Spirit Of A Nation - Wolfe Tones (The)

Advantages: Great songs, timeless
Disadvantages: Not to everyones taste

...I have been a fan of the Bee Gees for many years, however, I had put most of my albums away and not listened to them for a few years. However, following the tragic death of the legend Maurice Gibb last year, (RIP Maurice, you are missed) and the following tribute programs, I decided to dust some of them off and have another listen. These albums are just as good second time around, and imagine my horror when after checking Ciao I found that no-one had reviewed many of their classic albums. So I have decided to rectify this problem :) One of the very best albums that they have ever released is the 1979 offering Spirits Having Flown. Released at the height of their popularity shortly after the runaway success of their Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Spirits Having Flown sees the group continue with the disco feel and high falsetto... Read review

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Advantages: It rocks - mostly
Disadvantages: Some of the worse ones are here too...

...listened to and 'headbanged' to songs by the band. Overture is an instrumental prologue, whereas, 'Syrinx' rocks along with Geddy's squealing tone of almost anguish. It is taken from the album '2112' and was written by all members of the band. 1976. 'Closer to the Heart' is one of the fans favourites, although I personally think it's a bit too weak. It is a gentle song that builds up well and was written by Lee, Lifeson, Peart and Talbot. It is taken from the album 'A Farewell to Kings.' 1977. 'The Trees' has another gentle intro, but the heavy guitars come thudding and thrashing in. This is a great song, one of my favourites from one of my favourites eras of Rush. This era gave way to a more commercial sound. An emotional song, lyrically and musically it was written by Rush and is taken from the album 'Hemispheres.' 1978. 'Spirit... Read review

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Advantages: Great tracks that sit happily between soft and hard rock
Disadvantages: Some weaker moments and not everyone's cup of tea

...(Live) 11 - On the Edge of the World 12 - The Spirit 13 - The Teacher 14 - So Far Away 15 - One Night of Passion 16 - The Word 17 - The Prize 18 - Road to Paradise Most of the tracks on this collection feel very prog-rock with their soft tones and heavy keyboard presence on most tracks but are Magnum really just a rock band carrying many influences from Jethro Tull to Queen through to Genesis. The opening track begins with acoustic guitar before a flute kicks in followed by some harmonics provided by Clarkin and then the song begins in earnest. 'Kingdom of Madness' was the bands first single release and is a typical rock track from the seventies which could quite happily sit amongst Queen's second LP 'Queen II' and not feel out of place. The vocals flit between high and low and the odd sound effect really add to this pieces... Read review

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