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ATOMIC ROOSTER

Heavy Prog • United Kingdom


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Atomic Rooster picture
Atomic Rooster biography
Founded 1969 - Disbanded in 1975 - Reformed from 1980 to 1983 and again since 2016 with new formation

THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN having disintegrated after their sole album and their worldwide hit Fire (I am the god of hellfire) Vincent Crane (responsible for the music of that album) and Carl Palmer founded ATOMIC ROOSTER with Nick Graham on bass and vocals. This line-up soon disintegrated (Palmer abandoning them to join ELP), Crane contacted guitarist John DuCann formerly of psych bands THE ATTACK and ANDROMEDA and Paul Hammond on drums to make a seminal early Heavy Metal masterpiece "Death Walks Behind You" and then they hired Pete French, the incredible voice to make their finest album "In Hearing Of...". Most people would agree that this was the better line-up of ROOSTER but the mood was always stormy between Crane and DuCann so they disbanded at the release of the third album. Vincent Crane, always prone to depressions, had to start from scratch again and hired superb vocalist Chris Farlowe (ex-COLOSSEUM) and other men to make another fine album "Made In England" and finally "Nice and Greasy". Those last album are often over-looked by progheads being categorized as funk but this is hardly the case even if the superb use of a horn section on a third of the tracks add a lot of depth to their music. Their most popular hits (they did not spit at the singles market made often reference to the devil or Satan but the general mood was not Satanist as they have been so often categorized along with BLACK SABBATH and BLACK WIDOW. Crane would re-form his band along the years when his health permitted it until his death in 89.

ATOMIC ROOSTER is highly recommended to everyone looking for Hammond organ-driven rock of the early 70's but to anyone looking for high-energy prog. It is responsible for some of the all-time best hard-rock albums and should figure in all collection (you should hide a copy of "In Hearing Of ...." in your grandma's collection just for kicks.

: : : Hugues Chantraine, BELGIUM : : :

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ATOMIC ROOSTER discography


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ATOMIC ROOSTER top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.60 | 261 ratings
Atomic Roooster
1970
3.86 | 367 ratings
Death Walks Behind You
1970
3.81 | 256 ratings
In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
1971
3.62 | 161 ratings
Made In England
1972
2.82 | 107 ratings
Nice 'n' Greasy [Aka: IV]
1973
3.15 | 66 ratings
Atomic Rooster '80
1980
2.96 | 64 ratings
Headline News
1983

ATOMIC ROOSTER Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.86 | 11 ratings
BBC Radio 1 in Concert
1993
3.00 | 3 ratings
Devil's Answer
1998
2.96 | 9 ratings
Live And Raw 1970 & 71
2000
3.00 | 3 ratings
Live In Germany '83
2000
2.33 | 3 ratings
Live At The Marquee 1980
2002
4.00 | 1 ratings
On Air - Live at the BBC and Other Transmissions
2018

ATOMIC ROOSTER Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

3.54 | 10 ratings
Atomic Rooster
2003
3.00 | 4 ratings
The Ultimate Anthology
2004
4.20 | 5 ratings
Lost Broadcasts
2011

ATOMIC ROOSTER Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.09 | 9 ratings
Assortment
1974
4.00 | 3 ratings
Attention! Atomic Rooster
1975
3.38 | 9 ratings
Home to Roost
1977
1.19 | 2 ratings
This Is Atomic Rooster
1977
2.17 | 4 ratings
Lose Your Mind
1980
4.50 | 2 ratings
The Best Of Atomic Rooster
1987
3.23 | 4 ratings
The Devil Hits Back
1989
3.29 | 9 ratings
The Best & The Rest Of Atomic Rooster
1989
2.00 | 3 ratings
Space Cowboy
1991
3.51 | 5 ratings
The First 10 Explosive Years
1999
2.33 | 3 ratings
Best of Atomic Rooster, Vol. 1-2
1999
1.00 | 1 ratings
Millenium Collection
1999
3.04 | 5 ratings
Rarities
2000
3.00 | 3 ratings
First 10 Explosive Years, Vol. 2
2001
2.00 | 1 ratings
The Ultimate Chicken Meltdown
2002
3.68 | 8 ratings
Heavy Soul: Anthology
2002
4.50 | 2 ratings
Resurrection
2002
3.48 | 4 ratings
The Best Of Atomic Rooster
2003
3.00 | 4 ratings
The Devil's Answer
2003
0.00 | 0 ratings
Rebel With A Clause ("The First 10 Explosive Years"/ "Headline News" remastered
2005
3.00 | 1 ratings
The Essential Atomic Rooster
2006
5.00 | 1 ratings
Devil's Answer - The Singles Collection
2006
2.83 | 6 ratings
Homework
2008
3.50 | 2 ratings
Anthology 1969-81
2009
3.08 | 5 ratings
Sleeping For Years (The Studio Recordings 1970-1974)
2017
1.00 | 1 ratings
Tomorrow Night
2018

