Magnum

This is a must have for any NMH fan. It's a live set that pre-dates the release of "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by a good bit. The entire set if Jeff Mangum and an acoustic guitar. The sound isn't always great and a lot of background noise is present. As far as I'm concerned, this only helps create the atmosphere in which Mangum created his best stuff. At points it's almost painfully intimate. I'm sorry I never saw him when he was performing and this live album only fuels my disappointment because it really is great.

I loved Aeroplane Over the Sea and some of Avery Island, but this album is just great. Just his voice, a guitar, and some background sounds. Great Phil Spector song. I wish there was more Neutral Milk Hotel out there.

If you told me Jeff Mangum would be playing again for a few friends at a coffee house in Athens, Georgia: I would leave before you finished telling me. I would pay just about whatever price it took to get there. I would ride forty hours on a bus. I would drive through two nights. I would take rides from truckers who listen to nothing but Neil Diamond.

And I would do it just to hear Jeff perform again.

You see, by the time I first tuned in, the Jeff-Mangum-Neutral-Milk-Hotel-Elephant-Six train had left the station. By then, all chances of seeing Jeff and NMH perform live had long since dried up. This is why "Live at Jittery Joe's" is such a gift.

"Live at Jittery Joe's" offers a glimpse of an artist on the brink. Jeff is about to paint his masterpiece. He will record "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" within the next year or so of this performance. The fascination of "Live at Jittery Joe's" is hearing that all the elements are there--waiting for Jeff (and NMH and Robert Schneider) to bring them together.

There is a haunting beauty and an emotional ache about "Live at Jittery Joe's." At no moment is it deeper than when Jeff sings Phil Spector's "I Love How You Love Me." We ache because we know the end of the story; NMH records "Aeroplane," tours, tours some more, and then Jeff falls of the map. Perhaps for good.

For me, the most poignant moments come in watching the Quicktime video of the evening (included with the CD). In some measure, Jeff's music is about childhood, innocence and the loss of that innocence. During the video, Jeff fades into the darkness and the camera follows a two-year-old girl, playing in the background. Her image matches and intensifies the effect of the music.

Realistically, this shouldn't be your introduction to Jeff's music. Buy "Aeroplane" first. Digest it some. Buy "On Avery Island." Then you will be ready for "Live at Jittery Joe's."

What's your idea of a song? Personally, I do want good musicianship; I don't want to hear a garage band who can't keep time try to play songs that were awful in the first place. But more importantly, I look for good lyrics. I think what makes good lyrics is whether they can stand on their own, basically as poetry. A song should be the extended form of poetry.

Having said that, I have read a few reviews, on Amazon and other places, where the writers criticize Mangum's lyrics because they don't get them, or because fan they have spoken to don't understand them, and thus, by logical reasoning, they must be completely nonsensical ravings of a "pretentious" artist. But does misunderstanding mean a song, or a poem, is not any good? I would guess that the majority of people do not understand The Wasteland, but still it is considered to be the 20th century's greatest English language poem. Who has labeled it in this manner? Scholars who have studied poetry a lot more than me.

If literature is not understood the first time it is read (heard), or even the second or third, and is thus labeled as garbage, we might not have The Wasteland, or Ulysses, or Gravity's Rainbow, or hundreds of other works that actually take time and brain power to understand. Although I understand that most popular music today is made for people who have developed incredibly short attention spans and have the incessant need for immediate payoff and understanding, it doesn't mean that all music has to be made this way, nor does it mean that if someone does not follow this formula it immediately forces the work into the category of uselessness or gibberish. So, if you hate Mangum's work because you don't understand it, I can understand that, as you've been accustomed to being treated as a nonthinking fool by so much music, but I still don't believe it to be valid reasoning.

And I've heard complaints of the recording quality. Well, this is a LIVE recording. It was not recorded in a studio. Live recordings are never as good as studio recordings (well...hardly ever). If you expect perfect sound quality from music and cannot stand anything less, don't get this cd. However, if you trade or dabble in live bootlegs, or even go to shows, it is an average, perhaps a little above average recording. Yes, you can hear the crowd, and yes there is a baby in the crowd. Big deal. That is what live means.

Personally, I think Jeff Mangum is great, but I will agree that his stuff is not for everyone. He writes beautiful songs and performs them like no one else could, but you have to be a certain kind of person to enjoy it. I guess it all depends on what you want out of your music, if you just want a good beat and something to sing along to...then maybe you should turn on TRL and catch today's countdown of the top ten most unartistic and uninspired songs around. However, if you like music that's artistic, sometimes challenging, always honest about the human condition, and don't mind it coming out of the mouth of scratchy throat poet who will never be a pop star, then you might find much to enjoy in Jeff Mangum/Neutral Milk Hotel.

