Valentyne Suite

Valentyne Suite was the second album released by the band Colosseum. It was Vertigo Records' first album release, and reached number 15 in the UK Albums Chart in 1969.[1]

Valentyne Suite
Studio album by
Colosseum
Released7 November 1969
RecordedSpring and Summer 1969
GenrePsychedelic rock, progressive rock, jazz rock
Length34:46
LabelVertigo (UK)
ProducerTony Reeves and Gerry Bron
Colosseum chronology
Those Who Are About to Die Salute You
(1969)		 Valentyne Suite
(1969)		 The Grass Is Greener
(1970)

Though the song "The Kettle" is officially listed as having been written by Dick Heckstall-Smith and Jon Hiseman, a credit which is confirmed by Hiseman's liner notes for the album, bassist and producer Tony Reeves later claimed that it was written by guitarist and vocalist James Litherland.[2]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [3]

Allmusic derided the first three tracks, referring to "The Kettle" and "Butty's Blues" as, "tarted-up 12-bar blues", and claiming that "Elegy" was beyond James Litherland's abilities as a vocalist. They were more approving of the rest of the album, and described Dave Greenslade's solo on "The Valentyne Suite" as, "something to offer a challenge to vintage Keith Emerson, but with swing." They were critical of Litherland and Reeves's playing on the song, however, and concluded, "In retrospect this might not quite the classic it seemed at the time, but it remains listenable..."[3]

Track listing
  1. "The Kettle" (Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jon Hiseman) – 4:28
  2. "Elegy" (James Litherland) – 3:14
  3. "Butty's Blues" (Litherland) – 6:46
  4. "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice" (Litherland, Heckstall-Smith, Pete Brown, Hiseman) – 3:53
  5. "Valentyne Suite Theme One: January's Search" (Dave Greenslade) – 6:25
  6. "Valentyne Suite Theme Two: February's Valentyne" (Greenslade) – 3:33
  7. "Valentyne Suite Theme Three: The Grass is Always Greener" (Heckstall-Smith, Hiseman) – 6:55

Valentyne Suite was originally written with "Beware the Ides of March" as the final movement, but since "Beware the Ides of March" had already been released in the UK on Those Who Are About to Die Salute You, "The Grass is Always Greener" was substituted for the final movement in the UK release. Compact Disc issues of the suite follow the track listing of the UK release.

Personnel

Colosseum

Guest musicians
  • Neil Ardley – conductor on "Butty's Blues", string arrangement on "Elegy"

References
  1. Colosseum chart history, The Official Charts. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  2. July 2003. Interview with Tony Reeves, Let it Rock.
  3. Valentyne Suite at AllMusic
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