Bob Catley - Middle Earth (2001) (Escape Music Limited Edition 2025)
Posted: 15 Feb 2026, 10:38
Bob Catley - Middle Earth (2001) (Escape Music Limited Edition 2025)
Year : 2001 (Escape Music Limited Edition 2025)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 155 mb
Bio:
Robert Adrian Catley (born 11 September 1947) is an English singer. He was the lead singer of the hard rock band Magnum and is also active as a solo artist.Born in Aldershot on 11 September 1947,Catley's family moved to the Tile Cross area of Birmingham when he was young.He went on to attend the nearby Central Grammar School for Boys (Birmingham) and left to start an apprenticeship at the GPO before deciding on a musical career shortly after meeting similarly minded individuals at college.Whilst at college he joined several bands, such as The Smokestacks (Jeff Clark-guitar, Ron Savage-guitar, Derek Danks- bass & Brian Worrell- drums Life and Clearwater). His first professional band was when he joined local outfit The Capitol Systems. The initial line-up was Bob Catley (vocals) Paul Sargent (guitar) Paul Whitehouse (bass), Dave Bailey (keyboards) and Bob Moore (drums). Shortly afterward they changed their name to Paradox, inspired by a science-fiction novel. A one-off deal was arranged with Mercury after Paradox had come to the attention of Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt. The tracks were "Ever Since I Can Remember", backed with "Goodbye Mary". In addition they recorded "Mary Colinto" and "Somebody Save Me". All of these songs were written by Dave Morgan.Paradox played festivals in the Netherlands and Italy before splitting up upon their return to the UK in 1970.Formed in 1972, Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years, however the core of vocalist Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin remained throughout.Magnum began as the house band at Birmingham's famous Rum Runner night club (later the home of Duran Duran). They began to develop their own style by playing Clarkin's songs at a residency at The Railway Inn, in Birmingham's Curzon Street, in 1976. Joining Clarkin and Catley were drummer Kex Gorin and bassist Dave Morgan (later a member of ELO). Their most notable success during these early years was the Jeff Glixman produced Chase The Dragon (1982) which reached No. 17 in the UK, and included several songs that would be mainstays of the band's live set, notably "Soldier of the Line", "Sacred Hour" and "The Spirit".Their breakthrough album came in 1985 with On a Storyteller's Night which featured the single "Just Like an Arrow". This success continued in the following years with the Roger Taylor produced Vigilante in 1986, the top 5 album Wings of Heaven in 1988, and the Keith Olsen produced Goodnight L.A. reaching No. 9 in the UK album charts in 1990.In the summer of 1995 Tony Clarkin announced the band were to split following a farewell tour of the UK and Europe.After Magnum split, a spin-off group featuring Catley and Clarkin was formed called Hard Rain, and they released the albums Hard Rain and When The Good Times Come. It was around this time that Catley launched a solo career using various songwriters, including Gary Hughes of the band Ten. However, Hard Rain found gigs and booking hard to come by, and there were discussions about renaming the band as Magnum. Also, at this time, Catley was becoming increasingly focused on his solo career, and he quit Hard Rain, marking the end of a working relationship with Clarkin that dated back to 1972. After a quiet period Clarkin announced the end of Hard Rain.Tony Clarkin and Catley re-launched Magnum with the album Breath of Life in 2002 on SPV. They were again joined by Stanway, with former Hard Rain bassist Al Barrow and former-Thunder drummer Harry James. This was subsequently followed by Brand New Morning in 2004.Magnum completed work on a new studio album, Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow released on 26 March 2007, that also marked the return of cover artwork by Rodney Matthews. The album entered the UK Album Charts at #70, the first time Magnum have charted in the UK since 1994. It also reached No. 4 on the BBC Rock Album Charts and No. 60 in Germany, the band's biggest market outside of the UK along with Scandinavia.The band disbanded in early 2024 following the death of Tony Clarkin in the January of that year.
