In 1992, from the ashes of bands the La’s and Shack, Cast were born. Throughout the 90s they released four studio albums, gaining the reputation as one of the best bands of the britpop era, and becoming labelled as ‘the Who of the 90s’.
Now, 22 years after their formation, John Power and Co. are set to release the definitive editions of their entire back catalogue, in a deluxe set of their studio albums complete with bonus material and DVD, including brand new interviews with frontman Power.
The band’s 1995 debut All Change, and best selling record, is a collection of brilliantly and undoubtedly scouse, jangly pop tracks, including hit single ‘Alright’. The sound throughout the album is heavily influenced by the famous Merseybeat style, and track ‘Fine Time’ is no exception to this rule. With the catchiest chorus of all songs on the album, and an intro possibly borrowed (copied) from Guns ‘N’ Roses ‘Paradise City’, it’s one of the standout tracks from the album. Eight minute epic ‘Two of a Kind’ is another highlight, with the soft acoustic beginning slowly building to an anthemic crescendo finish. The vocal harmonies are reminiscent of Liverpool’s most famous sons the Beatles, and the guitar solo takes inspiration from George Harrison’s psychedelic, Indian tinged experiments. The album comes packed with an extra disc featuring a whopping 22 bonus tracks, although as exciting as this sounds, six of these are different (pretty similar) versions of ‘Fine Time’ and ‘Alright’, including acoustic performances, and live sessions with Simon Mayo and Mark Radcliffe. The inclusion of album outtakes ‘All in You’ and ‘All My Days’ however is a genuine bonus, and the psych tinged sound of the latter could easily have been featured on the original album.
Mother Nature Calls (1997) kicks off with rock and roller ‘Free Me’, beginning the album with a bang, and a sound which feels as if it could have been a big influence on the work of Oasis (Noel Gallagher was a big fan). Top ten single ‘Live the Dream’ is laid back and summery, and paints an image of a summers day on Merseyside. ‘Guiding Star’ is a pop classic, with a chorus that listeners will be humming for the rest of their week. Included on the album are six bonus tracks, including a stripped back, acoustic version of album opener ‘Free Me’, and the bluesy slow burner ‘Release My Soul’. The bonus disc is a slightly less repetitive (boring) than that of All Change, and includes a brilliant acoustic cover of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’. Psychedelic pop track ‘Effectomatic Who’, does what it says on the tin, and is soaked in guitar and vocal effects, and is a must hear for any Cast lover. Also featured are two remixes of All Change track ‘History’, with the Lo Fidelity All Stars version giving the track a spacey, shoegaze tinged makeover, layered with dance beats and vocal samples.
Third album Magic Hour (1999) saw the band reinvent themselves with a slightly heavier sound to move away from the faltering britpop scene. Lead single ‘Beat Mama’ shows the band’s movement away from their Merseybeat roots, with a beat influenced from ‘Madchester’ acts like the Happy Mondays. ‘Compare To You’ is more guitar heavy, with a gang vocal style chorus, something which was also prominent on the aforementioned ‘Beat Mama’. The title track sees the violins brought out, in a dreamy, symphonic haze of bliss. The bonus tracks see three different remixes of ‘Beat Mama’, including a Fire Island Classic Boys Own Dub mix, which gives the track a dance makeover so drastic, it’s barely recognisable from the original. The additional disc sees the band live up to their ‘Who of the 90s’ tag, with a hard rocking cover of the Who’s ‘The Seeker’, a track which highlights the musical talent the band posses. The inclusion of an entire BBC Radio session featuring tracks such as ‘Company Man’ and ‘Alien’ highlights why Cast have gained a reputation as a great live band.
The sound of final album Beetroot (2001) is almost unrecognisable from the band’s previous albums, combining latin and samba rhythms with a variety of new instruments, such as the flute, and it is unsurprising that Power and Co. split shortly after its release. ‘Desert Drought’, the only single released from the LP, has a prominent latin feel, and could easily be mistaken for a Rhythms Del Mundo cover of the Liverpool outfits earlier material. The remainder of the record is filled with uncharacteristic electronic sounds and samples, and gives the feeling that the experimentation heard throughout was maybe a step too far. ‘Jetstream’ is a more conventional acoustic track with a shuffling backbeat, and is probably the best of a pretty bad bunch of recordings. Bonus material includes a Solomon remix of ‘Desert Drought’, keeping the latin beat but giving it a faster rhythm, with the track ultimately sounding like a trashy Euro-dance record.
It would be foolish to argue with the sales figures of Cast’s back catalogue, as three of the four albums are undoubtedly great records. The band’s reputation remains strong 20 years on, and their influence can be heard in artists today such as Jake Bugg. However, as good as the original studio albums are, the bonus material included as a part of this deluxe reissue is mainly made up of very similar versions of already known tracks, although some of the demos and cover versions are definitely worth a listen. Unless you are a die hard Cast aficionado, this set of rereleases probably isn’t worth the investment.
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