Colosseum were one of the earliest progressive bands, but also in many ways were pioneers of the emerging 'jazz rock/fusion' style. Although hardly the first band to attempt such a fusion, Colosseum were one of the most popular acts at the time, and tended to make jazz accessible to the rock masses as their compositions were often tighter than many working within the jazz rock realm at this point.This album saw Chris Farlowe, veteran blues singer, join the band. Whilst on the surface this doesn't seem to be a natural fusion, in fact Farlowe was doubtless already familiar with the members as he'd played in the same R & B circuit of the 60s; indeed Dave Greenslade had been in Farlowe's band for a time. Much respected guitarist Clem Clempson of Bakerloo also replaced the vocalist/guitarist James Litherland, and Mark Clarke replaced Tony Reeves, soon to re-emerge in Greenslade, a Colosseum spin off, of course. The resulting album, 'Daughter Of Time', saw a heavier accent on rock than previous efforts, but is still an utterly superb album; Farlowe's vocals are remarkably good here, and he fitted in far better with Colosseum than he did in Atomic Rooster.
'Three Score and Ten, Amen' is one of the most dramatic openers to any prog album. It's introduced by some staggeringly declarative vocal choirs, crunching guitars and powerful percussion, before Farlowe's uptempo vocals and Clarke's bass add a touch of funk to proceedings. Farlowe then gets more melodramatic, bellowing out the chorus, that introduces a funk rock section with powerful guitar work and a more pensive narrated section, leading to a gloriously overblown climax with squealing vocals from Farlowe. All in all, a thrilling ride, and it's stupendously produced.
'Time Lament' is a more typical piece, beginning with an intricate jazz section with saxophone and percussion to the fore, plus some neat orchestrations. The main melody is quite complex, and superbly handled by Chris Farlowe, yet the honours are won by a thrilling solo section where the whole band trade off feats of virtuosity, with Clem Clempson being particularly outstanding.
'Take Me Back To Doomsday' has a Chicago like vibe, thanks to a neat keyboard and bass heavy intro, with some wonderfully florid piano lines by Dave Greenslade, before the main melody kicks in. The riff is quite beefy and heavy, with powerful guitar riffing and bass playing to the fore, and some superb sax solos. Clem Clempson delivers perhaps his finest vocal performance too.
'Daughter Of Time' is a very dramatic piece, with superb keyboard work and saxophone to the fore, yet the drumming of Jon Hiseman and a furiously melodramatic vocal from Chris Farlowe steal the show on this superb track. - Review by salmacis (James Jeffery)
Track Listings
1. Three Score And Ten, Amen (5:36)
2. Time Lament (6:04)
3. Take Me Back To Doomsday (4:26)
4. The Daughter Of Time (3:30)
5. Theme For An Imaginary Western (4:05)
6. Bring Out Your Dead (4:25)
7. Downhill And Shadows (6:11)
8. The Time Machine (8:12)
Total Time: 42:29
Line-up/Musicians
- Jon Hiseman / drums
- Dick-Heckstall-Smith / saxes
- Dave Greenslade / organ, piano, vibes
- Clem Clempson / guitar, vocals
- Mark Clarke / bass
- Chris Farlowe / vocals
+ Barbara Thompson / flute, saxes
- Louis Cennamo / bass
Releases information
LP Vertigo 6360 017 (1970)
CD Sequel 1007-2 (1996)
Expanded edition: Sanctuary Records Group Ltd SMRCD119 (2004) with this bonus track: Jumping Off The Sun (1971 Chris Farlowe version)
Download
1 Audições:
Postagem mais recente Postagem mais antiga Página inicial
Assinar:
Postar comentários (Atom)
Hello Good People!!!!
Excepcional post!!!!
Este foi difícil de encontrar....estava procurando este álbum há meses!!!!
Parabens!!!! I O U for this album!!!!!
Good Vibrations for You!!!
Peter Hammill
Anônimo disse...
3 de dezembro de 2007 às 03:54