Album:
Escape Music announced the 2025 re-release of much loved vocalist BOB CATLEY (Magnum / Avantasia) “Middle Earth” album on Vinyl and CD with the new artwork by the legendary artist Rodney Matthews and bonus tracks.After the great success of ‘The Tower’, Bob and Gary got together again for the follow-up – ‘Legends’. It was during this period that Bob and Gary first discussed their mutual love for the work of JRR Tolkein, which planted a seed in Gary’s mind, which finally led to this full-blown concept album based around Tolkein’s work on ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’.”Middle Earth” is, of course, the mythical world where all these events take place, and once again Gary’s wonderfully evocative lyrics fully immerse us into this wonderful and colourful universe. As with the previous album ‘Legends’, the band again mostly consisting of members of Ten, such as superb guitarist Vinny Burns and Steve McKenna (bass), with the drum stool being occupied by Dante Fox’s Jon Cookesy.Artwork has once again been provided my worldrenowned artist Rodney Matthews, whose career is inextricably linked with Magnum/Bob Catley. This ‘fellowship’ was once more prepared to take Gary’s evocative work and Bob Catley’s mercurial vocals out into the world once more.First of all, the songwriting here is top draw. The melodies and lyrics are incredibly well crafted, and Sir Bob Catley sings them with a singular authority. Musically ”Middle Earth” is significantly more melodic than even Bob’s own band, Magnum, at the time.Simply put, if you want to hear a wonderful singer tackle incredibly well-written and structured melodic songs about Middle Earth’s fantasy, you’ll enjoy this record a ton.There are some real standouts here, each aligned broadly with a scene / idea / concept from the Tolkien novel. The opening track ‘Wraith of the Rings’ gives a real sense of danger and the unknown, as the ringwraiths circle on the shire, and Frodo leads his friends towards Bree.‘City Walls’ perfectly encapsulates the quiet honor of the battle of Helm’s Deep. ‘The End of Summer’ does a fantastic job of conveying Galadriel’s timeless beauty and effortless presence.But the cornerstone, the heart, the timeless classic of this work is ‘Where You Lead, I’ll Follow’, a touchingly tender song about the one and only Gandalf. Bob’s aching, caring voice calls to this walking allegory of a character, amongst some of the most easily-treasured melodies he ever recorded. That sounds like a stretch, but, believe you me, if you’ve read thus far; there’s a good chance you are interested enough to find out.There are numerous other highlights on ”Middle Earth”. Finding your own golden moments should not prove to be a difficult task.The musicianship is top-notch, Mr. Catley’s inimitable voice shines with the passion many singers lack, and the story is, well… ‘epic’ in the true sense of the word. The songwriting is so well-done that you can almost hear Bob and Gary in their rehearsal room discussing how they can’t mess up something as important as an album with Tolkien as the subject matter.
Line-Up:
Bob Catley - vocals - See also: Avantasia (live), Magnum, ex-Hard Rain, ex-Paradox, ex-The Capitol Systems
Vinny Burns - guitar - See also: Dare
Gary Hughes - keyboards, bass - See also: Gary Hughes, Ten, ex-Frontiers All Stars
Steve McKenna – bass
John Cooksey – drums
Tracey Hitchings – vocals on “Against the Wind”
Production:
Recorded At – Startrack Studios, Manchester
Mixed At – Startrack Studios, Manchester
Mastered At – The Digital Audio Co.
Design [Sleeve Design] – Sebastian Kozak
Engineer – Audu Obaje, Gary Hughes, Kirk Podmore, Vinny Burns
Management – Annie Minion
Mastered By – Jon Blamire
Mixed By – Audu Obaje
Photography By – Scott Michael Carroll
Producer – Gary Hughes
Written-By – Gary Hughes
Tracklist:
01. The Wraith of the Rings
02.
(I) The Fields That I Recall
(II) Emissary
(III) The Fields That I Recall (Reprise)
03. City Walls
04. Against the Wind
05.
