Double Live Colosseum

Acclaimed British sound engineer Miles Ashton recorded all the tracks during the band's summer 2005 tour on 24-track digital gear, and the results are evident from the first listen of Live05.

The band lineup on Live05 includes Jon Hiseman on drums, Chris Farlowe on vocals, Clem Clempson on guitar, Dave Greenslade on keyboards, Mark Clarke on bass and Barbara Thompson on saxes.

Considered one of the most influential early British progressive rock bands, Colosseum was founded in 1968 by phenomenal drummer Jon Hiseman, saxophonist extraordinaire Dick Heckstall-Smith and acclaimed bass player Tony Reeves, all of whom came from John Mayall's legendary band, The Bluesbreakers. The other original members were guitarist James Litherland and keyboard master Dave Greenslade (who would go on to have an extensive and successful solo career, too). Litherland left the band after two albums and was replaced by Dave ("Clem") Clempson (who would later go on to play with Steve Marriott in Humble Pie). British blues singing sensation Chris Farlowe signed on after the first three albums as lead singer. When Tony Reeves left to pursue a career in production, Mark Clarke became the new bassist. Sax player Barbara Thompson played in several early incarnations of Colosseum and became an official band member after the death of Dick Heckstall-Smith in 2004.

As a group, Colosseum made a great impression on the blooming subgenre of progressive rock, first with the energetic jazz and blues-influenced Those Who Are About to Die Salute You, with its unusual chord progressions and variant song structures, and then with the epic Valentyne Suite. The title track of Valentyne Suite, a 17-minute composition, pushed keyboardist Dave Greenslade into the spotlight of progressive music. The band's sound fused an exciting blend of rock, jazz and blues, with classical keyboard accents.

Live 05 documents the band at their very best in wonderful European settings with enthusiastic audiences. Besides a stirring take of Jack Bruce's cinematic classic song, "Theme from an Imaginary Western," the 2-disc set features live versions of several of the songs from their seminal albums, including "Rope Ladder to the Moon," "Stormy Monday Blues," "Those Who Are About to Die," "Lost Angeles" and "The Valentine Suite," which showcases Greenslade's amazing keyboard artistry. Together, the musicians in Colosseum create a powerful mix of rock, blues and jazz-fusion that transcends all musical barriers.

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