Released in April 1972, Curved Air’s Phantasmagoria took its title from a Lewis Carroll poem. Like the previous album, it again saw its sides split between composers, Darryl Way and Francis Monkman. A non-lp single, “Sarah’s Concern” b/w “Phantasmagoria,” was issued in March, but failed to chart. Florian Pilkington-Miksa returned, while bassist Mike Wedgwood was new. His bass immediately lends substance to the wonderful “Marie Antoinette.” Hard-rocking with a sexy swing, one wonders why this wasn’t issued as the single!

Drummer Jon Hiseman and bassist Mark Clarke initially auditioned Irish guitarist Gary Moore, formerly with Thin Lizzy, for a new version of Tempest. Clarke opted out for Natural Gas; and due to record company pressures, the band was rechristened to the more sales-worthy Colosseum II. Featuring the talents of bassist Neil Murray, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Moore, and now veering away from heavy rock, Colosseum II would record a trio of perfectly serviceable fusion albums, with 1976's Strange New Flesh arriving first.

After James Litherland's departure to Mogul Thrash, Colosseum recorded a few new tracks and re-recorded some old ones with incoming guitarist and vocalist Clem Clempson, previously in the blues power trio Bakerloo. So instead of issuing Valentyne Suite in the US, the tracks were compiled as a new album, entitled The Grass Is Greener—but with the same cover. It saw release in January 1970, again on ABC Dunhill. The opening bells of "Jumpin off the Sun" signal another Colosseum stormer, but now with the much earthier voice of Clempson.