VALENTYNE SUITE

Just a month after the debut of Colosseum, the band was honoured to be part of the Supershow jam session, a music documentary film, featuring several important names of Rock, Blues and Jazz music like Led Zeppelin, Buddy Guy, Jack Bruce and Buddy Miles.In November 69' the second album was released, the first ever publishment by Vertigo Records, a sublabel of Phillips.''Valentyne suite'' was the title and it was produced again by Tony Reeves and Gerry Bron, as the album was recorded around the same time with ''Those who are about to die salute you''.

While being fairly rooted in a late-60's sound, ''Valentyne suite'' show shines of a progressing style, especially in the long eponymous track.Actually the first side is not really impressive.With evident psychedelic and bluesy inspirations the four tracks explore Rock, Funk, Jazz, Blues and Horn Rock, based on the psych-influenced organ moves, the melodic sax solos, the smooth guitar parts and James Litherland's expressive voice.Some orchestral textures are also present, while ''The Kettle'' seems to be the most interesting piece with its powerful, raw, old-school Psychedelic Rock sound.On the flipside Colosseum attempt to deliver a long, daring and more experimental composition.''Valentyne suite'' is a 17-min. opus, divided in three themes, with long instrumental jams, where Jazz Rock meets Psych/Prog in one of the earliest examples of a growing Prog movement.Greenslade adds a slight dose of Classical preludes on his organ and piano performances and finally Colosseum come up with some enganging and trully fascinating material.Powerful and grandiose sax passages meet funky bass grooves, strong Hammond organ runs and irritating piano textures, while even James Litherland's guitar is more prominent with a main role to the music.Lots of nice breaks are placed between frenetic solos and more tighly structured ideas, while the individual performances are often stunning with extreme virtuosity and passion.This time no vocals are added, letting the musical execution speak of Colosseum's composing talent, except for some mellow choir lines in the second theme.

''Valentyne suite'' is considered by many fans as a milestone of an emerging Prog scene.The weaker A side prevents me from personally considering it so, but the long eponymous suite of the B one is certainly a nice musical experiment, full of good executions and powerful instrumental craziness.Recommended.