Now about this album, it's many of the Neutral Milk Hotel songs we know and love, but played acoustic, in a small venue (a coffee house I would assume). The atmosphere of this album is fantastic, there's background noise: a kid crying, a handfull of people paying very close attention to what he's doing, and other people who don't seem to realize they are in the presence of indie music royalty. It's almost sad at times to imagine the people walking in and out of the coffee house while he's playing, like it's any other day, and not stopping to listen for a while. These are the people that are getting their coffee and go home and turn on TRL, but they're not important here anyway, the important thing is the music, and it works really well in this setting. Anyone who enjoyed the other neutral milk hotel albums will enjoy this one. Plus there's a video file you can watch on your computer that is basically a video of the whole show. It's a pretty low quality video, but it's a very nice bonus nonetheless.

I have to agree with the other reviewer here that this is one of those unfounded bands that are excellent. I actually have the original album release of this and loved it. This album was one of those that I had that I've been waiting to come out on CD. Its just taken 21 years for it to get there (figuring that CDs became more mainstream around 1985)

This is definitely a classic to own and enjoy. I know I will!

I just LOVE this CD!!! I wish I had found this band when this album came out in 1982. I think that it probably would have been on my constant playlist since then. I have been a MAJOR fan of this band for about the last 5-6 years. Better late than never! I wish that they had broken through BIG in the US back in the 80's. They really should have. This package with bonus tracks is AMAZING!!! It actually is a single disc with 16 tracks-not 2 discs like the listing says. I absolutely ADORE this set.It is definitely ranked as one of my favorite Magnum cd's, Along with On A Storyteller's Night!(See my review for this album.)Bob Catley's voice is so captivating. I just love his voice, the range of emotion that he can capture is beyond compare. (He can sing anything and make it sound good!!) One inspiring example is the Original version of The Lights Burned Out. This is a more acoustic sounding version that the one that actually ended up on the album. So is Sacred Hour, which is a song about the feeling between the audience and band during the concert performances. Tony Clarkin is a fantastic songwriter. The two of them together make an incredible team. This is the first album of Magnum's to feature AWESOME keyboardist Mark Stanway, who is one of the best hard rock keyboardists ever!!! (The only other ones that come to mind are Don Airey-from Rainbow and currently Deep Purple, And the legendary Jon Lord-Deep Purple and Whitesnake.) I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Medieval/Renaissance inspired solo in The Spirit. This is one of my all-time favorite Magnum songs, especially because of Mark's solo here. As well as the extended intro to Sacred Hour which really shows Mr. Stanway's amazing talent.(He was 25 or 26 when this album was recorded.) I love that they included Back To Earth and Hold Back Your Love which were originally released as a single. These are all awesome songs!! It is fun to compare the studio and live versions of Sacred Hour, The Spirit, and Soldier Of The Line. (As well as the Acoustic version of Soldier Of The Line which was originally released on the Keeping The Nite Light Burning cd.) I highly recommend this album to all fans of Classic Rock.

I really love this CD. Magnum covers george-clinton/Zappa-like funk (Natrual Juices) and more convential soul. They also do several instrumental jams here that hold up with some of the best, less-indulgent jazz fusion of the 70s.

None of this seems forced. The different styles of music sit together very organnically on the album, and the playing is excellent. Magnum were a pretty ambitous band to try all this on one record, and they pull it off.

For fans of groups like Rasputin Stash, Funk. Inc., Black Heat, Mandrill and whatnot, this album is right up your alley. A sampling DJ's best wet dream, the album features horn driven '70s black rock, wet bottom heavy basslines and a tight rhythm section. - - a popular music review web site that I respect very highly (since they gave my own CD four stars) remarked that they were a very good group but not quite up to par with other funk ventures of the time (like Earth Wind and Fire and Sly Stone.) - - I disagree... In all fairness, I think when you listen to many of those legendary bands, you have to realize that as great as they are, your ears have been biased by years and years of hearing the music over and over again and the memories that comes with it (plus once a group has one mega hit... trust me, they get to record in better studies and get much better pre and post production.) - - In all honesty, a few weeks ago I heard Magnum for the first time and I have to say while their music didn't have the advantage of "bringing back warm memories", I liked the music enough to have been listening to it over and over again... so I'm sure in time this album will fall into that category... this album offers variety of a Jazzed out Frank Zappa meets Miles Davis soul Jam, to the sheer rockin' funkiness of It's The Music That Makes You Do It and fingerpopping blaxploitation groove of Funky Junky.. there are also plenty of production surprizes and kicks thrown in to make this album a rare treat and great listen straight through. - - Yes, maybe I wouldn't trade all the Tower of Power albums in my collection to get my hands on this if I had to, but trust me... this is must have for any serious '70s "free soul" fanatic !

