Magic Hour (Cast album)

Magic Hour
Studio album by Cast
Released	17 May 1999 (1999-05-17)
Recorded	Ridge Farm Studio Air Studios
Genre	Rock - Orchestral pop
Length	68:28
Label	Polydor (547176)
Producer	Gil Norton
Cast chronology
Mother Nature Calls (1997) Magic Hour (1999) Beetroot (2001)
Singles from Magic Hour
"Beat Mama" Released: 26 April 1999 "Magic Hour" Released: 26 July 1999

Magic Hour is the third album by the English band Cast, released in 1999.[1][2] "Beat Mama" and the title track were both released as singles, and reached number nine and number 28 on the UK Singles Chart respectively.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
NME	5/10[4]
Record Collector	[5]

Mike DeGagne of AllMusic praised Power's songwriting as "way above 1997's Mother Nature Calls" and his musicianship being "extremely sharp" throughout the track listing, while also highlighting Peter Wilkinson's performance as "more professional and [more] focused" than with his other bands, concluding that: "Even though none of the songs can match the strength of "Guiding Star" […] Magic Hour still stands up as the group's second best recording."[3] Jamie Atkins of Record Collector said the album and its successor Beetroot showcase a band attempting to "break new ground [...] It all just lacks wit, imagination and conviction".[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Power

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Beat Mama"	4:10
2.	"Compared to You"	3:38
3.	"She Falls"	3:31
4.	"Dreamer"	3:43
5.	"Magic Hour"	3:08
6.	"Company Man"	3:51
7.	"Alien"	5:26
8.	"Higher"	4:04
9.	"Chasing the Day"	4:20
10.	"The Feeling Remains"	3:54
11.	"Burn the Light"	4:01
12.	"Hideaway"	24:42

Note

• "Hideaway" ends at 6:40. After 13 minutes of silence (6:40–19:40), the hidden song "Solo Strings" begins, which is an instrumental version of "Alien" conducted by David Arnold.

Personnel

Cast

• John Power – vocals, guitar
• Peter Wilkinson – backing vocals, bass
• Liam "Skin" Tyson – guitar
• Keith O'Neill – drums

Production

• Gil Norton – producer, mixing
• Danton Supple – engineer, mixing
• David Arnold – string arrangements
• Nicholas Dodd – conductor
• Bob Ludwig – mastering

Chart performance

Charts (1999)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart	6[6]

References

1. "Cast | Biography & History". AllMusic.
2. Buckley, Peter (25 August 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
3. DeGagne, Mike. "Magic Hour - Cast". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
4. "NME.COM - Cast - Magic Hour - 11 May 1999". NME. 17 August 2000. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000.
5. Atkins, Jamie (March 2014). "Reviews". Record Collector (425): 90. ISSN 0261-250X.
6. "CAST | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.

External links

• Magic Hour at Billboard