Atomic Rooster - Atomic Rooster (Remastered, Bonus Tracks) '1970/2004

Tracks list

The incipient incarnation of Atomic Rooster -- with Vincent Crane
(organ/vocals), Nick Graham (vocals/bass), and Carl Palmer (drums) -- was
together just long enough to document its debut, Atomic Roooster (1970) --
(note: the extra O is intentional). Prior to the last-minute addition of Graham
-- the only bassist Atomic Rooster ever had -- the band emerged from the
remnants of the then recently defunct Crazy World of Arthur Brown. The material
was primarily courtesy of Crane and consisted of heavier sides. His versatility
is evident throughout the impressive array of styles ranging from the
folk-inspired pastoral "Winter" to the bluesy horn arrangement heard on "Broken
Wings." This directly contrasts driving rockers such as the album's edgy opener,
"Friday 13th," or the aggressive "S.L.Y." "Decline and Fall" is a jazz-infused
number boasting some exceptional if not incendiary instrumental interaction,
most notably from Crane and Palmer. Lyrically, Crane reveals his penchant for
dark imagery, including the fatalistic "What is the point of going on?" chorus
that runs through the aforementioned "Winter" or the sexually snide "And So to
Bed." Support was bolstered by strong live appearances, positive word-of-mouth,
and a few significant BBC Radio sessions -- all of which resulted in Atomic
Roooster making a respectable showing at number 49 on the U.K. LP charts. By the
time the platter was picked up by Elektra Records in North America, the
personnel had already changed with John Cann (guitar/vocals) replacing Graham.
In an interesting move, they decided that Cann should also overdub guitar parts
to "S.L.Y." and "Before Tomorrow," as well as provide a new vocal to "Friday
13th." The transformation didn't end there, either, as the original running
order was also significantly altered. Parties interested in hearing both should
locate the 2004 reissue, as the supplementary selections feature the U.S.
version(s), plus a pair of uniformly excellent selections broadcast on BBC Radio
-- "Friday 13th" and "Seven Lonely Streets" (aka "Seven Streets") from Atomic
Rooster's follow-up LP, Death Walks Behind You (1970). Of further historical
note is that the live-in-the-studio BBC recordings were documented less than a
week before the departure of Palmer, effectively ending the first lineup.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Atomic Rooster - Friday 13th (3:32) 
1.02 - Atomic Rooster - And So to Bed (4:10) 
1.03 - Atomic Rooster - Winter (6:54) 
1.04 - Atomic Rooster - Decline and Fall (5:46) 
1.05 - Atomic Rooster - Banstead (3:29) 
1.06 - Atomic Rooster - S.L.Y. (4:42) 
1.07 - Atomic Rooster - Broken Wings (5:47) 
1.08 - Atomic Rooster - Before Tomorrow (5:50) 
1.09 - Atomic Rooster - Friday 13th (US Version) (3:28) 
1.10 - Atomic Rooster - Before Tomorrow (US Version) (5:48) 
1.11 - Atomic Rooster - S.L.Y. (US Version) (4:53) 
1.12 - Atomic Rooster - Friday 13th (BBC Radio Session) (4:29) 
1.13 - Atomic Rooster - Seven Lonely Streets (BBC Radio Session) (6:16)

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