Rigor Mortis Sets In

Rigor Mortis Sets In is the third solo album by John Entwistle, who was the bassist for The Who. Distributed by Track Records, the album was named John Entwistle's Rigor Mortis Sets In in the U.S. Co-produced by Entwistle and John Alcock, it consists of three Fifties rock and roll covers, a new version of the Entwistle song "My Wife" from The Who's album Who's Next, and new tracks (only six of the ten songs were new). Rigor Mortis Sets In set in motion John Entwistle assembling his own touring unit during the increasing periods of The Who's inactivity.

Rigor Mortis Sets In
Studio album by John Entwistle
Released	As Rigor Mortis Sets In in May 1973 (UK) and as John Entwistle's Rigor Mortis Sets In in June 1973 (US)
Recorded	October - November 1972
Studio	Nova Sound Studios, London, England
Genre	Rock hard rock rock and roll rockabilly country
Length	33:58
Language	English
Label	Track Records
Producer	John Entwistle, John Alcock
John Entwistle chronology
Whistle Rymes (1972) Rigor Mortis Sets In (1973) Mad Dog (1975)
USA Cover

Bearing the dedication "In Loving Memory of Rock 'n' Roll 1950–∞: Never Really Passed Away Just Ran Out of Time", Entwistle's affection for Fifties rock and roll was evident by covers of "Mr. Bass Man", "Hound Dog", and "Lucille". As George Lucas had released American Graffiti at the same time as Rigor Mortis Sets In was released, creating a huge market for Fifties nostalgia, Entwistle's timing was uncannily prescient. In Entwistle's original material for the album, light whimsy prevailed over the darker (and more creative) vein of Smash Your Head Against the Wall and Whistle Rymes. The album was completed in less than three weeks, ultimately costing $10,000 in studio time and $4,000 on liquor bills.[1]

The cover art of the gatefold LP features on one cover an outdoor photo of a grave, whose heart-shaped headstone is engraved with the dedication described above, while the grave's footstone is inscribed "V.S.O.P." (a grading acronym for cognac). The opposite cover features a wooden coffin bearing a brass plate engraved with the album's name. The UK (Track) LP used the coffin on the cover and the gravestone on the inner gatefold, while the U.S. (MCA) LP had the opposite arrangement. Compact disc releases have been fronted with Track's original coffin cover, with the gravestone cover proportionally preserved inside as part of the liner notes.

Rigor Mortis Sets In had a rough launch due to its title and cover art. BBC Radio refused to play the album and banned it, ironically in part due to the influence of DJ Jimmy Savile who had just suffered a death in his family. The album's U.S. debut was problematic for MCA Records (Track's new American distributor), who insisted on appending the artist's name to the title, out of concern that the album's sales would be weak without the Entwistle name in the title.

Critical reception

The album was rated by AllMusic as a "Nosedive" in his career[2] compared to Smash Your Head Against the Wall and Whistle Rymes. His covers of "Hound Dog" and "Lucille" were so "lifelessly performed that it sounds like the band is merely attempting to imitate Sha Na Na instead of sending up the original tunes themselves".[2] The song that was known as the biggest offender in this respect was "Mr. Bass Man" which replaces the enthusiasm of Johnny Cymbal's original version with a self-consciously campy production built on cutesy vocals guaranteed to make listeners grind their teeth.[2]

The album was more positively received by John Rockwell of the New York Times. In a 1973 article about solo albums released by members of popular bands, Rockwell said that the album found Entwistle "working effectively in a straight-ahead fifties idiom that the Who themselves have long since abandoned."[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link
Christgau's Record Guide	C+[4]

Track listing

All songs by John Entwistle, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gimme That Rock 'n' Roll"		3:00
2.	"Mr. Bass Man"	Johnny Cymbal	2:49
3.	"Do the Dangle"		4:05
4.	"Hound Dog"	Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller	2:29
5.	"Made in Japan"		3:48
6.	"My Wife"		3:32
7.	"Roller Skate Kate"		4:14
8.	"Peg Leg Peggy"		3:38
9.	"Lucille"	Albert Collins, Richard Penniman	2:53
10.	"Big Black Cadillac"		3:35

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
1.	"BP Big Gallon Jingle ('100 Miles of Motorway')" (Demo)	0:35
2.	"BP Big Gallon Jingle ('100 Miles of Motorway')" (Demo with voiceover)	0:33
3.	"Made in Japan" (Early take)	3:54
4.	"Peg Leg Peggy" (Early take)	3:57

Personnel

• John Entwistle - lead vocals, bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboards
• Alan Ross - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, accordion, trumpet, synthesizer; lead vocals (2)
• Jim Ryan - lead guitar
• Tony Ashton - keyboards, Hammond organ, piano
• Bryan Williams - trombone, electric organ (6, 8)
• Howie Casey - saxophone (1, 3, 4)
• Members of The Ladybirds:
  • Gloria George - backing vocals
  • Maggie Stredder - backing vocals
  • Marian Davies - backing vocals
• Graham Deakin - drums, percussion (5, 6, 8)

Technical

• Mike Weighell - engineer

References

1. John Entwistle - So Who's The Bass Player? The Ox Anthology Liner Notes
2. Donald A. Guarisco. "Rigor Mortis Sets In - John Entwistle | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
3. https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/05/archives/when-egos-rock-the-groups-pop-when-egos-rock-the-groups.html
4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: E". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.