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Cataract is the second studio album by American alternative country band The Walkabouts released on March 1, 1989 through Sub Pop Records.

Cataract
Studio album by The Walkabouts
Released	March 01, 1989[1]
Genre	Alternative rock, alternative country
Length	38:56
Label	Sub Pop
Producer	The Walkabouts, Tony Kroes, Ed Brooks
The Walkabouts chronology
See Beautiful Rattlesnake Gardens (1988) Cataract (1989) Rag & Bone (1990)

Track listing

All tracks written by The Walkabouts.

1. "Whiskey xxx" – 2:56
2. "Hell's Soup Kitchen" – 3:24
3. "Whereabouts Unknown" – 3:01
4. "End-In-Tow" – 3:23
5. "Bones of Contention" – 4:38
6. "Home as Found" – 2:38
7. "Smokestack" – 3:04
8. "The Wicked Skipper" – 1:38
9. "Drille Terriers" – 2:24
10. "Specimen Days" – 3:44
11. "Long Black Veil" – 5:01
12. "Goodbye (to all That)" – 3:05

[2]

Release history

Date	Label	Format	Catalog
March 1, 1989	Sub Pop Records	LP	SP031[1]
April 4, 1990	Glitterhouse Records	CD (reissue with EP Rag & Bone)	GR 0085[2]

Personnel

• Michael Wells – bass, harmonica
• Carla Torgerson – vocals, guitar, keyboard, cello, percussion
• Grant Eckman – drums, percussion
• Chris Eckman – vocals, guitars, mountain dulcimer, tapes

Additional musicians

• Jonathan Siegel – violin on "Whereabouts Unknown"
• Terry Lee Hale – slide guitar on "Home as Found"
• Carl Miller – trombone on "Smokestack"
• Liv Torgerson – backup vocals on "Drille Terriers"

Technical personnel

• Ed Brooks – production, engineering
• Tony Kroes – production, engineering
• The Walkabouts – production

Additional personnel

• William Forsythe – cover photo "Eddy and Dashdown", September 23, 1933
• Ben Thompson – cover design

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Spin	positive[4]
Dave Thompson	7/10[5]

Harold DeMuir wrote for "Trouser Press Record Guide, 4th Ed." that "The full-length 'Cataract' resonates with rueful Americana on such tracks as 'Whiskey XXX', "Hell's Soup Kitchen" and 'Long Black Veil' (not the traditional song), marking The Walkabouts as a distinctive band with loads of potential.".[6]

In The Walkabouts entry of "The Trouser Press Guide to 90's Rock: The All-New Fifth Edition of The Trouser Press Record Guide" Scott Schinder wrote "Cataract and the six-song Rag & Bone (combined as Rag & Bone Plus Cataract, a single CD bearing the EP's original artwork) are more distinctive, mining a richly shadowy strain of Americana.".[7]

In a review for the Backlash magazine Ransom Edison wrote "... Compared to The Walkabouts' debut album, last year's 'See Beautiful Rattlesnake Gardens,' 'Cataract' is a more refined and consistent effort, pushing the folk influence even further yet exploring a greater variety of musical approaches. ...".[8]

References

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