Atomic Rooster are an English progressive rock band from London. Formed in 1969, the group originally included former Crazy World of Arthur Brown keyboardist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer, in addition to bassist, flautist and vocalist Nick Graham. [1] Shortly after the release of the band's debut album Atomic Roooster , guitarist John Du Cann joined the group and took over on lead vocals, as Graham departed. [2] Palmer left later in the year to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer, with Ric Parnell temporarily taking his place. [3] Paul Hammond later joined in time for the recording of Death Walks Behind You . [4] During the recording of 1971's In Hearing of Atomic Rooster , Pete French was brought in as the band's new lead vocalist. [5] Du Cann was subsequently fired by Crane, with Hammond choosing to leave alongside him. [2] [3]
Du Cann and Hammond were replaced by Steve Bolton and Parnell, respectively. [6] Chris Farlowe took over from French in early 1972, [7] first contributing to the album Made in England . [8] Bolton had left the group by the end of the year, with Johnny Mandala taking his place for the 1973 release Nice 'n' Greasy . [9] By early 1974, everyone but Crane had left Atomic Rooster; the keyboardist continued to tour under the name "Vincent Crane's Atomic Rooster", adding former Sam Apple Pie members Sam "Tomcat" Sampson (vocals), Andy Johnson, Denny "Pancho" Barnes (both guitars), Bob "Dog" Rennie (bass) and Lee Baxter Hayes (drums) before disbanding the group in early 1975. [10] Following the band's breakup, Crane worked on music for plays and radio dramas, as well as collaborating with former bandmate Arthur Brown. [11]
In mid-1980, Crane reformed Atomic Rooster with former guitarist and vocalist Du Cann. [12] Preston Heyman performed drums on the band's self-titled comeback album. [13] Former Cream drummer Ginger Baker joined for a brief period in September, [14] but had left within a month to join Hawkwind. [15] Paul Hammond had returned to the band by the end of the year, marking a reunion of the Death Walks Behind You lineup. [3] Du Cann left in 1982, with guitars on the band's seventh album Headline News performed by new member Bernie Tormé and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. [16] After a few months of touring, with more lineup changes, Atomic Rooster disbanded again in late 1983. [3] Crane committed suicide in 1989, [17] while Hammond died of an accidental drug overdose in 1992, [18] and Du Cann died after a heart attack in 2011. [19]
Over 30 years after the band's breakup, Atomic Rooster reformed in 2016 with the blessing of Crane's widow Jean, [20] with former members Pete French and Steve Bolton joined by bassist Shug Millidge, keyboardist Christian Madden and drummer Bo Walsh. [21] Madden was replaced by Adrian Gautrey in 2017, after the former joined Liam Gallagher's touring band. [22]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pete French |
| vocals | In Hearing of Atomic Rooster (1971) | |
Steve "Boltz" Bolton |
| guitar |
| |
Shug Millidge | 2016–present | bass guitar | none to date | |
Adrian Gautrey | 2017–present |
| ||
Paul Everett | 2020–present | drums |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vincent Crane |
|
| all Atomic Rooster releases to date | |
Carl Palmer | 1969–1970 |
|
| |
Nick Graham |
| Atomic Roooster (1970) | ||
John Du Cann |
|
|
| |
Ric Parnell |
|
|
| |
Paul Hammond |
|
| ||
Chris Farlowe | 1972–1974 | vocals |
| |
Johnny Mandala | 1972–1974 (died 2021) | guitar | Nice 'n' Greasy (1973) | |
Sam "Tomcat" Sampson | 1974–1975 | vocals | none | |
Andy "Snakehip" Johnson | 1974–1975 (died 2010) | guitar | ||
Denny "Pancho" Barnes | 1974–1975 | |||
Bob "Dog" Rennie | bass guitar | |||
Lee Baxter Hayes | drums | |||
Preston Heyman | 1980 | Atomic Rooster (1980) | ||
Ginger Baker | 1980 (died 2019) | none | ||
Mick Hawksworth | 1982 | bass guitar | ||
John McCoy | 1982–1983 | |||
Bernie Tormé | 1983 (died 2019) | guitar |
| |
John Mizarolli | 1983 | Headline News (1983) | ||
Christian Madden | 2016–2017 | keyboards | none | |
Bo Walsh | 2016–2020 | drums |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
1969–1970 |
|
|
1970 |
|
|
1970 |
| |
1970–1971 |
|
|
1971 |
|
|
1971 (briefly) |
| none |
1971–1972 |
| |
1972 |
|
|
1972–1974 |
|
|
1974–1975 |
| none |
Band Inactive 1975–1980 | ||
1980 |
|
|
1980 |
| none |
1980–1982 |
|
|
1982 |
| none |
1982–1983 |
| |
1983 |
|
|
1983 |
|
|
In active 1983–2016 | ||
2016–2017 |
| none |
2017–2020 |
| |
2020–present |
|
John William Cann, later known by his stage name John Du Cann, was an English guitarist primarily known through his work in the 1970s band Atomic Rooster.
