John Hiseman English Stalwart JL 4.vi.11

[Paul Sherratt]

I'm trying to decide which is the more disturbing bd, the song or the comments immediately below !

[johncorrigan]

I'm trying to decide which is the more disturbing bd, the song or the comments immediately below !

Yes Indeed Paul!

[Serial_Apologist]

Oh what a cynical lot we've all become.

[charles t]

Me and my pals went to see Colosseum a couple of times in the maryland Blues club in Glasgow and a cinema in Paisley in '70/'71. They remain memorable - hearing Hiseman was wonderful; we were all in awe of Heckstal-Smith and Chris Farlowe's soaring vocals.

Following the notes on this string and the R3 programme I had a listen to 'Colosseum Live' yesterday in the car - 'Rope Ladder to the Moon' still sounds magnificent, and in particular 'Lost Angeles' quite wonderful. It's not the kind of thing I would normally listen to now, but the guitar is pretty epic, and there can be few better vocalists to have come out of England than Farlowe, in my opinion.

But driving it on was Hiseman's drums - it certainly felt groundbreaking at the time, though what it broke the ground for was far less satisfying for me.

Yea, matey...can't believe me eyes, Gov, that a hard-driving jazz/rock outfit such as Colosseum would be subjected to the slings-and-arrows herein (exclm mark)

Just their outstanding, outstanding contribution of 'Beware The Ides of March' which musically paraphrased 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' which paraphrased J.S. Bach who paraphrased hearing The Creator...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...singing Tomorrow's Blues

[Paul Sherratt]

Calum,

For this relief, much thanks.
Yes, indeed.


Serial,
Sorry !

[burning dog]

I first heard them in about 74 ie Coliseum II then worked backwards so that influences my opinion Coliseum I were good, but they were in the past (3 years is a long time when you're a teenager) Didn't they keep telling DHS 'It's really a blues band?'

Calum that track is progressive rock in a GOOD way.

BN Are you also talking about Coliseum II regarding the hippy dippy influence?

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

B.Dog...I do not discriminate in my blanket attacks on 70s middle-earthers! Be it Yew trew blues from Bedford or dancing molls and Kentish trolls, it needs to be rung hard by its ugly neck. As an example to all who would follow. Interesting that we are going thro another "folk" muzak revival (escape) as the Guardianistas and associated liberati toss are stamped under Comrade Clegg-Osborne's trainers.

If it goes on like this we will not be able to afford a seminar at Mr Dawkins and Mr Graylings fine new Uni (£54k) for dim banker fodder...

Text Poly now...with your pain.

BN.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Polly Toynbee...not "poly" as in former 'technic". ( 'technic fit only for the angry workin class, former miners and evil pro Trotsky trade unionists who would have imposed a far left dictatorship on us at the Guardian if the SDP, Woy, Lady Polly, Mrs T and Lord Kinnock hadn't smashed 'em back in the day)

Viva banking.

BN.

[burning dog]

I guessed you were including Coliseum II BN, but Coliseum I were "blue men sing the whites" rather than elves and pixies?

[Tom Audustus]

I agree with Ian on the "game of two halves". I found the rock stuff so derivative. Colusseum were interesting at the time but very much in the background of 70s jazz-rock as I remember it. Maybe I was more interested in Weather Report, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever etc.

A standout memory from a Reading Festival (which year? - Genisis top of the bill) was a very loud Tempest performance of the Beatles Paperback Writer as an encore, they really were just another 70s heavy rock outfit with absolutely minimal jazz input at that point. But it woke me up - they were the first of the really loud bands on that hot sunny Sunday afternoon back in my dim and distant youth (John Martyn and Danny Thomson had kicked the show off - those were the days!).

I notice that Hiseman did not mention his big reputation in the 70s - his drum solos, they went on and on and on.....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Trio of Doom anyone?