After a brief and medically questionable hiatus, your hosts Chaz Charles and the Voluptuary of Sound, Dr. Glund, return—slightly battered, mildly reflective, but fully operational—to resume their sacred excavation of Colosseum.

The Doctor has seen things. Felt things. Lost a friend. Gained perspective. Worn the hat.

And yet… the pipe is lit, the commandments remain intact, and the mission continues.

This week’s descent takes us into the second album—Valentyne Suite—and straight into a track that has baffled, delighted, and ultimately revealed itself to be about something far more serious than anyone realized…

Tea.

Or rather… the catastrophic absence of it.

TRACK UNDER THE MICROSCOPE:

“The Kettle” — Colosseum

At first glance: cryptic lyrics, swirling instrumentation, and a vocal performance that critics once dared to question.

But under the Glundian lens?

This becomes a full-blown existential crisis centered on one immutable truth:

The kettle is dry.

What unfolds is equal parts musical appreciation and lyrical detective work:

• Jon Hiseman’s drumming: precise, explosive, and fully in command
• Guitar tone dripping with late-60s authority (wah-wah certified)
• A leaner, horn-less arrangement that flirts dangerously with power trio territory
• Vocals vindicated in real time against the crimes of past criticism

And finally, the breakthrough:

This is not abstract poetry.

This is not surrealism.

This is a man…

who cannot get a proper cup of tea.

Verdict:

A groove-heavy, deceptively complex track that passes the Glundian tests—and reveals that British cultural stakes are far higher than previously documented.

DIGRESSION ZONE (STEAM RELEASE VALVE):

Because no kettle boils in isolation:

Ginger Baker – “TUSA” (with Masters of Reality)

→ Proof that tea is, in fact, a recurring thematic obsession

→ Spoken-word madness meets thunderous groove

→ Possibly the Rosetta Stone of beverage-based rock philosophy

Michael Bloomfield – “Going Down Slow”

→ A soulful detour into blues territory

→ Telecaster weeping, bending, testifying

→ A meditation on decline, legacy, and the weight of musical genius left slightly unrealized

PRESCRIPTION:

Administer “The Kettle” at a volume sufficient to:

• Hear every cymbal articulation
• Feel the guitar in your molars
• Contemplate your own access to tea

Repeat until:

• The lyrics make sense
• Or they don’t—but you no longer care

Avoid:

• Empty kettles
• Weak tea
• Critics who don’t understand the assignment

Here’s to Robbie.

Here’s to Kenny.

Here’s to the kettle—may it never run dry.

Time for a 'visky.

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Having returned from rubbing elbows with actual rock royalty (and surviving), your hosts Chaz Charles and the Voluptuary of Sound Doctor Glund descend once more into the sacred text of Colosseum—armed with nothing but sharp ears, questionable memory recall, and a bag of contraband jelly beans.

This week’s mission: the thunderous, mind-expanding, utterly undeniable closing statement of the debut album…

THOSE ABOUT TO DIE And yes… it absolutely earns the title.

TRACK UNDER THE MICROSCOPE:

Those About To Die – Colosseum The Doctor declares it without hesitation: “If you don’t know Colosseum… THIS is where you start.”

What follows is a full-blown sonic autopsy:

• Drums that don’t just keep time—they command it
• Organ work that lays down a thick, chugging carpet of groove
• Guitar and sax interplay so tight it may in fact be a single sentient organism
• A band functioning less like individuals and more like a musical octopus with a PhD

Verdict:

This is not a song.

This is a controlled detonation of talent.

TRACKS LISTENED TO / DIGRESSION ZONE (ABANDON HOPE):

Because no episode is complete without veering wildly off course:

Eddie Hinton – Something Heavy

→ Soul, grit, and a man absolutely refusing to let go of a groove

R.L. Burnside – The Criminal Inside Me

→ Mississippi blues storytelling featuring:

• 40 nickels
• A bag of potato chips
• And several imminent threats of bodily harm

Kim Fowley – Animal Man / Chinese Water Torture

→ A deeply unsettling descent into late-60s experimental madness

→ May or may not summon something into your home

HIGHLIGHTS YOU DID NOT ASK FOR BUT ARE GETTING ANYWAY:

• A wedding dance set to Colosseum (because romance is subjective)
• A helicopter wedding over Niagara Falls (because gravity is optional)
• Extensive discussion of “ass pockets” (science pending)
• The phrase “bases drunk” permanently entering the lexicon
• The realization that rock stars… might be lunatics

PRESCRIPTION:

Take one dose of Those About To Die at maximum volume.

