Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Magnum
Label: Polydor Records
Release: 1991
Length: 75:45
Rating: 4/5
By the time the cult English melodic art rockers Magnum put out their third live album, »The Spirit«, their commercial star had already started to fade, not that you’d catch even a whiff of it on this excellent recording, because the band is practically bursting with unbridled live energy. This was the stretch when the golden era of melodic rock and ‘hair’ metal was already sliding into decline, and Magnum were in the middle of touring behind »Goodnight L.A.« (1990). With its distinctly ‘American’ stylistic approach, general lack of inspiration and sterile production, that album left cold both the radio-station people who were supposed to engineer the commercial breakthrough across the Atlantic and most of the fans, who were pretty let down by the new direction of their darlings. Sales of »Goodnight L.A.« were catastrophic and the big plan to conquer the American market went down the drain, but luckily Magnum picked themselves up again and went on to make plenty more great music.
»The Spirit«, their last effort for »Polydor« before Magnum, furious over the lousy promotion, tore up their contract, captures almost the complete set list from that time, so it’s no surprise there are quite a few numbers from »Goodnight L.A.« on it, like »Mama«, »Reckless Man« and »Rockin’ Chair«, the latter with a songwriting stamp from the legendary Russ Ballard. All three of them arguably come off better live than in their original studio versions. Thankfully, as you’d expect, the Magnum classics from other albums still dominate, so as a whole »The Spirit«, which was originally supposed to come out as a double album, is one of their better live documents, one that lets any fan of these art rock legends reach a state of ‘inner fulfillment’ even today. Plenty of people will grumble that there isn’t a single track from »The Eleventh Hour« (1983) on the list, while the only representative of the early days, meaning the first two albums, is the indispensable fantasy epic »Kingdom Of Madness«, which always reminds you of their more prog-flavored beginnings.
After a short orchestral overture that sounds less like the arrival of Britain’s melodic rock champions and more like the start of Santa’s journey, Magnum come out swinging with the energetic catalyst and unforgettable AOR rouser »Vigilante«, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better evergreen to open with. That’s followed by an equally convincing version of their unforgettable hit »Days Of No Trust«, which brings back the romantic days when it seemed that »Wings Of Heaven« (1987) would make them a stadium band for all eternity, though the ‘fairy tale’ of that brief brush with worldwide fame was over for good by the end of the eighties. The band is at the peak of its powers throughout the recording, which comes across beautifully on the phenomenal take on the unforgettable power ballad »Need A Lot Of Love«, where Bob Catley, with his deeply soulful vocal performance, once again proves himself one of the best singers on the British art/melodic rock scene. Guitarist Tony Clarkin is the core source of melodic yet fiery guitar lines, while the symphonic, often pompous arrangements courtesy of Mark Stanway are a real treat at every turn for any music gourmet.
Catley’s slightly unnecessary pep talk to the already very loud crowd before the superb rendition of »Pray For the Day«, another »Wings Of Heaven« classic, does nothing to spoil the incredibly ‘live’ energy running through the whole of »The Spirit«. If anything, it works as a fitting warm-up for the concert highlights, such as the classics from »On the Storyteller’s Night« (1985): »Les Morts Dansant«, »How Far Jerusalem« and the title track of their most acclaimed studio masterpiece. The latter surprises with a slightly comical, improvised intro in which a little girl says how much she loves listening to fairy tales. The title track of this live document, »The Spirit«, acoustic intro and all, comes off as a faithful successor to the studio original, while the epic »Sacred Hour«, also from »Chase the Dragon« (1982), doesn’t quite reach the depth of the original, since Stanway doesn’t repeat the original brilliance in his synth improvisations, but it’s still a very good approximation, and it’s where the live energy hits its peak. The rousing anthem »When The World Comes Down«, which carries the creative influence of Queen drummer Roger Taylor, producer of the album »Vigilante«, isn’t exactly the most thoughtful choice to close the recording, since they could have picked one of the stronger numbers for the big finale, but clearly they wanted something the crowd could actively sing along to.
»The Spirit« is one of the better live documents in Magnum’s history so far, even though it was recorded during a rough patch, when it was already clear that the band’s biggest commercial successes were gone for good. Plenty of people will miss longtime classics on »The Spirit« like »Soldier On the Line«, »The Prize«, »Just Like An Arrow«, »Two Hearts«, »Wild Swan«, »Start Talking Love« and »The Last Dance«, but they’ll forget that this is ‘just’ a single album, and in that case Magnum picked an excellent set list that clearly reflects where they stood at the time, both creatively and commercially.
Line-up
Bob Catley – vocals
Tony Clarkin – guitar
Wally Lowe – bass
Mark Stanway – keyboards
Mickey Barker – drums
Production
John Halke and Magnum
Track list
1. Introduction (1:53)
2. Vigilante (5:37)
3. Days Of No Trust (4:26)
4. Mama (4:31)
5. Need A Lot Of Love (4:50)
6. Pray For The Day (4:30)
7. Les Morts Dansants (5:01)
8. Reckless Man (3:04)
9. How Far Jerusalem (8:16)
10. The Spirit (5:01)
11. On A Storyteller’s Night (6:19)
12. Rockin’ Chair (4:29)
13. Kingdom Of Madness (4:54)
14. Sacred Hour (5:13)
15. When The World Comes Down (5:37)
