''Shock Horror!'' is a
mini-album and the first release by
new wave band
Katrina and the Waves, released in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
by Aftermath Records.
The album was originally credited to the Waves and released only in the
UK, later reissued for the first time on CD by
US label CGB in 2010.
The album was recorded by the band that became Katrina and the Waves, but prior to
Katrina Leskanich
Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song " Walking on Sunshine" was an international hit in 1985. In 1997, the band won the ...
's becoming the band's sole lead vocalist. ''Shock Horror!'' is notable for including the first recording of "
Going Down to Liverpool
"Going Down to Liverpool" is a song written by Kimberley Rew for his group Katrina and the Waves, although best remembered for a cover done by the Bangles.
Background
The song was first released on the band's 1982 EP '' Shock Horror!'' (with the ...
," which was later recorded by the band with Leskanich on lead vocals, and covered by
the Bangles
The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...
.
Background
The Waves were originally a band that guitarist
Kimberley Rew
Kimberley Charles Rew (born 3 December 1951) is an English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as a member of Katrina and the Waves from 1981 to 1999 and of Robyn Hitchcock's Soft Boys from 1978 to 1981. Two of his better-kno ...
and drummer Alex Cooper started in 1975 in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
, England. The band made a few recordings, but nothing was released at the time. Four tracks recorded in 1976 were later added as bonus tracks to the 2010 reissue of ''Shock Horror!'' This early version of the Waves disbanded when Rew joined
the Soft Boys
The Soft Boys were an English rock band led by Robyn Hitchcock primarily during the 1970s, whose initially old-fashioned music style of psychedelic/folk-rock became part of the neo-psychedelia scene with the release of '' Underwater Moonlight'' ...
in 1977. Cooper had joined Mama's Cookin' in 1979, a
pop/
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
cover band that featured singer
Katrina Leskanich
Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song " Walking on Sunshine" was an international hit in 1985. In 1997, the band won the ...
, guitarist Vince de la Cruz, and bassist Bob Jakins. After the break-up of the Soft Boys in 1981, Rew re-connected with Cooper, who convinced Rew to join Mama's Cookin', which was soon re-named the Waves.
Rew brought original material to the band, which he sang himself during the band's first year. Leskanich only sang lead on the Waves' repertoire of covers, but gradually Rew began writing songs specifically for her to sing, and by the time of their first full-length album, 1983's ''
Walking on Sunshine'', Leskanich was the band's main vocalist. In 1981-1982, the Waves did a number of recording sessions, which resulted in the 1982 singles "The Nightmare" and "Brown Eyed Son", released by Armageddon and Albion Records, respectively. Along with its B-side, "Hey, War Pig!", "The Nightmare" was included later the same year on Rew's solo album ''
The Bible of Bop''.
"Brown Eyed Son" and most of the remainder of the sessions were released as ''Shock Horror!'' on the Aftermath label.
The sessions took place while the Waves lineup was in transition, and only two songs on ''Shock Horror!'' feature original bassist Bob Jakins, who left the band between the two single releases. Guitarist Vince de la Cruz subsequently took on bass duties.
Released only in England, ''Shock Horror!'' contains the first recorded version of "
Going Down to Liverpool
"Going Down to Liverpool" is a song written by Kimberley Rew for his group Katrina and the Waves, although best remembered for a cover done by the Bangles.
Background
The song was first released on the band's 1982 EP '' Shock Horror!'' (with the ...
", which was re-recorded for the first Katrina and the Waves album, ''Walking on Sunshine'', and then re-recorded again for their
Capitol Records debut
Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to:
* Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society
* Debut novel, an author's first published novel
Film and television
* ''The Debu ...
in 1985, this time with Leskanich on lead vocals. "Brown Eyed Son" would also be re-recorded for ''Walking on Sunshine''.
Critical reception
Mark Deming
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
, writing for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, wrote that ''Shock Horror!'' "captures the Waves as they were still knocking their sound into shape, but the strength of Rew's songwriting and guitar work was already clear, and drummer Alex Cooper obviously had enough power to drive a locomotive." Deming concluded that, "''Shock Horror!'' sounds a long way from the work of a group that would become an international hitmaker, but the band obviously had talent and promise, and a stronger command of the studio would come with time."
''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' singled out the track "Strolling on Air," calling it "an especially rich find." They noted, "The other tunes (except for an
MC5
MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...
-ish raver, "Atomic Rock 'n' Roll") are typically engaging but not particularly well recorded. Interesting and certainly no embarrassment."
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from the 2010 reissue liner notes.
;The Waves
*
Kimberley Rew
Kimberley Charles Rew (born 3 December 1951) is an English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as a member of Katrina and the Waves from 1981 to 1999 and of Robyn Hitchcock's Soft Boys from 1978 to 1981. Two of his better-kno ...
– lead vocals (1-6), lead guitar
*
Katrina Leskanich
Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song " Walking on Sunshine" was an international hit in 1985. In 1997, the band won the ...
– lead vocals (7, 8), co-lead vocals (5, 6), rhythm guitar (1, 4-8), backing vocals (2, 3)
*Vince de la Cruz – bass (1, 4-8), rhythm guitar (2, 3)
*Alex Cooper – drums
*Bob Jakins – bass (2, 3)
;Technical
*Richard Bishop – producer (1, 4-8)
*Pat Collier – producer (2, 3), engineer (2, 3)
*Nick Cook – engineer (1, 4-8)
;Bonus tracks
*Kimberley Rew – guitar
*Alex Cooper – drums
*Rob Kelly – lead vocals, bass
*Gary Lucas – engineer
*Mike Kemp – engineer
Recording information
;Silo Studios, London, 1982
*Tracks: "Going Down to Liverpool", "I Caught the Milk Train (She Took the Deux Chevaux)", "Brown Eyed Son", "You Can't Stand Next to Judie", "Atomic Rock 'n' Roll", "Saturday Week"
: ("She Loves to Groove" was also recorded at the session and used as B-side to the "Brown Eyed Son" single. It was included as a bonus track on the 2010 reissue of ''
Walking on Sunshine'' and also re-recorded for ''
Katrina and the Waves 2
''Katrina and the Waves 2'' is the second album by new wave band Katrina and the Waves, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). The album was originally only released in Canada on the Attic Records label. It was included on the 2003 compilation ' ...
'' in 1984)
;Alaska Studios, London, 1981
*Tracks: "Strolling on Air", "Riding My Bike"
: ("I'm Amazed" and "Give Me Some of that Love" were also recorded at the session and later included as bonus tracks on the 2010 reissue of ''
The Bible of Bop'')
;Spaceward Studios, Cambridge, 1976
*Tracks: "Emerald", "The Ship", "My Friend Consuelo", "My Love's an Actress"
: (All four bonus tracks are previously unreleased)
References
{{Authority control
1983 debut albums
Katrina and the Waves albums