From My Collection #78: Magnum – On a Storyteller’s Night

Welcome to the first From My Collection of 2024. Today’s essay was initially penned with a celebratory spirit in mind. AOR veterans Magnum are on the brink of releasing their 23rd studio album, Here Comes the Rain, and that’s quite the milestone. Unfortunately, this mood has since shifted to one of mourning as founding guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin passed away this week at the age of 77. To say this is a tremendous loss would be an understatement. We here at Defenders send our condolences to Clarkin’s family, friends, and the Magnum camp. Our review of Here Comes the Rain will be released tomorrow. Until then, let’s pay tribute to this larger than life talent with the album I hold to be he and his band’s magnum opus (pun fully intended), On a Storyteller’s Night. Rest in power Tony.

Despite being most associated with the ’80s as it was their most commercially successful period, Magnum first formed way back in 1972. The band slogged away on the Birmingham club scene, the same scene that spawned the likes of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, with no shortage of personnel changes along the way. Come the mid ’70s, Magnum landed a high profile slot supporting the aforementioned Priest on their Sin After Sin Tour, albeit without record label support. This all changed in 1978 when they scored a deal with Don Arden’s Jet Records.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Right around the time of Magnum’s signing came the birth of a new scene, the NWOBHM. And while Magnum wasn’t an outright metal band like their peers, their refreshing twist on the early ’70s stylings of Uriah Heep and Deep Purple was more than welcome in the ears and hearts of English headbangers. This approach lasted for two albums, Kingdom of Madness (1978) and Magnum II (1979), before the band shifted gears, crafting what I like to call “the Magnum sound”.

Lying somewhere between hook-laden AOR, majestic melodic metal, and cerebral neo-prog, Magnum cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with on their third album, Chase the Dragon (1982). Everything about this album, from the lyricism and arrangements to the production and musicianship, was light years ahead of anything Magnum had released up until that point. This formula was expanded upon even further on the following year’s The Eleventh Hour! and the crown jewel of their lengthy discography, On a Storyteller’s Night.

Although On a Storyteller’s Night isn’t a concept album in the traditional sense of the term, all of the songs are held together by this underlying sense of melodramatic desperation. This is reflected in the poignant lyricism, Clarkin’s deepest up until that point, as well as the bombastic and layered music that accompanies said lyrics. In other words, this was not your run of the mill collection of commercialized hard rockers circa ’85. This was a creative pinnacle, a piece of musical high art, and is meant to be analyzed as such.

The album opens with one of my favorite Magnum songs, “How Far Jerusalem”. Everything about this song is nothing short of epic. Mark Stanway’s keyboards absolutely engulf us within the first few seconds, adding a depth of atmosphere that hasn’t been heard in AOR since. Bob Catley’s passionate vocals join in, followed by the rest of the band in a grandiose explosion of sound. Lyrically, the song establishes the album’s theme of yearning, chronicling the plight of the “victims of the night” who “ride against the wind, born to lose the fight”. Considering we’ve all felt this way at some point or another, it’s no wonder this song connects with so many people, subsequently establishing the mood for the rest of the album.

Following “How Far Jerusalem” is the overtly poppy “Just Like an Arrow”, which showcases a whole other side of the multi-faceted beast that is Magnum. For every thought-provoking slab of epic AOR they could cram on an album, they could counter it with an equally captivating, no frills pop rock tune. Such is the case here. “Just Like an Arrow” was a hit single in the band’s native UK, and for good reason. With the right marketing and distribution stateside, there’s no reason it couldn’t have been as big as whatever Foreigner or Survivor had on the charts at the time, but I digress. If you’re looking for “hitmaking 101”, look no further.

Magnum then shifts back into serious mode for the album’s title track. While picking a “greatest Magnum song” is a damn near impossible task, there’s no denying “On a Storyteller’s Night” would have to be in the running. All of the signature Magnum traits are on full display: The lush keys, the hard edged guitars, the rich vocals, the dramatic arrangement. If you close your eyes, the lyrics come to life in your head. If you open your eyes, they still come to life, so long as you’re looking at the brilliant cover art, courtesy of Rodney Matthews.

“Before First Light” keeps the pace going in all its punchy hard rock glory. Musically, it’s not as poppy as “Just Like an Arrow”, but not as ambitious as “How Far Jerusalem” or the title cut either. It’s a straight down the middle arena rock anthem, albeit with lyrics chronicling a romance gone awry. Nothing, however, can prepare us for the emotional intensity of “Les Morts Desants”. Translated to English as “Call to Heaven”, this delicate ballad paints the harrowing portrait of an English soldier suffering from shellshock, only to meet his demise at the hands of a firing squad who mistook his condition for cowardice. Clarkin considered this to be one of his finest musical achievements, and rightfully so.

As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by “Endless Love”. Another straightforward melodic hard rocker, “Endless Love” is emboldened by its larger than life chorus and intriguing drum work from Jim Simpson, who opens the song with a tribal beat before going into a steady Bonzo inspired shuffle that leads the way. Following this is “Two Hearts”, which could very well be a distant cousin of “Just Like an Arrow” with its poppy disposition. I’m surprised it was never released as a single, especially considering the new wave tinged synths and that earworm chorus were just begging for Top 40 airplay.

“Steal Your Heart” also follows the ’80s pop rock template, emphasizing singalong hooks and unforgettable simplicity above all. Yet even at their most accessible, Magnum were leaps and bounds above similarly natured bands of the era. In many ways, “Steal Your Heart” sets the stage for what was to follow on releases like Vigilante (1986) and Wings of Heaven (1988), but those are other essays for another day. The hard-nosed “All England’s Eyes” shifts things back to the serious, boasting a sort of arena metal pomp akin to Defenders of the Faith era Priest. Again, the chorus reigns supreme above all, but this is no simple singalong; it’s a battle cry.

Just as side A closes with a ballad in “Les Morts Desants”, side B does so with “The Last Dance”. One last time, Magnum revisits those themes of yearning and emptiness that hit so close to home, largely due to the undeniable passion of Catley’s vocal delivery. In the wake of Clarkin’s passing, “The Last Dance” really pulls at one’s heartstrings. I’m totally not tearing up as a I type this, by the way. How metal would that be? Exactly… (sarcasm alert)

While subsequent Magnum albums would be of a more commercial disposition, the band would return to their beloved early ’80s style come a 21st century rebirth that has lasted the better part of 20+ years. In hindsight, if Magnum had splintered after the release of On a Storyteller’s Night, their status as English hard and heavy legends would already be cemented. Let’s rejoice in the fact that they didn’t, leaving us a vast catalog of timeless music to enjoy for eternities to come. “Keep your night light burning!”

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