Rabbiting On: Big Ears' Journal

Unknown Soldier · 04-19-2013, 03:35 AM

This was a great review on Frumpy and your categorization of 70s prog into three types spot on and I would say that the German scene may have been the most interesting and hardest for a listener to get into. I was thinking if you're looking for ideas for this journal or another. A prog guide or your favourite ever prog albums would be a great project to do. Others have done this in the past, but I think if you did it and with your knowledge it would be one of the best prog archives around.

Big Ears · 04-21-2013, 09:52 AM

The Best of Now That's What I Call the Greatest Essential Progressive Rock Albums in the World . . . Ever!

INTRODUCTION
Following Unknown Soldier's suggestion, I am beginning a new series of reviews of my favourite Progressive Rock albums, incorporating articles on the genre itself. It will continue within this journal under the heading, 'The Best of Now That's What I Call the Greatest Essential Progressive Rock Albums in the World . . . Ever!' Other headings that I contemplated were: (1) The Ten Pillars of Progressive Rock Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs, in which albums would be described according to themes, such as classical forms, dynamics and instruments. It seemed too contrived, so it was abandoned, although the themes have been salvaged; (2) Encyclopaedia Progressivum, based on Encyclopaedia Metallum, dismissed immediately for being rubbish; (3) Caterwalling, consistent with rabbiting, but also rubbish; and (4) Pretentious, Self-Indulgent and Bombastic: Progressive Rock Albums That No-one Likes, Except Me! is not entirely ruled out, at least as a concept. For some perverse reason, there was always something satisfying about reading the contemporary media criticism of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and progressive rock as being pretentious, self-indulgent and bombastic - perhaps because it is these things that make them so enjoyable.

First we need to define our terms, so the first part is . . .

PART ONE: An Answer to the Question, 'What is Progressive Rock?'

On the progressive rock forums, the question, 'What is Progressive Rock?' is often greeted with inaudible groans as it is regularly argued and frequently emerges in many debates. It is positioned just above similarly hard-fought issues, such as, 'Are Jethro Tull, Rush, Pink Floyd and Radiohead progressive?', or, 'Is there a Yes without Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman?' Until now, it is something to which I have erred away from trying to produce a definitive answer (as are the others), although I have used parts of the following paragraphs in promoting my view that it progressed beyond traditional instruments and is a mainly a nineteen-seventies phenomenon. To further complicate matters, it went hand-in-hand with heavy rock of the same period, giving a symbiotic genre of heavy and progressive rock. I should add at this early stage that I do not like the modern term 'prog', as it reminds me of the substitution of heavy rock for 'heavy metal', so I will be using the unshortened 'progressive rock' throughout.

Progressive rock was developed, mainly in Britain, in the late nineteen-sixties and early seventies, from rock 'n' roll, popular music and blues-inspired rock (mostly, but not entirely, from America). It was called progressive rock, because it appeared to progress beyond the standard drums, guitars and voice format, as well as the verse, chorus and short solo structure. While rock 'n' roll at heart, progressive rock contained permutations of a number of musical devices or themes. Few of the devices were unique to progressive rock and not many bands used all of them at once. Taking them in turn and in no particular order, classical forms became almost obligatory, leading to epic (long) tracks, concepts, double and triple albums. Not all tracks were necessarily long, but the peak-era bands, like Yes and ELP, favoured them. Classical elements appeared because the musicians, being British, were either classically trained or brought up in Anglican Church schools. Rock 'n' roll had already incorporated classical melodies, as with Bee Bumble and the Stingers' Nutrocker.

With the classical forms came exaggerated dynamics and a big arrangement, if not production. Bands would take quiet folk-like passages and deliberately contrast them with loud heavy rock sequences, as with King Crimson on In the Court of the Crimson King (1969). Unfortunately, because of overdubs recorded on analogue tape and the groups' ambitions sometimes over-reaching themselves, the production could not quite match the arrangements and was often dull and murky - Brain Salad Surgery by ELP and Eddie Offord being a prime example. This was not confined to progressive rock, as it can be heard on The Who's ambitious Quadrophenia (1973). A backlash came in the nineteen-eighties, in the form of simultaneously cluttered and bright productions. Ironically, progressive rock did not adapt well to modern technology and became an almost separate genre in neo-progressive rock. In the transition between the late seventies and early eighties, some groups, like UK and Saga, resolved themselves to a modern clean production, but they were a minority.

Keyboards, like the Hammond organ and mellotron, but particularly the Moog synthesizer, became synonomous with progressive rock. Virtuosos like Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman became relative stars, while bands like Genesis, Greenslade, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Refugee and Supertramp were all keyboard-led. Epic pieces were created to showcase bands' keyboard players, such as ELP's Tarkus (1971) and Yes's title track for Close to the Edge (1972) (both taking the entire first side of their respective vinyl). After being criticised by the music press for these lengthy pieces, both bands got their own back by creating more on double studio (Yes's Tales From Topographic Oceans, 1973) and triple live albums (Yessongs, 1973, and ELP's Welcome Back My Friends, 1974). Progressive rock bands dominated by guitar were fairly rare, but they did exist in Man, Baker Gurvitz Army, Wishbone Ash and others. The first two used keyboards on occasions and it could be argued that they were more heavy rock.

Before the synthesizer, progressive rock bands used traditional instruments like the flute (Genesis, Jethro Tull), saxophone (King Crimson) and violin (Van Der Graaf Generator). They also used the Hammond (The Nice, Atomic Rooster) and Mellotron (Crimson again and Moody Blues). Added to keyboards and a variety of instruments were sound effects, the implementation of which reached its peak on Pink Floyd's cohesive Dark Side of the Moon (1973). The latter was a monumental achievement, with tradtional instruments, VCS3 synthesizers, distinctive drums, outstanding guitar playing, strong melodies, powerful lyrics and it sold in huge numbers. Genesis, Gentle Giant and Yes instinctively employed complex time signatures, irregular beats and frequent changes in tempo, in the same way they relied upon heavy rock riffs and solos, showing that jazz influences (Dave Brubeck) were as important as classical, and so were the overlaps between the two styles (George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein).

