THE CATCH

(pics from BRAVO 1984, click on to enlarge)

Country:
UK
Genre:
Electronic, Rock
Style:
Synth-pop, Pop

Members:
Chris Whitten, Don Snow, Andy Duncan (only 1983)

VIDEO:
"25 Years"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaaguUgzJ0k



























BALANCE ON WIRES (1984)

Credits:
Don Snow - Lead and Backing Vocals, Kexboards, Guitars, Bass, Sax (track 04, 08), Drum Machine Programing, Producer, Album Cover Concept
Chris Whitten - Drums and Percussions
Dave Bitelli (http://www.southampton.university-music.co.uk/jazz-pop/bitelli.html) and Spike Edney (fifth member of Queen, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Edney) - Horns
Graham Jarvis (Cliff Richard band, http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/credits/graham-jarvis/448775) - Drums (track 04)
Andy Duncan (http://www.a7music.com/andy_duncan.php and http://www.myspace.com/andyduncanpdc) - Drums (track 01)
Backing Vocals - Paul Muggleton (http://www.discogs.com/artist/Paul+Muggleton), Mark Williamson (http://www.myspace.com/markwilliamsonmusic), Mo & Annie & Chris Porter
Co-Produced By and Engineered By Chris Porter (produced also lot of The Pet Shop Boys, see: http://mixonline.com/news/headline/seelectronics-gemini-porter-091906/ and http://www.recordproduction.com/chris-porter.html)
Album Cover Artwork - Kouji Shimamura

Tracklist:

01 25 Years
02 Work So Hard
03 Dirty Boy
04 Thin Ice on a Frozen Heart
05 Under the Skin
06 Check the Alley
07 Understood
08 Balance on Wires
Bonus:
09 On The Road Again
10 25 Years (Ultrasound Re-Xtended Mix)
11 Find The Love (Extended)
12 Roger Daltrey - Balance On Wires (1987)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/289837513/thecat-ba.rar


(click on the pics to enlarge)


Again an underrated band with a rare album.
The sensational floating synthpop song "25 Years" shines like a diamond here to make them a "one hit wonder" band at least in the German speaking areas. I always listen to it together with Saphir - The Witch-Queen Of New Orleans (you can guess out why). The rest of the album is rather on the path of Robert Palmer, and perhaps Go West except the reggie influenced "Understood".
There are also two sweet calm songs "Thin Ice on a Frozen Heart" and "Balance on Wires" on it.
Interestingly, the singer has the same singing style -on some songs- as Moti Specials' fame Tissy Thiers.
The bonus tracks: On The Road Again is a cover version of Canned Heat's classic. Released in 1984 as the A side of the single with the same name.
Roger Daltrey - Balance On Wires (1987) is the rework of The Catch song from 1984. It was written by Don Snow who also played on keyboards here.

A plus note about the band, Don Snow and Chris Witten guested on ABC's How to Be A Zillionaire! (1985) album.

WALK THE WATER (1986)

Credits:
Don Snow - Lead and Backing Vocals, Kexboards, Guitars, Bass, Sax, Producer
Chris Whitten - Drums and Percussions
(if you have more info please message me)

Tracklist:

01 Soul Information
02 The Difference
03 Across the Great Divide
04 The Power to Change
05 I Don't Want to Fight
06 Find the Love
07 No Smoke Without Fire
08 The American Visitor
09 Through the Looking Glass
10 Supernatural
11 The End of the Day
12 Voices
13 25 Years (Album Version)
14 25 Years (Original 12" Mix)
15 A Man's Gotta Do, What a Man's Gotta Do

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/291051819/catch2.rar

While this music is done in the same style that they had been doing already on the first album, this is a good and enjoyable dance album perhaps even better than their first one. The album migrates between catchy soul/funk, American style pop, and reggie-blues like the most exciting instrumentationed song "The Power to Change" . The second song "The Difference" is Earth Wind and Fire influenced. My favourites are "Across The Great Divide" and "Find The Love" both should had been a hit. And there are also two wonderful slow songs "I Don't Want to Fight" and "Through the Looking Glass". If i have to describe what powers this recording, then have to say that it sounds just as fresh as the day I'd first heard it back in '86.
It's a pity that it was less succesful than "Balance On Wires" leading them to split.



