The World's Not Big Enough

Du Cann's shelved 1977 album includes the singles "Don't Be a Dummy," "Throw Him in Jail," and "Where's the Show!" It's peculiar, though not half-bad, power pop/new wave with a mainstream slant. Sometimes it exhibits a glammish, cheerfully snide attitude that isn't too far removed from an early-'70s Bowie influence. No doubt it's the kind of thing that will have the experts sniffing out whiffs of inauthenticity immediately (especially when they become aware of Du Cann's hard rock past), but it's not as ridiculous as might have been anticipated. Let it not be said that Angel Air is unwilling to pull out all the stops for such a not-in-demand project; it's added a dozen bonus tracks of undocumented source and vintage material that is generally less impressive than the material from the unreleased LP. These are closer to hard rock in mood, with Du Cann handling all the vocals, guitars, and bass on most of them, and ex-Atomic Rooster bandmate Paul Hammond doing most of the drums. ~ Richie Unterberger