Colosseum II - War Dance

Colosseum II third and last album, “War Dance”, released in 1977, finally conceives a concrete band sound and identity to such extent that the only vocal track, “Castles” sounds out-of-context with the rest of the album. The cohesiveness of the band is at its peak by blending the same jazz-rock fusion and progressive elements augmented by the players’ virtuosity and animosity for stretching the boundaries of their individual musical styles. Personnel are Don Airey on organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboards, Clavinet, Tubular Bells, Jon Hiseman on drums and percussion, John Mole on bass and Gary Moore on guitars and vocals. This production sealed the legacy and testament left by this supergroup. After this album, Colosseum II called it a day. The One Way Records CD release from 1993 is also out-of-print. But now "War Dance" is available on iTunes.

Track Listing:

1. War Dance

2. Major Keys

3. Put It That Way

4. Castles

5. Fighting Talk

6. The Inquisition (sampled here)

7. Star Maiden/Mysterioso/Quasar

8. Last Exit

Colosseum ΙΙ - Strange New Flesh

After the dissolution of the rock supergroup Colosseum, founding member drummer Jon Hiseman decided to reform the group and call it Colosseum II, this time with the help of guitarist Gary Moore (coming out of Thin Lizzy), Don Airey on synthesizers and keyboards, Neil Murray on bass and Mike Starrs on vocals. In this eclectic debut “Strange New Flesh” the rock influenced by jazz and blues, which had characterized the original line-up, was replaced with a hard-hitting jazz fusion outing, which shows impressive musical abilities. The compositions "Dark Side of the Moog", the second half of Joni Mitchell's "Down to You” and “Winds” are very much inflected by the major fusion bands of the time, Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Brand X and Weather Report with an emphasis on Moore's soulful guitar leads, while the funky "Gemini and Leo" and “Secret Places” retain the original flavor of the first Colosseum. This combination of both genres is a bit awkward as far as a concept album is concerned. Nonetheless, the result confronted the players with a challenge that has endured the test of time as it has left testament of the legacy of this super group. Castle Music Ltd. released an expanded version of this debut album in October of 2005, now available at iTunes and Amazon downloads, and there was a One Way Records release from 1994, which is currently out-of-print.

Track Listing:

1. Dark Side of the Moog (sampled above)

2. Down to You

3. Gemini and Leo

4. Secret Places

5. On Second Thoughts

6. Winds

Buy Strange New Flesh: Upgraded at Amazon or