ATOMIC ROOSTER Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 5 ratings
Tomorrow Night
1970
2.91 | 4 ratings
Friday The 13th
1970
2.95 | 3 ratings
Devil's Answer
1971
2.50 | 2 ratings
Stand By Me
1972
3.00 | 1 ratings
Save Me
1972
2.00 | 2 ratings
Tell Your Story (Sing Your Song) b/w O.D. 7 single
1974
2.33 | 3 ratings
Do You Know Who's Looking For You ?
1980
2.92 | 7 ratings
Play It Again 12''
1981
4.54 | 4 ratings
End Of The Day (12")
1982
2.00 | 2 ratings
Land Of Freedom
1983
2.00 | 1 ratings
Little Live Rooster
1989
0.00 | 0 ratings
Live at Paris Theatre
2018

ATOMIC ROOSTER Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Sleeping For Years (The Studio Recordings 1970-1974) by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2017
3.08 | 5 ratings

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Sleeping For Years (The Studio Recordings 1970-1974)
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

3 stars The British organ-heavy progressive/ hard rock band Atomic Rooster was sovereignly led by organist Vincent Crane who hired and kicked out other members as he saw fit. The group was formed in 1969 after the disbanding of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, in which Crane had been the primary composer. Drummer Carl Palmer continued the collaboration with Crane for one album before joining with Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, and the third original Rooster member was bassist-vocalist Nick Graham. This trio recorded the eponymous debut (1970).

This 4-cd box set released by Esoteric Recordings contains everything -- that is, five studio albums plus the singles -- the band recorded in their original timeline. There are plenty of Atomic Rooster compilations, undoubtedly many of them musically more up to the point. But although they drifted further away from prog towards soul and funk flavoured rock, I think it's exactly the constant change in both the line-up and the style that makes it very reasonable to have the all-inclusive package with lavish liner notes on the group's history. I borrowed this set from library, having never been very much into this band (I once had the third album "In Hearing of Atomic Rooster", the one with the Roger Dean cover art, but sold it away quite soon). In fact there are only one or to tracks per album that I personally have enough interest in for repeated listening. For the most part this hard rock band of a cult status leaves me pretty cold, and therefor my review is more about sharing information than evaluating the music itself.

"Atomic Rooster" (1970) -- its drawn cover art circulated here -- is generally seen less noteworthy than its classic follower "Death Walks Behind You" (1971) coated in the William Blake painting, in which the newly recruited guitarist John [Du] Cann took the vocal duties too. Vincent Crane replaced the missing bass guitar with his Hammond. I don't necessarily see the latter album anyhow better, but it rocks heavier which may be the reason for its classic status as a predecessor of metal. Anyway, one of my favourite pieces on this whole 4-cd set is the moody and delicate 'Winter' from the debut. I'm not fond of Cann's vocals, nor was Crane obviously, because on the third album he gave the post for Peter French. Bluesy 'Black Snake' was exceptionally sung by Crane himself; French (or someone) thought in the liner notes that the lyrics reflect perfectly Crane's troubled psyche. A great part of the interview-based liner notes deals with Crane as a problematic personality to work with. He died of a deliberate overdose of Anadin tablets in 1989, at the age of 45.