(I) Where You Lead I’ll Follow
(II) Stormcrow and Pilgrim
(III) Where You Lead I’ll Follow (Reprise)
06. Return of the Mountain King
07. The End of Summer (Galadriel’s Theme)
08. This Gallant Band of Manic Strangers
09. The Fellowship
10. Deep Winter (Live at Gods) (Bonus Track)
11. Fire and Ice (Live at Gods) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
Year : 2001 (Escape Music Limited Edition 2025)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 155 mb
Bio:
Robert Adrian Catley (born 11 September 1947) is an English singer. He was the lead singer of the hard rock band Magnum and is also active as a solo artist.Born in Aldershot on 11 September 1947,Catley's family moved to the Tile Cross area of Birmingham when he was young.He went on to attend the nearby Central Grammar School for Boys (Birmingham) and left to start an apprenticeship at the GPO before deciding on a musical career shortly after meeting similarly minded individuals at college.Whilst at college he joined several bands, such as The Smokestacks (Jeff Clark-guitar, Ron Savage-guitar, Derek Danks- bass & Brian Worrell- drums Life and Clearwater). His first professional band was when he joined local outfit The Capitol Systems. The initial line-up was Bob Catley (vocals) Paul Sargent (guitar) Paul Whitehouse (bass), Dave Bailey (keyboards) and Bob Moore (drums). Shortly afterward they changed their name to Paradox, inspired by a science-fiction novel. A one-off deal was arranged with Mercury after Paradox had come to the attention of Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt. The tracks were "Ever Since I Can Remember", backed with "Goodbye Mary". In addition they recorded "Mary Colinto" and "Somebody Save Me". All of these songs were written by Dave Morgan.Paradox played festivals in the Netherlands and Italy before splitting up upon their return to the UK in 1970.Formed in 1972, Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years, however the core of vocalist Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin remained throughout.Magnum began as the house band at Birmingham's famous Rum Runner night club (later the home of Duran Duran). They began to develop their own style by playing Clarkin's songs at a residency at The Railway Inn, in Birmingham's Curzon Street, in 1976. Joining Clarkin and Catley were drummer Kex Gorin and bassist Dave Morgan (later a member of ELO). Their most notable success during these early years was the Jeff Glixman produced Chase The Dragon (1982) which reached No. 17 in the UK, and included several songs that would be mainstays of the band's live set, notably "Soldier of the Line", "Sacred Hour" and "The Spirit".Their breakthrough album came in 1985 with On a Storyteller's Night which featured the single "Just Like an Arrow". This success continued in the following years with the Roger Taylor produced Vigilante in 1986, the top 5 album Wings of Heaven in 1988, and the Keith Olsen produced Goodnight L.A. reaching No. 9 in the UK album charts in 1990.In the summer of 1995 Tony Clarkin announced the band were to split following a farewell tour of the UK and Europe.After Magnum split, a spin-off group featuring Catley and Clarkin was formed called Hard Rain, and they released the albums Hard Rain and When The Good Times Come. It was around this time that Catley launched a solo career using various songwriters, including Gary Hughes of the band Ten. However, Hard Rain found gigs and booking hard to come by, and there were discussions about renaming the band as Magnum. Also, at this time, Catley was becoming increasingly focused on his solo career, and he quit Hard Rain, marking the end of a working relationship with Clarkin that dated back to 1972. After a quiet period Clarkin announced the end of Hard Rain.Tony Clarkin and Catley re-launched Magnum with the album Breath of Life in 2002 on SPV. They were again joined by Stanway, with former Hard Rain bassist Al Barrow and former-Thunder drummer Harry James. This was subsequently followed by Brand New Morning in 2004.Magnum completed work on a new studio album, Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow released on 26 March 2007, that also marked the return of cover artwork by Rodney Matthews. The album entered the UK Album Charts at #70, the first time Magnum have charted in the UK since 1994. It also reached No. 4 on the BBC Rock Album Charts and No. 60 in Germany, the band's biggest market outside of the UK along with Scandinavia.The band disbanded in early 2024 following the death of Tony Clarkin in the January of that year.
