John Entwistle - Rigor Mortis Sets In

Featured Album: John Entwistle - Rigor Mortis Sets In

After his first two albums: Smash Your Head Against The Wall and Whistle Rymes - John Entwistle was devoid of ideas for his next offering. Consequently; it became a Rock 'N' Roll album with covers and his own compositions.

Reviews from Amazon:

"John Entwistle must have had a ton of material backlogged as a member of the Who in the late 1960s/early 1970s, as evidenced by the appearance of three solo albums in three years (SMASH YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL, WHISTLE RHYMES, and RIGOR MORTIS SETS IN). As the latter title suggests, Entwistle's fascination with the macabre still served as the basis for much of his work. Comparable to his first two solo releases, RIGOR MORTIS SETS IN is not unlike his few compositions that graced The Who's records around this time. The difference here is a heavier and darker edge. Standouts include a remake of his classic "My Wife" (which is one of the gems on The Who's classic WHO'S NEXT), as well as the straight forward "Gimme That Rock N' Roll"."

"This album covers or spoofs many of the great rock and roll songs. Many of the lyrics make statements about the "rock and roll" lifestyle and how it affects some of the artists; some of the lyrics are quite dark, wrapped up in a warm and cuddly rock and roll style. There is however a marvellous version of Mr Bassman and the album is worth it for this alone."

"This is John Entwistle's rock 'n' roll album. The songs are, for want of a better word, parodies of early rock 'n' roll with several covers, a' la "Hound Dog", with a kind of authentic 50's recording sound. The album was made under a party atmosphere (a member of the Who in party mode, surely not!). JE was quoted as saying the bar bill was higher than the studio bill!The album was so called because JE thought 'Rigor Mortis' had set into rock 'n' roll. He had a great sense of humour - check out 'Roller Skate Kate' & 'Peg Leg Peggy'. Don't be fooled by the coffin lid cover, this album is FUN!"

Tracks:

Gimme That Rock 'N' Roll (8/10)
Mr.Bassman(9/10 Great version)
Do The Dangle (8/10)
Hound Dog (7/10)
Made In Japan (7/10)
My Wife (8/10)
Roller Skate Kate (7/10)
Peg Leg Peggy (10/10)
Lucille (7/10)
Big Black Cadillac (8/10)

John wrote some great songs for the Who, but its worth checking out his solo back catalogue.