What would remain if it were possible to remove melody from heavy or progressive rock? The answer is nothing. Ian McDonald said in an interview for BBC Radio 2, "We all took our cue from The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966) and The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album (1967)." This was because both groups concentrated on working in the studio, rather than scheduling recordings between major tours. But the reference went further because, both had a genius for strong lyrics, melodies, harmonies and a willingness to experiment. McDonald's King Crimson, to coin a cliche, used the studio as an instrument, as in their groundbreaking use of stereo, but they were also melodic. Bill Bruford, interviewed for a YesStory video, said, in the early days, he assumed Yes would be a jazz band, but Jon Anderson imagined they would become the next Fifth Dimension. Melody and harmonies are paramount on their And You And I, Soon (Gates of Delirium) and Ritual.

In most good progressive rock, experimentation is all-pervasive. Carl Palmer, when discussing Brain Salad Surgery, said, "We were constantly experimenting and everything seemed to work." For the German 'Krautrock' bands of the seventies, electronic experimentation was their main aim and it was commercially successful, as with Tangerine Dream's Phaedra and Kraftwerk's Autobahn, both from 1974. As previously stated, in the seventies, heavy and progressive rock seemed to go together. Some progressive rock bands, like ELP on Knife Edge from their first album, could be as heavy as the overtly hard rock groups like Black Sabbath. Atomic Rooster, although keyboard dominated, were also heavy rock and it is their Assortment compilation (1974) that will be the first review in this series . . .

Imagery, in the form of album covers, stage sets, lightshows, costumes, posters and group photographs, were inextricably and indefinably linked to the music. No self-respecting progressive rock fan would be seen without an album under their arm, featuring the fantasy landscape artwork of Roger Dean (Yes), graphic designs of Storm Thorgerson & Hipgnosis (ELP, Pink Floyd) or a combination of the two by Barney Bubbles (Hawkwind). Peter Gabriel has said that he dressed in strange and original costumes, such as a geometric box over his head with a cutout for his face, in order to cover his stagefright. Whatever the intention, the resulting photographs in music magazines made the band irresistible before hearing their music, as were those of Yes bathed in red light and dry ice.

Lyrics tended to be drawn from classical mythology, fantasy and science fiction as a result of psychedelia and the hippies' belief that we should strive for a better future. Nightmarish imagery symbolised, for many, the rebellion against the 'straight' establishment and environmental issues. Surrealism and idealism represented sixties individualism. It is a myth that there were no love songs in progressive rock and that all lyrics were absurd; it is just that few were along the lines of, 'I was dancing with my baby, she left me and I cried.' They were more likely to be deep and meaningless, as in Jon Anderson's for Close to the Edge, 'As we cross from side to side, we hear the total mass retain.' In fairness to Anderson, he said he chose the words for effect, rather than the meaning.

So without further ado and in the words of Greg Lake, "Come inside, the show's about to start/ Guaranteed to blow your head apart/ You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo/ You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh . . . "

To recap, here are the ten broad devices or themes:

1. Classical forms, epic tracks, concept albums, double and triple albums
2. Dynamics and production
3. Keyboards, Moog synthesizer and sound effects
4. Instruments
5. Complexity
6. Melody and harmonies
7. Experimentation
8. Heavy rock
9. Stage theatrics, lightshows and album cover art
10. Lyrical content

LIST OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: An Answer to the Question, 'What is Progressive Rock?'
ALBUM REVIEW ONE: Assortment by Atomic Rooster

Next, Album Review One: Assortment by Atomic Rooster

Unknown Soldier · 04-21-2013, 04:32 PM

You're attempting to answer one of the great questions in rock here and you're dissecting probably the most complicated sub-genre out there. I'm surprised you didn't mention the influence of psychedelic rock more (you may have done so and I may have missed it) Anyway you've excelled yourself again on what you've written. I know I've asked this question before, but are you sure you're not an author or writer of some kind? If I had your writing ability and technical knowledge on instrumentation etc I could improve on my home-made journal leaps and bounds

Anyways, look forward to exploring the Atomic Rooster stuff with you.

Big Ears · 04-22-2013, 11:37 AM

Thanks again for the positive comments, US.

Although I am old enough to remember psychedelia as a concept, the short response is that I do not have the knowledge to write convincingly about the transition from the musical form to progressive rock. Early psychedelia records and The Beatles' initial attempts are well-documented, but I have little or no knowledge of the American bands (13th Floor Elevators, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, etc). Rather than seeing a linnear development from psychedelia to progressive rock, in which the former fell by the wayside as the result of changing fashion, some would argue that they developed side-by-side, as Hawkwind and Steve Hillage, for example, maintained a psychedelic aspect throughout the seventies. When I was about 11-years-old, progressive and heavy rock just seemed to appear out of nowhere! One day, I might give the birth of progressive rock a try, but I do not post everything I write in any case. Much of it never reaches the word processor.

I am definitely not an author or a professional writer. Having been taught to write very formally, I do know the rules, even if I break them now and again. This can make my writing rather stilted. Journalists tend to write as they speak and think nothing of ending a sentence with a preposition. My guess is that they are also trained to use little devices such as connecting a piece of writing to their readers' existing knowledge. They also have editors to oversee their work. Annoyingly, I am a perfectionist and do not have a proof-reader, so I keep returning to things I have drafted. Maybe I should put this right.

The advantage you have over me, US, is that you are a prolific writer, so I would say do not change anything.

Big Ears · 04-22-2013, 11:55 AM

Bandolier by Budgie (MCA 1975)

Budgie keep their ammunition slung across the chest

Bandolier is the Welsh power trio’s third album, consolidating their reputation for trademark grinding riffs, bizarre song titles and occasional slow ballads (to balance the thunderous impact). It also ranks among their first five and best albums, with the driving Breaking All the House Rules and the insistent Who Do You Want for Your Love as standouts. Slipaway is the gentle piece, while the Andy Fairweather-Lowe cover, I Ain’t No Mountain, was an early attempt at a hit single. The album closes on Napolean Bona Parts 1 and 2, an epic that makes modern bands sound like pansies!

NOTE: The above represents my experiment in reviewing an album in 100, or less, words (a bit like Trollheart's Bitesize). My intention was to review Budgie's first five albums in this style. Having begun writing about progressive rock, the project has been shelved, like so many others.

Unknown Soldier · 04-22-2013, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Ears

Thanks again for the positive comments, US.