Hard Stuff were an English hard rock group which included John Du Cann and Paul Hammond, formerly of Atomic Rooster. Also in the line-up were vocalist Harry 'Al' Shaw, formerly of Curiosity Shoppe and latterly Export, and John Gustafson, formerly of Quatermass.
Atomic Roooster [sic], also spelled Atomic Ro-o-oster on some later CD reissues, is the first album by British rock band Atomic Rooster, with keyboardist Vincent Crane, bassist and vocalist Nick Graham and drummer Carl Palmer.
Atomic Rooster is the sixth studio album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. It was recorded when the band regrouped after breaking up for five years, and they embarked on a raw style, which was in marked contrast to that of their past few albums. In addition, its heavier sound fit in better with the new wave of British heavy metal scene.
Death Walks Behind You is the second studio album by British rock band Atomic Rooster, released in September 1970. It was their first album to receive a US release, albeit in a different sleeve. It is commonly thought of as the archetypal Atomic Rooster album, recorded by the 'classic' line-up of Vincent Crane, John Du Cann and Paul Hammond. It is certainly, critically and commercially, their most successful album and often hailed as a classic of the progressive rock genre. It also produced the hit single "Tomorrow Night", which became one of the band's best-known songs. The album's cover features the William Blake monotype Nebuchadnezzar. Band photos were taken at Churchfield Road Cemetery, Acton W3, by former actor-turned photographer, Richard Lyon.
In Hearing of is the third album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. Although not included on the album, the "Devil's Answer" single was released just prior to it, becoming the band's highest chart success at number 4 in the UK. This helped push the album to a number 18 placing on the UK charts, despite the fact that the four musicians pictured on the inside cover never played together. Half of the songs were written by Crane along with his first wife, Pat Darnell, who assisted with the lyrics. The backing tracks were recorded by Vincent Crane, John Cann and Paul Hammond, but Cann and Hammond were let go from the group soon after vocalist Pete French was drafted in. The album's overall sound is dominated by Crane and Hammond, with many of Cann's guitar parts either not used or placed lower in the mix. However, Cann's guitars are still prominent on his compositions and the instrumentals.
Made in England is the fourth album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. Although previously known for generally having a progressive rock style, this album saw the band moving in more of a funk/soul direction, largely influenced by new singer Chris Farlowe. Apart from founder member Vincent Crane, the album was recorded by an entirely different lineup to that of the band's prior effort, In Hearing of Atomic Rooster. Previous members John Du Cann and Paul Hammond had departed in protest at Crane's intended new musical direction.
Nice 'n' Greasy is the fifth studio album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. It is the only album to include John Goodsall on guitars after the departure of Steve Bolton the previous year. The album failed to chart and the band was dropped from Dawn Records which led to Vincent Crane eventually disbanding the band in 1975 after a tour. The band would enter a hiatus until reforming in 1980.
Atomic Rooster are a British rock band originally formed by members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Their history is defined by two periods: the early-mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The band went through radical style changes, but they are best known for the hard, progressive rock sound of their hit singles, "Tomorrow Night" and "Devil's Answer", both in 1971.
Heavy Soul is a licensed compilation album by Atomic Rooster, a British rock band.
BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert is a live album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. It consists of a specially-recorded, short concert staged at the BBC's Paris Theatre on 27 July 1972.
Live and Raw 70/71 is a live album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. It consists of two short concerts, specially-staged at the BBC's Paris Theatre in 1970 and 1971.
Live at the Marquee 1980 is a live album by British rock band Atomic Rooster, recorded at London's Marquee Club. No known live soundboard recordings exist of the 1980 lineup of Atomic Rooster and the source cassette tape, belonging to Du Cann, was recorded via a single onstage microphone.
Live in Germany 1983 is a live album. It is a recording of British rock band Atomic Rooster on 1 February 1983, at the Zeche Club in Bochum, Germany.
Devil's Answer is a song by British rock band Atomic Rooster from their album, In Hearing of Atomic Rooster (1971). It is also a compilation of their live recordings, released in 1998 by Hux Records.
Rarities is a compilation album of rare and unreleased material by the British rock band Atomic Rooster.
Masters from the Vaults is a 2002 DVD and Enhanced CD by the British rock band Atomic Rooster. It features a 28-minute, 1972 live studio performance for Belgian TV. The Enhanced CD features audio of the performance, with its corresponding video playable via a PC.
Paul Hammond was an English rock drummer who was a member of the progressive rock band Atomic Rooster and the hard rock band Hard Stuff during the 1970s.