Valentyne Suite

by Colosseum

Valentyne Suite cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: November 1969
  • Label: Vertigo
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Length: 1:28:40
  • Community rating: 4.09/5 from 6 ratings

Artists on this release: Dave Greenslade, Barbara Thompson, Tony Reeves, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jon Hiseman, James Litherland

Album Notes & Community Reviews

As the landmark inaugural release for the Vertigo label, 'Valentyne Suite' is a foundational work of early British jazz-rock, fusing hard-rocking blues with ambitious, classically-inflected progressive arrangements. The album juxtaposes concise pieces, such as the oft-sampled riff of "The Kettle," against the expansive, three-movement instrumental title track. This epic suite showcases the band's formidable musicianship through the dynamic interplay between Dave Greenslade's commanding organ, Dick Heckstall-Smith's saxophone improvisations, and Jon Hiseman's uniquely propulsive drumming.

Genres

Descriptors: complex, progressive, technical, long-form, instrumental-heavy

Tracklist

  1. The Kettle (4:25)
  2. Elegy (3:10)
  3. Butty's Blues (6:44)
  4. The Machine Demands a Sacrifice (3:52)
  5. The Valentyne Suite: January's Search / February's Valentyne / The Grass Is Always Greener (16:53)
  6. Arthur's Moustache (Live: BBC Top Gear Broadcast 22/11/69) (6:30)
  7. Lost Angeles (Live: BBC Top Gear Broadcast 22/11/69) (8:38)
  8. Jumping Off the Sun (US Version) (3:34)
  9. Lost Angeles (US Version) (5:30)
  10. Elegy (US Version) (3:10)
  11. Butty's Blues (US Version) (6:43)
  12. Rope Ladder to the Moon (US Version) (3:42)
  13. Bolero (US Version) (5:27)
  14. The Machine Demands a Sacrifice (US Version) (2:49)
  15. The Grass Is Always Greener (US Version) (7:35)

Credits

  • Dave Greenslade - hammond organ, vibraphone, piano, backing vocal on "the machine demands a sacrifice", Contributor
  • Dick Heckstall-Smith - saxophones
  • Barbara Thompson - flute on "the machine demands a sacrifice"
  • Jon Hiseman - drums, machine on "the machine demands a sacrifice", Drums (drum Set)
  • James Litherland - guitars, lead vocals, Guitar
  • Tony Reeves - bass guitars, Bass Guitar, Producer
  • Neil Ardley - conductor on "butty's blues", string arrangement on "elegy"
  • Dick Heckstall鈥怱mith - Saxophone
  • Gerry Bron - Producer

More from Colosseum: full discography