The Grass Is Greener (album)
The Grass Is Greener is an album by Colosseum, released in January 1970.
| The Grass Is Greener | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1970 | |||
| Recorded | Summer/Winter 1969 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 38:30 | |||
| Label | Dunhill | |||
| Producer | Tony Reeves, Gerry Bron | |||
| Colosseum chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
In contrast to other albums by Colosseum, The Grass Is Greener was released only in the United States and Canada,[1] on the Dunhill label, distributed by ABC. It was conceived as a North American alternative to November 1969's Valentyne Suite, complete with a muted, blue-green variation of the aforementioned album's cover. It features four tracks recorded with then-new guitarist/vocalist Dave "Clem" Clempson in the winter of 1969 ("Jumping Off the Sun", "Lost Angeles", "Rope Ladder to the Moon", "Bolero"); three tracks from the 1969 Vertigo LP Valentyne Suite but with vocal and guitar parts provided by Clempson ("Butty's Blues", "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice", "The Grass Is Greener") instead of James Litherland; and one track, "Elegy", that appears to be the same as the original from Valentyne Suite, including Litherland's vocal. The record was remastered and released as a bonus disc in Sanctuary Records' 2003 deluxe CD edition of Valentyne Suite.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Babyblaue Seiten | [3] |
In a review of The Grass Is Greener at AllMusic, Jim Newsom said he was "impress[ed]" with Dick Heckstall-Smith's saxophones and woodwinds, and Dave Clempson's "blazing guitar licks".[2] Newsom found "Jumping off the Sun" and Jack Bruce's "Rope Ladder to the Moon", "especially strong", and called the title track the "highlight of this disc".[2]
Achim Breiling wrote at Babyblaue Seiten that in contrast to its predecessor, Valentyne Suite, The Grass Is Greener is a well balanced and diverse album. Breiling opined that, except for "Jumping off the Sun", which he felt is a little too "poppy", all the tracks are "beautiful", bluesy-jazz-rock songs, and some of Colosseum's best recorded numbers.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jumping Off the Sun" | Mike Taylor, Dave Tomlin | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Lost Angeles" | Dave Greenslade, Dick Heckstall-Smith | 5:30 |
| 3. | "Elegy" | James Litherland | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Butty's Blues" | Litherland | 6:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Rope Ladder to the Moon" | Pete Brown, Jack Bruce | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Bolero" | Maurice Ravel | 5:28 |
| 7. | "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice" | Brown, Jon Hiseman, Litherland | 2:48 |
| 8. | "The Grass Is Greener" | Heckstall-Smith, Hiseman | 7:31 |
Personnel
- Dave Greenslade – organ, keyboards, vocals
- Dick Heckstall-Smith – saxophone
- Jon Hiseman – drums
- Dave "Clem" Clempson – guitar, vocals
- Tony Reeves – bass
- James Litherland – vocals (on "Elegy")
References
- "Colosseum – The Grass Is Greener (1970, Gatefold, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 23 August 1970. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- Newsom, Jim. "Colosseum: The Grass is Greener". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- Breiling, Achim (4 December 2004). "Colosseum: The Grass is Greener". Babyblaue Seiten (in German). Retrieved 19 May 2021.