Mother Nature Calls by Cast is one of the all-time classic ‘brit pop’ albums featuring legendary tracks that would go on to be adored by all fans of the Liverpool quartet. Released back in 1997 on Polydor Records Matt Mead reviews the album in a retrospective article for Shiiiine On.

1997. The year that gave birth to Tubthumping, The Drugs Don’t Work, Song 2, David Bowie’s 50^th birthday, Be Here Now, Ok Computer and Spiceworld. April of the same year saw John Power, Liam ‘Skin’ Tyson, Keith O’Neill and Pete Wilkinson collectively known as Cast release their 2^nd album Mother Nature Calls, with legendary producer John Leckie (The Stone Roses/John Lennon) at the wheel. As you can imagine, something exceptional was breeding in the studio at that time.

The album’s release was preceded by the single Free Me, which would go on to be the album opener. Taking a slightly different rock pop guitar angle to the bands previous singles from their debut album All Change, the chords had become a little darkened but still had that punchy catchy chorus feel to it. Mainstay song writing duties continued to fall upon founding member of The La’s John Power. Having been saddled as Lee Mavers side kick in The La’s, John on Mother Nature Calls expertly shows a natural ability to compose a decent song or 10.

3 more memorable singles Live The Dream, I’m So Lonely and Guiding Star were further additions to the Power dartboard of hits, scoring 180 each time. Live The Dream is the floating bubble like song, sending the mind on a daydream vacation to days on a river bank in blazing sunshine, 99 with a flake in hand, glass of cloudy lemonade in the other, lying on a blanket, picnic hamper ready to be opened in the company of your favourite girl/boy. I’m So Lonely is of a similar blissful vibe, yet this time instead of visions of getting associated with the best things of life, the songs message appears to indicate to lonelier days, maybe wishing for those days as foreseen in Live The Dream, with delicate guitar work by Skin the heartstrings are tugged with dazzling results.

Guiding Star is an absolute classic rallying cry to all who fall in its mesmerising path. Try and stop yourself being called to some sort of positive activity, including addictive singing, to the charming chorus of ‘Get up, get up, get up!’, with echoes of fellow obsessive sing-a-longs such as She Loves You by The Beatles, She Bangs The Drums by The Stone Roses and Rescue by Echo and The Bunnymen, Guiding Star should be the song to wake up the nation on a daily basis. The rest of the album doesn’t let up proving to be an excellent backbone to the 4 classic singles.

Mother Nature Calls should be lauded and spoken of in the same circles as classic albums of the era; Blur, In It For The Money (Supergrass) and Tellin’ Stories (The Charlatans), plus with Cast now reaching double figures being together as a band John, Skin and Keith are continuing to feel the love of their audience with experienced Liverpool musician Jay Lewis. Pete who is playing Shiiine On Weekender 2019, has since left the band to work on his own project Aviator.