Catatonia announce retrospective collection including unreleased songs

A Catatonia box set is to be released in August featuring previously unreleased songs.

The 5 CD collection, titled ‘Make Hay Not War: The Blanco y Negro Years’, is the first official news from the much loved band in 22 years.

The boxset to be released through Cherry Red Records on August 25, was announced by Catatonia singer Cerys Matthews on Twitter.

It will include the band’s four studio albums, in addition to bonus tracks, b-sides, alternative mixes, demos and previously unreleased songs.

It will also come 22 years to the month since they played their final shows in August, 2001. The band announced they were splitting up the following month, in September 2001.

The boxset covers an incredibly productive and successful spell when signed to Warner subsidiary Blanco y Negro Records, from 1996 to 2001.

The band who formed a key part of the 1990s Cool Cymru movement which included such illustrious names as Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, scored two number one albums with 1998’s ‘International Velvet’ and ‘Equally Cursed And Blessed’ released in 1999.

‘Make Hay Not War: The Blanco y Negro Years’, 5CD box set is released on August 25, 2023, priced £30.99 and can be pre-ordered HERE

#Catatonia news , first for oh some 22 years?
@CherryRedGroup -releasing a 5CD boxset in Aug:' Make Hay Not War' 1996-2001 : 4 studio albums, bonus tracks, b-sides, alternative mixes , demos and previously unreleased songs 😳 oo err 🙂
Pre-order it here: https://t.co/t7g1lVNC4o

— Cerys Matthews (@cerysmatthews) June 3, 2023

BOXSET DETAILS

CD1 features the band’s debut album ‘Way Beyond Blue’, released in September 1996. It peaked at #32 in the UK album charts, over time achieving Gold status. Four singles were taken from the album, with ‘You’ve Got A Lot To Answer For’ giving the band their first Top 40 chart entry.

CD2 features the 12 tracks of the band’s triple Platinum # 1 album, ‘International Velvet’. Originally released in February 1998, five singles were taken from the album, with ‘Mulder And Scully’ and the infectious ‘Road Rage’ charting at three and five in the singles charts respectively. This album saw them crossover from alternative rock band to mainstream success. This CD includes the radio edit of ‘Road Rage’ plus eight related B-sides from the singles.

CD3 is the band’s third album, ‘Equally Cursed And Blessed’, released in April 1999. The album includes the Top Ten hit, ‘Dead From The Waist Down’, with both the album and radio edit versions. CD4 focuses on the band’s fourth and final studio album, ‘Paper Scissors Stone’ from August 2001. The album peaked at #6 in the album charts.

CD5 gathers together various remixes, mixes, live tracks and the demos for the ‘Paper Scissors Stone’ album. Included are ‘All Girls Are Fly (Da-De? Remix)’, ‘Blow The Millennium Blow (Splott Remix)’, the radio edit of ‘Strange Glue’, Stephen Street’s mix of ‘Bleed’ and the hidden track from ‘Way Beyond Blue’, ‘Gyda Gwen’. There’s also a unique insight with the inclusion of some of the demos of the ‘Paper Scissors Stone’ album including the single, ‘Stone By Stone’ which appear on CD for the first time.

This 5CD clamshell package includes card wallets of each of the band’s original album covers, a 32 page CD booklet including a discography and sleeve notes written by respected journalist Nigel Williamson. The band’s material has a lasting quality and honesty that ensures the band’s music remains very relevant today as was perfectly summed up by BBC DJ, Huw Stephens “They were not just a throwaway pop band – they had real, meaningful songs.”

