Cats in Space – Chapter One (Esoteric Recordings / Cherry Red)
Hi, Phil Aston here from Now Spinning Magazine, and this time I’m unboxing and reviewing Chapter One – the brand-new CD box set from Cats in Space.
If you’ve been following my six-part documentary series on the first ten years of Cats in Space, you’ll already know how much this band means to me and to many of you in the Now Spinning community. This set pulls together the early part of the Cats’ story in a beautifully presented clamshell box from the always-reliable team at Esoteric Records.
What’s in the Box?
Inside you’ll find four CDs that capture the formative years of the band:
Too Many Gods – the debut album, complete with bonus tracks How Does It Feel? (featuring Danny Bowes) and Scandalous.
Scarecrow – featuring fan favourites like September Rain and Felix & The Golden Sun, again with bonus material.
Live at Cardiff Motorpoint 2017 – a rare and much sought-after release, recorded while supporting Thunder.
Day Trip to Narnia – the band’s adventurous concept album, here with extras including the Thunder in the Night “Thunder Mix” and a storming cover of Zeppelin’s Communication Breakdown.
The set also comes with a fold-out poster (be careful unfolding, the paper is delicate!) and a superb booklet featuring photos, stories, and sleeve art, with text by journalist Rob Evans.
Sound & Presentation
All the albums have been newly remastered and sound superb. Esoteric have done a great job capturing the punch and clarity of the original recordings while giving them just a touch of extra polish.
The packaging is compact and easy to store, though if I had one tiny quibble, it’s that I’d have loved to see miniature gatefold replicas for Scarecrow and Day Trip to Narnia, given how striking Cats in Space artwork always is. Still, most of that stunning artwork has been faithfully reproduced in the booklet.
The Music
What can I say? This is Cats in Space at their most uplifting, melodic, and joyful.
Too Many Gods is where it all began, and yet it doesn’t sound like a band finding its feet — they knew exactly what they wanted from day one. Tracks like Greatest Story Never Told are simply epic.
Scarecrow is arguably one of their most complete albums, with Timebomb, Clown in Your Nightmare, and Broken Wing showing the band’s theatrical flair and rock power.
The live album proves that every vocal harmony and layered arrangement translates perfectly to the stage.
Day Trip to Narnia is a bold leap into concept-album territory, mixing theatrical rock with a wink of humour, a disco groove (Thunder in the Night), and some of their most imaginative storytelling.
Cats in Space’s music has that rare ability to lift you out of the everyday noise of life, push aside negativity, and transport you somewhere brighter. For me, it’s medicine – music as healer and doctor.
At around £30, this is an absolute steal. For those who missed out on these early albums when they first came out (some of them now impossible to find), Chapter One is the perfect entry point. For long-time fans, it’s a compact and beautifully presented way of owning the beginnings of a band who, in just a decade, have carved out their place as one of the most exciting rock acts around.
And yes, I’m already hoping for Chapter Two!
Cats in Space – Chapter One gets my wholehearted recommendation. If you’re part of the Now Spinning community and haven’t yet taken the plunge with this band, now’s the time. Let the sun shine wherever you are.
ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE CD BOX SET HERE
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
