Valentyne Suite – COLOSSEUM***

The Kettle/Elegy/Butty’s Blues/The Machine Demands A Sacrifice/Valentyne Suite: Part One January’s Search – Part Two February’s Valentyne – Part Three The Grass Is Always Greener

Colosseum’s second album Valentyne Suite featured one of the more distinctive record covers from the late sixties. The contents may be a bit too jazzy for many progressive fans. (UK:15)

“Originally released as the first LP on the spiral Vertigo label, this is Brit-jazz beefed up for a late-60s rock audience. It's mostly instrumentals, and these are the best cuts: the 16-minute long title track allows everyone to, uh, stretch out (man), without descending into noodly pretension. Heavy on the Hammond and tenor sax, with a top-notch rhythm section propelling the whole show along.”

“The title track is reasonable as far as long and jazzy jams go, and it earns points for containing no singing, because this singer has a very irritating voice and the other songs are unlistenable for that reason.”

“Very listenable prog-jazz. Elegy is particularly fine with James Litherland in particularly fine vocal form. I much prefer the A side's shorter songs than the Valentyne Suite, but as a whole it works quite well.”

“Greenslade's organ playing has all the flair and aggression of Emerson, but has far less classical influence and takes far more from the jazz side of things. The band as a whole does a good enough job, with a side of short songs that resemble the material Cream might have released if they had a hot organist and a bit more fusion influence. The epic Valentyne Suite itself is a true keyboard tour de force for Greenslade.”

“Intense progressive rock with touches of jazz and blues and great musicianship. And lovely artwork.”

“I saw the cover and was instantly captivated; this has to be something special. This record introduced me to jazz-rock, it has such a power from beginning to end. The melodies are catchy, the chords inventive, the solos awesome."

“Great prog jazz/rock fusion with guitar, sax, horns, and organ, with various hard and mild psych influences.”