CATALYST — A Tear and A Smile (review)

CATALYST — A Tear and A Smile album cover Album · 1976 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
2/5 ·
Sean Trane
Last (and least) album from a band that obviously sought a more commercial path and veered towards soul-jazz, even adding vocals and syrupy ballads to the track list. Even the album title sounds a bit like a sell-out. One of the main difference with this album is that drummer Ferguson became the main songwriter, and a bunch of string and wind arrangements are sometimes intrusive.

The album starts out well enough, with the two-parts The Demon (7-mis+ in total), of which the slow first instalment even has a Canterburyan feel with its fuzzed-out instruments. However the second part features weird intrusive vocals on a Head Hunters-like funk. This heavy deviation from the Catalyst norm is even more unsettling in the light of the following smooth flute-driven Tear And Smile. Too much of a contrast, IMHO, especially that we return to a street-funk-jazz ala Head-Hunters/On The Corner with disputable choices of synths. As for the flipside, the opening Spanish-sounding Albeniz is the album’s highlight though the string arrangements are limit cheesy. The album’s pot-pourri ambiance goes a step forward with a stinky ballad with sultry but soppy vocals from Sharon Scott. And to even further confuse, the album closes on a gentle Brazilian jazz (aptly named Bahia) which also feature vocals

Compared with its three predecessors, this album is obvious odd one out, resembling the bazillions soul-jazz albums that abounding and flooded the record racks of the times. Indeed only the opening tracks of either side of the vinyl will have still a strong link with the trusted early Catalyst feel. Best avoided, if you ask me…. But then again you might not have a choice, because I think that all of Catalyst’s albums are only available on CD format through two 2on1 compilation discs affair. At least I’m not aware of the albums getting their own single album releases.
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