The 1986 Listening Post - Magnum - Vigilante

Magnum - Vigilante

#406/2085

September 26 1986

Magnum

Vigilante

Genre: Rock

3.25 out of 5

Highlights:

Midnight (You Won’t Be Sleeping)

What happened to Magnum!?!?

Oh…I see…mid-80s Roger Taylor and David Richards happened to Magnum. 

They’ve always been hit or miss for me but this is a serious misfire. It’s…dull and super middle of the road. 

Why on Earth one of the greatest rock drummers would push the synthesizers so high into the forefront is  probably easily answered by saying “RadioGaga/AKindOfMagic/FunInSpace”. Roger has always been the guy who pushed the Synths onto a band that used to write “No Synths!” on their records. 

And Magnum is his…opus. 

The second half of the record is worth sticking around for. “Red on the Highway”, “Midnight”, these are the sounds of the Magnum I’ve come to enjoy. I guess they front loaded it with what they thought were the more radio friendly tracks. 

They were wrong. 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y89ZtyBysoQ&list=PLBJ7ztNazTVDHLdFG2uhl1Bg32eLqwahM

The 1985 Listening Post - Magnum - On a Storyteller's Night

Magnum - On a Storyteller's Night

#159

May 13 1985

Magnum

On a Storyteller’s Night

4.25 out of 5

Highlights:

On a Storyteller’s Night

All England’s Eyes

Boy, would it be easy to just slag this and write them off as anthem rock garbage but these guys are so earnest here, they are such true believers in the form that it’s kind of endearing. 

Not that this is saying all that much but this is their best since Kingdom of Madness which was a sparkling debut. 

This is all epics and majesty. It’s gotta mean something to somebody, right? Magnum released their 20th album last year. So…

This is better than I expected. I could hear it again, no sweat. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-a-storytellers-night-25th-anniversary-deluxe-edition/1144262406

The 1983 Listening Post - Magnum - The Eleventh Hour

Magnum - The Eleventh Hour

May 1983
Magnum
The Eleventh Hour
2.5 out of 5

This band had one good idea, made an album and then languished in mediocrity. This album is not a return to the debut’s form. Boring and sluggish.