Walking in the park (Colosseum) (LP 2180 - 2182)

Colosseum  Those Who Are About To Die Salute You (CD, Sanctuary Records, 1969 - 2004 reissue) **** 

Colosseum  Valentyne Suite (CD, Sanctuary Records, 1969 - 2006 reissue) ****  

Colosseum  Live (CD, Sanctuary Records, 1971 - 2004 reissue) ****  

Genre: Jazz rock; prog rock 

Places I remember: Fopp; HMV

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Walking In The Park (Those Who Are About To Die...)

Gear costume: Tanglewood '63 (Live)

Active compensatory factors: I am a relative late-comer to the joys of Colosseum as you can see from these reissues that I bought while living in England ten years ago.

I have written about their other album, Daughter In Time, much earlier in the countdown (you can read it here), but for some reason neglected to feature these other three fine albums.

Their debut album, Those about to Die etc, is a tightly arranged affair. It starts with a great passionate song - Walking In The Park and from then on the intensity is maintained throughout.

The extra bonus tracks for once are indispensible. I Can't Live Without You alone is worth the price of admission.

Their second album, Valentyne Suite, continues the dense jazz fusion sound brilliantly, but it's the Live album that is my go-to Colosseum album.

It's intense, unrelenting and very rewording. All the musicians are at their peak on this live album, the material is top notch and the live setting is to my liking.

Where do they all belong? That completes my Colosseum collection.