25. Remastered, Remixed, Re-Recorded And New - Evolution

In early June 2011 SPV announced that the “Best of SPV-years”-album would already be out in November of the same year! The album was to contain re-recordings of tracks from the albums between “Breath Of Life” and “The Visitation” as well as two entirely new tracks. The band had already started working on recording the new instrumental and vocal parts. Tony stated that Olly Hahn of SPV had first come up with this idea, which had not found much of a response in the early stages. But the more Bob and Tony thought about it the more interested they became until the album was agreed upon. The recordings were mostly done in July.

The album was published on 11.11. 2011 (!), three days later in the UK. The tracklist of this compilation sounded very interesting: “That Holy Touch” (with re-recorded drums, bass,guitar & some vocals), “Just Like January” (with re-recorded drums, bass & guitar), “Brand New Morning”,  (with re-recorded bass, guitar & some vocals), “Immigrant Son” (with re-recorded bass & guitar),  “When We Were Younger” (with re-recorded drums, bass, guitar & some vocals), “Out Of The Shadows” (with re-recorded drums, bass, guitar), “All My Bridges” (with re-recorded bass & drums), Blood On Your Barbed wire thorns (with re-recorded bass) “The Visitation”, “Wild Angels” and two new tracks: “The Fall” and “Do You Know Who You Are”.

   Only “The Visitation” and “Wild Angels” remained unchanged. Al described the two new songs as “very commercial”, which they were indeed – the fans loved them!

   The first 9000 copies were sold out within a week so that SPV produced a second issue in a standard jewel case. The cover, designed by Al Barrow was mainly black with the MAGNUM-logo in the same lettering as on “The Visitation”. It showed a big “E” in an impressive-amulet-like frame, flanked by two-headed snakes.

   In October it was announced that Magnum would get to have their names immortalised at the Civic Hall on the 30th Nov just hours before the Robin 2 Show along with Noddy Holder, Glen Hughes, John Bonham, Dave Hill & Jim Lea of Slade whose names were already engraved on the wall of

fame. Tony Clarkin, Bob Catley, Mark Stanway & Al Barrow, all attended the Civic to see the unveiling. In November and December there was a short UK tour with this setlist: “Back To Earth”/ “When We Were Younger”/ “Wild Angels”/ “Brand New Morning”/ “How Far Jerusalem”/ “Spin Like A Wheel”/ “The Fall”/ “Freedom Day”/ “Les Morts Dansant”/ “Black Skies”/”All My Bridges”/ “All England’s Eyes”/ “Vigilante” and as encores “Kingdom Of Madness” and “On A Storyteller’s Night”. Especially the new song “The Fall” was welcomed in the set and obviously the “Evolution”-tracks were rendered in their re-vamped versions.