Album review : MAGNUM – The Great Adventure, The Jet Years 1978 – 1983 (6 CD Boxset)

Cherry Red / HNE [Release date: 25.08.23]

CD1 : Kingdom Of Madness (1978)
CD2 : Archive (1976)
CD3 : Magnum II (1979)
CD4 : Marauder (1980)
CD5 : Chase The Dragon (1982)
CD6 : Eleventh Hour (1983)

This Magnum 6 CD boxset, The Great Adventure / The Jet Years, is an ideal way to hear the band’s transition from a good Prog/Rock outfit to a superbly imaginative Melodic Rock band

In 1978, the band were still working with their influences, mainly Prog and AOR, weighing them up, trying them out. Looking for best fit.

They had an easily identifiable core sound in the axework of guitarist / songwriter, Tony Clarkin and the voice of singer, Bob Catley. From Day One, the band’s music didn’t lack ambition, they’re were always aiming for that that epic sweep, that big chorus, one that takes the music from zero to heroic heights in the course of a song. It was the route they took to get there that was different.

The Great Adventure packages the band’s first four studio albums, plus Archive (1993), a 9 track album of outtakes and demos from Kingdom Of Madness, the debut studio album. Their famous Marauder (1980) live album is here too, with 9 bonus tracks, turning it into a mammoth, 17 track live extravaganza.

Marauder was recorded and released as a pot boiler after Magnum II (CD3, 1979) proved to be something of a mis-step despite the fact that the singles ‘Foolish Heart’ and ‘Changes’ turned a few industry heads.

The 8 minute ‘In The Beginning’, opened the band’s debut album, Kingdom of Madness (1978). It fights to be heard above the din of shrill, Sweet like harmonies and Proggy keyboards, eventually finding safe and solid ground in the semi orchestral middle section, which in itself pointed the way ahead.

The flute and acoustic guitar duet in the intro suggest the title track is heading in the same direction until a hard rocking bass, drum and guitar thump break in, effectively capturing the spirit of eighties’ FM radio. It was a significant step in the band’s journey toward a defining sound.

1982’s Chase The Dragon (CD5) was the breakthrough, soaring into the UK Top Twenty album charts. The enduring tracks, ‘Soldier Of The Line’ and ‘Sacred Hour’ were immediate additions to the band’s live set, where they remain, off and on, to this day.

The band produced their fourth studio album, Eleventh Hour (CD6) themselves, after a dispute with the label. It failed to maintain the momentum sparked by Chase The Dragon, but… the orchestral bonus track … the declamatory, quasi-philosophical ‘The Word’ is, as the cliché goes, worth buying the album for.

Also worth noticing, another nice touch. Rodney Matthews breathtaking cover art for The Chase The Dragon album has been, fittingly, reused for this boxset. It’s the picture the music makes in your mind. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Special feature (2022)

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)