The year Neil Armstrong took mans first steps on the moon, Colosseum were taking giant leaps on their second album. Founded by drummer Jon Hiseman, saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and bass player Tony Reeves in late 1968, Colosseum were a band at the forefront of the new progressive rock scene and were, in many respects, one of the most ambitious groups of the late sixties.
All three had cut their teeth in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (a band which such luminaries as Eric Clapton, Peter Green had passed through), and to add to this pedigree organ grinder Dave Greenslade and guitarist James Litherland were recruited.
Valentyne Suite has the distinction of being the very first album to be released by the legendary Vertigo Records, the label which was later to give Black Sabbath their debut. What is even more impressive is that Valentyne Suite was released months after their first album came out on Fontana Records. Those About To Die Salute You was received well and even crept up to number 15 in the charts. However that LP falls short of the brilliance of Valentyne Suite, arguably the bands best effort in their short career.
Valentyne Suite
Side two of the original LP was taken up completely by the title track, a sprawling free fusion monster. Comprising three separate but interwoven movements and clocking in over 16 minutes, “The Valentyne Suite” effectively blends the bands jazz, rock, blues and classical influences. Dave Greenslade’s organ is very much to the fore throughout this epic, and the final freak-out on the third movement is a joy to hear. However it is the four tracks on the first part of the album which give the piece its cult status among record collectors.
“Kettle” opens the album explosively. Its heavy blues riff is coupled with some thunderous drumming by Hiseman, who sounds as if he is trying his best to completely obliterate his kit. Add to this some cosmic soloing and incomprehensible lyrics about a kettle and a scarecrow, and you have surely one of the best tunes to come off any album from this era.
“Elegy”, which crops up on numerous psychedelic compilations, is a calmer affair but nevertheless a beautifully crafted bit of Rhythm and Blues. Lead by the soulful soprano saxophone of Dick Heckstall-Smith and the pleading vocals of James Litherland, “Elegy” moves along with an urgency that is brilliantly offset by soaring strings. The group showcase their roots with “Butty’s Blues”, a lumbering New Orleans style blues number which sounds a fair bit like early Fleetwood Mac.
Interestingly the backing horns on this track were conducted by legendary British composer Neil Ardley, who also supplied the string quartet arrangement that glides behind “Elegy”. Its not surprising to find Ardley associated with an album of this type as he himself put out a number of far reaching jazz albums in the early 70’s, most notably A Symphony of Amaranths and Kaleidoscope of Rainbows.
The Machine Demands a Sacrifice
The last track “The Machine Demands a Sacrifice” has all the trappings of hippie-dom; a gentle infectious groove punctuated with organ stabs and flute, with surreal lyrics bemoaning the coming of the technological age. The tune is notable for a terrific Hiseman drum solo which brings to track to a crashing echoing end. Amazingly there is video footage of the band playing this track live in 1969 on YouTube.
Sadly, after just 3 years and 5 albums Colosseum split at the end of 1971. A few years later Jon Hiseman would bring together new members Gary Moore and Don Airey to form Colosseum II, who veered further towards jazz-fusion rock. Though they never again hit the heights of Valentyne Suite, Colosseum should be lauded as one of the great bands of the sixties and the forebears of the UK progressive scene.
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