Although I am old enough to remember psychedelia as a concept, the short response is that I do not have the knowledge to write convincingly about the transition from the musical form to progressive rock. Early psychedelia records and The Beatles' initial attempts are well-documented, but I have little or no knowledge of the American bands (13th Floor Elevators, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, etc). Rather than seeing a linnear development from psychedelia to progressive rock, in which the former fell by the wayside as the result of changing fashion, some would argue that they developed side-by-side, as Hawkwind and Steve Hillage, for example, maintained a psychedelic aspect throughout the seventies. When I was about 11-years-old, progressive and heavy rock just seemed to appear out of nowhere! One day, I might give the birth of progressive rock a try, but I do not post everything I write in any case. Much of it never reaches the word processor.

I am definitely not an author or a professional writer. Having been taught to write very formally, I do know the rules, even if I break them now and again. This can make my writing rather stilted. Journalists tend to write as they speak and think nothing of ending a sentence with a preposition. My guess is that they are also trained to use little devices such as connecting a piece of writing to their readers' existing knowledge. They also have editors to oversee their work. Annoyingly, I am a perfectionist and do not have a proof-reader, so I keep returning to things I have drafted. Maybe I should put this right.

The advantage you have over me, US, is that you are a prolific writer, so I would say do not change anything.

There's certainly a hole there with not listening to some of the west coast American psychedelia of the late 1960s. As far as I'm concerned the Doors, the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, Country Joe and the Fish, Chocolate Watch Band and Love are essential to any music catalogue. If you want I'd be happy to recommend a must listen to list of the best albums here and then you could compare them to the British psychedelic scene of the same period. Strangely enough you mentioned the Manfred Mann Earth Band on my journal and on the first album (which is great by the way) if you remove the heaviness from it, you can kind of hear the American psychedelia influence on the band.

I agree with what your saying about the psychedelic influence and there is certainly not a direct line between psychedelia and prog but I do know that most of the prog bands were influenced by the free flowing style of psychedelia, even though their arrangements and outlook differed greatly. Early Yes on their debut were basically a psychedelic band.

I suppose what makes writers good, is the diversity of styles and differeing opinions they bring rather than just going with a basic model.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Ears

Bandolier by Budgie (MCA 1975)

Budgie keep their ammunition slung across the chest

Bandolier is the Welsh power trio’s third album, consolidating their reputation for trademark grinding riffs, bizarre song titles and occasional slow ballads (to balance the thunderous impact). It also ranks among their first five and best albums, with the driving Breaking All the House Rules and the insistent Who Do You Want for Your Love as standouts. Slipaway is the gentle piece, while the Andy Fairweather-Lowe cover, I Ain’t No Mountain, was an early attempt at a hit single. The album closes on Napolean Bona Parts 1 and 2, an epic that makes modern bands sound like pansies!

NOTE: The above represents my experiment in reviewing an album in 100, or less, words (a bit like Trollheart's Bitesize). My intention was to review Budgie's first five albums in this style. Having begun writing about progressive rock, the project has been shelved, like so many others.

Bandolier was the last great Budgie album really.

Big Ears · 04-23-2013, 10:42 AM

I've got a few albums by The Doors, Love and The Byrds on CD, although I do not listen to them very often. I remember Country Joe & the Fish and Barry Melton, who seemed quite radical at the time. Jefferson Airplane I came to recently, because I like Jefferson Starship with Mickey Thomas and Craig Chaquico, but I cannot get into them.

I found the first Manfred Mann's Earth Band album the weakest, because he was still evolving from the Chapter Three experiment into the pattern of soloing between himself on mini-Moog and Mick Rogers on guitar. The next album(s) was/were fantastic. Chapter Three, with an experimental brass section, did not work for me, despite Mike Hugg's involvement. Manfred Mann's Earth Band are one of the few groups whose bootlegs I like to collect. One of the reasons is because live versions of tracks from the first album, Like Captain Bobby Stout, are transformed into great performances. They really should have re-recorded them.

I am always open to suggestions, US. If you suggest some psychedelia, I will give it a listen.

Unknown Soldier · 04-24-2013, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Ears

I've got a few albums by The Doors, Love and The Byrds on CD, although I do not listen to them very often. I remember Country Joe & the Fish and Barry Melton, who seemed quite radical at the time. Jefferson Airplane I came to recently, because I like Jefferson Starship with Mickey Thomas and Craig Chaquico, but I cannot get into them.

I found the first Manfred Mann's Earth Band album the weakest, because he was still evolving from the Chapter Three experiment into the pattern of soloing between himself on mini-Moog and Mick Rogers on guitar. The next album(s) was/were fantastic. Chapter Three, with an experimental brass section, did not work for me, despite Mike Hugg's involvement. Manfred Mann's Earth Band are one of the few groups whose bootlegs I like to collect. One of the reasons is because live versions of tracks from the first album, Like Captain Bobby Stout, are transformed into great performances. They really should have re-recorded them.

I am always open to suggestions, US. If you suggest some psychedelia, I will give it a listen.

See I think Jefferson Starship were a great disappointment considering what the band had at their disposal talent wise and far preferred their third incarnation Starship.

Out of interest what are your best Manfred Mann Earth Band's best albums?

Anyway albums you should hear if you haven't already and if you have then you should listen again

: I'm guessing you know both the really big stuff by the Beach Boys and the Velvet Underground (I'm not a big fan of either) but are essential to this list. There's more but this is good to start and finish with. All the albums are from the mid 1960s to around 1970.

Byrds- Fifth Dimension and Younger Than Yesterday
Captain Beefheart- Safe as Milk and Trout Mask Replica
Chocolate Watch Band- The Inner Mystique
Country Joe & the Fish- Electric Music for the Mind and Body and I Think I'm Fixin to Die
Doors- Doors, Strange Days and Waiting for the Sun
Grateful Dead- Live Dead
Jefferson Airplane- Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxter's, Crown of Creation and Volunteers
Love- Forever Changes
The Mamas and The Papas- If You Can Believe Your Mind and Ears
Moby Grape- Moby Grape and Wow/Grape Jam
Mothers of Invention- Freak Out! and We're Only in it For the Money.
United States of America- United States of America

Big Ears · 04-25-2013, 03:55 PM

I like Starship too.

I like all the Earth Band albums, but I think The Good Earth (Mick Rogers on lead vocals and guitar) and Watch (Chris Thompson on lead vocals, Dave Flett on lead guitar) are my favourites. Glorified Magnified, Messin', Nightingales & Bombers and Roaring Silence are all great. Live material worth tracking down is Pink Pop Festival, Live in Pittsburgh, Stepping Sideways, Live in Stockholm and Here We Go Again. Joybringer, originally a non-album track, is one of my all-time favourite singles.