Repeat as needed until:

• Your face melts
• Your neighbors complain
• Or you begin explaining time signatures to strangers

Avoid operating heavy machinery unless it is a Hammond organ.

Here's to ya Clay Cole, let's go grab a 'visky.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick explains that when Colosseum prepares for the road, there is very little ceremonial fuss. The old epics are not anxiously overhandled. The newer material gets the attention. The older material, having long since entered the bloodstream, is allowed to remain there. This is, apparently, what happens when a band has moved beyond rehearsal and into telepathy.

From there the discussion moves into writing: how songs are built, how unused ideas survive from one album to the next, and why Colosseum does not road-test unfinished material in public. The reasoning is sound. If you play something half-formed live and later improve it in the studio, some enterprising listener will insist the earlier version was superior, and then civilization begins to wobble.

Nick also gives a glimpse into the current internal chemistry of the band: Clem brings the blues, Mark brings the rock, Nick brings the proggy jazz-fusion sprawl, and somewhere in the middle Colosseum remains gloriously, stubbornly itself. The result is a band that still sounds like Colosseum, while continuing to make new work that does not merely repeat the old tricks in slightly different trousers.

We also learn that Nick writes late at night, often after bad films and in the company of his beloved 1964 Hammond A100, that lyrics remain a troublesome business unless attached to an actual story, and that The Hunters emerged from exactly such a process: folklore, collaboration, and the old-fashioned miracle of a song becoming itself before anyone can stop it.

There is also talk of solo work, of Secrets of the King’s Court, of church performances with choir, of future recordings, of young fans discovering the band, and of the quietly comic dignity of still being the FNG — the fucking new guy — even after helping carry the music forward.

Meanwhile, the central revelation of the hour may be this: Colosseum is not operating as a legacy act embalmed in reverence. It is still a working band, still writing, still touring, still surprising itself, and still producing music with enough life in it to blow up a Hammond or two.

Which, in this parish, counts as a very healthy sign indeed.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary

(Listener Discretion Encouraged, Authority Not Recognized)

Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.

Dosage may be increased arbitrarily.

Recommended Conditions

Best consumed late at night, preferably after one has watched a bad film and decided to improve the evening personally

Volume set high enough to hear the organ breathe

Headphones encouraged; overrehearsal discouraged

Pairs well with a viski, a notebook full of unfinished song ideas, and the confidence to leave Stormy Monday Blues alone

May be taken alone or in the company of someone who understands that some bands rehearse songs, and some bands simply remember them

Further Listening — Nick Steed Edition

Nick Steed - Influential Guidance

Nick Steed - Thr33

Nick Steed — Secrets of the King’s Court (RECORD RELEASE)

Clem Clempson - www.clemclempson.com

Ray Detone - www.raydetone.com

Stephen Cordiner - www.stephencordinermusic.com

Big Red Studios - www.bigredstudios.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick joins the program to talk about joining Colosseum, growing up in a house filled with instruments, and the early musical influences that shaped his approach to the keyboard — everything from ELP and Focus to Jimmy Smith and the deep well of jazz organ tradition.

Along the way the discussion wanders — as it must — into the strange physics of Hammond organ, the joy of improvisation inside long-form Colosseum pieces like Valentyne Suite, and the realities of performing with musicians who helped invent the genre you are now playing in.

RECORD RELEASE DAY!

Nick also talks about his own compositional work, including A BONELESS PODCASTING EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN to the his solo project Secrets of the King’s Court: Themes and Variations, a richly arranged recording featuring harpsichord, Moog, Colosseum bandmates, and even a violin recorded on a 17th-century instrument, because subtlety has never been the point.

Meanwhile, the episode’s musical centerpiece becomes “First in Line,” Nick’s songwriting contribution to Colosseum’s album Restoration. The track becomes the launching point for a discussion of collaboration with Clem Clempson, the lyrical pen of Pete Brown, and how new material finds its place inside a band with a very long memory. And how Mark Clarke came to replace Tony Reeves not once, but twice, in Colosseum-related projects!

