Colosseum - 'Live Cologne 1994' (Angel Air)
Mike Reed | USA | 08/07/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As I've managed to catch wind of a few negative comments in general about this band,I felt that maybe I should check them out for myself.One reason is that keyboardist Dave Greenslade was in THIS band before forming Greenslade.When Colosseum FIRST got together,they remained intact for just three years,from late 1968 to late 1971,releasing four(according the sources that I checked)lp's.Best described as progressive jazz-rock with the key tracks being "Those About To Die","Skelington" and "Walking In The Park" as I could swear I've this tune somewhere before.Noticed that vocalist Chris Farlowe sounded pretty decent.MUCH better than his stint with Atomic Rooster.'Live Cologne 1994' offers some very nice instrumental segments and solos to it's listeners.This is apparently the 2nd CD of the band's material recorded live off their 1994-95 reunion tour.Should appeal to fans of Blodwyn Pig,Quatermass,Focus and MAYBE mid '70's King Crimson and Brand X.Comes with an 8-page color booklet with band photos.Not a bad find."
Reunion concert part II
kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 12/07/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"In 1994, the most famous line up of Colosseum got together and went on tour. They released a CD in 1996 called Colosseum Lives, the Reunion Concerts, mostly coming from a concert from Cologne. This CD, Live Cologne 1994, has the rest of that concert.
For some reason, on the Reunion Concerts, Those About to Die and Stormy Monday came from a different show. Now, the versions from Cologne are included on this CD. If you already own the Reunion Concerts, you get two versions of those two songs. But, those are the weakest songs on each album, so I don't know why anyone would want two versions of those songs.
This CD is 50 minutes long. If you subtract Those About to Die and Stormy Monday, you only wind up with about 34 minutes of "new" material. That is why only give this CD 3 stars.
The reunion concerts from Colosseum were fantastic. The
Reunion Concerts CD might be Colosseum's best and is worth searching out. They play as if they hadn't taken 20 years off. But, they aren't just some dinosaur band doing a reunion tour, playing all the old songs in the exact same ways. They play with energy and give new life to the material.
This CD, Cologne 1994, also has some very good tracks. Rope Ladder To The Moon might be the best thing from the whole series. The only problem with this CD is the short time when you take out the repeated songs.
Colosseum was a blues/jazz oriented progressive rock band. They had some very good musical moments. Their first live album was one of the most intense ever."