I've got some of those listed albums on CD, but not all (Freak Out! Forever Changes, Strange Days, After Bathing at Baxter's). What do you think of United States of America?

Big Ears · 04-26-2013, 07:25 AM

The Best of Now That's What I Call the Greatest Essential Progressive Rock Albums in the World . . . Ever!

Album One: Assortment by Atomic Rooster (Charisma 1974)

A worthy compilation from a band that popularised progressive rock

ASSORTMENT TRACKLIST & CREDITS

1. Devil's Answer (DuCann)
Non-album single, June 1971, but later added to In Hearing Of
John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano
Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion

2. Sleeping for Years (DuCann)
From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970
John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion

3. Friday the Thirteenth (Crane)
From the album Atommic Roooster, February 1970
US version: original vocals and piano overdubbed with Du Cann vocals and guitar
John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitar
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
Nick Graham: Bass guitar, vocals
Carl Palmer: Drums, percussion

4. S.L.Y. (Crane)
From the album Atommic Roooster, February 1970
US version: original piano overdubbed with Du Cann guitar
Nick Graham: Lead vocals, bass guitar
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
John Du Cann: Guitar
Carl Palmer: Drums, percussion

5. Death Walks Behind You (Crane, DuCann)
From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970
John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion

6. Tomorrow Night (Crane)
From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970
John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion

7. Break the Ice (DuCann)
From the album In Hearing Of, August 1971
Pete French: Lead vocals
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano
John Du Cann: Guitars
Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion

8. I Can't Take No More (DuCann)
From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970
John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion

9. The Price (Crane, Pat Darnell)
From the album In Hearing Of, August 1971
Pete French: Lead vocals
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano
John Du Cann: Guitars
Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion

10. Decline and Fall (Crane, Palmer, Graham)
From the album Atommic Roooster, February 1970
Nick Graham: Lead vocals, bass guitar
Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals
Carl Palmer: Drums, percussion

Assortment by Atomic Rooster is that rare item, a well-planned compilation album, and is Atomic Rooster's first collection. Atomic Rooster were formed in mid-1969 by keyboard-player Vincent Crane and drumer Carl Palmer, both from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, famous for the hit single, Fire, and Nick Graham on bass. Although named after the charismatic frontman, Crane was the main songwriter and musician with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, so his own band was a natural development. Atomic Rooster were one of the first heavy, keyboard-led, progressive rock bands, along with The Nice and King Crimson, so it is no coincidence that Carl Palmer would depart soon after to join Keith Emerson and Greg Lake from those bands to form ELP.

Charisma wisely used the two hit singles to open each side of the vinyl or cassette, therefore Devil's Answer begins the album. The track started life as a non-album single, with John DuCann on lead vocals and guitar, but was later added to the third album, In Hearing Of (1971), as a bonus track. Atomic Rooster usually gave their songs an imaginative intro and Devil's Answer has a gradual build-up of their distinctive dual organ and guitar. As befits an intended single, Devil's Answer is catchy, with Vincent Crane's characteristically heavy keyboards and DuCann's spiky guitar, but with added brass for extra punch. Sleeping for Years has a spooky lingering guitar intro, before another catchy insistent riff and organ work. DuCann's guitar swirls in-and-out, as does his voice, along with his memorable, 'Oh-ho's.' DuCrann's subject matter is typically unsettling for the band, when he tells us, 'Wasted Away, sleeping off the years/ Been around, stuck around far too long.' Sleeping for Years is from Rooster's second and best album, Death Walks Behind You (1970), with the classic lineup of DuCann, Crane and Paul Hammond on drums from Princes Risborough's local heroes, Farm.

Having built our expectations of another gradual build-up, Friday the Thirteenth bursts straight in, with the whole band on fire, but it was not always this way. Atomic Rooster (1970), the first album, was recorded with the original lineup of Nick Graham on lead vocals and bass guitar, Vincent Crane on keyboards and Carl Palmer on drums. On completion, Nick Graham (a talented multi-instrumentalist) departed for the similar-sounding Skin Alley and John DuCann was recuited from Andromeda as lead singer and guitarist. Crane, like Ray Manzarek of The Doors, took over the basslines, by playing them on the Hammond, with a combination of his left hand and pedals. They were then overdubbed. Friday the 13th was also overdubbed with DuCann's voice and guitar, for the US release, adding energy and improving it markedly (despite Nick Graham being a fine musician). This is the version on Assortment. Crane has cleverly blended a jaunty melody with a lyric about despair, sung by DuCann with a call and response, 'No One Will Save You, they won't try/ Someone please, please help me/ Everyone's lonely when they die.' Despite the title, the hook of 'Save me' is infectious and the solos are excellent as always.

Another track on the first album to be overdubbed, this time only with guitar, is the next track on Assortment, S.L.Y. (the third and final over-dub, again with just guitar, was on the Before Tomorrow track, which is not included on this compilation). S.L.Y. is also another song with a repeated phrase, 'I want you', that does not match the title. Nick Graham sounds remarkably like Atomic Rooster's fourth singer, Chris Farlowe, which may explain why the latter fitted so well. Farlowe's soulful voice is not included on Assortment, but I strongly recommend his album with Atomic Rooster, Nice 'n' Greasy, because they maintain the quality and he gives some of his best performances. S.L.Y. is typical of the standout tracks on the first album, as it points to Atomic Rooster's future work. It ends on a guitar that sounds like an atomic rooster . . .

S.L.Y. is followed on the compilation by Death Walks Behind You, which has an intro that sounds like an atomic rooster! More great work from those people at Charisma! Death Walks Behind You is the fondly remembered title track from Atomic Rooster's most critically and commercially successful album. It is a relatively long piece that builds slowly to the main riff, with bursts of wah-wah, followed by alternating piano and bass notes. The lyrics reach the pinnacle of Crane And DuCann's darkness, 'Start to scream, shout for help/ There is no one by your side/ To forget what is done/ Seems so hard to carry on.' Death Behinds You fades on an eery chiming guitar and the ubiquitous, 'Oh-ho's.'

Chronologically, Atomic Rooster's first hit single, Tomorrow Night, opens the second side of the vinyl and cassette. John DuCann's voice follows the repetetive guitar, accompanied by Carl Palmer's successor Paul Hammond on chopping cowbell and percussion. Like Devil's Answer, it is catchy and maintains the menace and flawless solos. It ends on vocal effects and that atomic rooster again! Breaking the Ice, from In Hearing Of, has DuCann concentrating on guitar, to be replaced by Pete French, from Leaf Hound, on lead vocals. With the addition of French, another excellent singer, the feel is bluesier and less bleak. However, Assortment's balance is redressed by I Can't Take No More, a driving track from Death Walks Behind You. Pete French's voice is at its most distinctive raspiness on The Price, with more call and response and an economical Keith Emerson-style solo from Crane.

