Following
the acclaim of their
1980 eponymous reformation
album, Atomic Rooster moved
from EMI to Polydor to record
this unfinished, unreleased
work. With guitarist John Du
Cann undertaking most of the
songwriting, the album tracks
were demoed at his home
studio. Du Cann plays all the
instruments, with pianist
Vincent Crane programming the
drums for Paul Hammond to
follow later on.
The programming gives
Homework a new wave sound,
especially on opener The Dukes
Theme. There is a touch of
sleazy rock’n’roll to other tracks
such as Fool, sounding like a
beefed-up mix of Slade and the
Grease soundtrack. Of course,
Du Cann’s outstanding guitar
work augments his rough
vocals well.
Being demos, these tracks
lack the fire of that 1980 EMI
album. If Polydor had let Atomic
Rooster finish their Homework,
however, it could have been
fantastic. As a bonus here,
there are six remarkable tracks
from the two 1982 singles, Play
It Again and End Of The Day.
Featuring session bassist John
McCoy, they’re evidence of what
could have been: why the album
was dropped on this evidence is
truly odd. Live B-sides include
Devil’s Answer and Tomorrow
Night, which, along with some
informative packaging, will
please fans.
