Colosseum Those Who Are About To Salute You (CD)

'Those Who Are About to Die Salute You' is the debut album by progressive jazz rockers COLOSSEUM, released in 1969. It is one of the style-defining albums of jazz fusion. The title is the translation of the Latin phrase "orituri te salutant", with which, according to tradition, gladiators addressed their rulers before the battle began.
This is a powerful album that highlights each band member's skills on their instrument, yet fuses all members into a unified blend of progressive jazz and rock. Nothing but praise for the diversity and uniqueness of each song, the performance of the musicians and the band's ability to blend jazz, rock and classical into a mix that is unconventional yet accessible. The album reached number 15 in the UK album charts.

Esoteric Recordings release the remastered & expanded edition of Colosseum's debut album, "Those Who Are About to Die Salute You". Colosseum came together in 1968 and are the brainchild of virtuoso drummer Jon Hiseman and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith (both played with Graham Bond Organisation & John Mayall's Bluesbreakers). With bassist Tony Reeves, keyboardist Dave Greenslade and guitarist and singer James Litherland, the band's line-up was complete.

The fantastic debut album "Those Who Are About to Die Salute You" was recorded in the winter of 1968 and was one of the first successful efforts to combine jazz, blues and rock. Featuring timeless tracks such as "Walking in the Park", "Beware the Ides of March", "Those About to Die" and "The Road She Walked Before", "Those Who Are About to Die Salute You" reached number 15 on the UK album chart and is considered a seminal album in the development of progressive rock.

This Esoteric Recordings release has recently been remastered and includes three bonus tracks recorded at Pye Studios, London in November 1968. The original artwork of the album has been recreated and the illustrated booklet includes a new essay.