Album:
Escape Music announced the 2025 re-release of much loved vocalist BOB CATLEY (Magnum / Avantasia) “Middle Earth” album on Vinyl and CD with the new artwork by the legendary artist Rodney Matthews and bonus tracks.After the great success of ‘The Tower’, Bob and Gary got together again for the follow-up – ‘Legends’. It was during this period that Bob and Gary first discussed their mutual love for the work of JRR Tolkein, which planted a seed in Gary’s mind, which finally led to this full-blown concept album based around Tolkein’s work on ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’.”Middle Earth” is, of course, the mythical world where all these events take place, and once again Gary’s wonderfully evocative lyrics fully immerse us into this wonderful and colourful universe. As with the previous album ‘Legends’, the band again mostly consisting of members of Ten, such as superb guitarist Vinny Burns and Steve McKenna (bass), with the drum stool being occupied by Dante Fox’s Jon Cookesy.Artwork has once again been provided my worldrenowned artist Rodney Matthews, whose career is inextricably linked with Magnum/Bob Catley. This ‘fellowship’ was once more prepared to take Gary’s evocative work and Bob Catley’s mercurial vocals out into the world once more.First of all, the songwriting here is top draw. The melodies and lyrics are incredibly well crafted, and Sir Bob Catley sings them with a singular authority. Musically ”Middle Earth” is significantly more melodic than even Bob’s own band, Magnum, at the time.Simply put, if you want to hear a wonderful singer tackle incredibly well-written and structured melodic songs about Middle Earth’s fantasy, you’ll enjoy this record a ton.There are some real standouts here, each aligned broadly with a scene / idea / concept from the Tolkien novel. The opening track ‘Wraith of the Rings’ gives a real sense of danger and the unknown, as the ringwraiths circle on the shire, and Frodo leads his friends towards Bree.‘City Walls’ perfectly encapsulates the quiet honor of the battle of Helm’s Deep. ‘The End of Summer’ does a fantastic job of conveying Galadriel’s timeless beauty and effortless presence.But the cornerstone, the heart, the timeless classic of this work is ‘Where You Lead, I’ll Follow’, a touchingly tender song about the one and only Gandalf. Bob’s aching, caring voice calls to this walking allegory of a character, amongst some of the most easily-treasured melodies he ever recorded. That sounds like a stretch, but, believe you me, if you’ve read thus far; there’s a good chance you are interested enough to find out.There are numerous other highlights on ”Middle Earth”. Finding your own golden moments should not prove to be a difficult task.The musicianship is top-notch, Mr. Catley’s inimitable voice shines with the passion many singers lack, and the story is, well… ‘epic’ in the true sense of the word. The songwriting is so well-done that you can almost hear Bob and Gary in their rehearsal room discussing how they can’t mess up something as important as an album with Tolkien as the subject matter.
Line-Up:
Bob Catley - vocals - See also: Avantasia (live), Magnum, ex-Hard Rain, ex-Paradox, ex-The Capitol Systems
Vinny Burns - guitar - See also: Dare
Gary Hughes - keyboards, bass - See also: Gary Hughes, Ten, ex-Frontiers All Stars
Steve McKenna – bass
John Cooksey – drums
Tracey Hitchings – vocals on “Against the Wind”
Production:
Recorded At – Startrack Studios, Manchester
Mixed At – Startrack Studios, Manchester
Mastered At – The Digital Audio Co.
Design [Sleeve Design] – Sebastian Kozak
Engineer – Audu Obaje, Gary Hughes, Kirk Podmore, Vinny Burns
Management – Annie Minion
Mastered By – Jon Blamire
Mixed By – Audu Obaje
Photography By – Scott Michael Carroll
Producer – Gary Hughes
Written-By – Gary Hughes
Tracklist:
01. The Wraith of the Rings
02.
(I) The Fields That I Recall
(II) Emissary
(III) The Fields That I Recall (Reprise)
03. City Walls
04. Against the Wind
05.
(I) Where You Lead I’ll Follow
(II) Stormcrow and Pilgrim
(III) Where You Lead I’ll Follow (Reprise)
06. Return of the Mountain King
07. The End of Summer (Galadriel’s Theme)
08. This Gallant Band of Manic Strangers
09. The Fellowship
10. Deep Winter (Live at Gods) (Bonus Track)
11. Fire and Ice (Live at Gods) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/