Biography:
The Catch is an English pop band formed in 1983 by Don Snow and ex-Linx (electronic,disco band) drummer Andy Duncan (http://www.a7music.com/andy_duncan.php). After recorded their first song "25 Years" Duncan left to be replaced by Chris Witten (Julian Cope band). "25 Years" was a big success in Germany but the song and the band remained unknown in England.
They released one more album in 1986 but soon disbanded to pursue a solo career.

Don Snow (11.28.08):
"What a nice surprise! That old chestnut of mine "25 Years" is once again in the German charts, currently sitting at number 18 as part of a compilation CD. It's about 25 years since the original record came out - who would have thought it would still have some life left in it."


ALBUMS:
Balance On Wires (1984)
Walk The Water (1986)
25 Years The Album 1990 Version (1990)



DON SNOW
Don Snow (born 13 January 1957, Nairobi, Kenya) is a Hammond organ, guitarist, bass guitarist, and drummer who is primarily known for his work with Squeeze and Procol Harum.
In December 1992 he changed his name to Jon Savannah.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Snow)

Now known as Jonn Savannah, Don Snow has had great success as The Catch, and had an international hit with his song “25 Years” and has had a long and successful recording career. A talented multi-instrumentalist, the founder member of 'The Sinceros'. Jonn also worked with Lene Lovich on the second Stiff Tour, after which he embarked on a UK and American tour as keyboard player with Bill Nelson and the Practical Dreamers before joined 'Squeeze'(three separate times), but is most remembered for his contribution to “Sweets From A Stranger”. After a year of heavy touring with 'Sweets from a Stranger' album the band split and Jonn formed The Catch.

"Jonn subsequently co-produced a self-penned single, on which he sang and played most of the instruments. The single, entitled '25 Years' was quickly picked up by Metronome Records in Germany and released all over Europe. While the single was gaining ground Jonn sang and played keyboards for Judie Tzuke on a short UK tour. '25 Years' was released under the name of 'The Catch' and started to attract a lot of attention. Jonn teamed up with drummer Chris Whitten and performed '25 Years' on German television. The single sold half a million copies and reached number 3 in the Musikmarkt Top 75, remaining in the charts for 40 weeks. 'The Catch' made two albums and several singles for Metronome Records selling a total of three quarters of a million records.
In 1991 he produced a remake of '25 Years' for Hansa Records in Germany. '25 Years - The Album' was released by Hansa late in 1991, and another single, 'A Man's Gotta Do What A Man's Gotta Do,' was released in February 1992."

He has performed, recorded and toured extensively with the likes of; Tina Turner, Procol Harum, Squeeze, Van Morrison, Joe Cocker, Tom Jones, The Belle Stars to name but a few.

Today he continues to tune vocals for various UK singers and producers, his reputation growing as one of the few people to be able to keep the humanity of a vocal performance, while bringing it into tune.
Jonn is currently building a recording studio. The project started in April 2008 and should be completed early 2009.
(http://www.packetofthree.com/html/don_snow_-_solo.html)

More info:
http://jonnsavannah.com/disc.php

http://www.myspace.com/jonnsavannah

http://www.procolharum.com/procolds.htm

http://wikibin.org/articles/don-snow-aka-jonn-savannah.html



CHRIS WHITTEN

Chris Whitten (born March 26, 1959) is a British session drummer who provided drums for the classic hits "What I Am" by Edie Brickell, "World Shut your Mouth" by Julian Cope and "The Whole Of The Moon" by The Waterboys. Two critically acclaimed projects in the 1990s were Paul McCartney's Flowers In The Dirt album and Dire Straits final world tour from 1991-1992 to accompany their last studio album, On Every Street.
Chris unusually has used a Noble & Cooley drumkit which are radically designed drums. The toms and snare are single-ply, steam-bent shells which give them (especially the snare) a very distinctive sound. He has also recorded with such varied artists as Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, The Pretenders, ABC and The The.
Chris has been an active participant and Honorary VIP Member of the Drummer Cafe community forum since 2003.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Whitten)

In 2006 he joined The Beauty Room (http://www.myspace.com/thebeautyroom)

More info:
http://www.myspace.com/chriswhittendummer

http://www.australianmusician.com.au/DisplayStory.asp?StoryID=178

http://www.toontrack.com/artists.asp?id=4