Search - Colosseum :: Live

Jazz Rock Masterpiece

Fred Rayworth | Las Vegas, NV United States | 12/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll have to admit the reason I bought this album was because it was a double and was cheaper than the other double albums at the time. Wow, what a surprise! I'd never heard of this band before and just took a chance that paid off. This album rocks! I've never been a big fan of jazz-rock but this one really hit it off for me. The musicianship combined with Chris Farlowe's voice makes for an exciting combination that this band never duplicated. Because of this album, I bought an earlier release by them and could hardly listen to it. This album displays some great musicianship and I liked the keyboards, the guitar playing, and especially Dick Heckstall-Smith's double sax playing. Since the demise of Collosseum, I tried to keep track of everyone and was only able to keep up with Greenslade, especially after seeing them play in Madrid, Spain twice. I heard Collosseum got back together again recently and I would love to see that show. I have looked for this locally on CD but all they have is a compilation of their older and newer stuff and if I were to fork out a few bucks for their music, this live album would be my one and only choice. A great album!"

Roaring and Growling and The Crowd Goes Wild!!!

P. McKenna | Atlanta GA | 03/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was recorded towards the end of Colosseum I's existence, and according to drummer Jon Hiseman, almost NEVER got released (something about planning to erase the original master tape in a fit of perfectionisitic pique). But fate intervened and thankfully, this ferocious classic performance of the mighty Colosseum was preserved intact.



Under Jon Hiseman's leadership, Colosseum created a heady and ferocious brew of progressive rock blues and jazz like nothing else. Capped off with Chris Farlowe's dramatic (sometimes overly so) blues drenched vocals, the band would leave one breathless on a good night.



1. Rope Ladder to the Moon - An ingenious cover of a Jack Bruce song that's actually BETTER than the original! Starting of with arpeggiated guitar and vibes, Chris Farlowe then roars in and takes it to the moon, the intensity builds with a great mid-sction where Dave Greenslade makes his Hammond organ snarl and growl like a hungry lion as Hiseeman eggs him on, the full band comes back in for a fiery conclusion, great way to start off!



2. Walking in the Park - A cranked up blues that dates back to The Graham Bond Organization (of which Dick Heckstall-Smith was a member), taken at such an unsafe tempo it nearly threatens to blow apart but our heroes keep it together and land on their feet.



3. Skellington - Continuing in a bluesy mode but at a slower (relatively speaking)tempo, however, it goes a bit off course betweena pointlessly long psychedelic guitar noise freakout and Chris Farlowe's vocal histrionics. Not a bad song but it could've done without all the excess.



4. Tanglewood. - A serious tour de force! Take one Michael Gibbs composition, rearrange it for these feisty Brits and stand back! What results is a dense, complex yet oddly memorable instrumental with the band combining its vocal resources powerfully (wordless singing no less!), and the late saxophonist Dick Heckstall Smith getting the spotlight with his double-sax solo (a'la Roland Kirk), he was simply amazing, no gimmicks, no devices (they didn't have digital harmonizers back then) just pure musicianship. One of the major highlights of this set!



5. Encore...Stormy Monday Blues - The old T-Bone Walker song given the Colosseum treatment, this was their fun tune and you can hear it clearly!



6. Lost Angeles - The other major reason to own this disc. This epic piece starts with Dave Greenslade showing his Hammond organ artistry leading the band into a dense fiery epic of life in the Smog Belt. Tight ensemble passages intertwine with heartfelt and concise soloing as Chris Farlowe spins the tale of woe. The band winds down and Dave Greenslade switches to vibes, as guitarist Dave Clemson builds a plaintive and heart-wrenching bluesy solo. The momentum builds and builds, almost to the point of blowing the song to pieces but just as you think that is inevitable, the band pulls off a rousing conclusion and leaves the crowd amazed!



7. I Can't Live Without You [*] A bonus track, but qite frankly I'm a bit puzzled by its inclusion as it just isn't very memorable or essential.



But the bonus track thing aside, This is a very exhilirating set by a band that really relied on its raw talent and musicianship and played from its heart, no gimmicks, no fakery, no overdubs.



If only more people took that to heart."