"Made in England" (1972) introduced the new vocalist Chris Farlowe who really can pour soul in his singing. Steve Bolton is the guitarist on this album, but he was also very temporary member. On "Nice 'n' Greasy" (1973), definitely the weakest and least proggy album of the five, the guitars are played by John Goodsall (later of Brand X fame), albeit using the pseudonym Johnny Mandala!

Only the lack of track lengths bothers me when evaluating the overall presentation of this box set. In theory I could give a higher rating, but since I don't much like most of the music here, let's make it three.

 The Devil's Answer by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2003
3.00 | 4 ratings

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The Devil's Answer
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by OLD PROG

2 stars The problem with certain compilations is that it's not clear whether they are bootleg or not. Alsothereis no mention of a line up and where the includedsongs come from. Theydon'teven include a biography or some article. Besides, here are mainly included songs from the chaotic period of the 80s, when Vincent Crane and Atomic Rooster recorded a lot and released almost nothing. "Devil'sAnswer" (in a modest live version) and"Tomorrow Night" (maybe in a re-recording of the 80's? I can't understand well) are the onlysongs that a good lover of Progressive Rock fully appreciates because of the 70s (and, therefore, a little Progressive). For the restitis DuCann wh ois on the shields and, therefore, also because Vincent Crane has similar ideas, we are at a Heavy Metal pre NWOBHM. Certainly very beautiful and fascinating. Certainly 100% AtomicRooster. Certainly with some Progressive moments. Certainly with lots of organ and guitar. Certainly extraordinary music. But it doesn't make u sunderstand what the Atomic Roosters were in the 70s. Ultimately "Devil's Answer" is an almost useless compilation (a budget compilation). If you are a fan of the Atomic Rooster or of John DuCann "Devil's Answer" is an excellent compilation. Otherwise I would pass on. Regardless of the excellent music.
 Atomic Roooster by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.60 | 261 ratings

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Atomic Roooster
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by ExittheLemming

4 stars Cock Rock

If the extra vowel in Roooster was deliberate, can the same be said for the (green) cockerel endowed with a couple of fulsome bouncy teats? Such gender fluidity created moral panic among Australian retailers sufficient to have them place stickers over the offending nipples. Thank God they did, as otherwise Police minister Russ Hinze would have had to make identical arrangements in the illegal brothels he denied even existed prior to the Fitzgerald Inquiry. Australians like vowels, they have place names like Woolloomooloo but they don't like polygamists with jugs mate.

It's become revisionist wisdom that Rooster were always destined to be a 2nd division Prog band. This perception is perhaps inevitable given the unevenness and polarity of their output e.g they sit quite comfortably on the shoulders of Heavy Prog, Gothic Rock, Symphonic Prog but also Metal and Funk/Soul depending at which point you dip into their 9 year career. However, I think the main reason is that they are appraised using criteria inapplicable to their music. (Ditto Hendrix) If traced to its source, Vincent Crane's muse is closer to James Brown than it is to any of the anticipated precursors of Progressive Rock

The roots of Atomic Rooster are inextricably bound up with the disintegration of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown during their 3rd and final American Tour in 1969 so it will be instructive to expand on some of the background.

I've long been fascinated by that 'collective psychedelic black out' in 1969 when the Crazy World were stuck in New York unable to tour as Arthur had run off to join a black mystic commune, Drachen Theaker was last seen walking out to sea holding a guitar above his head and Vincent Crane was sectioned under the mental health act. For those of us who subscribe to the credo that art should imitate life, there has never been a band so ironically named in the history of popular music. It's difficult to find any credible testimony as to what actually went down here as even Arthur keeps a dignified but tight lipped silence as to his own state of mind during this period. What he does confirm however is that the oft speculated collaboration with Jimi Hendrix was for real and that tentative plans were in place to perform around excerpts of composer Wagner against visual projections by a putative line up of Brown (vocals) Jimi (guitar) Crane (keys) Mitch Mitchell (drums) and tba (bass) Whether any of this would have come to fruition is anyone's guess but the annals of rock are filled with even flimsier and more grandiose plans that contain not an ounce of truth. (The apocryphal H.E.L.P uber group for example)

Carl Palmer maintains today that he formed Atomic Rooster as his band and invited Vincent Crane to join but old men forget don't they? Palmer and Crane did discuss forming a band in NYC and did eventually return to England late 69 early '70 but is it likely that your number one choice for keyboards would be the guy who stepped off the plane in a strait jacket and straight into the Banstead lunatic asylum?

