GOODNIGHT L.A.

Magnum tunesmith Tony Clarkin is no novice when it comes to delivering great hooks and melodies. It therefore made little sense for their record company to hire a crack team of hot LA songwriters to would make the band more accessible.

The previous album 'Wings Of Heaven' broke into the UK Top 5 and the band did this on their own terms with a set of songs that were catchy yet retaining the British quirks that made them unique.

This follow-up squeezes the band dry with saccharine production and lacklustre material. There is however a handful of catchy songs ('Rockin Chair','Heartbroke and Busted', 'Mama') and some cuts that demand re-appraisal ('Only a Memory', 'Reckless Man', 'Born To be King') but the approach to my ears at least, never seems to gel. Magnum were better off being Magnum.

There are many parallels between Magnum and Uriah Heep. Both bands dabbled in a fantasy world of escapist album covers and Proggy arrangements that augmented their desire to rock. Both bands also enjoyed low-key to moderate success on the world stage while grazing the Top 20 in their home territories with seminal album releases. With Heep it was the 'Demons and Wizards' era, Magnum the late '80s 'Wings of Heaven' era where the band cracked the Top 10!

Despite Tony Clarkin's ability to mine the AOR sheen of Kansas/Boston/Foreigner/Toto/Survivor/REO Speedwagon, this is as popular as the band would get commercially.

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