REUNION CONCERT COLOGNE 1994

As I write this review, I am near the end of this magnificent concert , The second viewing of it in 3 days, I wanted to see if the luster wears off the second go around, The answer is No, The thing that i kept saying to myself, " Why did these guys end this band, The chemistry is amazing, I understand this was actually the second show from this reunion stint , 1971, Listening to all the bands output over the years, This band had the power of cream, and all the musicianship too in my opinion, these guys are now seasoned veterans, in complete control of their instruments, I want to state this, John Hiseman's drum solo was in the top 5 i have ever seen or heard, I have at least a dozen Buddy Rich DVD , And he would be proud, varied and powerful, not the least bit boring. for me the bigest surprise was how good chris farlowes vocals are, Powerful, and clear and present. this DVD proves what I already knew, Colosseum are nothing more than a blues at heart, which ,in my opion gives them a solid foundation to build on. You mix in some psychedelic elements, The hammond organ and you have prog. The 20 minute version of valentine suite may actually eclipse the original, I really cant say enough about this show. if you like prog, or are just a blues fan , you could really get into this, some of the blues numbers played at the end T-bone Walkers Stormy Monday are fantastic, Authentic and full of soul. the sound is also wonderful, no complaints at all.watching this for the second time, I almost feel as if all the original albums are obsolete now. this performance is that damn good.

This one of those DVDs where everything comes together in a perfect package. The main feature is the complete reunion concert of Colosseum when they played in Germany in 1994. They kick off with "Those About To Die" and play many of their most well known pieces, such as "The Valentyne Suite". It is strange to think that it was some twenty years since they had last been together ? it is as if they had never been away. As a unit the band are incredibly tight, and produce music that is extremely complex with enough time changes and note density to please even the most unconvinced prog head. Add to that the power and presence of Chris Farlowe, who proves that he is still a vocalist to be reckoned with, and this concert is a joy from start to finish.

But if that wasn't enough, there is a 90 minute documentary detailing the complete history of the band, which is jam packed with interviews and relevant footage and photos. It is easily one of the best, if not the best, short history of a band that I have seen and it is worth buying the DVD for this alone. If you are a proghead yet have never heard Colosseum before (keyboard player Dave Greenslade also formed, um, Greenslade) then this is a wonderful introduction.

Originally appeared in Feedback #74, Jun 03