Throughout the proceedings the sacred commandments remain firmly in place:

The guitar must rock.

The music must expand the mind.

And it must never — ever — sell out.

The Doctor listens carefully.

The blade of judgement remains within reach.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary

(Listener Discretion Encouraged, Authority Not Recognized)

Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.

Dosage may be increased arbitrarily.

Recommended Conditions

Best consumed in a room where the lights are low and the hi-fi is honest

Volume set slightly higher than the neighbors might appreciate

Headphones encouraged; casual conversation discouraged

Pairs well with a proper whisky and the willingness to let musicians finish their sentences

May be taken alone or in the company of someone who knows the difference between Hammond and piano

Further Listening — Nick Steed Edition

Nick Steed - Influential Guidance

Nick Steed - Thr33

Nick Steed — Secrets of the King’s Court (RECORD RELEASE)

Clem Clempson - www.clemclempson.com

Ray Detone - www.raydetone.com

Stephen Cordiner - www.stephencordinermusic.com

Big Red Studios - www.bigredstudios.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Backwater Blues” — Track 7 from Colosseum’s 1969 debut Those Who Are About to Die Salute You.

Chaz and Dr. Glund return to the altar of Volume and place upon it a seven-and-a-half-minute slab of unapologetic British blues. “Backwater Blues” is not here to charm you with pop efficiency or tidy radio edits. It settles in. It stretches out. It reminds the listener that in 1968 London, the blues was not an affectation, it was oxygen. Yeah bay bee.

This is identified, without hesitation, as perhaps the bluesiest track on the record — the sort of cut that, on a “traditional” album, might have been placed second to hook the unsuspecting. Instead, Colosseum tuck it into Track 7 like a confident afterthought. The band does not posture. They simply play — and every instrument is in it to win it. No wallflowers. No passengers. Just feel.

Dr. Glund applies Glundian Logic: blues as foundation, jazz as expansion chamber. The result is cross-discipline combustion. Jon Hiseman receives the Octopus Citation for Limb Independence, Tony Reeves’ bass lines are clocked and admired, and James Litherland’s guitar tone passes the First Commandment without requiring appeal.

Naturally, the proceedings detour.

A live BBC performance (January 1969) is unearthed and examined like an archaeological artifact that still sweats. Shorter. Tighter. No less lethal. The recently released Transmissions: Live at the BBC (1969–1971) box set enters the chat, and suddenly we are comparing studio sequencing to live set logic — including the revelation that “The Road She Walked Before” once opened a BBC broadcast while “Backwater Blues” followed immediately behind.

From there: the Doctor’s Digression spirals outward into authorship disputes (“Theme from an Imaginary Western” properly attributed at last), a brief symposium on bands covering one another in the late ’60s, and the ceremonial invocation of “Doctor, Doctor” as a potential recurring segment.

Meanwhile, “Backwater Blues” remains planted at the center of the room — steady, confident, indulgent — reminding everyone that Colosseum could swing hard without sacrificing intellect, and expand the form without ever selling out.

The blade of judgement stays sheathed.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary

(Listener Discretion Encouraged, Authority Not Recognized)

Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.

Dosage may be increased arbitrarily.

Recommended Conditions

Best consumed in a dim room where the air feels slightly heavier than usual

Volume set to “irresponsible but defensible”

Headphones encouraged; distractions discouraged

Pairs well with a respectable whiskey, a functioning hi-fi, and the willingness to let seven minutes unfold without interference

May be taken alone, or in the company of someone who understands that the blues is not background music

Further Listening — As Administered in This Episode

“The Road She Walked Before” — Colosseum (BBC Session)

“Theme from an Imaginary Western” — Colosseum

“Doctor Doctor” — UFO

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum, Track by Bloody Track, where the track list occasionally takes a polite step aside so history can walk straight into the room and pour itself a drink.

THIS EPISODE:

Dr.’s Digressions — Mark Clarke: Mach II

Mark Clarke returns to the Den, and what begins as a simple question — “What was your first recorded track with Colosseum?” — detonates into a two-hour guided tour through five decades of rock mythology.

We confirm the answer: “Downhill and Shadows” from Daughter of Time — Mark’s first committed Colosseum studio performance. Nervous. Half an hour to cut it. Jon Hiseman says, “That’s great.” History moves on.

From there?

Strap in.