This is a great album! Its soulful, funky and just the bomb! I think that this album has been overlooked in the 70's. I've heard this music from Magnum live all my life. Why? Because I'm the daughter of "Kornbread." One of the key bandmates of this band. This record didn't get much publicity because of the shady side of the music industry. I am so glad that this album is being released again on Amazon. This band is more than just a rock legend, this is my family. And just for the record, this is a "West Coast" band that originated and still is in San Pedro, CA.

Revolver is not the right title. Fully loaded is the correct one- you need to change it on the screen. This is the one of the best funk album in demand the most for the funk recods collectors world wide. Not only because of it's rarety but their unique style of the East Coast Jazz funk quality that could be compitaible with the Early days of the Kool & the Gang ( 1969-1975) who is considered as a symbol of # 1 East coat funk band. The Mannum band has ever released only this album and even they never had a commercial success after 25years later, people start to recognize them as a hidden jewel in the moods of the 70's funk trend comming back. Their tight bass with the Horn session plus the sophisticated grooves will bring the laid- back funk relief feel to you not like you're on the dance floor. A many thanks to Jamie records for reintroducing this historical valuable recording to the public.

Este es uno de esos discos que se quedan en tu memoria desde la primera vez que lo escuchas, y para muchos es el mejor álbum de toda la carrera de este grupo (en lo personal su "Wings of Heaven" de 1988 es para mí su punto máximo), y apenas después se encuentra esta maravilla, que para ser honestos, es la obra que me hizo conocerlos y desde entonces uno de mis grupos favoritos de todos los tiempos, con la elegancia de las composiciones del guitarrista Tony Clarkin y la voz única de Bob Catley, se forma la esencia de su sonido, melodía y buenas canciones van llegando desde el inicio de "How Far Jerusalem" y en seguida la joya del disco "Just Like an Arrow", seguida por el tema titulo y al pasar de los temas te encuentras con un conjunto de canciones excelentes en su totalidad, donde también destacan "Two Hearts" y "The Last Dance", para terminar "Magnum" es uno de los mejores grupos británicos de los últimos 30 años y que siempre han impuesto la calidad de su música por encima a las tendencias, y siempre conservando ese toque elegante que les caracteriza. Felicidades a estos genios que cumplen 30 años de estar grabando discos memorables. Gracias Magnum!

As much as I love Magnum's 1983 album The Eleventh Hour, their 1985 follow up On a Storyteller's Night is even better. It is, in fact, their strongest overall album and the one release that best represents what the Magnum sound is all about. That sound, which is typically described as "pomp rock" has elements of Deep Purple and Rainbow to Uriah Heep and Genesis, as well as arena rock bands like Styx, Boston, and REO Speedwagon. Magnum's music is dramatic and bombastic, and highly melodic as well.

On a Storyteller's Night is not only a perfect example of Magnum's sound, it's also an example of what was possible in an era when the lines between rock, metal, and AOR weren't as defined as they are today. The album is heavy to the point of metallic at times, shifting abruptly to melancholy ballads and then to a keyboard-driven arena rock anthem and back again.

I'd recommend this album to just about anyone who enjoys classic rock. Magnum is a tragically overlooked band, and once you hear them, you're hooked. On a Storyteller's Night is a great album to start with, as it really represents what Magnum was all about. There really isn't a weak moment on the entire album, but songs like Les Morts Dansant, All England's Eyes, the title track and especially Just Like an Arrow are among the band's absolute best material.

NOTE: Castle/Sanctuary reissued On a Storyteller's Night in 1999 and gave it a much needed digital remastering as well as adding a 25-minute audio interview with Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley.

The single from this album - "Just Like An Arrow" - brought me into Magnum's world. And what a world ! Storytellers is a fantastic album, both the sound and Rodney Matthews' artwork. More complete than perhaps any other that they've recorded though I would rate "Sleepwalking" and "Rock Art" as both at least 4 stars... Bob Catley's voice and Tony Clarkin's words create an incredible imagery in your mind - I challenge anyone to listen to "Les Morts Dansants" and not picture the soldier shot by his comrades - "paper square to his heart pinned tight..." I've been lucky enough to have seen them live at their peak - once at Birmingham Odeon and a couple of times at Birmingham NEC. For a band that was so relatively unsuccessful in sales terms to fill a venue like the NEC was amazing. They're still around, having reformed 3 or so years ago, releasing albums and touring. Go and see them if you get the chance...

