Cataract (Walkabouts album)

1989 studio album by The Walkabouts

Cataract

Studio album by

The Walkabouts

Released| March 1, 1989[1]
Genre| Alternative rock, alternative country
Length| 38:56
Label| Sub Pop
Producer| The Walkabouts, Tony Kroes, Ed Brooks
The Walkabouts chronology
| See Beautiful Rattlesnake Gardens
(1988)  | Cataract
(1989)  | Rag & Bone
(1990)

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Cataract is the second studio album by American alternative country band The Walkabouts released on March 1, 1989, through Sub Pop Records.

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks written by The Walkabouts.

1. "Whiskey xxx" – 2:56
2. "Hell's Soup Kitchen" – 3:24
3. "Whereabouts Unknown" – 3:01
4. "End-In-Tow" – 3:23
5. "Bones of Contention" – 4:38
6. "Home as Found" – 2:38
7. "Smokestack" – 3:04
8. "The Wicked Skipper" – 1:38
9. "Drille Terriers" – 2:24
10. "Specimen Days" – 3:44
11. "Long Black Veil" – 5:01
12. "Goodbye (to all That)" – 3:05

[2]

### Release history

[edit]

Date  | Label  | Format  | Catalog

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March 1, 1989  | Sub Pop Records | LP | SP031[1]
April 4, 1990  | Glitterhouse Records | CD (reissue with EP Rag & Bone)  | GR 0085[2]

## Personnel

[edit]

* Michael Wells – bass, harmonica
* Carla Torgerson – vocals, guitar, keyboard, cello, percussion
* Grant Eckman – drums, percussion
* Chris Eckman – vocals, guitars, mountain dulcimer, tapes

Additional musicians

* Jonathan Siegel – violin on "Whereabouts Unknown"
* Terry Lee Hale – slide guitar on "Home as Found"
* Carl Miller – trombone on "Smokestack"
* Liv Torgerson – backup vocals on "Drille Terriers"

Technical personnel

* Ed Brooks – production, engineering
* Tony Kroes – production, engineering
* The Walkabouts – production

Additional personnel

* William Forsythe – cover photo "Eddy and Dashdown", September 23, 1933
* Ben Thompson – cover design

## Critical reception

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Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [3]
Spin| positive[4]
Dave Thompson| 7/10[5]

Harold DeMuir wrote for "Trouser Press Record Guide, 4th Ed." that "The full-length 'Cataract' resonates with rueful Americana on such tracks as 'Whiskey XXX', "Hell's Soup Kitchen" and 'Long Black Veil' (not the traditional song), marking The Walkabouts as a distinctive band with loads of potential.".[6]

In The Walkabouts entry of "The Trouser Press Guide to 90's Rock: The All-New Fifth Edition of The Trouser Press Record Guide" Scott Schinder wrote "Cataract and the six-song Rag & Bone (combined as Rag & Bone Plus Cataract, a single CD bearing the EP's original artwork) are more distinctive, mining a richly shadowy strain of Americana.".[7]

In a review for the Backlash magazine Ransom Edison wrote "... Compared to The Walkabouts' debut album, last year's 'See Beautiful Rattlesnake Gardens,' 'Cataract' is a more refined and consistent effort, pushing the folk influence even further yet exploring a greater variety of musical approaches. ...".[8]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Sub Pop, The Walkabouts, Cataract". Sub Pop Records. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
2. ^ a b "Glitterhouse, The Walkabouts, Rag & Bone/Cataract". Glitterhouse Records. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
3. ^ Ankeny, Jason. Rag & bone/Cataract, The Walkabouts at AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
4. ^ Coley, Byron (August 1989). "Underground". Spin. p. 85\. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
5. ^ Thompson, Dave (November 1, 2007). Alternative Rock: The Best Musicians and Recordings. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 807\. ISBN 9780879306076. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
6. ^ "The Walkabouts". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
7. ^ "Trouser Press, Guide to 90's Rock: The Walkabouts". Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
8. ^ "Backlash magazine, The Walkabouts, Cataract". Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2012.

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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