Mark walks us through:

• The Tony Reeves fallout and the awkward politics of taking the Colosseum bass chair
• Zeppelin at the Hyatt House (yes, that Hyatt House)
• Motorcycles in hallways and six-packs glued to elevator walls
• Felix Pappalardi, Mountain, and the tragedy that followed
• Eddie Van Halen at 15 asking for an autograph at the Whisky
• The truth about the mysterious guy on the Colosseum Live cover
• Mick Ronson, Ian Hunter, Larry Coryell, Jack Bruce, Levon Helm, Mick Taylor, Hamish Stewart, Ringo’s orbit, and the quiet gravity of Liverpool

And through it all, the recurring theme: Colosseum may have been a “well-known secret” among musicians — but the musicians were absolutely listening.

We also get deep into “Tonight” from Restoration — the song that brought Clem Clempson to tears in the studio.

There are brandy stories.

There are backstage politics.

There is honesty about egos, genius, and the difference between myth and memory.

Most importantly, there is this: After all the tours, the supergroups, the near-misses and the legends…Mark still wants to get on the plane.

Still wants to jam at soundcheck.

Still hugs Clem after a great show.

That’s not nostalgia.

That’s DNA.

No verdicts rendered this week.

Just lived history from a man who was there when it was all new.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences — Mark Clarke Edition

(Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.)

Essential Listening

• Colosseum — “Downhill and Shadows” (Daughter of Time)
• The first step into the fire.
• Colosseum — “Tonight” (Restoration)
• The tear-trigger. Listen closely.
• Colosseum — “Hesitation” (Restoration)
• Modern Colosseum with undiminished passion.
• Colosseum Live (1971)
• Drop the needle. Meet the mystery man.
• Colosseum LiveS – The Reunion Concerts
• Energy restored. No nostalgia tax.

Extended Digression Homework

• Ian Hunter — All of the Good Ones Are Taken
• Mountain — particularly the Pappalardi era
• Mick Ronson solo work
• Larry Coryell live material
• Jack Bruce — Songs for a Tailor onward
• Average White Band (Hamish Stewart era)
• Sydney Christmas (as instructed by Mark himself)

Recommended Conditions

• Best consumed after dark
• Volume slightly higher than socially acceptable
• Consider a modest whiskey (avoid brandy)
• Do not Google the Live cover guy — embrace the mystery
• Allow time for emotional whiplash

Possible Side Effects

• Sudden desire to jam at soundcheck
• Renewed respect for bass players
• Mild resentment that Colosseum didn’t fully crack America
• Increased tolerance for long solos
• A creeping suspicion that rock history is far stranger than advertised

Next episode: we return to the tracks.

But for now —

The Doctor is in.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum, Track by Bloody Track, where the rules are flexible, the digressions are mandatory, and occasionally the universe hands you a guest who rewrites the evening entirely.

THIS EPISODE:

Episode 7 — Dr.’s Digressions: Mark Clarke, Mach I

For this special digression episode, Chaz Charles and Dr. Glund are joined by Mark Clarke — bassist, vocalist, and one of the great connective figures in British rock. What follows is not an interview, not a résumé run-through, and certainly not a polite Q&A. It’s a long, winding, first-person account of arrival — how a kid from Liverpool ends up inside Colosseum, and how one door quietly leads to many others.

Mark reflects on walking into Colosseum at a pivotal moment, what it meant to serve a band built on listening as much as playing, and how those early lessons carried forward. From there, the conversation opens naturally into the wider map: Tempest, Uriah Heep, Rainbow, Mountain, Billy Squier, and the strange but very real skill of adapting without losing yourself.

Along the way, Mark talks about personalities, pressure, learning curves, and the differences between bands that demand attention and bands that demand volume. There are stories of late nights, long tours, shifting scenes, and the practical realities of surviving decades in music without turning into a caricature of yourself.

The Doctor largely lets this happen.

This episode is about connections rather than conclusions, about experience rather than mythology, and about what it feels like to move through multiple eras of rock without ever stopping to announce it. No tracks are dissected, no verdicts rendered — just one musician telling his story the way he remembers it, with the room listening. Oh, and we do pause for some important musical milestones along the way. No prescription this episode, the Dr. is handing out mandatory meds.

This is Dr.’s Digressions at full stretch: unplanned, unhurried, and exactly where the show needed to go.