You won't find many pictures on the internet of the Crazy World featuring Vinnie Crane. The fragility of his mental health necessitated him being deputized by Pete Solley (who appears on the iconic TOTP performance of Fire)

Carl was a baby. Sweet guy. Couldn't keep time, but we were good friends. We've lost touch since then. And he was ambitious: I think he would have eaten his young if it helped him get to the top. Pete Solley - proves that despite a perfectly respectable career as a record producer and member of Procul Harum, the green eyed monster is not restricted to just this album art

At the outset, Rooster were tipped for big things and developed a large following in Europe although America, being full of Americans, proved resistant to their charms. One noted UK music scribe speculated they would rival the Nice and become the successors to Cream as the next big power trio (erm....without a virtuoso guitarist?) This type of hyperbole is of course common currency in a profession where talk is cheap and a bar tab is available. That said, there is much to cherish on Rooster's debut which was the only album they released with a dedicated bass player. The rest of their discography has Crane's nimble footwork on Hammond pedals providing the bass lines. I've always felt this gives the bottom end a softer rounder tone consistent with soul, RnB and jazz idioms whereas the percussive attack of Nick Graham's bass guitar lends this album its edgier rock energy. Trivia fans: The group got their name from a member of Elektra 'manufactured' US band Rhinoceros who (allegedly) dropped so much acid he thought he had an alter ego called 'the Atomic Rooster'.

True to form, Palmer's playing is flashy and frilly throughout but just doesn't really carry any authoritative weight or provide Crane's music with the anchor it needs i.e. he treats any natural breathing spaces in a song's phrasing as an opportunity to distract the listener with unnecessary flourishes and fills which only serve to disrupt the ebb and flow of the underlying groove. Don't get me wrong, I think he was the perfect drummer for ELP but just not for Rooster.

Here's where the confusion sets in for your reviewer. The initial pressing of the vinyl album had just organ, bass and drums but my review version is one of the subsequent releases where John Du Cann's guitar has been added to some of the tracks. I've never heard the 'trio' only album (and I suspect it's a disappearing rarity) but I would hazard that it probably sounds a bit lightweight shorn of the distorted guitar. Nick Graham also plays some pretty wild and wacky whammy bar guitar on the substantial S.L.Y just to further muddy the waters...

Vincent Crane's bipolarity was probably diagnosed long before setting out on a music career and he was clearly unsuited to a profession as dissolute, chaotic, shallow, hedonistic and precarious as Rock and Roll. The lyrics to many of these songs carry a prescience of his own fate and that of his condition's inevitable triumph over a faltering will:

Everyone's Lonely When They Die. No One In The World Will Want You - Save Me! No One In The World Will Need You - Save Me! No One In The World Will Love You - Save Me! No One In The World Will Miss You - Save Me!

Hardly, Let's Get It On now is it? Say what you like about the Brits, we might wallow in it to our detriment but at least we do confront some unpalatable realities.

As a reflection of his time spent in a mental hospital, the elegiacally beautiful Banstead exploits to exquisite effect the disparity between the resigned vulnerability in Crane's voice with that of the defiant strength imbued in Graham's. These are sentiments that most of us mercifully, can only guess as to the depths of mental anguish they precipitated in their author

Please, take me out of this place, Yeah, I know I'm never gonna learn. Please, take me out of this place, What I do with my life is my own concern.

Even what masquerades as love in the Crane dystopia is couched in terms of the starf.u.c.king backstage harlot re And So To Bed:

You don't want me, you don't need me, All you need is sex with fame. You don't want me, you don't need me, All you need is sex with fame. Want me, need me, take me, it's all in your mind. You want a group each night, tonight you want me.

I had cause to doubt the authorship of some of the orchestral arrangements on the Crazy World of Arthur Brown debut album but after hearing the brass intro added to the excellent cover version of John Mayall's Broken Wings I have to conclude they are unmistakably Crane's handiwork. No-one before or since, writes brass parts like that. Sublime.

