''For Tinkerbell'' is the debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

by Welsh band

Catatonia Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...

, and also their first release. It features five tracks, some of which were later re-recorded on their first studio album '' Way Beyond Blue''. All the tracks were later compiled with those from the ''Hooked'' EP on '' The Crai-EPs 1993/1994''.

Recording

''For Tinkerbell'' was self produced by the band, released on the Crai record label. The cover of the

was a photograph by Roland Dafis, who was a friend of band members

Cerys Matthews Cerys Elizabeth Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews now ...

and Mark Roberts. He had previously taken photographs for Roberts' former band

Y Cyrff (1983–1991; The Bodies) were a Welsh language indie band in the 1980s, regarded by many as one of the greatest Welsh language rock bands. Initially formed at the Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy secondary school in Llanrwst, Conwy, the original line-up ...

, and for ''For Tinkerbell'', the photograph featured a

cherub A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...

ornament from Dafis'

sideboard A sideboard, also called a buffet, is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or more drawers ...

which he had bought from

Poundstretcher Poundstretcher Limited is a British variety store chain, founded in 1981 by Paul Appell and Stephen Fearnley. The retailer is currently based in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire, and since April 2024 has been a subsidiary of the Fortress Investme ...

. There were five tracks on the EP; "For Tinkerbell", "New Mercurial Heights", "Dimbran", " Sweet Catatonia" and the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

version of "New Mercurial Heights", "Gyda Gwen". There were concerns from the record label about the song "For Tinkerbell" not being in the

as liaison Rhys Mwyn was apprehensive about promoting an English language track, since he felt that the song would connect more with Robert's Y Cyrff fanbase if it was in Welsh.

Release

Around two months after release, the EP started to get noticed by the media press. It was named as the single of the week by music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' and

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

DJ Mark Radcliffe played it. He had chosen to do so as he was overwhelmed with the volume of "identakit

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

bands" and "

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

-u-likes", and felt that he wanted to support an independent record label and a band "who weren't trying to be anything but themselves". The single had been sent to

Iestyn George Iestyn George is a Welsh journalist, who previously worked as an editor at both ''NME'' and '' GQ'' and is now a lecturer at University of Brighton. Journalism career During the 1990s, George was a writer for ''NME'' magazine, and became news ed ...

at ''NME'', who previously knew Matthews but wasn't aware of her as a musician. Several tracks were re-recorded to appear on Catatonia's first studio album, '' Way Beyond Blue''. All the tracks were later compiled onto '' The Crai-EPs 1993/1994'' alongside those from the band's second EP ''Hooked'', released a year after ''For Tinkerbell''.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals * Mark Roberts – guitar * Clancy Pegg – keyboards * Paul Jones – bass *

Dafydd Ieuan Dafydd Ieuan (born 1 March 1969) is a Welsh musician, best known as the drummer with the band Super Furry Animals, The Peth and The Earth. Ieuan played with Gruff Rhys in their early band Ffa Coffi Pawb. He was a drummer for Welsh band Ca ...

– drums

References

* {{Authority control Catatonia (band) EPs 1993 debut EPs Alternative rock EPs