COLOSSEUM/COLOSSEUM II — The Reunion Concerts 1994 (review)

COLOSSEUM/COLOSSEUM II — The Reunion Concerts 1994 album cover Live album · 1995 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Sean Trane
fifth article in a series of five

I'll review the DVD, since they CD is the same concert.

In 94, Colosseum reconvened for a reunion tour, as they became aware of the continuous attention the individual musicians were getting from fans. So John Hiseman once again took the helm, and the rehearsal then the triumphant concerts were given and they decided to go on with further sessions to seal the reunion with a new studio album. While this new album is not really up to par with what had been done some 25 years earlier (read my review about it), the live concerts were certainly immensely good and flawlessly played. As leader Hiseman says, they were doing nothing new, but whatever they did, they did it much better than back then.

So the concert part of the DVD is absolutely enjoyable, flawless played and the track selection is quite outstanding. Actually, the track selection takes what had been recorded on their last album, the double Live album, over twenty years ago, and adds up a few essential tracks from the first two albums with the first line-up. And all of these tracks are absolutely superbly rendered by a fired-up band, but having added Those About To Die (they open the show with it), the orgiastic Elegy and the orgasmic Valentyne Suite, they could not have done it better, really! So much that it is making useless that very record it takes most of its selection from as it had a few flaws (of which was much too bluesy). A two hour show done impeccably by most musicians bordering the 60 years of age (they were seasoned veterans by the time Colosseum disbanded in late 71), but with the enthusiasm and power equal to their previous tour a quarter a century earlier and a fabulous savoir-faire of the German film crew - this was recorded in Cologne and the reunion tour was mostly on a German initiative.

But the goodies do not stop there. The second part of the DVD is a superb rockumentary about the reunion and the future album recording sessions, but also and mainly the historics of Colosseum from their career start to the ultimate demise of the group. Plenty of superb filming from those heydays, plenty of interviews from the musicians (all of them, Reeves and Litherland included), but their management and crew also. Absolutely perfect even if Hiseman takes the centre-role, he does not pull all the cover to himself either. Absolutely perfect and almost a dream come true!!! A must and maybe the only five star in their catalogue besides the second Valentyne Suite album.
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