Cataract (Walkabouts album)

Cataract
Studio album by The Walkabouts
Released	March 01, 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)

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

Track listing^[2]

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

Release history

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

Personnel

• 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

Professional ratings
Review 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

1. "Sub Pop, The Walkabouts, Cataract". Sub Pop Records. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
2. "Glitterhouse, The Walkabouts, Rag & Bone/Cataract". Glitterhouse Records. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
3. Ankeny, Jason. Rag & bone/Cataract, The Walkabouts at AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
4. Coley, Byron (August 1989). "Underground". Spin. p. 85. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
5. Thompson, Dave (1 November 2007). Alternative Rock: The Best Musicians and Recordings. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 807. ISBN 9780879306076. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
6. "Trouser Press, The Walkabouts, Cataract". Retrieved 2012-12-14.
7. "Trouser Press, Guide to 90's Rock: The Walkabouts". Retrieved 2012-12-14.
8. "Backlash magazine, The Walkabouts, Cataract". Retrieved 2012-12-14.