Made In England

Another year, another new lineup for keyboardist Vincent Crane’s Atomic Rooster. This time out, the band included vocalist Chris Farlowe, guitarist Steve Bolton, and drummer Ric Parnell (trivia: Parnell played the ill-fated Mick Shrimpton in This Is Spinal Tap), and Crane shifted the band away from the proggy hard rock of In Hearing Of… in favor of a soulful, R&B sound that included horns and strings on several tracks. Farlowe’s Ian Gillan-esque vocals, occasionally reaching for notes beyond his range, give the songs, which are often less despairing than Crane’s usual material, some urgency. Of course, the weirdness creeps in as it must; “Little Bit Of Inner Air” is a bit of Alice Cooper-ish outré psychedelia, and “Breathless” is a manic instrumental showcase for Crane’s keyboard skills.