THE BEST & THE REST OF ATOMIC ROOSTER

Great little sampler of the definitive heavy prog band, showcasing their perfect mix of Jimmy Page blues dirt, Emersonian keys, Procol Harum romance and Bach fugues. 'Banstead' opens with walls of organ and soaring vocals. 'Breakthrough', a rousing, keyboard filled number is featured, as well as the soft 'Decision/Indecision', a sentimental and jazzy cut with a great vocal line and a lovely melody. The hot 'A Spoonful of Bromide' absolutely satisfies with killer organ-guitar-drums interplay and neo-classical firweworks, and the anthem 'Blacksnake' is always a house favorite. 'Tomorrow Night' bumps and grinds its way past Paul Rogers and anything Bad Company ever did and makes Tempest look like a bunch of snot-nosed kids, and the closer 'Break the Ice' is absolute prog dynamite.

With a deft coming together of aggressive metallics and warm funeralistic church-rock, Atomic Rooster were always far more progressive than anyone seemed willing to give them credit for. A great band and a great collection, especially for all you closet Roosterheads out there. C'mon, you know who you are...

The best of Atomic Rooster in 10 songs... is that possible? You guessed it, not a chance? So what do we have here of the best of the greatest heavy prog band of the early 70s?

Banstead - good start, always loved this and it showcases Crane's inimitable keyboard flair.

Winter - a nice song but not necessarily their best.

Breakthrough - always a delight to hear this and it is certainly one of their best.

Decision/ Indecision - I would have left this off for better material. It is OK but nowhere near as good as their best.

Devil's Answer - this is definitive Rooster and features excellent melodies and heavy rffing.

A Spoonful Of Bromide/ Helps The Pulse/ Rate Go Down - one of their greatest instrumentals where Crane plays like a man obssessed.

Black Snake - excellent cool bluesy riffs and a slow vocal style make this a highlight.

Head In The Sky - not really necessary but this may have been the rest, rather than the best of Rooster.

Tomorrow Night - the single that most Rooster fans would expect to see here. Always loved the time sig.

Break The Ice - progalicious riffing and keyboard prowess make this another excellent track.

So half of this is excellent, half questionable. Where is Death Walks Behind You for crying out loud? This must be on a compilation as its the greatest thing they did, and why did they miss so much from "In Hearing Of"? Skip this comp because there are way better comps out there such as the 2 CD "Heavy Soul Anthology", rendering short comps like this obsolete. In its day this best of comp would have been well received and the vinyl of this is for collectors, but as these tracks appear on better comps than this, I would only give this 2 stars for collector value.