You are strongly encouraged to learn more about the philanthropic efforts and concerts by the Benevolent Artists National Charity - visit thebanc.ca

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum, Track by Bloody Track, a podcast conducted in a spirit of serious inquiry, mild confusion, and the firm belief that music deserves more attention than most people are prepared to give it.

THIS EPISODE:

“The Road She Walked Before” — Track 6 from Colosseum’s 1969 debut Those Who Are About to Die Salute You.

Chaz and Dr. Glund turn their attention — deliberately and at length — to one of the album’s quieter offerings. “The Road She Walked Before” is examined not for bombast or virtuosity, but for its restraint, its pastoral calm, and its alarming willingness to let you slip into a psychedelic lounge lizard personae while awaiting Ann Margret in a trippy dance scene. Where earlier tracks loom, threaten, or march ominously, this one simply stands there offering the listener a cocktail or a shag...or both.

It is agreed, after some discussion, that this is best listened to in tight mod clothing with pointy shoes and tight sweaters...listening to the latest groovy sounds on a futureistic hi-fi in mixed company. Or at lest one of us thought as much...

We digress , as the program is joined by the Dr.'s good friend, Jimmy Kunes — veteran vocalist, Savoy Brown and Cactus (yes Van Halen fans, THAT Cactus) frontman, former member of Humble Pie, and current commander of The Kunes Clark Band, who arrives bearing stories, context, and an impressive lack of self-importance. Straight talk, great stories, and a friendship forged in a passion for music that binds them.

What follows is a controlled detour through British blues history, including but not limited to: London in the late ’60s, the long middle stretch of a working musician’s life, and the revelation that Love — Arthur Lee’s Love — was the band on Dr. Glund’s t-shirt the day he and Jimmy met, thereby elevating a wardrobe choice to the status of historical document.

Meanwhile, “The Road She Walked Before” remains quietly at the center of the room, doing what it does best: reminding everyone that Colosseum knew exactly how to provide quality Tiki-lounge entertainment for libatious gatherings.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary

(Listener Discretion Encouraged, Authority Not Recognized)

Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.

Dosage may be increased arbitrarily.

Recommended Conditions

Best consumed after dark, preferably when one’s responsibilities have become theoretical

Volume set slightly higher than advisable

Headphones encouraged; lights discouraged

Pairs well with a visky, a comfortable chair, and the patience to let a quiet song finish its sentence

May be taken alone or in the company of someone who understands when not to speak

Further Listening — Jimmy Kunes Edition

• The Kunes–Clark Band (working on a new record) 
• Jimmy of Facebook (follow for live updates)
• National Wrecking Company (heavy stuph man)
• Love (Arthur Lee) (because the t-shirt matters)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum, Track by Bloody Track, where Chaz Charles and Dr. Glund continue their unhurried excavation of Colosseum’s debut album. If you’re looking for tidy conclusions, brisk pacing, or polite opinions, you’re still in the wrong ocean.

THIS EPISODE:

“Beware the Ides of March” — Track 5 from Those Who Are About to Die Salute You (1969)

Chaz and the Doctor dig into one of Colosseum’s most ominous early originals, written by Dave Greenslade and Jon Hiseman. Organ-led, processional, and unapologetically severe, “Beware the Ides of March” pushes the band further from blues convention and deeper into jazz-rock territory. Comparisons inevitably arise — including nods to A Whiter Shade of Pale — before landing on what truly separates this track: intent, tension, and a band moving with one collective will.

Mid-episode, the conversation turns electric when the hosts stumble into a 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival performance of the song. What follows is a real-time reckoning with Colosseum at full power — ferocious, disciplined, and startlingly ahead of their time. The live version reframes the studio cut entirely, underscoring just how dangerous this band could be when the reins came off.

From there, the show takes a single, focused digression into Bloodline and their 1994 track The Storm. Used as a modern comparison point, the discussion centers on patience, atmosphere, lineage versus conviction, and music that only reveals itself if the listener is willing to stay put. A firsthand story about seeing a teenage Joe Bonamassa hidden behind an amp adds texture without rewriting history.

The Glundian tests are applied.

No sellout detected.

Mind expanded.

The warning stands.

This episode is part music history, part live discovery, and part reminder that some tracks demand your full attention — and repay it.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary

(Listener Discretion Encouraged)

Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.

