Magnum - Wings Of Heaven Live

2007 live set flies away on the Wings Of Heaven

Following the seminal 1985 set, On A Story Teller’s Night, performances the band signed to Polydor for what was their most commercially successful, yet most underrated period.

This live album, recorded at the tail end of 2007, saw the band play the Wings Of Heaven album in full. The original 1988 set went Top 5 and spawned three hit singles – no mean feat for a melodic prog/pomp outfit from Birmingham.

The first disc opens with When We Were Younger and Back Street Kid, both going down well. Mixing tracks new and old, from Kingdom Of Madness to some from the latest Princess Alice & The Broken Arrow opus, cuts such as All England’s Eyes and How Far Jerusalem. Vocalist Bob Catley’s voice and audience rapport is so good, you can almost hear him weaving his magic. Tony Clarkin’s guitar is superb, and often heavier than on previous live outings.

Disc Two gives us Wings Of Heaven. Mark Stanway’s piano is prominent on Days Of No Trust, really making you wonder why Magnum haven’t played more of this era’s material in recent years. On this strength, hopefully both the band Polydor will value the strength of this material more.

SPV | tbc

Reviewed by Joe Geesin
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