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Back to the Cat
 
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Back to the Cat

~ Barry Adamson
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
Price: £10.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
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Frequently Bought Together

Back to the Cat + Stranger on the Sofa + As Above So Below
Price For All Three: £24.75

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Product details

  • Audio CD (31 Mar 2008)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Central Control
  • ASIN: B00133FOE0
  • Other Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 54,792 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in this category:

    #79 in  Music > Easy Listening > Cabaret

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Extraits
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. The Beaten Side of Town 4:49£0.79
Listen  2. Straight 'til Sunrise 4:58£0.79
Listen  3. Spend A Little Time 4:28£0.79
Listen  4. Shadow Of Death Hotel 4:21£0.79
Listen  5. I Could Love You 3:32£0.79
Listen  6. Walk On Fire 4:32£0.79
Listen  7. Flight 4:53£0.79
Listen  8. Civilization 4:18£0.79
Listen  9. People 3:23£0.79
Listen10. Psycho_Sexual 5:52£0.79

Product Description

Review
"Forget Mark Ronson, this is the man who should produce the next Amy Winehouse album. He's like the troubled, runaway son Shirley Bassey and Scott Walker never had." - NME 8/10 --New Musical Express

Review
"He is at the absolute height of his powers on Back to the Cat. It is among the best records of 2008 and is singular in its achievement" All Music Guide 4.5/5 --All Music Guide

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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
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 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars BA goes Pop. And wins., 22 April 2008
My head was span aroudn by this release. So much so that I've been thinking about how to review it for 2 weeks now. I feel this man says it better than I ever could. Courtesy of Thomas Jurek at the All Music Guide:

"The brooding synth and drum kit, the slow, West Side Story-esque finger pops, and the snaky little oboe-like phrase that commence "The Beaten Side of Town" also introduce its narrator: some back alley cross between the young hipster Scott Walker doing his best Jacques Brel doing his best Frank Sinatra singing a tune written by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, arranged by Nelson Riddle. It's a scene set in a smoky, back alley blind pig written by Colin MacInnes if he were really Hubert Selby, Jr. Uh huh. Now we're rolling. What's so utterly beguiling about this cut is that despite Adamson's obvious attempt to deliver that kind of swinger's cool in the heart of darkness as a vocalist, there isn't a thing that reeks of artificiality or artifice. It's got a wallop both musically and lyrically, especially when the reverbed guitars and the horns erupt in the bridge, or when a trumpet and some vibes are laid in the cut with only a snare, hi hat, and walking upright bass to accompany them. His last words, after a completely raucous jazzed up blues that celebrates the all the perceived lowlifes in an urban locale are: "The beaten side of town/And I'm goin down." It's a low thrum, almost a growl, as the keeper of the netherworld opens the gates to the real nightlife for the journey ahead. Adamson's protagonist is going ahead whether you accompany him or not. He knows the way, after all, even if he can't predict the outcome. But after this entrance, how can you help it?"

and then:

"The acid-drenched Serge Gainsbourg-esque trippy jazz of "Psycho_Sexual" brings the horror of a breaking, bleary, gray day after the end of a night of singular excess right to the narrator's doorstep. It also signals the end of our orgiastic musical journey with Adamson through his aural cinema of obsessive archetypes ranging from guttersnipe hustlers, spies, junkies, willfully brutal and needy sexual predators and their victims to musical heroes too numerous to mention. It is presented with wry and delightfully steamy nastiness to be sure. But make no mistake, this is a truly mind-blowing work of musical sophistication. And Adamson is a startlingly gifted composer who is also a brilliant storyteller in sound, word, texture, and mythology both arcane and contemporary. He is at the absolute height of his powers on Back to the Cat. It is among the best records of 2008 and is singular in its achievement."
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars barry is back...just!, 18 Jun 2008
I've been an avid follower of Adamson since his 1996 album "Oedipus Schmoedipus", in my opinion his grand masterpiece. And although subsequent efforts have been patchy and even in the case of "Stranger On The Sofa" even underwhelming, "Back To The Cat" sees a return to form...of sorts.

On listening, you're happy to hear Adamson's trademarks - his John Barry-like influence, the jazzy riffs and in the case of the first track "The Beaten Side of Town", a hark back to early songs such as his cover version of "The Man With The Golden Arm". But this is also the album's weakness. Whereas with "Oedipus Schmoedipus" and his excellent follow-up album "As Above So Below", Adamson managed the superb trick of sounding both retro and modern, the bulk of BTTC only manages to sound like pastiche. From "Oedipus" to the occasionally-great 2001 album "King of Nothing Hill", his vocals (always a moot point) were layered over imaginitive musicianship but BTTC only emphasises his lack of range, even more so than on "Stranger On The Sofa" and it's sad that he's forsaken the rich baritones of his spoken voice, so thick that it made him the new Barry White.

It would be mean to say that the album doesn't have its moments. My favourites - "Shadow of Death Hotel", "Flight" and "Psycho Sexual" hint at Adamson's mischevious, sinister side but these come in between tracks you feel you've heard before on previous albums and done better.

If you're an Adamson completist - like me - it's worth buying this album. But for others, then I couldn't recommend "Oedipus" and "As Above So Below" highly enough - brilliantly eclectic, inventive and distinctive albums by a man at his absolute creative peak, music that thrills you, scares you while making you smile and laugh in wonder.
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Back to the Cat
61% buy the item featured on this page:
Back to the Cat 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£10.98
Oedipus Schmoedipus
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Oedipus Schmoedipus 4.2 out of 5 stars (5)
£4.98
As Above So Below
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As Above So Below 4.0 out of 5 stars (4)
£4.98
King of Nothing Hill
9% buy
King of Nothing Hill 4.0 out of 5 stars (3)
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