Formed in the mid 70's, Magnum were originally Bob Catley (Vocals), Tony Clarkin (Guitar), Wally Lowe (Bass), Richard Bailey (Keyboards) and Kex Gorin (Drums). Jim Simpson played later on drums before the group stabilised in the late eighties with Mark Stanway on keyboards and Mickey Barker on drums. One of the top hard rock bands of the 80's / 90's they never really got the recognition their talents deserved, although 3 hit singles from the "Wings Of Heaven" album earned them places on BBC1's "Top of The Pops" and an arena sized tour incorporating the "aircraft hangers" of Wembley Arena and a home town show at the N.E.C. in Birmingham.

Always at their best in a live environment, no one who was there will forget their performances in small venues like London's famous Marquee Club or the excitement of the band's visits to the Hammersmith Odeon where many a live track was recorded.

Sadly, the band decided to split shortly before the Millennium with Bob & Tony going onwards to form "Hard Rain". This was a change of direction from the harder rock of previously and didn't sell particularly well. Thereafter Bob Catley split from Hard Rain and has so far released 7 solo albums.

The "Sweets For My Sweet" Single from 1975 featured Dave Morgan (pre-ELO) on bass & was backed by the Tony Clarkin composed "Movin' On". Unusually on a CBS label, it is worth around £40 in mint condition (if you can find it!). And if you can find the ultra-rare overseas issues with picture sleeves, then you will need deep pockets!

2004 bought the happy news for fans of a Magnum reunion with Thunder's Harry James being bought in on drums and Al Barrow on bass. 2005 celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the classic "On A Storyteller's Night" album and there were special live shows to mark this occasion (and DVD). A similar theme developed in 2009 with the "Wings of Heaven" Anniversary and thankfully the band are still going strong.

A career spanning over 40 years is bound to produce items of interest to the collector and there are a dedicated band of Magnum collectors out there. Some of the early singles are pretty rare and recently some nice foreign items have surfaced, notably from Germany. Early items in mint condition are especially desirable as are oddities such as the band's video single for "Start Talking Love", which was produced in very limited numbers.

Many compilations have surfaced, most earning the band no royalties and the endless recycling of the same material over and over again is becoming a little frustrating for the dedicated fan. Keep an eye out for some nice American vinyl, where the band were never really that popular. The picture disc reissues of many of the LPs are a nice addition to anyone's collection too. Also hard to find, but not included on these pages are various tour programs.

Magnum continue to release new music going into 2020 (albeit with more significant lineup changes with only Tony and Bob remaining from previous incarnations) and for the collector this gives even more opportunities for the multi formats, coloured vinyl and promotional items. Bob has also recently guested on other records, notably with Avantasia with whom he also toured.

As we move into 2022 it should be noted that the prices for Magnum's SPV output on vinyl continue to rise. The new album "The Monster Roars" came in a variety of collectable packages from various retailers - both on vinyl and an overpriced boxed set.

Thanks to Dave Ulke, Javier in Spain, Mark Grehan and Paul Bezemer for information and pictures etc.