An untouched Decline and Fall, from the debut album, is primarily a vehicle for the 19-year-od Carl Palmer's drum skills. It is mostly instrumental, with rolling tom toms and a famous solo, which later reappeared on ELP's Tank. As previously stated, Palmer departed Atomic Rooster soon after the first album for an even greater showcase with ELP. Nick Graham's vocal passage at the end of Decline and Fall is better than it is often given credit and, with the benefit of hindsight, should have been afforded more space.

After the recording of In Hearing of, in 1971, John DuCann and Paul Hammond left the band to form Bullet and Hard Stuff with bassist Johnny Gustafson from Quatermass. Vincent Crane recuited Chris Farlowe to continue with a more soulful and funky, but equally high quality, version of Atomic Rooster. In 1980, Crane and DuCann reconvened with drummer Preston Heyman to record Atomic Rooster (1980) for EMI, a punk rock-inspired album, which was full of creative promise. Hammond, despite suffering serious leg injuries in a car accident in Belgium, even rejoined for the tour and the classic lineup was re-established. However, after a lifetime of mental illness, Crane became ill and Atomic Rooster disbanded. Hammond died from an accidental drug overdose in 1992, sadly putting an end to dreams of new material. Those who knew him in the early days said he was a talented musician and a decent person, unspoiled by the commercial success he enjoyed with Atomic Rooster. Crane intended to try again with DuCann in 1997, but tragically committed suicide, with an overdose of painkillers, in February 1989. A musical genius and one of progressive rock's true innovators was gone. DuCann's solo work was often surprisingly upbeat, but he died following a heart attack in September 2011.

Assortment stands as a monumental achievement by one of the first and best progressive rock bands. Without synthesizers, computers, sequencers and samplers, they created a body of heavy, but melodic and imaginative work their successors can only dream of emulating. All credit to Charisma, then, for taking the time to compile a collection which not only reflects Atomic Rooster's best work, but is also an example of their finest output. It is not often one can say this about a compilation.

Footnote: I first drafted a review of Assortment, in longhand, as long ago as 2005 and attempted a word processed version five years later. For some reason, I find it extremely difficult to write a review of an album that is very important to me. Perhaps it is the desire to find the right words to do the album justice. So the review just sat gathering 'dust' on my hard drive for another three years. In the end, it was almost completely re-written and completed for my journal in April 2013. I hope I have produced a review worthy of Atomic Rooster's great album.

