MORITURI TE SALUTANT: 1968-2003 ON STAGE & IN THE STUDIO (4CD)

I warmly recommend this box both to ardent fans of Colosseum to those who would like to start their adventure with the wonderful music. Zealous fans will be interested in concert versions of well-known compositions not published yet as well as radio recordings for BBC. The latter was included in the CD in the way they were broadcast in the radio, i.e., with preceding announcements, and even interviews. Part of the concert recordings comes from the same tour, which documented with the album Live 1971, but they are other versions, from other concerts. For example, three compositions connected into one lasting 22 minutes: I Can't Live Without You, The Time Machine, and The Machine Demands A Sacrifice, while the second one is just a long drum solo part. Sensational! Or the recording coming from the same concert in Manchester of Valentyne Suite, lasting longer than it is in the studio album and is recoded with more freedom. Thrilling! Those who want to enter the magic world of Colosseum music will find almost everything there which was included in subsequent studio albums. There are over 4.5 hours of music there! It is also worth to note the extremely beautiful issue of the box. Intriguing graphics, hard covers, nice mounting of the disks in plastic boxes, and finally the carefully prepared 36-page-long leaflet which is a real mine of knowledge about the group. It is true that there are some small errors (it is wrongly stated that the first four compositions in the second CD come from the Valentyne Suite album, while in fact they come from The Grass Is Greener), but the overall product makes a fantastic impression.