Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You [Expanded] (CD)

All Music Guide

Devil's Answer might be the record for which Atomic Rooster are remembered, but it was their second album which posted warning that they were on the verge of creating something dazzling simply because the record itself is a thing of almost freakish beauty. With only organist Vincent Crane surviving from the original lineup, and John Du Cann coming in to relieve him of some of the songwriting duties, Death Walks Behind You opens at a gallop and closes with a sprint. The title track is effectively spooky enough for any Hammer horror aficionado, all descending pianos and Psychoscreaming guitars; while "Gershatzer," a duet for organ and percussion, proves that new drummer Paul Hammond is more than a match for the departed Carl Palmer. It's in between these dramatic bookends, however, that Rooster truly peak, with the stately "Vug," the pensive "Nobody Else," and the truly amazing "Tomorrow Night" (one of the scariest love songs ever let loose on the U.K. chart) all impressing. Crane's lin...er notes, incidentally, remind us that the album packed a different version of the hit, with an extended ending which descends into unimagined chaos a shocker for the pop kids, perhaps, but a fabulous bridge into the succeeding "7 Streets." [The 2004 expanded edition includes demos and BBC Radio sessions.] - Dave Thompson, All Music Guide Read more Less