When the history of British Rock is written, it will be seen as criminal if this album (and indeed "Vigilante" and "Wings of Heaven" that followed it) is excluded from such a list. Magnum have always had the ability to evoke powerful images and emotions through the joint efforts of the band's superb musicianship, Tony Clarkin's exquisite lyrics and Bob Catley's heartfelt singing. He is seen more as a storyteller than a straight vocalist, as his voice perfectly captures the mood and emotion that each song asks of him. Epic songs "How Far Jerusalem?", On A Storyteller's Night" and the excellent "Les Morts Dansant" sit alongside pop-rock number such as "Two Hearts", "Just Like An Arrow" and the under-rated "Steal Your Heart". Coupled with the gorgeous piano-ballad "The Last Dance", this is an album who's delights are savoured time and time again with each new playing. Also, the album cover by Rodney Matthews is superb too.

I have followed Magnum for 17 years and have bought all their album. I would vote this their second best after Vigilante, that I must say was excellent. They are a band that should have been more popular, due to their lyrics and music, but hey atleast we appreciated them.
I have met Bob and Tony, and you can't have met nicer guys, I am proud to be a fan and will continue to support them.

I love Magnum, but I can't summon a lot of enthusiasm for their 1986 album Vigilante. Coming on the heels of the more epic and majestic On a Storyteller's Night and The Eleventh Hour, the radio-friendly Vigilante just leaves me a bit cold. There were lighter, pop-influenced songs on both previous Magnum albums, but they were the exception, not the rule. Vigilante is a lighter, pure AOR album from start to finish. Perhaps this is due to record company expectations (Vigilante was the band's first album on Polydor) or the influence of Queen's Roger Taylor as producer. Whatever the reason, Vigilante just strikes me as a major departure from the "true" Magnum sound. The songs here are decent enough, but I can't help but miss the more epic rock songs that the band does so well. And was anyone supposed to take that cover image seriously after On a Storyteller's Night's powerful magnificent art?

I may not love the album, but I am surprised that it hasn't been reissued. The only version on CD I've been able to locate is a Japanese import, and the sound quality is not terribly impressive, especially compared to the remastered Magnum albums Castle/Sanctuary has released in recent years. Hopefully a cleaned-up version will be released at some point.

Magnum's "Vigilante" is their most commercial sounding album, and it might as well be their finest effort ever. Some would say it's time typical and some will say that it has little in common with the early Magnum. Well, that might be the case but the fact is that this album is very good - strong material, well performed and well produced. Magnum deliver quality rock with a lot of melody from the start to the end. You get rockers as well as ballads, and Magnum have not included a single filler on this solid album. Highly recommended!

I first heard this album in basic training for the British Army in late 1986, a recruit friend playing this on his tape recorder while doing laundry. I'd never heard of Magnum and thought they were a new group, my friend soon filled me in on what I'd missed.

Now while I like some of the early stuff (Just Like An Arrow & How Far Jerusalem amongst the few), this album is the definitive Magnum album for me. Produced by Roger Taylor of Queen, this album shows the group in true radio-friendly rock mode and the influence of Taylor is clear when you listen to other material. A lot of rock purists are not so hot on this style, but it's the only way I listen to rock so I'm happy. There's not a duff track on this album, even though Magnum didn't get their commercial breakthrough until the follow-up single Start Talking Love a few years later (before sadly fading away again).

Best tracks : Need A Lot Of Love, Midnight (You Won't Be Sleeping), When The World Comes Down & Back Street Kid, although the rest are not far behind. Although it's very much an album of it's time, it is still a big player in my house.

Well I am.... I have to say in all honesty.... A true Magnum fan, In the past I followed them all the way to see them perform live and at there very best, which was in my own personal opinion...All the time ! Vigilante is certainly one of Magnum`s finest example`s of good solid heavy rock on any one given Cd ! "Need a lot of Love" is one of there finest along with "Vigilante" of coarse ! And there is also track`s like "Lonely Night" and "Midnight" on there too ! I personally have all Magnum`s Cd`s as I`m so into there genre of music and culture ! I Simply could`nt be without ! But if you like a bit of Live in concert Magnum then i recomend that You get you`re hand`s on Magnum`s "Live" cd !

