John Du Cann’s passing last year went relatively unremarked, yet his contribution to UK hard rock justifies this single-disc compilation. He’s best known for his work with Vincent Crane in Atomic Rooster, for whom he was the frontman, but this anthology joins the dots from early psych groups The Attack and Andromeda, through Rooster hits Tomorrow Night and Devil’s Answer to Hard Stuff and a brief solo pop career.
The two tracks from the late 70s include the hit single Don’t Be A Dummy, which stands out as untypical, even if it took his name to a wider audience. For those unfamiliar with Du Cann’s work, the attraction is surely the early material cut in 1967 and 1969 that exhibits a freshness and willingness to experiment that marks it out from the riffery of later years.
Never a household name nor ever likely to be (despite a brief spell with Thin Lizzy), Du Cann has been well served by Angel Air, who have kept his music in the racks. Fans may own all this material already, but uncommitted rockers could do worse than start here.
