Valentyne Suite [Remastered & Expanded] [2 CD]

by Colosseum

Overview

One of England's prime jazz-rock -- or, more accurately, rock-jazz -- outfits, most of the members of Colosseum had apprenticed in blues bands, and it shows very strongly on some of the material here. Both "The Kettle" and "Butty's Blues" are essentially tarted-up 12-bar blues, although they work well in a grander context; in the latter case much grander, as a brass ensemble enters for the last part, drowning out everything but the guitar, an indication that this recording is in dire need of remastering. "Elegy" is a fast-paced, minor-key blues that stretches guitarist James Litherland's vocal abilities. Things do get far more interesting with "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice," which offers solo opportunities to organist Dave Greenslade and sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith before re-emerging in what can only be called a proto-industrial style, all heavily treated clattering percussion. The album's real joy comes with "The Valentyne Suite," which takes the band out of their bluesy comfort zone into something closer to prog rock. Bandleader Jon Hiseman is a stalwart throughout, his busy drumming and fills owing far more to jazz than the studied backbeat of rock. Greenslade proves to be a largely unsung hero, his only real solo in the suite something to offer a challenge to vintage Keith Emerson, but with swing. As to criticism, bassist Tony Reeves has very little flow to his playing, which severely hampers a rhythm section that needs to be loose-limbed, and Litherland's guitar playing is formulaic, which can be fine for rock, but once outside the most straightforward parameters, he seems lost. In retrospect this might not quite the classic it seemed at the time, but it remains listenable, and for much of the time, extremely enjoyable. [In 2017, Valentyne Suite was reissued in a two-CD remastered and expanded edition featuring the bonus track "Tell Me Now" plus the 1970 LP The Grass Is Greener.] ~ Chris Nickson

Product Details

Release Date:	08/04/2017
Label:	Esoteric Recordings
UPC:	5013929469945
Rank:	85570

Tracks

Disc 1

1. The Kettle
2. Elegy
3. Butty's Blues
4. The Machine Demands a Sacrifice
5. The Valentyne Suite: January's Search/Theme Two: February's Valentine/Theme Three: The Grass Is Always Greener
6. Tell Me Now

Disc 2

7. Jumping Off the Sun
8. Lost Angeles
9. Elegy
10. Butty's Blues
11. Rope Ladder to the Moon
12. Bolero
13. The Machine Demands a Sacrifice
14. The Grass Is Always Greener

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Colosseum   Primary Artist
Dick Heckstall-Smith   Saxophone
Dave Gelly   Saxophone
James Litherland   Vocals,Guitar
Dave Greenslade   Organ (Hammond),Vibraphone,Keyboards
Jimmy Phillips   Saxophone
Tony Reeves   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Jon Hiseman   Drums,Machines
Barbara Thompson   Wind

Technical Credits

Gerry Bron   Producer,Photography
Maurice Ravel   Composer
Dave Tomlin   Composer
Mike Taylor   Composer,Composer
Simon Heyworth   Remastering
Colosseum   Composer
Dick Heckstall-Smith   Composer
James Litherland   Composer
Dave Greenslade   Composer
Philip John Hiseman   Composer
Peter Brown   Composer
Chris Farlowe   Composer
Dave "Clem" Clempson   Composer
Graham Bond   Composer
Jack Bruce   Composer
Tony Reeves   Composer,Producer
Jon Hiseman   Composer,Liner Notes
Pete Brown   Composer