THE ROTTERS' CLUB

This album continues in the same vein as its predecessor. It goes beyond that album, however, it being even more complex, with Dave Stewart's fabulous 20-min instrumental "Mumps" suite, which takes up side 2. This is one of progressive rock's essential epics, although some might find it a bit on the cold side (as in calculated and jazz-fusiony - actually, it is very similar to what would come later with National Health, which is understandable given that it is Dave Stewart). Side 1, meanwhile, is quite similar in format to the self-titled first album, with a number of poignant Richard Sinclair songs and highly original instrumentals. The only drawback to this album is that it doesn't have a song like "Calyx", which for me is not just the stand-out track on that first album, but an essential example of the Canterbury sound. Saying this, all the music on this album is of the same high quality as the first album, and for me, the two of these albums make up a core essential listening for the Canterbury sub-genre. I give Rotter's Club 9.0 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which is just 0.1 less than their first album.

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