Atomic Roooster

Artist: Atomic Rooster
Label: Castle - Old Numbers
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Extra tracks
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 823107235225
EAN: 0823107235225
ASIN: B0001XAMCM

Release Date: 2004-04-20

Atomic Roooster

Related Categories:

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock

| Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)

| Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Friday 13th
And So To Bed
Winter
Decline And Fall
Banstead
S.L.Y.
Broken Wings
Before Tomorrow
Friday 13th (US Version)
Before Tomorrow (US Version)
S.L.Y. (US Version)
Friday 13th (BBC Radio Session)
Seven Lonely Streets (BBC Radio Session)

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Customer Reviews:

Awesome debut from the underrated prog rockers.......2006-02-21

Atomic Rooster (1969.) Atomic Rooster's first album.

INTRODUCTION:
When Arthur Brown disbanded his classic band, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, two members of the band had no desire to end their musical careers. Those men were keyboard/organ player Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. As such, they established a new act - Atomic Rooster. To fill out their initial lineup, the twosome recruited singer/guitarist Nick Graham. And in 1970, their debut album was released. Read on, and see how the first work from Atomic Rooster fares!

OVERVIEW:
Atomic Rooster released their self-titled debut album on B And C Records in February 1970. The band for the album consisted of Carl Palmer on drums, Vincent Crane on keyboard/organ, and Nick Graham on guitar and vocals. This was the only album to feature Palmer and Graham - they would be replaced by guitarist/vocalist John Du Cann and drummer Paul Hammond on the next album. Tracklist for the band's debut album consists of Friday The Thirteenth, And So To Bed, Broken Wings Before Tomorrow, Banstead, SLY, Winter, and Decline And Fall.

REVIEW:
Atomic Rooster is one of those more obscure bands from that period starting with the late sixties stretching well into the seventies. The band's music was nothing short of excellent, fusing elements of progressive rock with many other genres. Sadly though, the band's success was minimal, and as such the group failed to achieve any major popularity. Despite this, though, the few classic rock fans who DO discover their music, myself included, will instantly fall in love with it. The band's debut is where it all began, and is the only album to feature Carl Palmer (needless to say, he left to join Keith Emerson and Greg Lake in their own little supergroup.) Many claim that the band's debut album lacks the expertise of their later efforts, and while I won't deny this, I also won't deny that the debut is still a masterpiece in its own right. I'm disappointed to see people diss Nick Graham's vocals, too, since he really is a good singer. Not the band's best ever, but still a good performer. Let's take a look at the album's tracks, and see how the whole package measures up!

-SIDE A-

-Friday The Thirteenth: The band starts the album with an excellent track, which many fans know and love as one of their quintessential classics of their oldest era. This is fast-paced, organ-intensive progressive rock the way it was meant to be heard. Vincent Crane is a god on his instrument, as he demonstrated time and time again, and this song makes for a fine introduction to the band and his organ expertise. The song was released as a single, but sadly, didn't achieve any chart success. Awesome opener.

-And So To Bed: The album's second tune is a bit slower and more melodic than its opening predecessor, although not quite to the degree that the song becomes soft, or a ballad, or anything like that. The change in pace works surprisingly well, too. Once again, Vincent Crane steals the show with his organ mastery. A solid addition to the album

-Broken Wings: All right, this one IS a ballad. But don't worry - this is a damn good one. Rather than organ, Vincent Crane opts for traditional piano here. The song is very slow and melodic, and a far cry from the two tracks that came earlier. Being such a departure, you'd think this song would be an outcast of sorts. This is NOT the case - the song is excellent, and in my opinion, fits perfectly. Nick Graham's vocals on this song are better here than on any other track on the album. Awesome song, and a truly underrated gem.

-Before Tomorrow: The band returns to the more traditional sound of their with this track, which is mostly instrumental. On this piece, the star of the show is Carl Palmer. The guy has always been an awesome drummer, and it seems like in every band he has been in there have been pieces designed for the sheer purposes of him showing off his bashing skills - this is no exception. Definitely a nice piece.

-SIDE B-

-Banstead: Here's a slow and melodic piece, but it stays pretty organ intensive. It's slower and more melodic than And So To Bed, but not nearly as much so as Broken Wings. The happy medium between these two sounds, not too much of a rocker, and not too soft, pays off. You end up getting the best of both worlds here. Each member of the band really shines, too.

-SLY: Here the band performs an odd mix of stylings - and it's one that lets each band member show off his stylings. There's stuff that rocks, slower more melodic stuff, lots of organ playing, distorted guitar riffs, and drumming as only Carl Palmer could do. It's a nice showcase of the band's abilities.

-Winter: This is one of the more obscure songs on the album, but the unique direction makes it one of the more interesting pieces the album serves up. The band uses a bluesy, jazzy sound here - and combines it with this classic progressive rock sound of the era. The result stands as a solid one. More worthwhile listening.

-Decline And Fall: Finishing things off is an instrumental sequence. In this instrumental sequence, Vincent Crane and his organ are the main attraction. Any fan of Atomic Rooster will tell you that the main attraction of any albums of the band's is Crane's organ playing, and if you need proof, this piece will give you all the proof you need. A solid way to finish the album.

OVERALL:
In the end, the debut from Atomic Rooster is an underrated masterpiece that never got the proper credit it deserved. It's a shame the band, and its leader Vincent Crane, are all but forgotten in the modern age. Following this album, the band began to shift its sound drastically - and change its members in and out on a regular basis. The band never kept a sound for long, so all of their albums are unique in their own way. Get this album, and experience the band as they were in the beginning. If you're into progressive rock of the sixties and seventies, Atomic Rooster's debut is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

EDITION NOTES:
This album has been reissued over the years, a ton of times. Sadly though, none of the versions are readily available in America. More likely than not you're going to have to order the album. Just make sure you order one of the versions with the bonus tracks! They're the icing on the cake.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Native Sense: The New Duets ~ Chick Corea & Gary Burton

Nocturne ~ Oliver Nelson with Lem Winchester

It's Time to Jump & Shout ~ Jan Savitt

Vol. 3, 1929 ~ Ben Pollack

Le Jazz De A A Z ~ Sidney Bechet

Blue Genes ~ The 3 Sounds

Die Hits ~ Pe Werner

Finding the Way ~ Micello

Grandes Exitos del Trovador de la Pampa ~ El Caballero Gaucho

Mizusawa Akemi Zenkyokushu ~ Mizusawa Akemi