THE COLLECTION

This compilation of the Birmingham band's 1978-1983 output was my first introduction to Magnum via a record club purchase. I was trying to find a 'mystical metal' band to listen to and take under my wing. Upon receiving this item and putting it on, I was immediately struck by how diverse the material was. It wasn't consistently heavy enough to be called metal yet it wasn't total sellout AOR like Boston or Foreigner either. The band were sufficiently interesting and quirky but a little frustrating for a 17 year old pair of ears. I was obviously impressed with heavy rock anthems like 'The Spirit' and 'Soldier Of the Line', equally intrigued by Jethro Tull-esque 'Firebird' and the dirty riffing and operatic vocals of 'Kingdom Of Madness'. The opener 'Great Adventure' culled from the Magnum II album was also hard to define with its Queen vocal operatics and fiddly arrangement more in line with early '70s prog rock. Magnum have always straddled this wall between good-natured AOR hooks and snarling yet controlled guitar licks. This compilation is a great place to dip your toes into the Tolkein-esque fantasy world of the band before their 1985 breakthrough album 'On a Storyteller's Night'. The best cuts from each album are included and rare singles like the heavy AOR gallop of 'Back To Earth' make it all the more worthwhile.

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