Magic Hour is the third album by the English band Cast, released in 1999.[1][2] "Beat Mama" and the title track were both released as singles, and reached number nine and number 28 on the UK Singles Chart respectively.
| Magic Hour | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 May 1999 | |||
| Recorded | Ridge Farm Studio Air Studios | |||
| Genre | Rock - Orchestral pop | |||
| Length | 68:28 | |||
| Label | Polydor (547176) | |||
| Producer | Gil Norton | |||
| Cast chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Magic Hour | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| NME | 5/10[4] |
| Record Collector | [5] |
Mike DeGagne of AllMusic gave praise to Power's songwriting being "way above 1997's Mother Nature Calls" and his musicianship being "extremely sharp" throughout the track listing, while also highlighting Peter Wilkinson's performance as "more professional and [more] focused" than with his other bands, concluding that: "Even though none of the songs can match the strength of "Guiding Star" […] Magic Hour still stands up as the group's second best recording."[3]
In a retrospective review, Jamie Atkins of Record Collector said the album and its successor Beetroot showcase a band attempting to "break new ground [...] It all just lacks wit, imagination and conviction".[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by John Power
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beat Mama" | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Compared to You" | 3:38 |
| 3. | "She Falls" | 3:31 |
| 4. | "Dreamer" | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Magic Hour" | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Company Man" | 3:51 |
| 7. | "Alien" | 5:26 |
| 8. | "Higher" | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Chasing the Day" | 4:20 |
| 10. | "The Feeling Remains" | 3:54 |
| 11. | "Burn the Light" | 4:01 |
| 12. | "Hideaway" | 24:42 |
- Note
- "Hideaway" ends at 6:40. After 13 minutes of silence (6:40–19:40), the hidden song "Solo Strings" begins, which is an instrumental version of "Alien" conducted by David Arnold.
Personnel
edit- Cast
- John Power – vocals, guitar
- Peter Wilkinson – backing vocals, bass
- Liam "Skin" Tyson – guitar
- Keith O'Neill – drums
- Production
- Gil Norton – producer, mixing
- Danton Supple – engineer, mixing
- David Arnold – string arrangements
- Nicholas Dodd – conductor
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
Chart performance
edit| Charts (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 6[6] |
References
edit- ^ "Cast | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Buckley, Peter (25 August 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b DeGagne, Mike. "Magic Hour - Cast". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "NME.COM - Cast - Magic Hour - 11 May 1999". NME. 17 August 2000. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000.
- ^ a b Atkins, Jamie (March 2014). "Reviews". Record Collector (425): 90. ISSN 0261-250X.
- ^ "CAST | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.