#jon hiseman

Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand? Hey Joe, I said, where you going with that gun in your hand? I’m going down to shoot my old lady You know, I caught her messing around with a hair metal band Back in the 1970s I found Colosseum a tad bombastic. But as I learned more about the transition from psychedelia to progressive rock and the rhythm and blues foundations of the early UK…

Colosseum II: Wardance (1977)

When I first heard Colosseum II’s music, nestled within this obscure Gary Moore compilation, I didn’t know jazz fusion from nuclear fusion, or even fission!

All I knew was that one of my favorite heavy metal guitar heroes seemed to have a secret past and that his talents encompassed styles and sounds well beyond my limited, hard rock-centric teenage vantage point.

Now I finally have enough of a clue to tell you that Wardance, originally released in November 1977, was the third Colosseum II LP in just over eighteen months, and it simultaneously conveyed two messages about the band’s past, present and future ...

On the one hand, incredibly challenging, high-energy instrumentals like “Put it that Way,” the Spanish-flavored “The Inquisition” (*) and title track showcased a stunning four-way virtuosity honed across previous releases by Gary, drummer Jon Hiseman, keyboardist Don Airey and bassist John Mole.

On the other hand, more accessible fare like the upbeat “Major Keys,” urgent but relatively linear “Fighting Talk,” compact “Last Exit,” and intolerably sappy ballad “Castles” revealed a growing creative restlessness (and starvation!) within the group, foreshadowing that perhaps the end was near.

Indeed, even though another three-part exercise, “Star Maiden / Mysterioso / Quasar,” somehow managed to satisfy both polarities in under six-and-a-half minutes, album sales were still disappointing so the writing was on the wall: Colosseum II’s days were numbered.

Sure enough, January of ‘78 saw the four musicians moonlighting on famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classical/fusion exercise Variations, and by August of that same year, Gary Moore was gone -- off to join Thin Lizzy on tour, replacing the recently ousted Brian Robertson.

Moore would stay on with Lizzy for the following year’s Celtic metal triumph, Black Rose, before resuming assorted band projects (see the ill-fated G-Force) and his off-and-on solo career once again, this time with great success.

And the rest of his Colosseum II bandmates would be just fine too, with Mole balancing session and studio work, Airey becoming the ultimate heavy metal keyboardist for hire (by Rainbow, Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, and many more), and Hiseman pursuing multiple projects until his death in June 2018.

* Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!