Friday the 13th: The BBC Sessions 1970-1981 by Atomic Rooster
Release date: August 28, 2026Label: Esoteric Recordings
Formed in 1969 by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown keyboardist Vincent Crane, Atomic Rooster forged a sound that blended proto‑metal heaviness with blistering Hammond‑organ riffs, explosive guitar work, and punishing drum patterns. Their music often brushed against what would later become doom metal, dark, powerful, and intense enough to shake the peace‑and‑love sensibilities of the era. Across seven studio albums released between 1970 and 1983, it becomes clear just how far ahead of their time they were, even as they frequently remained under the radar.
Compiled by Cherry Red’s Esoteric Recordings, this 2-CD set collects the band’s BBC sessions recorded between 1970 and 1981, including appearances on Radio 1, the Friday Rock Show, John Peel, and In Concert. While these performances have circulated on bootlegs and minor labels before, this collection offers a welcome reminder of how far ahead of their time the band really was.
Despite constant lineup changes, featuring musicians such as John Du Cann, Vincent Crane, Carl Palmer, Rik Parnell (later known as Mick Shrimpton in This Is Spinal Tap), Paul Hammond, Pete French, Chris Farlowe, and John Goodsall, the band’s power and energy within the progressive and heavy‑rock movement never diminished.
Hearing these sessions feels like witnessing Atomic Rooster at full strength. The galloping 1981 version of ‘Death Walks Behind You’ channels the rising NWOBHM spirit of bands like Angel Witch and Saxon. ‘Seven Lonely Streets’ hits with renewed urgency, while Peel’s Sunday Concert performances of ‘Tomorrow Night’ and ‘Friday the 13th’ explode with raw, unfiltered force.
Crane and Hammond’s interplay on ‘Tomorrow Night’ during the Peel session is electric, two musicians locked into each other’s energy. Crane’s troubled life is well‑documented, but here you can hear the fire and passion he poured into every organ line. Du Cann’s guitar and vocals, meanwhile, tap into the psych‑mod intensity of his earlier years with The Attack and Andromeda.
Atomic Rooster play with a blazing, unapologetic ferocity, laying down the law with no hesitation. On the Peel version of ‘Friday the 13th’, they push the tempo into near‑competitive overdrive, evoking the frantic brilliance of unsung prog eccentrics like Second Hand during their Death May Be Your Santa Claus era.
Chris Farlowe brings a different dimension entirely. His soulful, blues‑inflected vocals lift ‘Close Your Eyes’ into gospel‑tinged territory, as if a church choir is rising behind him. He delivers a powerhouse punch on ‘Breakthrough,’ and even channels a bit of The Who’s ‘I Can’t Explain’ swagger during ‘Devil’s Answer’, getting the Radio 1 audience on its feet in 1972. His take on ‘Save Me (Friday the 13th)’ races forward like a muscle car doing 600 miles an hour.
The Friday Rock Show performance of ‘In the Shadows’ is menacing, raw, and brutal, perfectly aligned with the emerging NWOBHM aesthetic. There are even shades of Van der Graaf Generator’s intensity and the Edgar Broughton Band’s anarchic edge. Du Cann’s guitar howls into the night before plunging into a chaotic, alarm‑blaring climax that detonates into the eruptive blast of ‘Play It Again’.
There’s no question: Atomic Rooster were the real deal. This 2‑CD Esoteric release for 2026 is a revelation, an eruption of fire, invention, and metallic force. It’s fierce, alive, and a reminder of just how much you’ve been missing.
