Revival
Studio album by
Katchafire
Released4 June 2003 (2003-06-04)
Genre
Length42:37
LabelMai Music
Katchafire chronology
Revival
(2003)		 Slow Burning
(2005)
Singles from Revival
  1. "Giddy Up"
    Released: 2002
  2. "Who You With"
    Released: 2002
  3. "Get Away"
    Released: 2003

Revival is the debut studio album by New Zealand band Katchafire, released on 4 June 2003. Released after the success of the band's debut single "Giddy Up" (2002), the album was a commercial success, and led to a new wave of popular New Zealand reggae musicians.

Production

Katchafire formed in June 1997, as a Bob Marley tribute band that extensively toured New Zealand in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, the band were signed to Mai Music,[1] a newly formed record label established by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei as a sister project to urban contemporary radio station Mai FM, as a way to promote Māori musicians.[1]

Revival was recorded at the Mai FM studios in Auckland, and was produced by Chris Macro of the Dubious Brothers, taking inspiration from the Pacific reggae sound of Herbs. All songs on the album were original tracks except for the final track, a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song".[1] Band member Logan Bell felt that Bob Marley resonated with Māori people due to how Marley sung about cultural pride and oppression. The band took inspiration from this, adapting lyrics for their own life experiences as Māori.[2]

Release and promotion

The album was preceded by the singles "Giddy Up" and "Who You With" in 2002. "Giddy Up" was a commercial success in New Zealand, becoming the 17th most successful single of 2002 in the country (and the third most successful by a New Zealand artist).[3] "Giddy Up" was later added to the soundtrack of the Australian film Blurred (2002).[1]

The album was released on 4 June 2003.[4] The bonus edition features three dub remixes: "Colour Me Dub" by Maui Usher and Jah Remnant, "Collie Herb Man / Reactor Dub" by Joost Langveld and Roger Perry, and "Dub Me All Jelly" by Chris Macro of the Dubious Brothers. Some editions of the album omit "Redemption Song". The band toured New Zealand for four months following the album's release.[5] In July 2003, the band released "Get Away" as the third single from the album.[6]

In 2023, the album was re-released on vinyl by Flying Nun Records.[7]

Commercial reception

Revival debuted at number five in New Zealand,[8] and was certified gold three weeks later.[9] By November, the album had been certified platinum.[10] By 2005, the album had become double platinum certified,[11] The album re-charted on the Official NZ Catalogue Albums in 2023,[12] and by September had become four times platinum certified.[13]

Revival was the 23rd most successful album in New Zealand in 2003, and the 29th in 2004.[14][15] In 2023, the album was the 10th most successful album by a New Zealand artist in the country.[16]

Critical reception

Graham Reid of The New Zealand Herald gave the album a five-star review, noting the retro feel of reggae music in 2003, and feeling that the album took strong inspiration from Bob Marley and the Wailers. Reid praised the "warm, classic, soul-reggae voices" of Logan Bell and Jamey Ferguson, and felt that the album was filled with "immediately memorable" songs from different reggae genres.[17]

Scott Miller writing for The Niche Cache highly praised the album, feeling this was one of the most essential New Zealand reggae albums that pioneered the modern kiwi reggae sound,[18] a sentiment echoed by music journalist Gareth Shute.[19]

Track listing

Revival track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Reggae Revival"
  • Ara Adams Tamatea
  • Jamey Ferguson
  • Jordan Bell
  • Logan Bell
  • Thompson Hohepa
4:14
2."Get Away"
  • Tamatea
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
  • Hohepa
3:32
3."Who You With"
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
4:08
4."Colour Me Life"
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
3:23
5."Lose Your Power"
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
3:29
6."Collie Herb Man"
  • Tamatea
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
  • Hohepa
3:11
7."Sensimillia"
  • Tamatea
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
  • Hohepa
3:10
8."Done Did It"
  • Tamatea
  • Grenville Bell
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
3:46
9."Seriously"
  • Tamatea
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
  • Hohepa
3:22
10."Giddy Up"
  • Tamatea
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
3:07
11."Bounce"
  • Tamatea
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
  • Hohepa
3:26
12."Redemption Song"Bob Marley3:49
Total length:42:37
Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Colour Me Dub"
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
4:57
14."Collie Herb Man / Reactor Dub"
  • Tamatea
  • Ferguson
  • J. Bell
  • L. Bell
  • Hohepa
7:18
15."Dub Me All Jelly" 7:23
Total length:62:15

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Revival
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[13] 4× Platinum 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dix, John (31 August 2023). "Katchafire". AudioCulture. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Shuker, Roy (2008). "New Zealand popular music, government policy, and cultural identity". Popular Music. 27 (2): 271–287. ISSN 1474-0095.
  3. ↑ "End of Year Charts 2002". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Revival". Mighty Ape. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Chart success sparks reggae band Katchafire into action". The New Zealand Herald. 12 June 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Katchafire Joins Nz Music 'Chart Avalanche'". Scoop. 4 September 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Katchafire – Revival". Flying Nun. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Charts.nz – Katchafire – Revival". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Official Top 40 Albums". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. 6 July 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Official Top 40 Albums". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. 23 November 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "Official Top 40 Albums". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. 23 May 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Official Top 20 NZ Albums". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. 24 April 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  13. 1 2 "New Zealand album certifications – Katchafire – Revival". Recorded Music NZ.
  14. 1 2 "Official Top 40 Albums: End of Year Charts 2003". NZ Music Charts. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Official Top 40 Albums: End of Year Charts 2004". NZ Music Charts. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Official Top 20 NZ Albums: End of Year Charts 2023". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Reid, Graham (6 June 2003). "Katchafire: Revival". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  18. ↑ Miller, Scott (22 October 2017). "Kiwi Classics: Katchafire's Revival". Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  19. ↑ Shute, Gareth (26 October 2018). "Israel Starr: Second generation reggae star and rastaman". The Spinoff. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
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