Ferment (album)

Ferment is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released 9 June 1992 by Fontana Records. Produced by Tim Friese-Greene and John Lee, the album combined aspects of shoegazing, alternative rock and neo psychedelia. Ferment is the only album to contain the neo psychedelia element of the bands discography. Their next album, Chrome, produced with famed alternative rock producer Gil Norton, shifted the musical direction of the band. While Ferment was originally not all that successful in the charts, the album continues to be well received by critics and fans, even 30 years after its release.

Ferment
Studio album by
Catherine Wheel
Released9 June 1992
Recorded1991–1992
StudioMonnow Valley Studio, Rockfield, Wales
Genre
Length57:10
LabelFontana
Producer
Catherine Wheel chronology
Painful Thing
(1991)		 Ferment
(1992)		 Chrome
(1993)

Promotion and release

Four songs from the album – "Shallow", "I Want to Touch You", "She's My Friend" and "Salt" – had previously appeared on independently released 12" EPs, and were re-recorded for inclusion on the album.

The album's lead single, "Black Metallic", reached No. 9 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and its video earned heavy rotation on MTV.[1]

Limited numbers of the UK version came with a three-track live EP, recorded at Bath Moles Club on 6 November 1991.

The album was reissued in March 2010, containing bonus tracks (including the 1992 30th Century Man EP and both sides of the "Balloon" single) and extensive sleeve notes.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Select4/5[3]

PopMatters described Ferment as "the band's most unique record".[4] Trouser Press wrote: "With soaring choruses and producer Tim Friese-Greene's shimmering textures, the entire album—both delicate and demonstrative—sparkles and smolders."[5]

In 2016, Pitchfork ranked the album at No. 23 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time", with reviewer Ben Cardew commenting that "a good half of the songs on Ferment [...] are enduring shoegaze-disco classics, while 'Black Metallic', in its full seven-minute glory, makes a strong claim to being the genre's 'Stairway to Heaven'."[6] In 2017, Paste ranked the album at No. 6 on its list of "10 Shoegaze Albums for People Who Don't Like Shoegaze".[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Rob Dickinson and Brian Futter

No.TitleLength
1."Texture"4:19
2."I Want to Touch You"4:40
3."Black Metallic"7:18
4."Indigo Is Blue"5:31
5."She's My Friend"4:16
6."Shallow"3:28
7."Ferment"5:10
8."Flower to Hide"4:43
9."Tumbledown"4:08
10."Bill and Ben"4:09
11."Salt"5:26
Bonus track on US edition
No.TitleLength
12."Balloon"3:56
Bonus 12" with vinyl LP
No.TitleLength
1."Shallow"3:27
2."I Want to Touch You"5:58
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Salt"6:39

Singles
  • "She's My Friend"
    • 12" vinyl
      1. "She's My Friend" – 4:29
      2. "Upside Down" – 3:13
      3. "Wish" – 3:10
      4. "Salt" – 3:54
  • "Painful Thing"
    • 12" vinyl, CD
      1. "Shallow" – 3:27
      2. "Spin" – 2:44
      3. "Painful Thing" – 3:59
      4. "I Want to Touch You" – 5:05
  • "Black Metallic"
    • CD, 12" vinyl
      1. "Black Metallic" – 7:16
      2. "Crawling Over Me" – 5:39
      3. "Let Me Down Again" – 3:17
      4. "Saccharine" – 5:49
    • 7" vinyl
      1. "Black Metallic (Edit)" – 4:09
      2. "Let Me Down Again" – 3:17
    • US promo CD
      1. "Black Metallic" – 7:16
      2. "Black Metallic (UK Edit)" – 4:09
      3. "Black Metallic (KROQ Edit)" – 5:30
      4. "Let Me Down Again" – 3:17
  • "Balloon"
    • CD
      1. "Balloon (Edit)" – 3:56
      2. "Intravenous" – 3:31
      3. "Let Me Down Again (Live)" – 3:06
      4. "Painful Thing (Live)" – 6:21
    • 12" vinyl
      1. "Balloon" – 4:14
      2. "Intravenous" – 3:31
      3. "Let Me Down Again (Live)" – 3:06
      4. "Painful Thing (Live)" – 6:21
    • 7" vinyl
      1. "Balloon (Edit)" – 3:56
      2. "Intravenous" – 3:31
  • "I Want to Touch You"
    • CD
      1. "I Want to Touch You (Remix)" – 4:35
      2. "Ursa Major Space Station" – 5:04
      3. "Collideoscopic" – 4:07
      4. "Our Friend Joey" – 1:30
    • 12" vinyl 1
      1. "I Want to Touch You (Remix)" – 4:35
      2. "Dead Girl Friend" – 4:27
      3. "Ursa Major Space Station" – 5:04
      4. "Half Life" – 3:53
    • 12" vinyl 2
      1. "I Want to Touch You (Original Demo)" – 5:04
      2. "Black Metallic (Original Demo)" – 4:04
      3. "Wish (Original Demo)" – 3:09
    • 7" vinyl
      1. "I Want to Touch You (Remix)" – 4:35
      2. "Ursa Major Space Station" – 5:04
  • "30 Century Man"

Personnel
Catherine Wheel
Technical

References
  1. "Black Metallic - Catherine Wheel | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. Kellman, Andy. "Ferment – Catherine Wheel". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  3. Linehan, Graham (March 1992). "Catherine Wheel: Ferment". Select (21): 63.
  4. Fisher, Joseph (30 September 2010). "Come Back Again: Catherine Wheel's 'Ferment' Reissued | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. Rabid, Jack. "TrouserPress.com :: Catherine Wheel". Trouser Press. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  6. "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  7. Lopez, Samantha (9 March 2017). [pastemagazine.com/music/shoegaze/10-shoegaze-albums-for-people-who-dont-like-shoega "10 Shoegaze Albums for People Who Don't Like Shoegaze :: Music :: Lists :: Shoegaze :: Paste"]. Paste. Retrieved 15 September 2017. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
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