Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Magnum
Label: Polydor Records
Released: 1986
Rating: 4.5/5
On “Vigilante”, their sixth studio album, Magnum successfully built on the huge success of the unforgettable masterpiece “On A Storyteller’s Night” (1985), which earned them worldwide fame as champions of melodic rock spiced with mysticism. Fittingly, they went on to commercialize their sound toward almost pure AOR, which, for a band born to one day conquer the airwaves of the whole wide world, was hardly a bad direction. That meant “Vigilante” radiates even more synth textures, shorter songs and fewer moments for experimenting, but also an even keener ear for the melodic polish of each individual arrangement. “Vigilante” is nowhere near as epic as its mighty predecessor, which is basically the “perfect” Magnum album, but its main strengths lie elsewhere.
Compared to most of the popular AOR acts of the day, Magnum still held on to an enviable feel for grand symphonic arrangements and dramatic instrumental passages, proving they never fully turned their backs on their prog rock roots. “Vigilante” also has no shortage of that mystical atmosphere so typical of the band. One of the key moves in shaping the sound of “Vigilante” was bringing in Queen’s legendary drummer Roger Taylor and David Richards to handle production. Taylor’s production work, and by the way he also sang backing vocals on two tracks, brought their sound noticeably close to that of Queen at the time.
Accordingly, the keyboards were pushed much further to the front of the mix relative to the guitar. Even so, Tony Clarkin was anything but laid-back, dishing out his trademark riffing with energy and inspired solos. His guitar keeps a perfect balance throughout between heavy rock juiciness and the arena rock pomp of keyboardist Mark Stanway’s symphonic textures. And in the middle of it all, as always, is the indispensable voice of Bob Catley, a singer of out-of-the-ordinary caliber who never stops impressing with his energetic performances. When it comes to interpreting mystical tales, the only serious competition he’s ever had is Ronnie James Dio (ex-Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio). Clarkin’s lyrics, by the way, shift noticeably here in favor of confessional love stories, which for the first time take priority over mystical fables and pacifist messages. And let’s not forget that Mickey Barker became Magnum’s new drummer around this time, replacing Jim Simpson. Barker became a longtime member of the band and kept thrilling Magnum fans for quite a few more years with his hard-hitting, uncompromising style.
Walking through the individual songs, we find all kinds of AOR gems and plenty of Magnum classics that still never cease to thrill with their catchy choruses and majestic melodic arrangements. The opening “Lonely Night”, the album’s first single, is one of those AOR classics that sends the listener straight back to the ’80s with magical power. With its romantic chorus and elegant arrangements, it’s almost a born hit. The magical power ballad “Need A Lot Of Love” is likewise still an essential part of their live shows today. Once you hear the refined mix of synth finesse, melodramatic guitar riffing and Catley’s exceptionally heartfelt vocal performance, it’s not hard to see why.
The excellent “Sometime Love” boasts a mighty anthemic chorus, witty synth patterns, Roger Taylor’s thrilling backing vocals and juicy guitar passages from Clarkin. On “Midnight (You Won’t Be Sleeping)”, the album’s second single, Clarkin once again shows off his love of acoustic guitar with pastoral chords in the intro, before making room for an epic chorus in the band’s best tradition. The saxophone, played by special guest Daniel Bourquin, is also a real treat, fitting wonderfully with the grand synth and guitar arrangements. “Red On The Highway”, a must for your car stereo, is a somewhat more uncompromising, heavy-rock-leaning piece with plenty of massive drum fills and electrified guitar riffs, marked above all by a seriously contagious anthemic chorus and superb solos from both lead instrumentalists. “Holy Rider” is practically a battle cry, with hard-hitting hard rock riffs, fine synth textures and furious vocal delivery that successfully shows off the tougher side of their sonic coin.
Next comes the rousing anthem “When The World Comes Down”, the album’s third single, where it’s more than obvious that Roger Taylor had a hand in its creation, since it sounds a lot like one of Queen’s legendary anthems. That goes for the synth patterns as well as for Taylor’s backing vocals in the rousing chorus. Taylor always loved this kind of socially rousing anthem, and he clearly had a great time contributing to this Magnum classic. The use of Andean pan flute sounds via synth samples is impressive too, adding a special mystical charm to the song.
The title track, “Vigilante”, a genuine AOR heavyweight, could easily be picked as the best piece on the album. After a relatively innocent intro comes a dramatic build-up of atmosphere through grand symphonic keyboard arrangements and juicy guitar riffing. The song’s greatest treasure, as with the vast majority of Magnum classics, is its excellent epic chorus, which enchants the listener with its melodic finesse and fills them with a huge dose of kinetic energy. After this melodic rock feast comes a dreamy finale with “Back Street Kid”, which embodies everything that makes Magnum such singular masters of melodic art rock – an outstanding vocal performance peaking in a dramatic chorus, fiery drum fills, juicy guitar riffing and majestic keyboard passages that take the listener on an unforgettable and unique journey.
It was hard, actually impossible, to follow up a masterpiece like “On A Storyteller’s Night” with yet another excellent album. But with “Vigilante”, Magnum still pulled off the glorious feat of creating another AOR classic, one that to this day makes the heart of even the most demanding fan of quality melodic rock skip a beat. Their remarkably refined feel for crafting catchy melodies through art rock instrumental sophistication opened yet another new chapter in the story of AOR music with this album. At the same time, they proved that “On A Storyteller’s Night” was nowhere near their creative peak and that they still had plenty in reserve to create timeless masterpieces. The groundwork was laid for the next album, “Wings Of Heaven” (1987), another unforgettable masterpiece, which takes second place in the Magnum discography in this category (“On A Storyteller’s Night” remains a thing unto itself), on which they would finally reach their creative and commercial peak. More than enough to earn “Vigilante” the title of one of the best AOR albums of all time.
Lineup
Bob Catley – vocals
Tony Clarkin – guitar
Wally Lowe – bass guitar
Mark Stanway – keyboards
Mickey Barker – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Roger Taylor (Queen) – backing vocals on 3 and 7
Daniel Bourquin – saxophone on 4
Production
Roger Taylor and David Richards
Track list
1. Lonely Night (3:48)
2. Need A Lot Of Love (4:37)
3. Sometime Love (4:27)
4. Midnight (You Won’t Be Sleeping) (4:08)
5. Red On The Highway (4:12)
6. Holy Rider (5:18)
7. When The World Comes Down (5:20)
8. Vigilante (5:30)
9. Back Street Kid (5:03)
Album length: 43:36