Next, PART TWO: Album Cover Art

04-21-2013, 09:52 AM	#62 (permalink)
Big Ears Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 434	The Best of Now That's What I Call the Greatest Essential Progressive Rock Albums in the World . . . Ever! INTRODUCTION Following Unknown Soldier's suggestion, I am beginning a new series of reviews of my favourite Progressive Rock albums, incorporating articles on the genre itself. It will continue within this journal under the heading, 'The Best of Now That's What I Call the Greatest Essential Progressive Rock Albums in the World . . . Ever!' Other headings that I contemplated were: (1) The Ten Pillars of Progressive Rock Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs, in which albums would be described according to themes, such as classical forms, dynamics and instruments. It seemed too contrived, so it was abandoned, although the themes have been salvaged; (2) Encyclopaedia Progressivum, based on Encyclopaedia Metallum, dismissed immediately for being rubbish; (3) Caterwalling, consistent with rabbiting, but also rubbish; and (4) Pretentious, Self-Indulgent and Bombastic: Progressive Rock Albums That No-one Likes, Except Me! is not entirely ruled out, at least as a concept. For some perverse reason, there was always something satisfying about reading the contemporary media criticism of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and progressive rock as being pretentious, self-indulgent and bombastic - perhaps because it is these things that make them so enjoyable. First we need to define our terms, so the first part is . . . PART ONE: An Answer to the Question, 'What is Progressive Rock?' On the progressive rock forums, the question, 'What is Progressive Rock?' is often greeted with inaudible groans as it is regularly argued and frequently emerges in many debates. It is positioned just above similarly hard-fought issues, such as, 'Are Jethro Tull, Rush, Pink Floyd and Radiohead progressive?', or, 'Is there a Yes without Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman?' Until now, it is something to which I have erred away from trying to produce a definitive answer (as are the others), although I have used parts of the following paragraphs in promoting my view that it progressed beyond traditional instruments and is a mainly a nineteen-seventies phenomenon. To further complicate matters, it went hand-in-hand with heavy rock of the same period, giving a symbiotic genre of heavy and progressive rock. I should add at this early stage that I do not like the modern term 'prog', as it reminds me of the substitution of heavy rock for 'heavy metal', so I will be using the unshortened 'progressive rock' throughout. Progressive rock was developed, mainly in Britain, in the late nineteen-sixties and early seventies, from rock 'n' roll, popular music and blues-inspired rock (mostly, but not entirely, from America). It was called progressive rock, because it appeared to progress beyond the standard drums, guitars and voice format, as well as the verse, chorus and short solo structure. While rock 'n' roll at heart, progressive rock contained permutations of a number of musical devices or themes. Few of the devices were unique to progressive rock and not many bands used all of them at once. Taking them in turn and in no particular order, classical forms became almost obligatory, leading to epic (long) tracks, concepts, double and triple albums. Not all tracks were necessarily long, but the peak-era bands, like Yes and ELP, favoured them. Classical elements appeared because the musicians, being British, were either classically trained or brought up in Anglican Church schools. Rock 'n' roll had already incorporated classical melodies, as with Bee Bumble and the Stingers' Nutrocker. With the classical forms came exaggerated dynamics and a big arrangement, if not production. Bands would take quiet folk-like passages and deliberately contrast them with loud heavy rock sequences, as with King Crimson on In the Court of the Crimson King (1969). Unfortunately, because of overdubs recorded on analogue tape and the groups' ambitions sometimes over-reaching themselves, the production could not quite match the arrangements and was often dull and murky - Brain Salad Surgery by ELP and Eddie Offord being a prime example. This was not confined to progressive rock, as it can be heard on The Who's ambitious Quadrophenia (1973). A backlash came in the nineteen-eighties, in the form of simultaneously cluttered and bright productions. Ironically, progressive rock did not adapt well to modern technology and became an almost separate genre in neo-progressive rock. In the transition between the late seventies and early eighties, some groups, like UK and Saga, resolved themselves to a modern clean production, but they were a minority. Keyboards, like the Hammond organ and mellotron, but particularly the Moog synthesizer, became synonomous with progressive rock. Virtuosos like Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman became relative stars, while bands like Genesis, Greenslade, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Refugee and Supertramp were all keyboard-led. Epic pieces were created to showcase bands' keyboard players, such as ELP's Tarkus (1971) and Yes's title track for Close to the Edge (1972) (both taking the entire first side of their respective vinyl). After being criticised by the music press for these lengthy pieces, both bands got their own back by creating more on double studio (Yes's Tales From Topographic Oceans, 1973) and triple live albums (Yessongs, 1973, and ELP's Welcome Back My Friends, 1974). Progressive rock bands dominated by guitar were fairly rare, but they did exist in Man, Baker Gurvitz Army, Wishbone Ash and others. The first two used keyboards on occasions and it could be argued that they were more heavy rock. Before the synthesizer, progressive rock bands used traditional instruments like the flute (Genesis, Jethro Tull), saxophone (King Crimson) and violin (Van Der Graaf Generator). They also used the Hammond (The Nice, Atomic Rooster) and Mellotron (Crimson again and Moody Blues). Added to keyboards and a variety of instruments were sound effects, the implementation of which reached its peak on Pink Floyd's cohesive Dark Side of the Moon (1973). The latter was a monumental achievement, with tradtional instruments, VCS3 synthesizers, distinctive drums, outstanding guitar playing, strong melodies, powerful lyrics and it sold in huge numbers. Genesis, Gentle Giant and Yes instinctively employed complex time signatures, irregular beats and frequent changes in tempo, in the same way they relied upon heavy rock riffs and solos, showing that jazz influences (Dave Brubeck) were as important as classical, and so were the overlaps between the two styles (George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein). What would remain if it were possible to remove melody from heavy or progressive rock? The answer is nothing. Ian McDonald said in an interview for BBC Radio 2, "We all took our cue from The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966) and The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album (1967)." This was because both groups concentrated on working in the studio, rather than scheduling recordings between major tours. But the reference went further because, both had a genius for strong lyrics, melodies, harmonies and a willingness to experiment. McDonald's King Crimson, to coin a cliche, used the studio as an instrument, as in their groundbreaking use of stereo, but they were also melodic. Bill Bruford, interviewed for a YesStory video, said, in the early days, he assumed Yes would be a jazz band, but Jon Anderson imagined they would become the next Fifth Dimension. Melody and harmonies are paramount on their And You And I, Soon (Gates of Delirium) and Ritual. In most good progressive rock, experimentation is all-pervasive. Carl Palmer, when discussing Brain Salad Surgery, said, "We were constantly experimenting and everything seemed to work." For the German 'Krautrock' bands of the seventies, electronic experimentation was their main aim and it was commercially successful, as with Tangerine Dream's Phaedra and Kraftwerk's Autobahn, both from 1974. As previously stated, in the seventies, heavy and progressive rock seemed to go together. Some progressive rock bands, like ELP on Knife Edge from their first album, could be as heavy as the overtly hard rock groups like Black Sabbath. Atomic Rooster, although keyboard dominated, were also heavy rock and it is their Assortment compilation (1974) that will be the first review in this series . . . Imagery, in the form of album covers, stage sets, lightshows, costumes, posters and group photographs, were inextricably and indefinably linked to the music. No self-respecting progressive rock fan would be seen without an album under their arm, featuring the fantasy landscape artwork of Roger Dean (Yes), graphic designs of Storm Thorgerson & Hipgnosis (ELP, Pink Floyd) or a combination of the two by Barney Bubbles (Hawkwind). Peter Gabriel has said that he dressed in strange and original costumes, such as a geometric box over his head with a cutout for his face, in order to cover his stagefright. Whatever the intention, the resulting photographs in music magazines made the band irresistible before hearing their music, as were those of Yes bathed in red light and dry ice. Lyrics tended to be drawn from classical mythology, fantasy and science fiction as a result of psychedelia and the hippies' belief that we should strive for a better future. Nightmarish imagery symbolised, for many, the rebellion against the 'straight' establishment and environmental issues. Surrealism and idealism represented sixties individualism. It is a myth that there were no love songs in progressive rock and that all lyrics were absurd; it is just that few were along the lines of, 'I was dancing with my baby, she left me and I cried.' They were more likely to be deep and meaningless, as in Jon Anderson's for Close to the Edge, 'As we cross from side to side, we hear the total mass retain.' In fairness to Anderson, he said he chose the words for effect, rather than the meaning. So without further ado and in the words of Greg Lake, "Come inside, the show's about to start/ Guaranteed to blow your head apart/ You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo/ You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh . . . " To recap, here are the ten broad devices or themes: 1. Classical forms, epic tracks, concept albums, double and triple albums 2. Dynamics and production 3. Keyboards, Moog synthesizer and sound effects 4. Instruments 5. Complexity 6. Melody and harmonies 7. Experimentation 8. Heavy rock 9. Stage theatrics, lightshows and album cover art 10. Lyrical content LIST OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART ONE: An Answer to the Question, 'What is Progressive Rock?' ALBUM REVIEW ONE: Assortment by Atomic Rooster Next, Album Review One: Assortment by Atomic Rooster __________________ My Journal: Rabbiting On Last edited by Big Ears; 04-21-2013 at 01:25 PM. Reason: To add the Greg Lake quote as a closing phrase.