Time for the Turkey Shoot. The only real stinker hereabouts is the instrumental Before Tomorrow which is one of those jams that everyone adores from the rehearsal room until they hear it back through the monitors: as an aimless, unstructured one idea wankfest with bags of unfocused energy captured in an ego massage parlor. Funneling Crane's organ through a wah-wah pedal might be a neat effect if used for textural contrast but when deployed for the number's entire duration just becomes wearying to listen to.

Winter quotes ingeniously the Crazy World's Come and Buy in a poignantly understated ballad for piano, flute (from Graham) and glockenspiel (from Carl) where again, Vincent's wounded delivery sets the sombre mood for an encroaching winter as a metaphor for his latent depression. It's odd that an Englishman should invoke the seasons as a metaphor given that most UK summers are just as awful as their winters but from a pathological perspective, that just might be his point here.

Stare at the remnant of life that once was mine Killed by time What is the point of going on? What is the point of going on? And on, and on, and on? Spring is past - winter's coming on

If you like Deep Purple, the Nice, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Graham Bond, Colosseum or just have a fondness for soulful rock featuring Hammond organ in general then this is well worth checking out.

 Death Walks Behind You by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.86 | 367 ratings

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Death Walks Behind You
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars The late 60s had been a tumultuous ride for Hammond organ wizard, pianist and bassist Vincent Crane who had ridden high as part of the whacky Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, however Brown himself demanded to be the center of attention which left a bad taste in the mouths of the supporting musicians who were keeping him afloat. Crane jumped shipped and took drummer Carl Palmer (yes, THAT Carl Palmer) with him to form their own version of heavy soulful rock with a few prog curve balls. The answer came in the form of ATOMIC ROOSTER after snatching up bassist / vocalist / flautist / guitarist Nick Graham to form the new power trio. However, this new vision only lasted a mere album when they recorded and released the debut 
'Atomic Roooster,' before Carl Palmer decided that Crane's musical vision wasn't a good match. It wouldn't be long before he would join Emerson, Lake & Palmer and become one of prog's biggest stars.

Unfortunately Graham would jump ship as well and join Skin Alley which left Vincent Crane scrambling for suitable replacements. After scouring the musical world for the right talent to align forces with, Crane ultimately settled on Andromeda vocalist and guitarist John Du Cann who would handle the triple duties as guitarist, bassist and lead vocalist. For the near impossible task of replacing the jazz-rock master Carl Palmer, newbie Paul Hammond joined the crew and the new triumvirate of talent had been christened and the creative process began to take root. This all led to the next phase of ATOMIC ROOSTER which released the second album DEATH WALKS BEHIND YOU a mere seven months after the debut in the same year of 1970 and the trio that appeared at this stage would be forever referred to as the 'classic' lineup.

This sophomore offering is what is known as the most critically lauded, most popular and well known album of the entire ATOMIC ROOSTER canon with its instantly recognizable cover art of the William Blake monotype Nebuchadnezzar, a character that according to legend was a former ruler who lost his mind through hubris and reduced to animalistic insanity. The cover art wasn't just a gloom and doom artistic photo op but actually provided inspiration for the darkened themes contained in the album's eight track run. While Crane had been the main compositional writer on the debut, DEATH WALKS BEHIND YOU finds an equal playing field with Du Cann writing and co-creating as much material as Crane. The result is a tremendously different sounding album that finds the balance of power working in favor of a more interesting and dynamic roster of musical treats. Sadly no songwriting from Hammond.

Despite the album residing on the heavier side of rock with progressive elements strewn about, the title track plays a beautiful mind trick by starting out with a creepy piano jingle accompanied by a weird series of guitar squeals which sets the darkened macabre tone of the album before it jumps into the more familiar guitar and organ dominated bluesy rock shuffles with the rather unorthodox songwriting procedures of the era. The immediate effect is that DEATH WALKS BEHIND YOU is immediately more mesmerizing than the debut album with much more interesting guitar riffs, a better mix of keys and drums and the far superior vocal style of Du Cann whose vox box was tailor made for the part. At a playing time of over seven and a half minutes, the band manage to craft exquisite twists and turns in their boogie based heavy rock antics.

