When you combine a fan and band friendly reissue label like Angel Air with an archivist musician like John McCoy (Gillan, Samson, solo and Mammoth) you are not only going to get frequent vault access but also damn fine packaging to go with it.

One album during their late 80s lifetime, a second posthumous set coupled with a live show, but this set contains all previously unreleased material. Some of it, while clearly of demo form, is very different to the album versions.

Opener 'Another White Mammoth On The M1' was recorded when Bernie Tormé had joined, and the guitarist has a good bash. 'Let Me Out' is a great commercial anthemic rocker, and despite the poor recording quality, features a great riff from original guitarist Kenny Cox before his work was replaced for the album.

'Thirty Pieces Of Silver' is a slower but equally solid track and features a fine vocal performance from another man mountain Nicky Moore.

Politics and line up changes can do many things, and that's what led to these tracks not going any further in these forms. Well worth a listen is 'Political Animal', without the animal noises, and before Cox's solo was replaced by a saxophone for the album. Shame, as it's a cracking solo.

The album closes with a live take on the band's anthem, 'Fatman'.

Perhaps of limited appeal but a good insight and introduction too. Shame this band weren't bigger than they were, and I'm not talking size because that's not possible.

Two bonus cuts were recorded live in 1987.

****

Review by Joe Geesin

Can't Take The Hurt
© 2007 Angel Air Records. All rights reserved.