled second album, but the pro facilities didn’t suit the group’s laidback, down-home approach. Packing up and heading west, they recreated the Big Pink vibe with what lead guitarist Robbie Robertson called “a clubhouse feel” at 8850 Evanview Drive in West Hollywood, a house that had previously been owned by Sammy Davis Jr. The place had enough bedrooms that the group could reside there with their families and a pool house where they set up the studio. The Band’s second album came after a difficult period. Bassist Rick Danko had broken his neck in a serious car crash and had taken time to recover. The move from East Coast to West Coast proved an invigorating change. Crossing the vast expanse of North America was apt: The Band was almost simply titled America, and its songs are populated with characters from the continent’s past; like the lucky hopefuls who set off west in search of the American Dream in the mid-1800s, The Band struck gold. Truckers, sailors, Civil War soldiers: it’s the sort of roll call that would feel contrived in lesser hands, but Robertson and co’s deft performances and innate knack for storytelling allowed these disparate characters – like the wide array of instruments the group rotated through – to coalesce, working up a collection of songs that, as Ralph J. Gleason put it in his Rolling Stone review, are “equal sides of a 12-faceted gem, the whole of which is geometrically greater than the sum of the parts.” This event took place on 30th November 2023 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

THE BEATLES – A HARD DAY'S NIGHT with special guests Peter Mills & James McGrath. This interview took place before and after we listened to the vinyl album. Considering the quality of the original material on 'With the Beatles,' it shouldn't have been a surprise that Lennon & McCartney decided to devote their third album to all-original material. Nevertheless, that decision still impresses, not only because the album is so strong, but because it was written and recorded at a time when the Beatles were constantly touring, giving regular BBC concerts, appearing on television and releasing non-LP singles and EPs, as well as filming their first motion picture. In that context, the achievement of 'A Hard Day's Night' is all the more astounding. Not only was the record the de facto soundtrack for their movie, not only was it filled with nothing but Lennon-McCartney originals, but it found the Beatles truly coming into their own as a band by performing a uniformly excellent set of songs.  Peter Mills and James McGrath teach in the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities at Leeds Beckett University. They have been friends and colleagues for many years, and Peter supervised James's PhD on the music of Lennon & McCartney. So it seems only right that they have co-edited a book of 14 brand new essays on The Beatles, entitled 'The Beatles in Perspective: A Carnival of Light', published by Equinox Books in 2023.  They chose 1964's 'A Hard Day's Night' album as their CAT Club subject. CAT Club stalwart, Ian Clayton was in the interviewer's chair. Happy Trails. This event took place on 16th November 2023 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.

GEORGE MICHAEL – FAITH with special guest JOHN ALTMAN. This interview took place before and after we listened to the vinyl album. It has to be said that John Altman is one of the great raconteurs and his stories caused many a jaw to drop in what was a truly classic CAT Club gathering. Unfortunately, George Michael didn't get much of a look in, but after listening this podcast you will understand why we've invited John back in 2024 for 'An Evening with John Altman.' So, back to George Michael's 'Faith' . . .One of the best selling albums of all time and the first album by a white solo artist to hit number one on the Billboard Top Black Albums chart.  Faith featured JOHN ALTMAN on saxophone. John is also a composer, arranger and conductor who has worked with Muddy Waters, Jimmy Page, Nick Drake, Tina Turner, Barry White, Chet Baker, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Björk, Peter Green and many, many others. His tv and film work includes James Bond Movies, Monty Python, Titanic, The Sheltering Sky, The Rutles and Léon. In the interviewer’s chair, performing admirably under the circumstances, was JASON BARNARD. Happy Trails.  This event took place on 26th October 2023 in the Pigeon Loft at The Robin Hood, Pontefract, West Yorkshire. To find out more about the CAT Club please visit: www.thecatclub.co.uk This podcast has been edited for content and for copyright reasons. Happy Trails.