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

WAY BEYOND BLUE
1. LOST CAT
2. SWEET CATATONIA
3. SOME HALF BAKED IDEAL CALLED WONDERFUL
4. YOU’VE GOT A LOT TO ANSWER FOR
5. INFANTILE
6. DREAM ON
7. BLEED
8. THIS BOY CAN’T SWIM
9. PAINFUL
10. WHALE
11. FOR TINKERBELL
12. WAY BEYOND BLUE
BONUS TRACKS
13. TOURIST
14. ACAPULCO GOLD
15. CUT YOU INSIDE (DEMO)
16. ALL GIRLS ARE FLY
17. INDIGO BLIND
18. DO YOU BELIEVE ME?
19. DIMBRAN
20. YOU CAN

DISC TWO

INTERNATIONAL VELVET
1. MULDER AND SCULLY
2. GAME ON
3. I AM THE MOB
4. ROAD RAGE
5. JOHNNY COME LATELY
6. GOLDFISH AND PARACETAMOL
7. INTERNATIONAL VELVET
8. WHY I CAN’T STAND ONE NIGHT STANDS
9. PART OF THE FURNITURE
10. DON’T NEED THE SUNSHINE
11. STRANGE GLUE
12. MY SELFISH GENE
BONUS TRACKS
13. JUMP OR BE SANE
14. I AM THE MOB (LUCA BRASI MIX)
15. NO STONE UNTURNED
16. MANTRA FOR THE LOST
17. MULDER AND SCULLY (THE EX- FILES)
18. ROAD RAGE (RADIO EDIT)
19. I’M CURED
20. BLOW THE MILLENNIUM (PT 2)
21. ROAD RAGE (GHIA)

DISC THREE

EQUALLY CURSED AND BLESSED
1. DEAD FROM THE WAIST DOWN
2. LONDINIUM
3. POST SCRIPT
4. SHE’S A MILLIONAIRE
5. STORM THE PALACE
6. BULIMIC BEATS
7. VALERIAN
8. SHOOT THE MESSENGER
9. NOTHING HURTS
10. DAZED, BEAUTIFUL AND BRUISED
BONUS TRACKS
11. DEAD FROM THE WAIST DOWN (RADIO EDIT)
12. BAD BAD BOY
13. APATHY REVOLUTION
14. INTERCONTINENTAL SIGH
15. LONDINIUM (RADIO EDIT)
16. DON’T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT

DISC FOUR

PAPER SCISSORS STONE
1. GODSPEED
2. IMMEDIATE CIRCLE
3. FUEL
4. WHAT IT IS
5. STONE BY STONE
6. THE MOTHER OF MISOGYNY
7. IS EVERYBODY HERE ON DRUGS?
8. IMAGINARY FRIEND
9. SHORE LEAVE
10. APPLE CORE
11. BEAUTIFUL LOSER
12. BLUES SONG
13. VILLAGE IDIOT
14. ARABIAN DERBY
BONUS TRACKS
15. APPLE CORE (FULL LENGTH VERSION)
16. STONE BY STONE (RADIO EDIT)
17. LONG TIME LONELY

DISC FIVE

BONUS TRACKS – REMIXES, MIXES & DEMOS
1. ALL GIRLS ARE FLY (DA-DE? REMIX)
2. BLOW THE MILLENNIUM BLOW (SPLOTT REMIX)
3. THAT’S ALL FOLKS
4. STRANGE GLUE (RADIO EDIT)
5. BLEED (STEPHEN STREET MIX)
6. DEAD FROM THE WAIST DOWN (KARAOKE)
7. MULDER & SCULLY (LIVE)
8. GYDA GWEN
9. ROAD RAGE (MIDFIELD GENERAL’S PENALTY SHOOTOUT MIX) +
10. BEAUTIFUL SAILOR
11. STONE BY STONE (DEMO) +
12. POLITICIAN’S WIFE (DEMO) +
13. VILLAGE IDIOT (DEMO) +
14. BEAUTIFUL LOSER (DEMO) +
15. FUEL (DEMO) +
16. IS EVERYBODY HERE ON DRUGS? (DEMO) +
17. GODSPEED (DEMO) +
18. THE MOTHER OF MISOGYNY (DEMO) +

+ appearing on CD for the first time