Dosage may be increased at will.

Recommended Conditions

Best consumed after dark, preferably when nothing important remains undone

Volume set slightly higher than advisable

You are quite prepared to rock out; Spock display optional

Headphones encouraged; lights optional

Pairs well with a visky, a comfortable chair, and the firm decision not to check one’s phone

May be taken alone or in the company of someone who understands when not to speak

Prescribed Listening

Bloodline — Cell Block 7 (1994)

A driving blues-rock cut powered by groove and forward motion. Chosen here not to match the mood of “Beware the Ides of March,” but to match its commitment — a band digging in, locking tight, and letting momentum do the work.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum Track by Bloody Track with Dr. Glund, where Chaz Charles and the good Doctor once again ignore the clock, misplace the agenda, and wander willingly into the long, strange corridors of rock history. If you’re expecting structure, restraint, or anything resembling public radio discipline, you are — once again — in the wrong ocean.

This episode opens with Chaz and Dr. Glund catching up on life, podcast feedback, and the ongoing disbelief that Dr. Glund is a real person and not an AI construct. The Joshua Light Show gets a nod, and before long, the duo launches into their signature blend of music nerdery and digression, setting their sights on the fourth track of Colosseum’s debut album, “Debut.” They marvel at the oddity of its placement and length, speculate on the logic behind the running order, and debate whether it was ever intended as a single.

THIS EPISODE:

Debut — Track 4 from Those Who Are About To Die Salute You (1969)

Chaz and the Dr. listen to both the studio and a rare live version, dissecting everything from the modulated effects (is that a Leslie?) to the martial drum patterns and the “Eddie Van Halen of the horn.” The conversation drifts through the musicianship, the live energy, and the quirks of the mix. The pair agree that every track on the album holds its own, but does it ultimately passe the three crucial conversations that comprise the Glundian Tests? Getting through the gauntlet of volumptuary inquiry isn't just “Walking in the Park” after all!

The episode then digresses into a tribute to Arlen Roth, “master of the Telecaster,” with anecdotes about Danny Gatton, guitar clinics, and the Hot Licks series. Chaz and Dr. Glund swap stories about guitar heroes, fretboard wear, and the joys of discovering new music as an old phart.

Pour something strong.

Turn it up.

And remember: it’s track by bloody track.

Here’s lookin’ at ya, Clay Cole.

Let’s have a visky.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

• Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary
• Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.
• Dosage may be increased at will.
• Recommended Conditions
• Best consumed after dark, preferably when nothing important remains undone
• Volume set slightly higher than advisable
• Headphones encouraged; lights optional
• Pairs well with a visky, a water pipe, a comfortable chair, and the firm decision not to check one’s phone
• May be taken alone or in the company of someone who understands when not to speak

Prescribed Listening:

Arlen Roth

The master of the Telecaster and Hot Licks legend.

Danny Gatton

A Telecaster hero, gone too soon.

Possible Side Effects:

• Loss of interest in tidy genre boundaries
• A sudden urge to defend horn players in unrelated conversations
• Temporary belief that track order is a cosmic mystery

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Those Who Are About To Dive: Chronicling Colosseum Track by Bloody Track with Dr. Glund, where Chaz Charles and the good Doctor once again ignore the clock, misplace the agenda, and wander willingly into the long, strange corridors of rock history. If you’re expecting structure, restraint, or anything resembling public radio discipline, you are — once again — in the wrong ocean.

This episode opens in classic form: a psychedelic light show pulsing behind Dr. Glund’s head, memories firing in all directions, and stories from a time when buying concert tickets meant physically driving into the city and hoping for the best. Cream at the Café A Go Go. Zeppelin opening for Iron Butterfly. Triple bills that would make modern promoters faint. The Joshua Light Show at the Fillmore East, melting faces before anyone knew that was a job description.

From there, things drift — productively — into British blues obscurities, record-store decisions based entirely on album covers, and a deep dive into Juicy Lucy, a band remembered fondly in Glund’s household for reasons both musical and… visual. Vertigo Records, management lineages, swampy grooves, steel guitars, and the lost art of discovering music without algorithms all get their due.

Eventually — inevitably — the conversation circles back to Colosseum.

