Ferment (album)
Ferment is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, released 9 June 1992 by Fontana Records. Promotion and release. Four songs from the album – "Shallow", "I Want to Touch You", "She's My Friend" and "Salt" – had previously appeared on independently released 12" EPs, and were re-recorded for inclusion on the album. The album's lead single, "Black Metallic", reached No. 9 on the "Billboard" Modern Rock Tracks chart and its video earned heavy rotation on MTV. Limited numbers of the UK version came with a three-track live EP, recorded at Bath  Moles Club on 6 November 1991. The album was reissued in March 2010, containing bonus tracks (including the 1992 "30th Century Man" EP and both sides of the "Balloon" single) and extensive sleeve notes. Reception. "PopMatters" described "Ferment" as "the band's most unique record". "Trouser Press" wrote: "With soaring choruses and producer Tim Friese-Greene's shimmering textures, the entire album—both delicate and demonstrative—sparkles and smolders." In 2016, "Pitchfork" ranked the album at No. 23 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time", with reviewer Ben Cardew commenting that "a good half of  the songs on "Ferment" [...] are enduring shoegaze-disco classics, while 'Black Metallic', in its full seven-minute glory, makes a strong claim to being the genre's 'Stairway to Heaven'." In 2017, "Paste" ranked the album at No. 6 on its list of "10 Shoegaze Albums for People Who Don't Like Shoegaze".