Sleepwalking is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1992. Following the decision to leave Polydor, Sleepwalking was recorded within six months, and is the first self-produced album by Magnum since The Eleventh Hour. Tony Clarkin was much happier acting as producer, following his working relationship with Keith Olsen on Goodnight L.A.. Learning from Olsen, Clarkin had enough experience to produce Magnum's records on his own, this also being the best option to cut production costs for future albums.
The debut from this Birmingham, England band featured a flute-laced progressive rock sound similar to that of Jethro Tull. (The band's sound would later become more mainstream.) The songwriting ranges from imaginative, mythical tales on "The Beginning" and the title song, to deeply philosophical tracks like "Universe" and "All That Is Right," to downright senseless on the track "Baby Rock Me," which is perhaps the worst song the band has ever recorded. Despite this one track, it is a very good album, especially for a band's first effort.
On the 13th Day is the 17th studio album from the rock group Magnum (including Keeping the Nite Light Burning and ignoring Evolution), which was released in September 2012, under the label of Steamhammer Records/SPV. The album entered the charts at number 3 in the UK Rock & Metal Charts, number 5 in the UK Indie Charts, number 28 in the German Album Charts, #36 Swedish Album Charts, #43 UK Album Charts during its first week, making it their most successful album since their reformation in 2002 at the time of its release. Bob Catley has stated that he considers On the 13th Day to be Magnum's rockiest album to date, with the track Dance of the Black Tattoo standing out as particularly heavy for a Magnum album.
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.
It’s a sign of definite quality when a band can look back at a career which started as early as 1972 (!) and are still capable of thoroughly awing their fans with every new album. Magnum deliver this kind of quality on a regular basis and are set to prove their outstanding position once again with their latest studio offering ‘The Monster Roars’. Even after difficult months marked by pandemic-related concert cancellations, contact restrictions and uncertain perspectives for the whole music industry, the English rock act have succeeded in creating a vibrant, homogeneous work that impresses its listeners from the first to the last note and includes a number of surprises…
Marauder is a live album by the English rock band Magnum. It was released in 1980 on Jet Records. Magnum recorded Marauder over one night at London's Marquee Club on 15 December 1979. It was an attempt by Jet Records to revive the success of the debut album Kingdom of Madness following the failure of Magnum II. The album was recorded on multi-track by former-Ten Years After bass player Leo Lyons, who had recorded Magnum II, and mixed by Chris Tsangarides.
Vigilante is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1986 on Polydor. Capitalising on the success of On a Storyteller's Night, Magnum changed to a more commercial direction with Vigilante. Produced by David Richards and Queen drummer Roger Taylor, the band's sound stepped towards that of 1980s Queen, with keyboards much higher in the mix than guitar. The album was recorded at Queen's famous Mountain Studios in Montreux.
There are few great bands on our planet that you can infallibly identify within the first few bars of one of their songs. Their unique melodic skill, their tasteful instrumentation, the right balance of depth and catchiness, and then of course that charismatic voice: Magnum are Magnum! The same can be said of their latest studio album ‘Here Comes The Rain’, which will be out on Steamhammer/SPV from 12 January 2024 on CD + DVD, double vinyl LP, as a box set and for digital download, proving once again that classic rock music could hardly sound more atmospheric. The band surrounding frontman Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin are also set to release two lead singles on 22 November 2023 and 3 January 2024 and a tour has been scheduled to kick off in early April 2024 (see tour dates).