MARQUEE 1973

Funeral Empire, Turn Around, mc, Ollie Halsall Blues, Grey And Black, Yeah Yeah Yeah, Jon Hiseman drum solo, Dance To My Tune.  Bonus track, Reading Festival, England - August 25th, 1973:  Turn Around

This new release on Reel Masters documents the Marquee gig by the short lived Tempest three-piece line up of Ollie Haskall, John Hiseman and Mark Clarke.  Their second LP Living In Fear would be released some months after this and then disbanden.  The first Tempest LP was an exercize in jazz/fusion progressive rock but here they are definitely more Deep Purple/Black Sabbath based with emphasis upon heavy riffs and pile-driving rhythms.     

Very nice audience recording.  The guitars are emphasized over the vocals.  Bassist Mark Clarke breaks a string after "Turn Around".  After a slight delay, Hiseman announces a new song that has no title "since it was only written a couple days ago" and launch into "Ollie Halsall Blues".  The highlight of the latter part of the Marquee gig is the very interesting and inventive drum solo.  The bonus track is a few steps down sonically from the rest and is another scorching version of "Turn Around".  It's a shame this group didn't last too much longer.  Listening to tapes like this make one wonder how they might have developed in the future.