Atomic Rooster's Vincent Crane Dies From Overdose 1989 Aged 46.

Those of us who remember The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown will usually think of that burning helmet before anything else. The song, "Fire" was a number one hit for the band and one Vincent Rodney Cheesman, AKA Vincent Crane, was the keyboard player.
Vincent was a member of The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown since the start and stayed with Brown until the tour of the USA in 1969 after which he and Carl Palmer left to form Atomic Rooster.
Atomic Rooster were, predictably, successful as an albums band and very popular on tour, I saw them several times and they did not disappoint  They also enjoyed a couple of chart hits with "Tomorrow night" and "Devil's Answer" in 1971.
Carl Palmer had departed in 1970 to form ELP with Greg Lake and Kieth Emerson but Vincent continued with various lineup changes, including a spell with the wonderful Chris Farlowe as vocalist, until February 1975.
He played with numerous other musicians including Rory Gallagher and Peter Green which gives an indication as to the esteem in which he was held by the very best in the business. He also featured in the lineup of Dexy's Midnight Runners for a spell in 1985.
The problem was, unfortunately, Vincent was not in good health, having suffered from mental illness for almost all of his career.
The end came in 1989 when Vincent sadly died from an overdose of painkillers on 14th February, aged only 45.
If you haven't listened to Atomic Rooster recently give them a go - Vincent's keyboard work is superb and Carl Palmer needs no recommendation from me, you know how good he is. Here is my selection of their work:


Atomic Rooster
Their first album from 1970, on MP3, also available as a CD - visit the "Celebrated RockBottoms Store" for the full Atomic Rooster recommendations. A fine first album showcasing the high levels of musicianship in the band but subsequent albums were, arguably, more accessible and better entertainment. This is the only album to feature Carl Palmer on drums.


Death Walks Behind You - Expanded Version MP3 Download
Both of the band's chart singles, "Tomorrow Night" and "Devils Answer" are on this one which now has extra tracks and has been remastered to sound fab.

I'm not aware of any books currently in print about Vincent or Rooster but he does get a mention in the rather excellent "All The Madmen" which is now available on Kindle, as below:


This is an interesting and entertaining book and well worth the download. it examines the lives and careers of a number of musicians who suffered from various disorders that we often collectively refer to as mental illness.


Visit the "Celebrated RockBottoms Store" for more Atomic Rooster stuff.