While the opening title track establishes ATOMIC ROOSTER as a veritable heavy rock band with a wealth of sophisticated tricks up their sleeve, the following instrumental 'VUG' on the other hand showcases their prog chops with incessant time signature deviations, exquisite instrumental interplay and a flair of musical adventurism woefully absent from the album prior that only emerged a scant few months before. While primarily a rhythmic backdrop to showcase the supreme organ dominated gymnastics, scorching guitar solos are allowed to fire away unencumbered. The riff-laden hit single 'Tomorrow Night' follows and changes gears to an almost Santana-esque percussive frenetic pace but it's the intricate guitar parts that steal the show. The track made it all the way to No. 11 on the UK charts in 1971.

The secret to DEATH WALKS BEHIND YOU's amazing popularity is the diversity of the tracks. Every single one has its own personality and sounds completely different from what it just followed. 'Seven Lonely Streets' ('7 Streets' on some albums) is the most straight forward rocker although rich with Hammond organ stabs. 'Sleeping For Years' i starts with a blistering series of guitar tricks before erupting into another organ driven heavy rocker and has a rather Jethro Tullish vocal swagger to it actually. 'I Can't Take No More' reminds me of Jeff Lynne's future ELO track 'Don't Bring Me Down' in the guitar melody department. One of the lesser tracks here. 'Nobody Else' begins with freaky vocal effects before breaking into piano ballad territory. While clearly the mellowest track on the album, it has interesting time signatures and slight pauses between the piano notes. It picks up steam in the middle as it starts to rock.

The entire album really leads up to the impressive closer 'Gershatzer' up to which the band members hold back their avant-garde urges and let em all gush out in this eight minute prog behemoth of a track. While starting out as a rather familiar organ led heavy guitar, bass and drum rocker, it quickly finds Hammond's percussive drive taking on a new energetic level as he seems like he's become a hundred times more caffeinated. Likewise, Crane finds some stellar piano shredding which turns into a series of absolutely bizarre experimental organ riffs. The track hops, skips and jumps from frenetic musical outbursts to placid calming slower piano runs. Overall the track reminds me of some of the symphonic prog that Focus would latch onto with tracks like 'Eruption' on their second album, however much weirdness occurs on this grand finale which leaves little doubt that ATOMIC ROOSTER belongs in the prog universe.

DEATH WALKS BEHIND YOU is a major step up in quality from the decent but not mind blowing debut album. The so-called classic lineup gels perfectly together as they create some of the most pleasing musical interplay within the beautifully crafted compositions. There is not a boring track on this one and if you find yourself with the re-mastered 2004 edition with bonus tracks, you'll be treated to the B-Side 'Play The Game,' the 1970 demo 'The Devil's Answer' as well asa several BBC Radio Session tracks. While the album is utterly essential and cream of the ATOMIC ROOSTER crop, these extra goodies make a great album even better. Unfortunately the quality heard on this sophomore album wouldn't last very long. While the following 'In Hearing Of Atomic Rooster' is an excellent followup, the band would fall into the mediocrity club fairly quickly. For this moment however, they crafted one of the best heavy rock albums of 1970.

4.5 but i can seem to let myself round this one up

 In Hearing of Atomic Rooster by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Studio Album, 1971
3.81 | 256 ratings

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In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by Tonbridge Man

4 stars I kind of missed Atomic Rooster first time round. My pre-teen tastes at that time tended to take me more in the direction of the likes of Slade and T Rex. However I caught the revived Rooster twice on the current festival circuit with Pete French on vocals and Steve Bolton on guitar and was mightily impressed with the music on display where naturally they drew a lot on material taken from this - French's only album with the band. French himself has still got it on vocals in 2017 and his younger characterful slightly bluesy voice works well on most of the tracks on this fine 1971 outing. The only exception strangely is the single Devils Answer that can be found on some CD versions where the doomy deeper Du Cann vocals fitted the song better.

My personal favourite tracks are Break the Ice, Decision/Indecision, a spoonful of Bromide and Head in the Sky but there is no weak song here - indeed this is a good prog related album by any standard. Check it out!