04-22-2013, 11:37 AM	#64 (permalink)
Big Ears Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 434	Thanks again for the positive comments, US. Although I am old enough to remember psychedelia as a concept, the short response is that I do not have the knowledge to write convincingly about the transition from the musical form to progressive rock. Early psychedelia records and The Beatles' initial attempts are well-documented, but I have little or no knowledge of the American bands (13th Floor Elevators, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, etc). Rather than seeing a linnear development from psychedelia to progressive rock, in which the former fell by the wayside as the result of changing fashion, some would argue that they developed side-by-side, as Hawkwind and Steve Hillage, for example, maintained a psychedelic aspect throughout the seventies. When I was about 11-years-old, progressive and heavy rock just seemed to appear out of nowhere! One day, I might give the birth of progressive rock a try, but I do not post everything I write in any case. Much of it never reaches the word processor. I am definitely not an author or a professional writer. Having been taught to write very formally, I do know the rules, even if I break them now and again. This can make my writing rather stilted. Journalists tend to write as they speak and think nothing of ending a sentence with a preposition. My guess is that they are also trained to use little devices such as connecting a piece of writing to their readers' existing knowledge. They also have editors to oversee their work. Annoyingly, I am a perfectionist and do not have a proof-reader, so I keep returning to things I have drafted. Maybe I should put this right. The advantage you have over me, US, is that you are a prolific writer, so I would say do not change anything. __________________ My Journal: Rabbiting On

04-22-2013, 11:55 AM	#65 (permalink)
Big Ears Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 434	Bandolier by Budgie (MCA 1975) Budgie keep their ammunition slung across the chest Bandolier is the Welsh power trio’s third album, consolidating their reputation for trademark grinding riffs, bizarre song titles and occasional slow ballads (to balance the thunderous impact). It also ranks among their first five and best albums, with the driving Breaking All the House Rules and the insistent Who Do You Want for Your Love as standouts. Slipaway is the gentle piece, while the Andy Fairweather-Lowe cover, I Ain’t No Mountain, was an early attempt at a hit single. The album closes on Napolean Bona Parts 1 and 2, an epic that makes modern bands sound like pansies! NOTE: The above represents my experiment in reviewing an album in 100, or less, words (a bit like Trollheart's Bitesize). My intention was to review Budgie's first five albums in this style. Having begun writing about progressive rock, the project has been shelved, like so many others. __________________ My Journal: Rabbiting On Last edited by Big Ears; 04-22-2013 at 02:33 PM.

04-23-2013, 10:42 AM	#67 (permalink)
Big Ears Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 434	I've got a few albums by The Doors, Love and The Byrds on CD, although I do not listen to them very often. I remember Country Joe & the Fish and Barry Melton, who seemed quite radical at the time. Jefferson Airplane I came to recently, because I like Jefferson Starship with Mickey Thomas and Craig Chaquico, but I cannot get into them. I found the first Manfred Mann's Earth Band album the weakest, because he was still evolving from the Chapter Three experiment into the pattern of soloing between himself on mini-Moog and Mick Rogers on guitar. The next album(s) was/were fantastic. Chapter Three, with an experimental brass section, did not work for me, despite Mike Hugg's involvement. Manfred Mann's Earth Band are one of the few groups whose bootlegs I like to collect. One of the reasons is because live versions of tracks from the first album, Like Captain Bobby Stout, are transformed into great performances. They really should have re-recorded them. I am always open to suggestions, US. If you suggest some psychedelia, I will give it a listen. __________________ My Journal: Rabbiting On

04-25-2013, 03:55 PM	#69 (permalink)
Big Ears Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 434	I like Starship too. I like all the Earth Band albums, but I think The Good Earth (Mick Rogers on lead vocals and guitar) and Watch (Chris Thompson on lead vocals, Dave Flett on lead guitar) are my favourites. Glorified Magnified, Messin', Nightingales & Bombers and Roaring Silence are all great. Live material worth tracking down is Pink Pop Festival, Live in Pittsburgh, Stepping Sideways, Live in Stockholm and Here We Go Again. Joybringer, originally a non-album track, is one of my all-time favourite singles. I've got some of those listed albums on CD, but not all (Freak Out! Forever Changes, Strange Days, After Bathing at Baxter's). What do you think of United States of America? __________________ My Journal: Rabbiting On

