Colosseum II - War Dance (1977)

Another hidden gem in rock’s back catalogue is this 1977 release from Colosseum II featuring an all-star lineup of ex-Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman, ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore and ex-just about everyone keyboardist Don Airey. Whilst the album, their third, was to prove their swansong (bar a one album reformation at the request of Andrew Lloyd Webber) due to lack of commercial success, the quality of the music contained therein isn’t diminished.

The highly-polished jazz rock/fusion style created by Colosseum II was based around the musical abilities of Moore, Airey and Hiseman and their intricate interplay coupled with a melodic ear. The title track kicks off the album in style leading to the funky Major Keys which, unsurprisingly centres around a Don Airey keyboard melody: a good start.

Things really shift up a gear on Put It That Way featuring good harmony interplay between Airey and Moore with Jon Hiseman pulling out all the stops. Moore’s guitar solo on the track also stands out, as does Airey’s Hammond solo.

The only low-point for me is Castles, the sole vocal track on the album, a painfully slow track sung by Gary Moore in a warbling semi-falsetto! Fortunately, the uptempo shuffle of Fighting Talk soon erases the memory of such a faux pas with its grinding central riff and overall crashing chords and squealing guitar/keyboard melody.

The album keeps the pace then and rips through The Inquisition and Star Maiden to finish on the impressive Last Exit (somewhat a prophetic title) which begins gently enough before erupting part way through into a medium tempo piece with a screeching wah-wah solo from Gary Moore before moving uptempo for the finale.

The album really hits the spot in terms of jazz rock/fusion and if you’ve only heard Gary Moore during his later hard rock or blues phases, and Don Airey as backing for the likes of Rainbow, this album will be a real eye-opener.

• Don Airey – Keyboards
• Jon Hiseman – Drums
• Gary Moore – Guitar/Vocals
• John Mole – Bass