Tuesday 29 January 2019

Album Review: MAGNUM - Live at the Symphony Hall

Magnum - Live at the Symphony Hall


01. When We Were Younger
02. Sacred Blood Divine Lies
03. Lost On The Road To Eternity
04. Crazy Old Mothers
05. Without Love
06. Your Dreams Won't Die
07. Peaches and Cream
08. How Far Jerusalem
09. Les Morts Dansant
10. Show Me Your Hands
11. All England's Eyes
12. Vigilante
13. Don't Wake The Lion
14. The Spirit
15. When The World Comes Down


Almost exactly a year after the release of their latest studio album, Lost On The Road To Eternity (read my review here), British Classic Rock legends Magnum have released this new live album.

Let's be honest here, the world doesn't exactly have a shortage of Magnum live albums. I'd lost count of how many there had been, so I had a quick look on Wikipedia, and this is their ninth! The only one I've listened to before was 1996's The Last Dance which was recorded at their *cough* farewell shows over a weekend in Wolverhampton. I was there for both nights, so that will probably remain as my favourite. But what does a brand-new Magnum live record have to offer, especially if you already have eight of them?

Live at the Symphony Hall was recorded in their hometown of Birmingham on the last date of their tour, and you can tell that this was a particularly special show for them. I was really happy that a number of songs from the new studio album featured in the set-list. Generally, older bands tend to play just one or at most two new songs, then fill up the rest of the night with a predictable greatest hits package, but not Magnum. This shows that not only are they proud of their new music, but are still relevant in their field. They have some amazing songs in their back-catalogue, and the new songs stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. There's also a good selection of classics here too such as The Spirit, Vigilante, How Far Jerusalem, and the epic Don't Wake The Lion.

I really can't fault this band. They are master-craftsmen and this live album proves that they've still 'got it'. As expected, it's a great performance packed with amazing songs, and a wonderful documentation of Magnum at this stage in their career.

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