Atomic Rooster

Atomic Rooster - The Collection - 1991 - Object Enterprises

Mention Atomic Rooster to anyone and you nearly always get references to heavy organ dominated progressive rock, and great hit singles like 'Devil's Answer' and 'Tomorrow Night'. Throughout the great heavy rock band's illustrious and successful career AR centered around John Du Cann and the late Vincent Crane, but they also used several great musicians including Carl Palmer, John Mccoy, Bernie Torme, and Dave Gilmour. "The Collection" features many of the band's best tracks including a live version of 'Devil's Answer'. The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to AR's "Death Walks Behind You" and "Made In England" albums. Check out the band's "Space Cowboy" and "Atomic Rooster 2" albums on this blog

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 DEVIL'S ANSWER (LIVE) - John Du Cann
2 PLAY IT AGAIN - John Du Cann
3 END OF THE DAY - John Du Cann
4 TOMORROW NIGHT - Vincent Crane
5 LOST IN SPACE - Du Cann, Crane
6 DON'T LOSE YOUR MIND - John Du Cann
7 CONTROL OF YOU - John Du Cann
8 SHE'S MY WOMAN - John Du Cann
9 DEATH WALKS BEHIND YOU (ORIGINAL VERSION) - Du Cann, Crane
10 SLEEPING FOR YEARS - John Du Cann
11 CAN'T TAKE NO MORE - John Du Cann

MUSICIANS

John Du Cann - guitar, lead vocals
Nick Graham - bass, vocals, flute
Vincent Crane - keyboards, organ, vocals RIP
Paul Hammond - drums

GUESTS

David Gilmour, Bernie Torme, Johnny Mandala, Steve Bolton - guitar
John Mizarolli, John "Mammoth"McCoy - bass
Ginger Baker, Carl Palmer, Rick Parnell, Preston Heyman - drums
Jon Field - violin
Chris Farlowe, Pete French - lead vocals

SHORT BIO

Atomic Rooster was a British progressive-rock group formed in 1969 with an original lineup of Vincent Crane (organ), Nick Graham (bass), and Carl Palmer (drums). Their debut album, Atomic Rooster, hit number 49 in the U.K. in June 1970, after which Graham and Palmer left the group. Crane maintained the name and recruited guitarist/singer John Cann and drummer Paul Hammond for the second album, Death Walks Behind You, which hit number 12 in the U.K., where it featured the number 11 single "Tomorrow Night," and number 90 in the U.S. Pete French of Cactus assisted on the third album, In Hearing Of, which featured the number-four U.K. single "The Devil's Answer" and reached number 18 in England and number 167 in America. Then the group split up again, and again Crane assembled a new Atomic Rooster, this time featuring singer Chris Farlowe, guitarist Steve Bolton, bassist Bill Smith, and drummer Rick Parnell. Made in England reached number 149 in the U.S. in 1972, but the group had split again by 1974. Crane fronted lineups of Atomic Rooster into the '80s, before taking up with Dexys Midnight Runners in 1983. In 1989, he committed suicide. © William Ruhlmann © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/atomic-rooster-p15527/biography

