THE ROTTERS' CLUB

This band has quite the pedigree with former members of EGG, CARAVAN, MATCHING MOLE and GONG coming together to make "The Rotter's Club". And this is truly a band effort as the four main guys Richard Sinclair, Phil Miller, Pip Pyle and Dave Stewart all take part in creating the lyrics and compositions. It's cool to see Lindsay Cooper from HENRY COW guesting on aboe and bassoon. Actually the guest list is impressive with Jimmy Hastings adding flute and sax, Mont Campbell on French horn,Tim Hodgkinson on clarinet and the Nothettes(Barbara Gaskill, Amanda Parsons & Ann Rosenthal) on vocals.This is very much a Jazz infected record from beginning to end.The lyrics are very tongue and cheek, and the singing of Richard Sinclair is quite whimsical. In fact CARAVAN is who comes to mind the most when listening to this album.

"Share It" the first song is one of my favourites on this record. It's a catchy tune that's quite charming. A feel good track. Phil Miller's guitar playing is the focus on "Lounging There Trying". Keys, bass and light drums also help out. The tempo picks up 2 minutes in. "(Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology On The Jaw" is a short tune with keys, aboe and drums. Chaos At The Greasy Spoon" is another very short piece with drums, horns and lots of fuzz. "The Yes No Interlude" is another song with some great guitar in it especially 2 minutes in. I like the tone of it in this one. Horns blast and drums pound. It turns jazzy after 5 minutes. This is another standout track for me. "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath" is laid back with vocals. Flute 1 1/2 minutes in. A change after 3 minutes as aboe, piano and vocal melodies take over. Sounds like farfisa 4 1/2 minutes in with deep bass lines. It turns experimental with some atmosphere 5 1/2 minutes in.

"Didn't Matter Anyway" is a breezy tune with vocals and flute. Yeah it's another favourite. "Underdub" is jazzy with keys and deep bass. "Mumps" is the epic at around 20 minutes in length, lots of time changes are featured. Female vocals around 6 minutes on this one with distorted keys a minute later. Great section. A couple of the shorter tracks are then reprised. Next is "Halfway Between Heaven And Earth" which is jazzy with some nice guitar before a minute. Vocals follow. Sounds like he's singing underwater. "Oh,Len's Nature !" is surprisingly heavy. Some nasty fuzz. "Lying And Gracing" features some outstanding guitar and piano. Fuzzed out bass 2 minutes in.

This is such a fun yet complex release. One of the best Canterbury albums.