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.