Magnum Chase The Dragon

From the fantasy cover art by Rodney Mathews to the fuller production and focused songwriting, 'Chase The Dragon' is an album that deservedly put Magnum on the map. Songs such as the medieval war-themed opener 'Soldier Of The Line', 'The Spirit' and 'Sacred Hour' would become live staples for decades to come while uplifting rockers like 'On the Edge of the World' struck a perfect balance between the guitar and keyboard histrionics. The album cracked the UK Top 20 but it would be a slightly bumpy road to the bigger success they enjoyed in the late '80s.

The Eleventh Hour! is the fourth studio album by English rock band Magnum, released in 1983 by Jet Records. The production of this album caused a lot of tension between the band and Jet Records, following the two-year delay to the previous album, Chase the Dragon in 1982 and their first album, Kingdom of Madness, in 1978. These tensions were further strained when Jet Records denied the band a big name producer, leaving them to produce the album themselves. The Eleventh Hour! was released in May 1983, peaking at No. 38 in the UK charts, disappointing considering Chase the Dragons peak of No. 17 in 1982. The Eleventh Hour!'s original title was to be Road to Paradise. The 2005 expanded version of the album was reissued on 22 September 2006 in Japan with mini LP/paper sleeve packaging through Arcangelo.

The Last Dance is a live album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1996 by SPV. This is the European release; the UK release was called Stronghold. Hard rockers Magnum got their start in Birmingham, England, in the mid-'70s. The band's first album, Kingdom of Madness, came out in 1978, right in the midst of the punk rock musical revolution. That timing may be one factor contributing to the band's unknown status. Magnum II was released in 1979. After extensive gigging, the group released the live album Marauder in 1980, and Chase the Dragon came two years later. Going back to their "album a year" pace, The Eleventh Hour was released in 1983. The band went two years between discs again, with On a Storyteller's Night not being released until 1985, but the time seemed to have done some good for them. The album was well received and their fame was growing in Europe.

The Last Dance is a live album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1996 by SPV. This is the European release; the UK release was called Stronghold. Hard rockers Magnum got their start in Birmingham, England, in the mid-'70s. The band's first album, Kingdom of Madness, came out in 1978, right in the midst of the punk rock musical revolution. That timing may be one factor contributing to the band's unknown status. Magnum II was released in 1979. After extensive gigging, the group released the live album Marauder in 1980, and Chase the Dragon came two years later. Going back to their "album a year" pace, The Eleventh Hour was released in 1983. The band went two years between discs again, with On a Storyteller's Night not being released until 1985, but the time seemed to have done some good for them. The album was well received and their fame was growing in Europe.

On a Storyteller's Night, Magnum's sixth album originally released in the U.K. in May 1985, wasn't the band's best-selling LP; it peaked at number 24 in seven weeks, not as good a showing as the third album, 1982's Chase the Dragon (number 17), much less the Top Ten hits Wings of Heaven (1988, number five) or Goodnight L.A. (1990, number nine). Whether it is Magnum's best album is a matter of opinion, though, according to Dave Ling of Classic Rock magazine, whose 2004 interview with guitarist Tony Clarkin is reprinted as part of this 25th anniversary deluxe-edition reissue, "fans still rate Storyteller as Magnum's masterwork."