THIS EPISODE:

“Mandarin” — Track 3 from Those Who Are About To Die Salute You (1969)

An instrumental statement, and a bold one. Chaz frames “Mandarin” as a bass-forward declaration, an early example of Colosseum planting a flag that says this is about music first. Tony Reeves’ fuzz-drenched bass tone sparks a sprawling discussion about the history — and rarity — of bass solos in rock, leading the guys through Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, and eventually landing squarely on Cliff Burton and “(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth.”

For Chaz, “Mandarin” reads as a precursor — risky, abrasive, and ahead of its time.

For Dr. Glund, it’s something else entirely.

The Glundian tests are applied without mercy. While the musicianship is undeniable and the intent respected, “Mandarin” ultimately fails to expand the mind — at least as it was heard back then. It’s a track that demanded attention the band wasn’t always willing to give, a moment that sent listeners to the kitchen for a beer or outside for a smoke, not out of disrespect, but confusion.

And yet — the balls to put it there, third track on a debut album?

That earns respect.

This episode is part music history, part oral tradition, and part live excavation of how tastes form, harden, soften, and evolve over time. There are no rankings, no cleanup passes, and no apologies — just two aging music freaks following the sound wherever it leads, even when it leads somewhere uncomfortable.

Pour something strong.

Turn it up.

And remember: it’s track by bloody track.

Here’s lookin’ at ya, Clay Cole.

Let’s have a visky.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary

Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.

Dosage may be increased at will.

Recommended Conditions

Best consumed after dark, preferably when nothing important remains undone

Volume set slightly higher than advisable

Headphones encouraged; lights optional

Pairs well with a visky, a comfortable chair, and the firm decision not to check one’s phone

May be taken alone or in the company of someone who understands when not to speak

Prescribed Listening

Juicy Lucy

British blues rock with grease under the fingernails.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juicy_Lucy

Tempest

(Jon Hiseman · Mark Clarke)

A short-lived but dangerous convergence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_(British_band)

Michael Anthony

(Van Halen — live bass solo)

Cliff Burton

(Metallica — “(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth”)

Possible Side Effects

• Loss of interest in tidy genre boundaries
• A sudden urge to defend bass players in unrelated conversations
• Temporary belief that instrumental tracks deserve patience

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This episode opens not with Colosseum, but with a moment of reverence. Before getting to the business at hand, Chaz and Dr. Glund pause to honor the passing of Chris Rea — a guitarist’s guitarist, a slide master, a reluctant pop star, and a deeply soulful player whose music quietly shaped generations. What begins as a tribute quickly becomes a full-on digression: stories of Clapton seeking out Rea’s slide technique, European blues scenes, Albert Hall footage, and the strange fate of artists whose biggest hits never quite reflect who they really are.

From there, the conversation eventually — inevitably — finds its way back to Colosseum.

This episode’s track:

“Plenty Hard Luck” — Track 2 from Those Who Are About To Die Salute You (1969)

If “Walking in the Park” was the invitation, “Plenty Hard Luck” is the shove. Chaz and Dr. Glund dig into the track’s ferocity, the horn arrangements that cut instead of decorate, and the sheer physicality of a band operating at full tilt. The Dr. admits to once being suspicious of saxophones in rock music — a youthful blind spot he now happily owns — while he beams through stories of seeing Cream, Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead in basement clubs where Marshall stacks barely fit and ice cream sodas were the house specialty.

Along the way, the episode drifts (productively) into record-store lore, liner-note archaeology, British blues lineage, and the lost art of discovering music by feel, curiosity, and blind faith in a cool album cover. The Glundian tests are applied, the verdict is unanimous, and “Plenty Hard Luck” emerges as a track that doesn’t charm — it commits.

Pour something strong, cue it up loud, and dive back in. Here’s lookin’ at ya, Klay Kole—let’s have a viskey

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This isn’t your dad’s music podcast—unless your dad spent the '60's and ‘70s in a cloud of vinyl dust and questionable smoke. Chaz and Dr. Glund riff about everything from the practice of pROCKoctology to prog rock, spinning tales of wild jam sessions, lost 8-tracks, and the kind of musical rabbit holes you only find when you’re a little sideways...

