Colosseum II-Strange New Flesh (1976)

Colosseum was one of the first progressive rock bands to emerge in the late 1960s. After releasing four magnificent progressive jazz albums (“Those Who About to Die Salute You,” “Valentyne Suite,” “The Grass Is Greener,” and “Daughter of Time”), they disbanded near the end of 1971. Several years later, one of its founders, drummer Jon Hiseman, revived the band, recruiting vocalist Mike Starr, guitarist Gary Moore, keyboardist Don Airey, and bassist John Mole, thus forming Colosseum II. In 1976, they debuted with “Strange New Flesh,” which, unlike the progressive Colosseum of earlier years, leaned towards a vigorous jazz-rock sound very much in line with what other contemporary bands of the genre were doing at the time (Return to Forever), fusing it with an energetic rock style reminiscent of the Jeff Beck Group or the James Gang. An album that opens with the dazzling and exhilarating "Dark Side of the Moog," an ironic title that bears no resemblance to the work of the bands led by Roger Waters and David Gilmour. This is followed by the melodic and atmospheric "Down to You," featuring excellent vocals from Starr and Airey's keyboard work. The funky jazz tracks "Gemini and Leo" and "Secret Places" add a touch of lightheartedness to this debut album. The album closes with the melodic "On Second Thoughts" and the tour de force "Winds," where all the musicians deliver dazzling instrumental performances in a powerful piece of progressive jazz that serves as the perfect conclusion to a masterpiece of 1970s jazz-rock.

Colosseum II-Electric Savage (1977)

A year after Colosseum's second-era debut album, the band introduced a new bassist on their second record: John Mole, who replaced Neil Murray. Equally important, and perhaps more significantly, was their shift towards an almost entirely instrumental style of progressive jazz-rock. We say "almost" because Gary Moore lends his vocals to one track, though that song is arguably the most forgettable of all those included on this new album. On "Electric Savage", the group comprised of Gary Moore (guitar and vocals), Don Airey (keyboards), John Hiseman (drums), and the aforementioned John Mole fully delves into the realm of jazz, rock, and avant-garde structures. This avant-garde approach is evident in the progressive track "The Scorch", while Moore's powerful guitar riffs drive the jazz-rock tracks "Put It This Way" and "All Skin & Bone". On the other hand, the dispensable "Rivers", featuring Moore's vocals, and the ostentatious "Lament" somewhat lower the high bar set on the first side of the album. The rest consists of "Desperado", a vigorous jazz fusion piece, and the ethereal "Am I" and "Intergalactic Strut", two tracks where Airey's keyboards subtly overshadow Moore's guitar, and which, along with the opening songs, are the highlights of the legendary British band's second release.

Colosseum II-Wardance (1977)

In 1975 the drummer Jon Hiseman re-floated his band Colosseum, with which he had recorded five albums in the period from 1969 to 1971, renaming it Colosseum II, but this time diverting the sound towards much more jazz rock to the detriment of rock progressive of the first stage of the group.
For this new project Hiseman recruits Gary Moore, Don Airey, Neil Murray, Mike Sarrs and John Mole with whom he recorded and published "Strange New Flesh" in mid-1976, a very intense, energetic and somewhat complex album that are still within the parameters of the progressive.
This will be followed a year later by "Electric Savage" with a similar line to the previous one and at the end of that same year "Wardance", the last work of the group and the one considered best in this second stage, and where the band shows a fully exercised jazz-progressive, with an evolution in the line of the previous work but with the developments and the more accentuated elaboration.
The epic "Wardance" kicks off this record in an energetic way, while "The Inquisition" is an example of Colosseum's jazz rock might, the ambitious "Star Maiden / Mysterioso / Quasar" becomes the theme song compositionally speaking, "Major Keys" is a very addictive funk song for its melody and Gary Moore's guitar play and the blues label "Fighting Talk" with that lilting rhythm defines the enormous eclecticism of this formidable band.