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Line-Up: John Du Cann (vocals / guitar), Vincent Crane (keyboards), Carl Palmer (drums)
Led by the extraordinary keyboard talents of Vincent Crane (né Cheeseman) ATOMIC ROOSTER purveyed a unique sound based on a hard driving Hammond organ rather than the guitar. Crane suffered from manic depression and as such the career of the band and Crane is an erratic one of unfulfilled promise. ATOMIC ROOSTER are now being increasingly recognized by the Doom / Stoner generation as having been of great influence. Crane first came to prominence as a founder member and main lyric writer for THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN, which initially comprised Brown, Crane and drummer Drachen Theaker. Crane had played keyboards on the number one hit 'Fire' by CRAZY WORLD quitting the band in the middle of an American tour. He formed ATOMIC ROOSTER with former CRAZY WORLD, drummer Carl Palmer and bassist Nick Graham in the early '70s. the debut album made the British charts at number 49 before dropping straight out again. 1970 saw the addition of former ANDROMEDA guitarist John Cann (he was later to change his name to John Du Cann). YES guitarist STEVE HOWE had auditioned too but Cann got the job. Cann overdubbed guitar on the first album for its American release but before touring commenced the band lost their bass player, Graham leaving to form SKIN ALLEY and later ALIBI. Somewhat inexplicably Crane refused a replacement and so ATOMIC ROOSTER's unique sound manifested itself with Crane performing bass parts on the lower end of his organ as the band soldiered on as a trio. Cann meanwhile had to radically change his playing style to cover for the missing bass and perform lead vocals. Second album 'Death Walks Behind You' fared better hitting the top 20 and yielded two hit singles in 'Tomorrow Night' and 'The Devil's Answer'. After nine months of solid touring Palmer also upped and left to join form the massively successful Progressive Rock trio EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER and drum duties were entrusted to ex-HORSE man Rick Parnell. However, the new drummer's tenure was brief and before long FARM member Paul Hammond was poached into the line-up. Parnell was to surface as part of Italian Jazz Rock outfit NOVA and much later relocated in America with ex-MC5 guitarist WAYNE KRAMER, a 1997 act BROWN RING and even as one of spoof Rockers SPINAL TAP's unfortunate drummers! Meantime back with ATOMIC ROOSTER the early '70s also found Crane guesting for Irish Blues Rock guitarist RORY GALLAGHER. Although successful on the surface internally ATOMIC ROOSTER were engaged in bitter in-fighting. Cann and Crane had got into a dispute regarding royalties for the second album. Although the line-up managed a third album, the top 5 'In Hearing Of...' Crane, on the eve of an American tour and toying with the idea of turning the band into a funk project, sacked Du Cann from the band. The hapless frontman found out via a job advert in the Melody Maker advertising his position! Hammond left in protest. Crane enrolled ex-CACTUS vocalist Pete French as replacement and also pulled in guitarist Steve Bolton and a redrafted Parnell. The departing duo of Du Cann and Hammond meanwhile founded BULLET signing to DEEP PURPLE's Purple Records, a band that released one single prior to being sued by an American band of the same name and retitling themselves HARD STUFF. With this act Cann issued two albums. Du Cann later undertook a German tour in 1973 with THIN LIZZY as guitarist but his stay in the band was purely a temporary one, filling in contracted gigs after Gary Moore had quit unexpectedly. Du Cann was later to reinvent himself as Johnny Du Cann and assembled an ad hoc band featuring STATUS QUO members Francis Rossi, Pete Kershaw and Andy Bown plus GILLAN's John McCoy on a proposed "Powerpop" project! The album, cut for Arista and to be titled 'The World's Not Big Enough' was never issued. The guitarist reverted back to his former name and gained himself a solo hit single with 'Don't Be A Dummy'. Cann's role in ATOMIC ROOSTER was to be filled by Bill Smith. French left in 1972, later recording a solo album 'Ducks In Flight' featuring THIN LIZZY guitarist Brian Robertson, and was replaced by ex-COLOSSEUM singer CHRIS FARLOWE, a man lauded by none other than MICK JAGGER as "having the best rock voice in Britain". Farlowe was to record the 'Made in England' and 'Nice n' Greasy' albums. Bolton was supplanted by former BRAND X man Johnny Mandala (real name John Goodsall) in 1973. Bolton formed HEADSTONE with ex-ARRIVAL bassist Phil Chen, former TRANQUILITY keyboard player Tony Lukyn and a pre-RARE BIRD Mark Ashton. Bolton was to turn up again over a decade later with the 1986 project MAX & THE BROADWAY METAL CHOIR. The '90s found Bolton as guitarist for PAUL YOUNG and then in 1990 for THE WHO. Bill Smith joined JADE WARRIOR for their 1978 Egyptian concept album 'Way Of The Sun'. Despite releasing some excellent albums ATOMIC ROOSTER were continually dogged by line-up changes. Crane re-joined ARTHUR BROWN to record the 1978 album 'Chisholm In My Bosom' on Gull records' reuniting again in 1980 to release 'Faster Than The Speed Of Sound' on I.C. Records. Resurrecting ATOMIC ROOSTER once more in 1980 Crane settled his differences with John Cann once more. Session man Preston Hayman was pulled in on drums for live work (he much later appeared on ASIA's 'Archiva 2' album of 1996) before none other than ex-CREAM drummer GINGER BAKER took his place. However, Baker's tenure was short and Hammond was re-enlisted to release an eponymous album on EMI Records. The band were blighted by an horrendous piece of bad luck as the pressing plant used to manufacture their 1981 single 'Play It Again' went on strike. Calculations made afterwards revealed this had cost the band a number 15 chart placing. Another stab at rekindling the flame arose in 1983 as Crane reassembled the band with drummer Paul Hammond once more and ex-GILLAN guitarist BERNIE TORME. This line-up toured Europe before with the release of the worthy 'Headline News' album featuring Hammond, Torme and guest musicians ex-ENERGY / OZO guitarist John Mizaroli and PINK FLOYD's guitarist DAVE GILMOUR. Torme joined OZZY OSBOURNE's band replacing Randy Rhoads on the road in America. Crane spent his post ROOSTER time playing keyboards for DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS live band. Another attempt to re-ignite the ATOMIC ROOSTER flame with ex-CHEVY guitarist Barry Eardley never got off the ground. Crane was also assembling some unreleased ATOMIC ROOSTER material for a projected album on the Demi Monde label titled 'Something Old, Something New - The Rooster Tapes'. Sadly Crane committed suicide in February 1989 after suffering years of depression. The 1999 album 'The First Ten Explosive Years' adds bonus tracks re-recorded with bass from GILLAN's John McCoy. Cann and McCoy are working on a new ATOMIC ROOSTER album. Drums are being handled by no less than original IRON MAIDEN drummer Ron Rebel. © Garry Sharpe-Young http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/book_rd_doom.php © Cherry Red Records - All Rights Reserved 2009 http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/book_rd_doom.php