 Space Cowboy by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Boxset/Compilation, 1991
2.00 | 3 ratings

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Space Cowboy
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by martindavey87

2 stars I'd certainly never consider myself much of an Atomic Rooster fan, and only bought this album because it was £1 and I thought they'd be worth checking out. With that said, I'm actually surprised at how much I like some of the songs. Often associated with the progressive rock genre, I never figured that Atomic Rooster would sound so funky and jazzy. Very smooth indeed.

While these may not be progressive rock masterpieces, there are a few nice tunes in here which definitely make it worth the pound I spent on it. The main highlight for me being 'Stand By Me', a song which I liked immediately upon hearing it. I've also grown rather fond of 'Don't Know What Went Wrong', 'Can't Find a Reason' and 'Take One Toke'.

With this being my first exposure to Atomic Rooster, I have no idea how well these tracks hold up as representations of the band, but it's a decent enough album for me.

 Atomic Roooster by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.60 | 261 ratings

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Atomic Roooster
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by Kingsnake

3 stars Great album but not yet all that great. Somehow I will never be a great fan of Carl's sloppy drumming. That aside the vocals, the bassguitars, the hammond are all really great. Raw, pure and energetic. The songwriting is sometimes really good (Winter, Broken Wings, Friday 13th) but sometimes the band just jams away. But it was the psychedelic era, it's okay.

It's great to hear a hammond-based heavy rock group not sounding like Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. Also I really like the vocals. Really powerful and soulful. Too bad, the singer never really served in a famous band. Another thing I like about this albums is the (sparse) fluteplaying, wich sets this bands apart from other hardrockbands of this age.

 Atomic Roooster by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.60 | 261 ratings

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Atomic Roooster
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

3 stars The birth pangs of ATOMIC ROOSTER can actually be traced back all the way to the whacky 60s UK phenomenon The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown where two of the members: Vincent Crane and Carl Palmer jumped ship to have a go at their own musical visions. In the beginning they were only a trio after they recruited a third member, Nick Graham to handle bass, lead vocals, flute and additional guitars. Crane would handle organ and keyboards while Palmer cranked out the percussive drive necessary to add the harder rockin' edge. Whereas the Arthur Brown project set out to conquer the flashy entertainment world of psychedelic rock and even had a huge hit with their 1968 single "Fire," the direction of ATOMIC ROOSTER was to take a more soulful approach and desired to take the funk and soul approach of James Brown and Stevie Wonder and marry it with the dynamic instrumental workouts of British progressive rock that was its infancy big bang phase at the time.

The trio didn't waste any time releasing their first album titled ATOMIC ROOOSTER (not eponymous, has 3 o's and also spelled RO-O- OSTER on later CD reissues) in 1970 with that famous ridiculous cover of a green eagle with a rooster head with voluptuous female milkers drooping down in the midst of a cube with a purple shadow next to a chair. The cover art ranks high on my WTF list! Soon after this was released, Nick Graham whose vocals grace this album would jump ship and John Du Cann would replace him and then overdub three tracks for a slightly different US release (bonus tracks on the expanded CD version and quite well done). ATOMIC ROOOSTER, the album kicks things off with the hard rockin' "Friday The Thirteenth" which joins the ranks of a number of harder rockin' bands marry some heaviness with the keyboard rich proto-prog that was oozing out of the late 60s music scene.

While not totally unlike bands like Deep Purple, it is apparent that the ROOSTER was cock-a-doodling some funk and soul in its mix and focuses on heavy grooves, more soulful vocals as well as the Hammond rich organ runs and hard percussive drumming drive that Carl Palmer was delivering quite skillfully even at this stage of his career. Many of the tracks on this album follow suit with the same exact formula that deftly mixes the soulful grooves with the harder edged prog elements which was Crane's main style of songwriting who was the main songwriter for this album. The one track "Broken Wing's" which is a John Mayall cover sounds rather out of place in comparison despite Palmer's best efforts to give it a percussive backbone clearly demonstrating Crane's different approach to songwriting.

