International Velvet (album)

Catatonia were originally formed in 1992 with Mark Roberts and singer Cerys Matthews being part of the band that released the critically acclaimed EP "For Tinkerbell" in 1993. Drummer Aled Richards and guitarist Owen Powell joined prior to the release of their first album Way Beyond Blue and the line-up remained the same for International Velvet.[1][2] Warner Bros. Records had intended to release "Lost Cat" from Way Beyond Blue in the United States in 1996, but due to problems at the record label the band had never released anything in the US until International Velvet.[3]

International Velvet was released in the United Kingdom on 2 February 1998, following the earlier releases of both "I Am the Mob" the previous October and "Mulder and Scully" a few days earlier. It was awarded 3× Platinum status by the British Phonographic Industry on 12 November 1999, meaning that in 22 months it had sold over 900,000 copies.[4] The album was Catatonia's first release in the United States by the Vapor label owned by Neil Young, but it did not chart and according to The Washington Post was "overlooked".[5] It was Catatonia's first album release in the United States.[6] The success of the album was seen as launching the band into the public spotlight.[7]

Five singles were released from the album. "I Am the Mob" was released on 6 October 1997 and became the first single to reach the top 40 in the United Kingdom having reached number 40 in the chart.[8][9] "Mulder and Scully", released on 19 January 1998,[10] became their breakout hit, reaching number three in the chart, and subsequent single "Road Rage" reached number five following its release on 20 April 1998.[9][11] The final two singles did not reach the top ten, with "Strange Glue" (20 July 1998)[12] getting to number 11 and "Game On" (26 October 1998)[13] only reaching number 33.[9] As part of the opening ceremony for the 1999 Rugby World Cup at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Catatonia performed the title track from the album.[14] That track had become an unofficial Welsh anthem due in part to the chorus "Every day when I wake up I thank the Lord I'm Welsh".[15] To promote the album, the band undertook its biggest tour to date.[7]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[16]
The Guardian	[17]
The Independent	[18]
Music Week	[19]
NME	6/10[20]
Pitchfork	7.8/10[21]
Select	4/5[22]
Wall of Sound	77/100[23]

The NME said that International Velvet showed Catatonia "to be more versatile than you ever thought possible for such a white-bread guitar group",[20] and that while "I Am the Mob" and "Road Rage" were "out-and-out pop songs",[20] "My Selfish Gene" was a "masterstroke".[20] However, NME felt that when Catatonia performed "typical guitar pop" they lacked excitement.[20] The Washington Post thought that International Velvet wasn't as consistent as its predecessor but included it in a list of the best albums of 1998.[24] The Independent felt the album fulfilled the promise the band had shown for years.[18]

Catatonia

• Cerys Matthews – vocals
• Mark Roberts – guitar
• Owen Powell – guitar
• Paul Jones – bass
• Aled Richards – drums

Production

• Tommy D – producer, mixing
• Joe Gibb – engineer, mixing
• Jason Harris – assistant engineer
• Paul Read – engineering on "Game On"
• Greg Haver – engineering on "Johnny Come Lately"
• Roland Herrington – mixing on "Mulder and Scully", "Game On", "Road Rage" and "Strange Glue"
• Dave Bascombe – mixing on "I Am the Mob"
• Joseph Cultice – photography
• Nigel Schermuly – photography

• International Velvet at MusicBrainz (list of releases)