Atomic Rooster - Friday The 13th – The BBC Sessions 1970-1981

Atomic Rooster was formed in 1969 by former Crazy World Of Arthur Brown members Vincent Crane and Carl Palmer, along with Nick Graham.  That lineup was short lived with Graham being replaced by John Cann (later known as John Du Cann only a few weeks after their debut album was released. Over the ensuing years there were numerous other lineup changes with Paul Hammond, Pete French, Steve Bolton, Ric Parnell, John Goodsall, Shug Millidge and Chris Farlowe among the members.  The two CD collection Friday The 13th - The BBC Sessions 1970-1981 collects all the surviving BBC sessions the band recorded between 1970 and 1981, including two complete BBC radio in concert performances (5 tracks are previously unreleased).  First up are a blistering prog-tinged, proto-metal takes on “Friday The 13th” and “Seven Lonely Streets” (a track that would show up a few months later on their sophomore album Death Walks Behind You), which are from a May 1970 session for BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Harding’s show and are among the few live recordings of the original lineup as Palmer left the band a few weeks later.  All three members are on fire here and the tightness of the band and their musicianship is stellar.  Again, recorded for Harding’s show, the next three tracks are from a March 1971 session, with Hammond now on drums.  This new lineup doesn’t miss a beat and shows their diversity tearing through the intricate instrumental “Before Tomorrow” before shifting back to the moodier prog of “Death Walks By You” and the heavier, classic rock of “Tomorrow Night.”  With the exception of Crane, the lineup on the next session (June 1972 for a Johnny Walker session) was all new with the addition of Farlowe, Bolton and Parnell.  While the band didn’t completely abandon the more organ heavy sound of their earlier work, this edition of the band and the one on the next session (December 1972 for another Johnny Walker session), with Goodsall replacing Bolton on guitar, shifted in a more soulful and funk direction that suited Farlowe’s vocals (“Save Me” is a renamed reworking of “Friday The 13th” off their debut and shows this perfectly).  After taking a five-year break, the band regrouped in 1980, and the final session on disc one was recorded in October 1981 for the Friday Rock show.  Crane was once again the only returning member from the previous lineup, along with Cann (now Du Cann) who rejoined after being gone from the band for nine years, Hammond and Millidge.  At this point they shifted back towards their original sound, with the darker, heavier “In the Shadows” and the galloping “Death Walks Behind You” (a track from their sophomore album in 1970) as perfect examples.  

The second disc is split between two radio concerts (both recorded at Paris Theatre in London) and starts with a previously unreleased John Peel Sunday Concert from January 1971, featuring the Crane, Du Cann, Hammond lineup.  Highlights include the organ driven instrumental “V.U.G.,” which shows some interesting jazz flourishes mixed in with their heavier sound and the frantic performance of “Friday the Thirteenth.”  The second concert was recorded in July 1972 for BBC Radio 1 In Concert and is the Farlowe, Crane, Bolton, Parnell lineup.  It’s another solid performance and seems to utilize the organ a little more than the other set from this version of the band.  Even though the lineups represented here almost seem like a revolving door, all the performances here sound like a band at the top of their game and really makes for a fun listen.  

(Esoteric Recordings)