Despite the efforts of fusing British prog with American soul and funk, this debut release still sounds a little devoid of a completely successfully fusion of the disparate styles and feels much more firmly rooted in the late 60s psychedelic scene than the progressive 70s. The keyboard rich rhythms are a dead giveaway and make this release sound a bit dated in not only its style but its delivery which has hints of Procol Harum, Deep Purple and of course, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown. Graham's vocal abilities are a point of contention for me as well. While he successfully gets the job done by hitting the correct notes and emphasizes dramatic phrases that serve to heighten the musical tension, my main problem is that his range is a little limited and the music would have been more animated with a slightly more gifted vox box. While ATOMIC ROOSTER yielded some decent fruit on their freshman effort, it would be eclipsed by the lineup change and release of their second album "Death Walks Behind You." Album number is chock full of nice pleasant late 60s sounding chops, rhythms and keyboard fantasies but doesn't quite make the highly essential list for me.

If you're going get this one you should really be sure to get the 2004 Castle Music CD reissue that contains the three overdubbed versions of "Friday The 13th," "Before Tomorrow" and "S.L.Y." with Du Cann on guitar and vocals. The comparison between the originals and redubs are astounding as it was fortuitous that Graham moved on to let a more talented vocalist take the reins. Also included are two equally better live versions at the BBC Radio Session in 1970. The bonus tracks make this a much better album than it would be otherwise but of course my rating is for the original release.

3.5 rounded down like those mammories on the cover :P

 BBC Radio 1 in Concert by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Live, 1993
3.86 | 11 ratings

BUY
BBC Radio 1 in Concert
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by ALotOfBottle
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Being a big Atomic Rooster fan, I was naturally very excited to find out about this album. BBC Radio 1 in Concert perfectly presents the live energy that the band had. With a new guitarist, Steve Bolton, and a new vocalist, Chirs Farlowe (previously of Colosseum), Atomic Rooster were ready to conquer new territories. This is actually my favorite period of the band's career - just after In Hearing Of Atomic Rooster, but with Chris Farlowe onboard. Most of the material comes from the previously mentioned album, but one or two songs are from their proto-metal album, Death Walks Behind You. A really great album and highly recommended for any fan of heavy prog! However, if you would wish to get a real feel for Atomic Rooster's live performance, I would recommend their Beat Club recordings from the same year.
 In Hearing of Atomic Rooster by ATOMIC ROOSTER album cover Studio Album, 1971
3.81 | 256 ratings

BUY
In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster Heavy Prog

Review by ALotOfBottle
Prog Reviewer

5 stars Atomic Rooster always remained a second league act. However, the band has many personel's links to other progressive rock outfits due to various line-up changes. In Hearing Of Atomic Rooster is the group's most representative album at their peek. The organ-driven, bass-less quartet seems to estrange the heavy proto-metal methods of their previous work Death Walks Behind You. Instead, Atomic Rooster incorporates a funkier and jazzier feel to their material.

The album opener "Breakthrough" is in my book one of the best from the band. What I like is that the main keyboard riff is not used as an opener. Inteligently, the band uses it in the middle of the song as a sort of musical climax, therefore letting the song to build up. Compared to their previous release, John Cann's guitar tone is much mellower and not so heavy. The guitarist's playing seems to be a lot "tastier", even though he doesn't get as many solo parts. "A Spoonful Of Bromide Helps The Pulse Rate Go Down" is another favorite of mine. It's nothing more than a psychedelic vamp on one or two chords, but it has a really interesting and elegant mood to it. "Black Snake" is a slow progressive blues rock number, if you will, which again showcases Vincent Crane's phenomenal virtuosity. Pete French has a fantastic voice and writes great lyrics. Paul Hammond skillfully puts great rhythm foundation for the band with his drumming.

All in all, In Hearing Of Atomic Rooster is an essential heavy prog album and in my opinion Atomic Rooster's strongest effort. Needless to say, In Hearind belongs in every Atomic Rooster fan's collection and is a great way to get into the band's music. Perhaps not a five-star album itself, but I feel like four stars would be a tad too low and a bit inadequate, as it is the best work of the band, which was a great band. Nontheless, highly recommended!

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to E&O Team for the last updates

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