I have to say that I'm terribly biased towards Magnum and I make no apology for that but this is surely one of the truly great albums and must rank alongside Bryan Adams' Reckless, Mac's Rumours and the like. From the haunting 'Need a Lotta Love' to the powerful title track and the sublime 'Midnight', this album has the lot. If ever a track was a 'headphones on, volume up and wallow', Midnight is it. 'Midnight' is remixed on Chapter & Verse but was produced by John Taylor ( Queen ) and you can tell - the drumming's up and kills the sax. Forget the 'best of' compilation albums - if you're going to get one Magnum album, get this. I bought this in '86 and even today, it still has pride of place in a CD collection of over 750. Get this and you can keep your lottery ticket in it - you'll always know where it is.

1988's Wings of Heaven is the eighth studio album from long running British pomp rock/AOR band Magnum, and is one of my favorite Magnum releases overall (and that's saying something!). I was less than thrilled with 1986's Vigilante, but the band rebounded in a big way on this album, their best-selling release.

Wings of Heaven gets off to a great start with the keyboard-drenched rocker "Days of No Trust" and the bombastic "Wild Swan" before moving onto more conventional AOR love songs like "One Step Away" and "It Must Have Been Love". Even when Magnum is sticking close to the radio-friendly conventional AOR sound, they still seem like they're operating on a whole other plateau. I think that has a lot to do with Bob Catley's ethereal vocals. Between his vocals and the band's majestic instrumentals, Magnum has a sense of magic and grandeur that the average arena rock band would be hard-pressed to match, and I say that as a major arena rock fan. The album closes on a high note, first with the stirring "Pray for the Day" and finally the epic 10-minute closer "Don't Wake the Lion (Too Old To Die Young)". If I have any complaint at all with this album, it's that it is just too short. I feel like I could listen to music like this forever.

A fantastic album from start to glorious finish, Wings of Heaven is a must-have album for Magnum fans as well as fans of high quality 80's AOR and melodic rock. They really don't make `em like this anymore.

NOTE: As surprising as it seems, Wings of Heaven is still in print. On one hand that's a good thing, but at the same time I'd love to see a nice reissue with remastered sound and the various b-sides from the album's singles included as bonus tracks.

Lanzado en el año 1988, "Wings of Heaven", es el mejor álbum del grupo inglés Magnum, justo cuando estaban en lo más alto de su carrera, después del éxito del álbum "Vigilante", deciden cambiar de nuevo al productor, y se van a grabar a Holanda con Albert Boekholt, y abren el disco con la excelente "Days of No Trust", seguida por "Wild Swan" un tema épico en sus conciertos y el sencillo "Start Talking Love", que prueban la diversidad de los temas, siguiendo una línea progresiva llega "One Step Away" en donde destacan los teclados de Mark Stanway y la balada "It Must Have Been Love", cierran el disco con tres temas de diversa manufactura pero igual excelentes "Different Worlds", "Pray for the Day" y la épica y extensa "Don't Wake the Lion", (una de sus mejores canciones de toda su carrera), este es un disco que te deja con ganas de escuchar más y que deja abierta la posibilidad de editarlo algún día con el bonus track "Maybe Tonight", que es una gran canción con todo el potencial para ser un sencillo, ya que los otros dos bonus tracks sí se pueden encontrar en la recopilación "Chapter & Verse" de 1993 ("Crying Time" y "Ces't La Vie").
Uno de los más gratificantes discos que puedas escuchar y que tiene un lugar especial en mi colección, "Más que recomendable".

From the bombastic first chords of "Days Of No Trust" to the majestic power of "Don't Wake The Lion" this is arguably Magnum's finest work, and certainly their most commercially successful. From fine atmospheric songs like the aforementioned "Don't Wake The Lion" and the beautiful and stirring "Wild Swan" to the pop-rock of "Start Talking Love" to the moving ballad "It Must Have Been Love", Magnum prove here why they are so well loved by their fans and so well respected by and reputable musician and journalist.

In finding that fine line between commercial and individual that had so far eluded them, Magnum hit it spot on with this album. Every song is a winner and nothing can stand out in terms of quality but "Don't Wake The Lion", a 10-minute anti-war anthem of the very finest vies as a true classic song of the 80's. If I have one gripe, it is that the three bonus tracks ("Maybe Tonight", "C'est La Vie" and "Crying Time") haven't been released with the album recently on any re-release as with these killer tracks included, this album would actually score more than a mere five out of five.