Magnum, Yes That Band Again

They are well known in Europe. In fact, their albums are created in Germany where they have a big-ish following. In the 80s they toured larger venues here in the UK and that's the decade I saw them in. They've also split up a couple of times as Bob Catley (singer) does solo projects occassionally. In fact, I have a couple of his albums, not surprisingly. As far as radio play goes, even in their heyday they wouldn't get played on Radio 1 unless it was on the Friday Night Rock Show. This annoyed me big time as it's not like listening to Iron Maiden. A few years ago they brought a CD out called (I think) "Goodnight L.A" that was geared towards the Americans. It flopped and they lost many fans over here as they accused them of "selling out" and "changing their sound." I honestly believe if they'd kept to the sound they are well-known for and not changed it they'd have a much bigger following. I doubt they ever tried to conquer Australia and I guess the American experience has put them off venturing further than the European market now. As long as they carry on making great music they will have a devout legion of fans who will follow them through thick and thin. The "Princess Alice.." CD from about 4 years ago acquired them a few more fans so this has encouraged them to bring out more songs. Yes, I do love this band. I cried when Fish left Marillion and they are so far up their own a*se you wouldn't believe. Their latest offering is to re-vamp tracks from the last 20 years to see if they can change them - in other words, they haven't got any new material!! Magnum have replaced Marillion as my favourite band as they remain true to themselves and are not pretentious in any way. They're from the Birmingham area where the likes of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath have their roots..so they are in good company. Long may they reign!