Changes - CATAPILLA***

Reflections/Charing Cross/Thank Christ For George/It Could Only Happen To Me

Changes was the second and final album from the English progressive band Catapilla. It features a blend of jazz fusion with ambient space-rock, and is notable for the distinctive female vocals.

“This is an old favourite, a feast of trippy banshee/siren female vocals and great jazzy sound, all very deep and psychedelic, along with some wonderfully wah-wah guitar.”

“A proggy psych rock album that gets into your head. A little jazzy but not too much and there are some sax interludes, that add to the atmosphere.

“Musically speaking, the album is dreamier and much more spacey than the debut, leading to a curious blend of jazz fusion and mellow, ambient space rock. Without an abrasive edge or the hot fury of fusion, what remains is a breathtaking, haunting and truly original sound which commands the listener's attention. Particularly good is the saxophone playing which dominates the musical landscape alongside ethereal female vocals.”

“Most of the songs wind up in a jam that meanders and falls apart. Anna Meek's atonal caterwauling is slightly more tolerable on this album than on their debut only for the fact that it is further down in the mix. The decent instrumental It Could Only Happen To Me is the only tune that saves this album.”

“A marked improvement over their respectable debut, overall this is excellent, with echoed female vocals, continued extensive use of sax, and psych influences.”

“Not as intense as the debut, but the vocals are much nicer. On the first album, Anna Meek sounded like she sang with a mouth full of hot porridge. This time, her voice is much more that of a siren, and the music is suggestive and haunting.”

“Changes is a smoky, sometimes otherworldly album laden with organ and saxophone riffs that play off of each other as much as they swirl about trying to express themselves through their own solo. The best examples of this interplay are on the long cuts, Reflections and Thank Christ For George. Here the band locks into one glorious groove and stays with it. It Could Only Happen To Me is a nice standout for the awesome sax solo in the second half of the song. It's a beautiful lasting impression with which to leave the listener.”