Atomic Rooster

Infobox musical artist
Name = Atomic Rooster


Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = England
Genre = Progressive rock
Hard rock
Heavy metal
Years_active = 1969–1973 1980–1986
Label =
Associated_acts = Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Andromeda
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Hard Stuff
Cactus
Colosseum
Dexy's Midnight Runners
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =

Atomic Rooster were an English progressive rock band, formed by ex-Crazy World of Arthur Brown members, Vincent Crane and Carl Palmer in 1969. Their only hit singles came in 1971 with "Tomorrow Night" (a UK Number 11), and "The Devil's Answer" (UK Number 4).

History

In 1970, Atomic Rooster (at that time consisting of Crane, Palmer and Nick Graham) released their self-titled debut album.

Between Palmer's departure (to be one third of Emerson, Lake & Palmer), and the recording of a second album, guitarist John Du Cann (Andromeda) joined them, giving a whole new dimension to the music with his distinctive guitar attack. "Death Walks Behind You" featured Paul Hammond on drums, and this album yielded "Tomorrow Night".

Having found success on the UK Singles Chart, the band was augmented with singer Peter French for their third effort on vinyl, "In Hearing of Atomic Rooster". It showed the band at full throttle. The import version included the hit single "The Devil's Answer", although this was strangely missing from the original UK release. After this album, Cann, Hammond and French left the band. French went to join Cactus, while John Du Cann and Paul Hammond teamed up with ex-Quatermass bass player John Gustafson and founded Hard Stuff.

Crane put the band together one more time, recruiting 1960s British R&B singer and ex-Colosseum vocalist Chris Farlowe. Along with old friends John Goodsall, then known as "Johnny Mandala", and Rick Parnell (who is the son of orchestra leader Jack Parnell, and composed material on the last album, plus came up with the piano riff on "Tomorrow Night") they released "Made in England".

They managed to release one more album, "Nice 'n' Greasy", but the sound was somewhat diluted, although the tracks "Voodoo in You" and "Take One Toke" reminded their fans of past glories. It proved to be their last record in the 1970s.

The band ceased to exist until the early 1980s, when Crane and Du Cann teamed up once again, going through a series of drummers. During the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they almost had some presence in the charts with "Lose Your Mind" and a re-make of "Tomorrow Night".

After this stint, Crane went on to join Dexy's Midnight Runners in the mid 1980s, and also recorded "A Case For The Blues" as part of Katmandu, a one-off project with Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac and Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry. Crane committed suicide on 14 February 1989 in Reading. Hammond died of a drug overdose in 1992.

Du Cann recently licensed the release of the only existing tapes of Atomic Rooster that featured Crane, Palmer and himself: some BBC Radio 1 sessions recorded by John Peel in 1970 and 1971.

Discography

(Singles, lives, compilations and reissues are not listed.)

tudio albums

* 1970 - "Atomic Roooster"
* 1970 - "Death Walks Behind You"
* 1971 - "In Hearing of Atomic Rooster"
* 1972 - "Made In England"
* 1973 - "Nice 'n' Greasy"
* 1980 - "Atomic Rooster"
* 1983 - "Headline News"
* 1986 - "Home to Roost"

ingles on Dawn Records

* DNS1027 Stand By Me / Never to Lose 7"
* DNS1029 Atomic Rooster Save Me / Close Your Eyes 7" [http://www.vinylnet.co.uk/record-label-discographies.asp link]

Footnotes

ee also

* Progressive rock
* Roger Dean - features two album cover images
* Richard Wahnfried - Crane recorded one album with this project.

References

* "The New Musical Express Book of Rock", 1975, Star Books, ISBN 0 352 300744

External links

* [http://www.angelfire.com/ar2/vincentcrane/index.htm Atomic Rooster "Where are they now?" site]