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Bad News by Bad News © 2004 Parlophone Records Ltd.
Random Cat By Andrew Burns Origin: We have a cat and a cat flap. Said cat flap is operated by the cat’s identity chip, but something (the flap or the chip, still not clear which) stopped working and so we had to set the cat flap to allow in any cat just so our cat could gain entry. This lead to us discovering, sat in our kitchen like butter wouldn’t melt, a Random Cat. This one’s for you cheeky, mystery Tabby. Random Cat formed in Sheffield in 1961 as an after school project for friends George Lake, Graham Hogan, Malcolm French and Jack McArthur. French and Lake were really the driving force and it was they, French in particular, who taught Hogan the guitar, thus bringing him into the fold. McArthur wanted in and persuaded the other three to allow him to play the drums for them (though he couldn’t play at the time and his self taught, goofy style is what gives Random Cat their distinctive, heavy backbeat sound). They started out playing Blues covers- they were good and got better quickly. Driven by French’s virtuosity on the guitar and Lake’s rasping, snarling voice their reputation grew. Their central location in Sheffield allowed them to tour widely around the UK and this in turn allowed them to hone their skills. Lake and French began writing their own music and it was these original songs that caught the attention of Manager/Impressario Ron Donald. Donald got them a record contract with Specific Records. They churned out 3 albums for Specific in 12 months between 1963 and 1964- We Are Random Cat, Random Cat and Random Cat Prowl. Random Cat and Random Cat Prowl were combined in a ruthless hybrid to form Random Cat Abroad, their first release in the US at the end of ‘64 and it was this album, hastily put together though it was, that put them on the map in America and transformed them into pop superstars. Hogan and Lake were still in their teens, French and McArthur only just 20 when they had their first US number 1, the now classic She Means Everything. A string of hits followed on both sides of the Atlantic and their fans’ fervour was eclipsed only by that of The Beatles’. A pause for breath at the end of 1965 saw them return early in 1967 with the much more nuanced and enigmatic Randomness of Cats. Clearly influenced by Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds, Graham Hogan’s influence came to the fore in both harmony and production and in glimpses of songwriting that would hint at his future success with Tom Cape.
Randomness of Cats was the end of the road for Random Cat. All four members went on to other projects though only Hogan achieved the status they all promised back in the sixties. They have only played together again once since, at Healey's 1988 Sumatran Benefit Concert. This reunion was joyous and heart warming and hinted at a level of greatness they never really reached, forever destined to live in the long, dark shadows cast by The Beatles and The Stones.
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AuthorAndrew Burns really should know better and has so many more important things to be doing than writing this drivel. Please offer him no encouragement either via social media or through the contact page Archives
September 2017
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