04-26-2013, 07:25 AM	#70 (permalink)
Big Ears Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 434	The Best of Now That's What I Call the Greatest Essential Progressive Rock Albums in the World . . . Ever! Album One: Assortment by Atomic Rooster (Charisma 1974) A worthy compilation from a band that popularised progressive rock ASSORTMENT TRACKLIST & CREDITS 1. Devil's Answer (DuCann) Non-album single, June 1971, but later added to In Hearing Of John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion 2. Sleeping for Years (DuCann) From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970 John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion 3. Friday the Thirteenth (Crane) From the album Atommic Roooster, February 1970 US version: original vocals and piano overdubbed with Du Cann vocals and guitar John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitar Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals Nick Graham: Bass guitar, vocals Carl Palmer: Drums, percussion 4. S.L.Y. (Crane) From the album Atommic Roooster, February 1970 US version: original piano overdubbed with Du Cann guitar Nick Graham: Lead vocals, bass guitar Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals John Du Cann: Guitar Carl Palmer: Drums, percussion 5. Death Walks Behind You (Crane, DuCann) From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970 John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion 6. Tomorrow Night (Crane) From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970 John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion 7. Break the Ice (DuCann) From the album In Hearing Of, August 1971 Pete French: Lead vocals Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano John Du Cann: Guitars Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion 8. I Can't Take No More (DuCann) From the album Death Walks Behind You, September 1970 John Du Cann: Lead vocals, guitars Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion 9. The Price (Crane, Pat Darnell) From the album In Hearing Of, August 1971 Pete French: Lead vocals Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano John Du Cann: Guitars Paul Hammond: Drums, percussion 10. Decline and Fall (Crane, Palmer, Graham) From the album Atommic Roooster, February 1970 Nick Graham: Lead vocals, bass guitar Vincent Crane: Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals Carl Palmer: Drums, percussion Assortment by Atomic Rooster is that rare item, a well-planned compilation album, and is Atomic Rooster's first collection. Atomic Rooster were formed in mid-1969 by keyboard-player Vincent Crane and drumer Carl Palmer, both from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, famous for the hit single, Fire, and Nick Graham on bass. Although named after the charismatic frontman, Crane was the main songwriter and musician with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, so his own band was a natural development. Atomic Rooster were one of the first heavy, keyboard-led, progressive rock bands, along with The Nice and King Crimson, so it is no coincidence that Carl Palmer would depart soon after to join Keith Emerson and Greg Lake from those bands to form ELP. Charisma wisely used the two hit singles to open each side of the vinyl or cassette, therefore Devil's Answer begins the album. The track started life as a non-album single, with John DuCann on lead vocals and guitar, but was later added to the third album, In Hearing Of (1971), as a bonus track. Atomic Rooster usually gave their songs an imaginative intro and Devil's Answer has a gradual build-up of their distinctive dual organ and guitar. As befits an intended single, Devil's Answer is catchy, with Vincent Crane's characteristically heavy keyboards and DuCann's spiky guitar, but with added brass for extra punch. Sleeping for Years has a spooky lingering guitar intro, before another catchy insistent riff and organ work. DuCann's guitar swirls in-and-out, as does his voice, along with his memorable, 'Oh-ho's.' DuCrann's subject matter is typically unsettling for the band, when he tells us, 'Wasted Away, sleeping off the years/ Been around, stuck around far too long.' Sleeping for Years is from Rooster's second and best album, Death Walks Behind You (1970), with the classic lineup of DuCann, Crane and Paul Hammond on drums from Princes Risborough's local heroes, Farm. Having built our expectations of another gradual build-up, Friday the Thirteenth bursts straight in, with the whole band on fire, but it was not always this way. Atomic Rooster (1970), the first album, was recorded with the original lineup of Nick Graham on lead vocals and bass guitar, Vincent Crane on keyboards and Carl Palmer on drums. On completion, Nick Graham (a talented multi-instrumentalist) departed for the similar-sounding Skin Alley and John DuCann was recuited from Andromeda as lead singer and guitarist. Crane, like Ray Manzarek of The Doors, took over the basslines, by playing them on the Hammond, with a combination of his left hand and pedals. They were then overdubbed. Friday the 13th was also overdubbed with DuCann's voice and guitar, for the US release, adding energy and improving it markedly (despite Nick Graham being a fine musician). This is the version on Assortment. Crane has cleverly blended a jaunty melody with a lyric about despair, sung by DuCann with a call and response, 'No One Will Save You, they won't try/ Someone please, please help me/ Everyone's lonely when they die.' Despite the title, the hook of 'Save me' is infectious and the solos are excellent as always. Another track on the first album to be overdubbed, this time only with guitar, is the next track on Assortment, S.L.Y. (the third and final over-dub, again with just guitar, was on the Before Tomorrow track, which is not included on this compilation). S.L.Y. is also another song with a repeated phrase, 'I want you', that does not match the title. Nick Graham sounds remarkably like Atomic Rooster's fourth singer, Chris Farlowe, which may explain why the latter fitted so well. Farlowe's soulful voice is not included on Assortment, but I strongly recommend his album with Atomic Rooster, Nice 'n' Greasy, because they maintain the quality and he gives some of his best performances. S.L.Y. is typical of the standout tracks on the first album, as it points to Atomic Rooster's future work. It ends on a guitar that sounds like an atomic rooster . . . S.L.Y. is followed on the compilation by Death Walks Behind You, which has an intro that sounds like an atomic rooster! More great work from those people at Charisma! Death Walks Behind You is the fondly remembered title track from Atomic Rooster's most critically and commercially successful album. It is a relatively long piece that builds slowly to the main riff, with bursts of wah-wah, followed by alternating piano and bass notes. The lyrics reach the pinnacle of Crane And DuCann's darkness, 'Start to scream, shout for help/ There is no one by your side/ To forget what is done/ Seems so hard to carry on.' Death Behinds You fades on an eery chiming guitar and the ubiquitous, 'Oh-ho's.' Chronologically, Atomic Rooster's first hit single, Tomorrow Night, opens the second side of the vinyl and cassette. John DuCann's voice follows the repetetive guitar, accompanied by Carl Palmer's successor Paul Hammond on chopping cowbell and percussion. Like Devil's Answer, it is catchy and maintains the menace and flawless solos. It ends on vocal effects and that atomic rooster again! Breaking the Ice, from In Hearing Of, has DuCann concentrating on guitar, to be replaced by Pete French, from Leaf Hound, on lead vocals. With the addition of French, another excellent singer, the feel is bluesier and less bleak. However, Assortment's balance is redressed by I Can't Take No More, a driving track from Death Walks Behind You. Pete French's voice is at its most distinctive raspiness on The Price, with more call and response and an economical Keith Emerson-style solo from Crane. An untouched Decline and Fall, from the debut album, is primarily a vehicle for the 19-year-od Carl Palmer's drum skills. It is mostly instrumental, with rolling tom toms and a famous solo, which later reappeared on ELP's Tank. As previously stated, Palmer departed Atomic Rooster soon after the first album for an even greater showcase with ELP. Nick Graham's vocal passage at the end of Decline and Fall is better than it is often given credit and, with the benefit of hindsight, should have been afforded more space. After the recording of In Hearing of, in 1971, John DuCann and Paul Hammond left the band to form Bullet and Hard Stuff with bassist Johnny Gustafson from Quatermass. Vincent Crane recuited Chris Farlowe to continue with a more soulful and funky, but equally high quality, version of Atomic Rooster. In 1980, Crane and DuCann reconvened with drummer Preston Heyman to record Atomic Rooster (1980) for EMI, a punk rock-inspired album, which was full of creative promise. Hammond, despite suffering serious leg injuries in a car accident in Belgium, even rejoined for the tour and the classic lineup was re-established. However, after a lifetime of mental illness, Crane became ill and Atomic Rooster disbanded. Hammond died from an accidental drug overdose in 1992, sadly putting an end to dreams of new material. Those who knew him in the early days said he was a talented musician and a decent person, unspoiled by the commercial success he enjoyed with Atomic Rooster. Crane intended to try again with DuCann in 1997, but tragically committed suicide, with an overdose of painkillers, in February 1989. A musical genius and one of progressive rock's true innovators was gone. DuCann's solo work was often surprisingly upbeat, but he died following a heart attack in September 2011. Assortment stands as a monumental achievement by one of the first and best progressive rock bands. Without synthesizers, computers, sequencers and samplers, they created a body of heavy, but melodic and imaginative work their successors can only dream of emulating. All credit to Charisma, then, for taking the time to compile a collection which not only reflects Atomic Rooster's best work, but is also an example of their finest output. It is not often one can say this about a compilation. Footnote: I first drafted a review of Assortment, in longhand, as long ago as 2005 and attempted a word processed version five years later. For some reason, I find it extremely difficult to write a review of an album that is very important to me. Perhaps it is the desire to find the right words to do the album justice. So the review just sat gathering 'dust' on my hard drive for another three years. In the end, it was almost completely re-written and completed for my journal in April 2013. I hope I have produced a review worthy of Atomic Rooster's great album. Next, PART TWO: Album Cover Art __________________ My Journal: Rabbiting On Last edited by Big Ears; 04-26-2013 at 11:16 AM. Reason: To add writing credits and album release dates.