THIS EPISODE: “Walkin' in the Park” by Graham Bond - the first track from the first record - Those Who Are About To Die Salute You. They debate the merits of jazz horns in rock, and get gloriously lost in digressions about legendary drummers, forgotten bands, and the sacred art of the extended guitar solo. This being the first iteration of the band and the group that laid the foundation for all the live recordings to come, the guys go deep and deeper into the version that took Chaz's head "clean-off" when he first heard it sitting around those first hazy hits in Dr. Glund's Den of Audio Iniquities so many moons ago...

It’s part musicology, part history, and all about chasing that next sonic high—no fact-checkers, no gatekeepers, just two dudes with mics, opinions, and a bottomless stash of stories. So spark up, tune in, and hang on as the guys toast to old friends and new obsessions. This is podcasting with no brakes, no bones, and no apologies—just pure, unfiltered love for the music that blows your mind. Here's lookin' at ya Klay Kole, let’s have a viskey...

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

Recommended Indulgences to Satisfy the Voluptuary (Listener Discretion Encouraged)

• Administered not for correction, but for pleasure.
• Dosage may be increased at will.

Recommended Conditions

• Best consumed after dark, preferably when nothing important remains undone
• Volume set slightly higher than advisable
• Headphones encouraged; lights optional
• Pairs well with a visky, a comfortable chair, and the firm decision not to check one’s phone
• May be taken alone or in the company of someone who understands when not to speak

Tempest

(Hiseman + Mark Clarke + Alan Holdsworth)

A short-lived but dangerous convergence: volcanic drums, elastic bass, and guitar lines that bend time, harmony, and common sense. Less a band than a weather system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_(British_band)

Allan Holdsworth

(Future homework. Infinite notes.)

A guitarist who treated scales as suggestions and gravity as optional. Liquid phrasing, alien harmony, and a lifetime spent playing the notes between the notes.

Notably, Eddie Van Halen listened closely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Holdsworth

Juicy Lucy

(Paul Williams. Blues-rock filth.)

British blues rock at its greasiest: loud, unrepentant, and sweat-stained. The sort of music that smells faintly of warm valves, spilled beer, and questionable decisions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juicy_Lucy

Paul Williams

(Juicy Lucy / Tempest vocals)

A voice built for the front of the room — raw, lived-in, and unapologetic. Less a singer than a delivery system for grit, groove, and intent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Williams_(rock_musician)

Possible Side Effects

• Loss of interest in tidy genre boundaries
• Spontaneous volume escalation
• Extended listening sessions of questionable length
• A sudden urge to defend drummers in unrelated conversations
• Mild disdain for overproduced recordings
• Temporary belief that fifteen-minute songs are, in fact, quite reasonable

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the first album.

Before the first track.

Before the first judgment.

Prologue — is the ceremonial opening of Those Who Are About To Dive—a short, intentional prologue that sets the tone, the rules, and the philosophy of the series to come.

Hosted by Chaz Charles, and guided by the watchful ear of Dr. Glund, the original pROCKtologist, this episode explains why Colosseum matters, how this show will approach their music, and what every track will be measured against.

No rankings.

No greatest hits.

No shortcuts.

Just the canon—examined track by bloody track—through the lenses of musicianship, intent, and underground truth.

If you’re here for a casual listen, this may not be your show.

If you’re here to understand the music—welcome.

The Show

Those Who Are About To Dive is a narrative, track-by-track exploration of Colosseum—the pioneering British jazz-rock band that fused blues, brass, virtuosity, and fire long before genres learned how to name it.

Hosted by Chaz Charles, the series journeys through every studio album by Colosseum, Colosseum II, and the band’s reunion era—in strict chronological order. No compilations. Some of the important live albums. The recorded canon, examined with care, context, and conviction.

Each episode treats a song not as background music, but as a case study—its creation, its players, its sound, and its place in history—guided by the show’s resident oracle, Dr. Glund, the original pROCKtologist. Every track faces a simple but ruthless standard:

• The guitar must rock
• The music must expand the mind
• It must never—ever—sell out

With deep research, cultural context, and a storyteller’s voice, Those Who Are About To Dive is part music history, part ritual, and part judgment—built for serious listeners, musicians, and anyone who believes great records deserve more than a casual spin.

This is not a hits podcast.

It’s a deep dive into musicianship, intent, and legacy.

Where tracks become trials.

Where legends face inspection.

And no song escapes…

The Examination.

The dive begins. Now coming to The Boneless Podcasting Network.

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