Top Katz is the second studio album released by British duo PJ & Duncan, now better known as Ant & Dec. The album was recorded during 1994 and 1995, and included the duo's cover of The Monkees song, Stepping Stone. The album was released in November 1995, peaking at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart, and being certified Gold in the UK by the BPI.

Top Katz
Studio album by
Released3 November 1995
Recorded1994–1995
Genre
Length44:32
LabelSony BMG
Producer
PJ & Duncan chronology
Psyche
(1994)
Top Katz
(1995)
The Cult of Ant & Dec
(1997)
Singles from Top Katz
  1. "Stuck On U"
    Released: 17 July 1995
  2. "U Krazy Katz"
    Released: 1 October 1995
  3. "Perfect"
    Released: 20 November 1995
  4. "Stepping Stone"
    Released: 18 March 1996

Background

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Following the moderate success of their debut studio album, Psyche, the duo returned to the studio, and were hooked up with songwriter and producer Ray Hedges, who had success the previous year, having produced the majority of Boyzone's debut album. For the first time, McPartlin and Donnelly turned their hand to songwriting, and co-wrote the majority of the album, with the exception of their cover of The Monkees' "Stepping Stone". The album's lead single, Stuck On U, was released in July 1995, accompanied by a music video filmed in Miami. The single's moderate success paved the way for the second single, U Krazy Katz, which followed in October, and saw a slight change in musical direction for the duo.

The album was released on 3 November 1995, but was a commercial failure, only peaking at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart. Promotion for the album continued with the release of the third single, Perfect, on 20 November, which followed a similar theme to the duo's early hit, "Eternal Love". A promotional tour of Asia and America followed, accompanied by the release of the fifth and final single, Stepping Stone, in March 1996. A deluxe edition of the album was released in Japan on 2 February 1996,[1] containing two bonus tracks, two remixes and a megamix of all the duo's singles. A special Asian edition of the album also includes a bonus club mix of "Stuck on U" plus an acoustic rendition of "Perfect".[2]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."U Krazy Katz"Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Ray Hedges, Martin BranniganRay Hedges3:00
2."Perfect"McPartlin, Donnelly, Richie WermelingMike Olton3:50
3."Stuck On U"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:18
4."You Are the One"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:15
5."Love and Devotion"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:22
6."Stepping Stone"Tommy Boyce, Bobby HartNicky Graham3:00
7."Always Be My Love"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, Brannigan, Richard Stannard, James RowbottomRay Hedges3:20
8."By Your Side"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:39
9."Gonna B Alright"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:40
10."Somewhere in the Rain"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges4:00
11."Easy Riser"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:30
12."U Krazy Katz" (Clock Remix)McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges4:23
Japanese deluxe edition bonus tracks[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."In Your Arms"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:34
14."Boom! There She Was"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges3:14
15."U Krazy Katz" (The W.U.J Cushty Mix)McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges5:36
16."Stuck On U" (The W.U.J Cushty Mix)McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges6:57
17."Megamix"McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, Brannigan, Graham, Lew, Olton, WermelingRay Hedges9:03
18."Our Radio Rocks"Mcpartlin Donnelly Hedges, Brannigan, Graham, Lew, Olton, WermelingMax Headroom3.39
Asian special edition bonus tracks[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Stuck On U" (Nuff Club Mix)McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, BranniganRay Hedges5:56
14."Perfect" (Acoustic Version)McPartlin, Donnelly, Richie WermelingMike Olton3:57

Charts

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Chart performance for Top Katz
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] 49
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[5] 27
Scottish Albums (OCC)[6] 55
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 46

Certifications

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Certifications for Top Katz
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[8] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "トップ・キャッツ". Japan: Amazon. ASIN B00005ED80.
  2. ^ a b "Top Katz +5: Pj & Duncan: Amazon.co.uk: Music". UK: Amazon. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  3. ^ "PJ & Duncan – Top Katz". Discogs.
  4. ^ "Australiancharts.com – PJ & Duncan – Top Katz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  5. ^ "PJ&ダンカンのアルバム売上ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  8. ^ "British album certifications – PJ & Duncan – Top Katz". British Phonographic Industry.