Search - Colosseum :: Colosseum Lives: Reunion Concerts 1994

An amazing reunion album

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 05/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This could possibly be Colosseum's best album. That is amazing for a reunion album. Most reunion concerts of the nineties have been an attempt for a group to cash in on old glories and to promote an inferior new album. A group would play their hits so that they were a near perfect copy of the studio versions,and maybe open up on one or two songs. This reunion group consists of Clemson, Hiseman, Heckstall-Smith, Greenslade, Farlowe and Clarke, the same line up as the 1971 Live album and Daughter of Time. They play with an intensity that almost matches that on the 1971 Live album, which may be the most energetic and frenetic live album of all time. Each member gets several solos where they really break out. It sounds as if they never took a 25 year break, but at the same time, the material still sounds fresh. Colosseum was a blues/rock band with heavy jazz and progressive influences that lasted from 1969 to 1971. At times they were most reminiscent of Blood, Sweat and Tears before they went pop. The band later evolved into a jazz band called Colosseum II (similar to what happend with Gong). This album goes back to the blues/progressive roots."

Studio versions are better

kireviewer | 11/20/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Reunion of the Daughter of Time lineup. Starts strong with For those about too and ends strong with Stormy Monday. In between tries to recapture the magic of theValentyne Suite cd, and while these excellant musicians have a great go of it (although there is a bit too much squawky sax for me) they just don't really improve on the studio versions."

Could be their best album.

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 05/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is really a surprise. This is a 90's reunion concert with the members from the "Live" and "Daughter In Time" albums (Clemson, Hiseman, Heckstall-Smith, Clarke, Greenslade, and Farlowe). A number of groups from the sixties and seventies had reunion tours in the nineties. Most of these were fairly mediocre. These groups would be trying to cash in on old glories and promote an inferior new album. The old material would be played just like the original, studio versions and without much life. On this album, Colesseum really opens up and plays with alot of energy. All of the songs are stretched out and there are great solos from everyone. They sound as if they have been playing together forever. Farlowe can still sing the blues. This is an excellent companion piece to their live album from 1971. Too bad it is only one CD. You wonder if there was more to this reunion concert and if the rest was this good.Colosseum was an early "progressive" band, but were more heavily blues influenced than most. They were actually closer to Blood, Sweat and Tears (before they went pop) and Farlowe even sounds a little like David Clayton Thomas at his bluesy best. They had four good studio albums, but their live album from 1971, is one of the most energetic, manic blues albums of all time. The band broke up after that, but the drummer, Hiseman carried on with a jazz group called Colesseum II (very similar to what happened with Gong)."