MADE IN ENGLAND

This was the first Rooster album to feature mr. Chris Farlowe on lead vocals. He's surely a great singer with an outstanding voice, but his vocal style sometimes bothers me, but this is a matter of taste, and I can stand him very well - although I can't listen to two albums with his singing in a row! Putting Farlowe apart, this album is a vast improvement upon "In Hearing of Atomic Rooster" IMHO, featuring a band which blends heavy metal, R & B, jazz and prog in a unique way. Steve Bolton and Ric Parnell are great musicians, up to the high standards of John DuCann and Paul Hammond, and Vincent Crane... IMHO his playing on this album is his best performance ever, featuring some discrete synth passages, more proeminent piano playing, all along his virtuosity on Hammond organ. Highlights includes: "Stand by Me", "Introduction/Breathless", "Close Your Eyes", "All in Satan's Name". I can't say anything about the bonus tracks above, because I have a different edition. Mine is from the Italian label Vox Humana Records, and has nothing less than 8 bonus tracks, all culled from BBC sessions: "Stand by Me" (two versions, one live at Paris Theatre), "Breakthrough", "Save Me", "Close Your Eyes", "People You Can't Trust", "All in Satan's Name" and "Devil's Answer" (a great version of this single hit, although Farlowe's vocal manneirisms at the end almost ruins it). This album is not a prog must have, but anyone interested on Atomic Rooster should give it a good listen.