ELECTRIC SAVAGE

I'm afraid I absolutely love everything about this record; Don Airey on searing keys, John Mole thundering on his Fender jazz bass, Gary Moore giving his best performance on record, and Jon Hiseman reclaiming his jazz-rock god status as he leads it all with measured fury. Mostly instrumental and filled with tight, red-hot numbers, this has to be among the best live-in-studio albums in fusion history. But it was much more-- it was also heavy prog at a time when most music was either heavy or progressive, with little serious blending of the two. Colosseum II brought the aggression of metallic rock together with the precision of symphonic jazz fusion in a way no one else could touch, not even Mahavishnu, and the result is one of the most electrifying sessions I've ever heard. Absolute dynamite.