Track Listing

1. Soldier Of The Line
2. On The Edge Of The World
3. Spirit
4. Sacred Hour
5. Walking The Straight Line
6. We All Play The Games
7. Teacher
8. Lights Burned Out
9. Back To Earth
10. Hold Back Your Love
11. Soldier Of The Line (2)
12. Sacred Hour (2)
13. Long Days Black Nights

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146989 in Music
• Released on: 1999-08-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks

Customer Reviews

magnum's opus...
i have been a fan of magnum since i saw them live during the period "chase the dragon" was released. recorded at the town house studio, london, i was very impressed with "the spirit" and indeed the entire album, and the cover art by rodney matthews. at the time the NWOBHM scene was in full flow though i never considered magnum of that ilk, i thought of them then and now as having prog leanings, the critics labelled them "pomp rock". i have always highly regarded "chase the dragon" and considered it magnum's "opus" (sorry i couldn't resist that!) . the first track on side one (this review is based on original vinyl lp) "soldier of the line" comes in after some creepy atmospheric sound effects and power chords, military style marching drum beats and many changes of tempo here. "on the edge of the world" drifts in, "eloy" style synthesisers introduce the song, "and you'r still dreaming all your precious time away" ..wish i'd taken their advice! some nice keyboard and guitar intejections here. my favourite track on the album, "the spirit" with its acoustic guitar intro comes crashing in, like i said this was brilliant live and the studio version doesn't disappoint. the sound quality on this album is very good, the drums have plenty of punch and nothing is too over exagerrated or piercing. another favourite of mine, " sacred hour" has a sweeping piano/synthesiser intro, some great drumming and powerful guitar, on par with "the spirit". on side two "walking the straight line" kicks in with plodding beat and some nice guitar riffing , then follows on with "We All Play The Game", boogie-style " The Teacher", and " The Lights Burned Out". all these are excellent songs but not quite as oustanding as the tracks on side one. nevertheless a stunning album and a recommended addition to any prog collection.

Another American Waterloo
It's like a magic place ... America ... to European bands who desperatelywant to cross the Atlantic and be "Big in the US". Many of which end upbetween USA and Europe - not beeing able to meet American demand andloosing its European audience in the process. It could happen to anyambitious band - and it certainly happened to Magnum.
A long way downthe line Magnum remained af fairytale ... fighting tough opposition,risking their own necks (financing "On a Storytellers Night" themselveswhen nobody else dared). But in the end their ambition to break Americabrought them to a halt just when they were getting really big inEurope.
Its not that they stopped making good music after"Storyteller", but the spark got lost and they became "nothing out of theordinary" trying to please some insignificant Californian DJ.
Oppinions differ on which record is their best - I guess most afficionadoschoose "Storyteller". I disagree. Not that "Storyteller" is bad. Not atall. But to my mind there are all too many fillers between thegems.
"Chase the Dragon" is a much more consistent yet versatile albumcontaining very few (if any) fillers (I'm speaking of the original 8tracks) and two absolut classics - "Soldier of the Line" and "The Spirit"- the latter being their best track ever. If you want to know thestrongest side to Magnum - this is where to dig in - then if you like whatyou hear, buy "Storyteller" and "Magnum II". And if you want to know howit sound breaking over America - listen to "Goodnight LA". In between youmight want to listen to "Vigilante" containing quite af few strong songsaswell.
Tony Clarkin is a highly underrated songwriter - most notableon his intense peacesongs - "Les Morts Dansant" has in fact been coveredby one or two bands - but that is about it. As a player he does play theodd solo - but its his imaginative patterns that trademarks Magnum - nothis soloing.
Bob Catley is a strong voice and the traditional backing of drums, bassand keyboards is also way above average.
Anyway - this is where youshould start - because this stems from a time when Magnum was purelyEuropean (sorry - British :o) and they never got any better than this.
There you are - four stars because you can't give four and a half and fivein my book is reserved for truly important groundbreaking records - whichthis - in spite of all its high quality - is not.

Unjustly under-rated
If anybody has ever heard comedian Bill Bailey's inspired mickey-takes of prog rock, then you'll know what I mean when I say that he might well have been inspired by this album. Magnum were never prog in the stadium-shaking vein of Yes or Pink Floyd; in fact, their music has more of the angsty whimsy of early Hawkwind or Sabbath, but with a folkiness that wouldn't sound out of place next to the more grandiose moments from Fairport Convention or the Albion Band. This album is Magnum at their most whimsically, quintessentially English. Picking a favourite track from an album that has no duds is difficult; the strong, catchy melodies of "We All Play the Game" and "At the Edge of the World" are a glimmer of the sound that would make a brave attempt at taking on the world in later albums, "Soldier of the Line" is a magnificent protest song whose sentiments echo true 20 years on, and "Sacred Hour" is glorious, overblown nonsense that would give Yes a good run for their money. No white pigs riding to the edge of Lapland (to quote Mr. Bailey), but quite possibly the next best thing. A sound much missed, from some of the best people in rock.