Well, these recordings didn't die, did they, so all we can do is salute them, even if they've been reissued in more versions than the much missed Dick Heckstall-Smith could stuff horns in his gob, and, I tell you, that was plenty. The core recordings remain classics of their period, drawing deep on Hiseman and DH-S’ times with Graham Bond and John Mayall, and their common association with Jack Bruce's vision of jazz and rock having a united voice. The twist of something new for these reissues comes in the new essays with comments from various band members. But the real bonus is the addition of The Grass is Greener as the second CD accompanying Valentyne Suite. This was a Canadian release of various cuts which records Dave Clempson's arrival with the band. There's an awful take on Ravel's ‘Bolero’, but a splendidly robust version of the Bruce/Brown evergreen ‘Rope Ladder to the Moon’, which became a staple of Colosseum's live act. And note that the band, minus Reeves, were the heart of Neil Ardley's New Jazz Orchestra at the Beeb, whose performances have recently been released on Dusk Fire (reviewed in last month's issue).