Strange New Flesh [Import]

Colosseum II, Colloseum 2 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Castle
• Run Time: 41 minutes
• ASIN: B0000040ME
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,008 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good 70's British jazz-rock, December 29, 2000

By 

Gavin Wilson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strange New Flesh (Audio CD)

Colosseum seem to be on the cusp of being forgotten. The band merits just over a column in 'The Penguin Encyclopeadia of Popular Music', but don't get a mention in 'The Rough Guide to Rock'. But they were a hub in many important personnel transfers of the period:

Dave Greenslade and Tony Reeves played for the original Colosseum and left to form Greenslade. Clem Clempson also left to join Humble Pie, replacing Peter Frampton. Gary Moore was a member of Colosseum II in between bouts with Thin Lizzy. Don Airey left CII to join Blackmore's Rainbow. Leader Jon Hiseman married saxophonist Barbara Thompson and played in her fusion band Paraphernalia.

The line-up on this CD is Hiseman, Airey, Moore, Murray and Starrs, in case your sleevenotes are, like mine, non-existent. The music is the usual partly convoluted fodder served up at the time by the likes of the Mahavishnus, Jeff Beck, Eleventh House and Return to Forever. At times the keyboards sound a bit Genesissy, and occasionally the sound is a bit Camelly. Goodness knows why they needed a vocalist -- maybe it helped at concerts to focus audience attention.

The standard of the musicianship is, as usual for the period, higher than most of today's. Dump the singer, improve the quality of the compositions slightly, and Colosseum could have been a jazz-rock supergroup. If you like this, you'll love Return to Forever's 'No Mystery' and 'Romantic Warrior'.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing masterpiece!, April 10, 2000

By 

youngchool choe (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange New Flesh (Audio CD)

Am I the first one to review this masterpiece? I can't believe it. I am a great fan of UK. There are so many great bands but only a few can be compared to UK(at least for me). CII is one of them. Great musicians' greatest playing and quite pretty melodies, what can I say more? Jon Hiseman's druming is amazing, Gary Moore and Don Airey showed their best shining moments in their carriers. Bass playing was fluent, too. And finally, why was Mike Starrs fired after 1st album? They would release 2 more excellent albums but I think this first one is the best! Strongly recommended! GO and Get it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The 1970's..., April 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Strange New Flesh (Audio CD)

I bought this album sometime in the late 70's. I had heard something from this band late one night on the radio.. back when radio was a place where you could hear new and different types of music without the station being concerned if liked every tune they played.. anyway, I got around to buying one of their albums although not the one I heard that night. The album has some decent stuff.. but it's masterpiece is an absolutely stunning rendition of Joni Mitchels "Stange New Flesh". The band is very tight and the lead vocals have a soulful and gritty feel. The price is worth just having that one tune.