BOB CATLEY - MIDDLE EARTH

Bob Catley is one of the best vocalists to have come out of England, if one of the least well known outside Europe. Having been the frontman of Pomp Rock exponents Magnum for well over 20 years he built up a following that regardless of current musical trends always appreciated his strong delivery and ability to make even the most commercial of lyrics sound meaningful and full of soul - not to mention his on stage hand gestures and the ability to weep a few sincere tears when an audience reaction really hits him!! Bob is one of Rock's frontmen in the business for all the right reasons. Not only has he built up a legion of everyday rock fans but he also has admirers in the rock scene too - the main reference here being Ten vocalist Gary Hughes. Hughes has not only taken Magnum's classic sound and updated it for a new generation in his own band Ten but he has also revitalised Bob Catley's career by writing all his solo albums. 'Middle Earth' is an update of the classic Magnum sound best displayed on the pomp majesty of the 'On A Storytellers Night' album. Bob's backing band also consists of the majority of Ten. 'Middle Earth' is a concept album entirely written by Hughes for Catley based on J.R.R. Tolkiens book 'Lord Of The Rings'. It is a bold and pomp fuelled album that is a perfect showcase for Catley's vocals as well as being another recommended release for all Ten/Gary Hughes fans.

1. THE WRAITH OF THE RINGS [7.05]
Starting out like the perfect successor to the Magnum classic 'How Far Jerusalem', the track starts out with haunting keys before a bass line enters and the track starts to build with more textures and layers being added to the pallet. Some guitars enter [courtesy of Ten man Vinny Burns] and finally Bob makes his voice heard, quite restraint at first but ultimately build up to the chorus which has a killer hook guaranteed to send Bob's fans into a frenzy at the live shows. The track has quite an epic feel to it and the different instrument orchestrations do the grandiose image and story of the track justice. A superb opener.

2. THE FIELDS THAT I RECALL [8.02]
Opening with delicate piano and orchestra voicings 'The Fields That I Recall' is another venture through classic Magnum territory. Gary Hughes really has a knack for writing classic Clarkin sounding material, Bob enters with some suitably dare I say it, twee vocals - "I watch the dawn light burn across the fields and I recall, How the shire of night turns to dust, how skies of blue can banish the storm...". The track picks up for the second segment of the track 'Emissary' which is home to another hook laden chorus. The track is another delightful exercise in pomp fuelled majesty, with a nice mix of Magnum meets Ten style melody on the chorus.

3. CITY WALLS [6.11]
'City Walls' is another classy trip into classic songwriting pastures. Bob's vocals sound great other the almost classical meets medieval melody of the intro, before the track picks up pace and heads into a direction that is best described as The Who's 'Baba O'Reilly' meeting the classical solo section in Deep Purple's 'Burn'! Rest assured the end result is impressive and sounds great, the lyrics are much more intricate than those in Magnum and do a good job of telling the story of 'Lord Of The Rings'.

4. AGAINST THE WIND [5.15]
Starting with an almost AOR feel 'Against the Wind' then heads into almost Led Zeppelin territory [Battle Of Evermore] thanks to some female vocals from Tracy Hitchings who sounds a little like Geddy Lee of Rush, the track has a nice feel to it and again build slightly paving way for a melodic solo from Burns, the Zeppelin type chorus sees the track out.

5. WHERE YOU LEAD I'LL FOLLOW [8.47]
Opening with a classic ballad feel the track looks like being a bit of an epic. Hughes' lyrics do not disappoint and Catley's majestic voice do them justice again - "Light, shooting stars that fall beyond the night, whispers start again as darkness falls and the shire comes to light". The track picks up for pt.2 of the track 'Stormcrow and Pilgrim' and the track sounds truly excellent now. Hughes backing vocals are quite prominent here and complement Bob's lead vocals well. Burns lays down another classy solo that works well over the instrumentation behind it and the track is another highlight.

6. RETURN OF THE MOUNTAIN KING [6.40]
The classic Magnum pomp sound enters again, relatively mid paced but the stronger for it. The chorus should prove to be another live singalong favorite and rightly so. The strong keyboard sound takes center stage over the guitar on this track and help give the song a more majestic feel. A short solo keeps the song on track before leading into another run through of the great chorus, a track full of charm.

7. THE END OF SUMMER (Galadriels Theme) [5.51]
A haunting keyboard motif opens the track in fine style before Bob enters with a suitably eerie vocal melody line, it actually reminds me a little of a slowed down melodic take on the verse of Megadeth's 'Hanger 18' mixed with Journey's 'Seperate Ways'. The track keeps the dark vibe up pretty much throughout and is nothing like I have heard from Catley before and its a nice suprise, the chorus does weaken the verses impact a little but overall its another strong track.

8. THIS GALLANT BAND OF MANIC STRANGERS [3.46]
The start of track is the most intense moment on offer, heading close to Dream Theater at some points until the verse dispels any such connections when it travels back to the more classic feel of the rest of the album. Bob's delivers one of his most powerful vocal performances on the album whilst the chorus could be an outtake from any Ten album. A track that stands out because of the more up tempo feel and length.

9. THE FELLOWSHIP [4.23]
From the opening of the album you would have expected the closing track to be a more sedate affair to end the album and 'The Fellowship' delivers exactly that. The lyrics tend to sum up the story of the album but do so in a way that is pretty original. Musically the track is mainly lone keyboards and orchestration allowing Bob's vocals to carry the tune and ultimately they become the most prominent feature of the track. The song does have a nice classical style interlude in the middle, towards the end some snare drum marching rolls do make the sound a little cringeworthy but ultimately its a good way to end the album - albeit the weakest track on offer.

Bob Catley has delivered a classy polished release in 'Middle Earth'. Its a good way to lead back into the reformed Magnum album due at the end of the year. However, it is so Magnum in sound and nature that it makes you wonder how Bob's solo career and Magnum will run concurrently. Getting back to 'Middle Earth', basically Gary Hughes has written a very strong album for Catley which he delivers flawlessly. The majority of the tracks will be a godsend to Magnum fans, and Ten fans will also find a lot on offer. The album could of been a big disaster what with the basis for the storyline but it has been delivered in such a way that the tracks stand alone rather than needing to be heard in its entirety and is all the more stronger for it. There is a prominant sound that is prevelant in all the tracks so the concept theme is running throughout but overall its a classy pomp affair.

RATING
8.6

HOT SPOTS: The Wraith Of The Rings, City Walls, Return Of The Mountain King, Where you lead I'll follow.

BOTTOM LINE: Classy pomp that will appeal to all Magnum / Catley and Ten fans.

Review by Andy Craven

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