Rownderbowt

• Artist: Chapterhouse
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1996
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Possibly one of the more unexpected greatest-hits/archival releases ever, Rownderbowt's very existence is a surprise. Not many bands who only released two albums and a handful of singles to general public indifference would end up being the beneficiary of record company largesse in getting a double-packed-to-the-max CD release, with plenty of rarities and unreleased tracks to boot. Whether the fan base just proved more rabid than anyone expected, or if Dedicated felt that a few more units shifted couldn't hurt, Rownderbowt turns out to be that rarest of beasts, a career overview for unfamiliar listeners equally appealing to the longtime supporter. The first disc covers the hits, for lack of a better word - plenty of tracks from both studio albums, including all single A-sides (including their brilliant non-album cut "Mesmerised"), plus a generous amount of B-sides, including solid songs like the early rocker "Sixteen Years," their not-bad cover of the Beatles' "Rain," and the low-key "In My Arms." (This said, a little more room could have been made for such B-side joys as "Come Heaven" and "Precious One," but who said life was perfect?) The second disc mostly covers the hitherto unavailable goodies, including a good throb through Spacemen 3's "Losing Touch with My Mind," six demos of mostly fine tunes that never reached a final version, and one or two other random tracks. Also included: two remixes, the Blood Music bonus epic "Picnic," and the nuttiest thing Chapterhouse ever did, "Die Die Die," an over the top Stoogefest primal punk rant initially only available with the vinyl version of Whirlpool that single-handedly demolishes the bloodless shoegazer image the bandmembers had. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Falling Down	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(3:59)
Sixteen Years	Andrew Sherriff, Russell Barrett	Chapterhouse	(4:44)
Something More	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(3:19)
Satin Safe	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(5:42)
Rain	John Lennon, Paul McCartney	Chapterhouse	(3:22)
Pearl	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(5:17)
Mesmerise	Andrew Sherriff, Russell Barrett	Chapterhouse	(4:15)
She's a Vision		Chapterhouse	(4:38)
We Are the Beautiful		Chapterhouse	(4:02)
Frost	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(4:00)
For What It's Worth	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(2:19)
Breather	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(4:21)
Don't Look Now	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(5:05)
There's Still Life		Chapterhouse	(5:03)
Then We'll Rise		Chapterhouse	(4:15)
In My Arms	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(4:40)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Losing Touch with My Mind	Pete Kember, Jason Pierce	Chapterhouse	(6:53)
Ecstasy II	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(3:50)
Dream On [Demo Version]	Andrew Sherriff, Russell Barrett	Chapterhouse	(5:20)
Until You Try [Demo Version]	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(5:39)
Kane [Demo Version]		Chapterhouse	(3:06)
More Than I Can Take [Demo Version]	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(5:12)
Brighter [Demo Version]	Andrew Sherriff, Russell Barrett	Chapterhouse	(3:30)
Feel [Demo Version]		Chapterhouse	(2:29)
Don't Look Now [Sitar Trance Mix]	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(6:09)
We Are the Beautiful [Spooky's Ugly as Sin Mix]		Chapterhouse	(8:25)
Picnic	Andrew Sherriff	Chapterhouse	(15:22)
Die, Die, Die		Chapterhouse	(11:46)

Credits

Chapterhouse (Producer), Chapterhouse (Main Performer), The Drum Club (Remixing), Stephen Hague (Mixing), Ralph Jezzard (Producer), Jim Warren (Producer), Steve Wren (Drums), Pascal Gabriel (Producer), Andrew Sherriff (Guitar), Andrew Sherriff (Vocals), Simon Scott (Drums), Ashley Bates (Drums), Stephen Patman (Guitar), Stephen Patman (Vocals), Simon Rowe (Guitar)