4U - A Classic Rock Opera offers a surprising blend of The Who meets Paul McCartney. Interspersed with melodic and inspirational explorations are intense guitar and keyboard riffs catapulting us down a raging river of whitewater rapids. Like river waters they ebb and flow, cutting through the listeners’ mind and ushering us through a kaleidoscope of rock genres from the 60’s - 80’s. Colley takes us on a journey of nurturing melodies and lush arrangements. Originally composed and recorded in the early 70’s, 4U sat untouched for 47 years. In 2020, Colley made time to revisit, reconstruct and re-record the entire opera. The project took him 7 months and 300+ studio hours to complete and he had to reproduce 4U from memory. These expansions and contractions of his 2021 release flash us back to explosive psychedelic rock, presenting like an impending storm. Colley’s airy musical experimentation delights throughout the compilation, as he artfully weaves guitar, bass, piano/keyboards and drums together. Lyrically, his remastered vocal harmonies resemble The Eagles meets Paul Davis meets CSNY. His celebratory and introspective wordsmithing unveils a passionate and transformative love story. Inspired by many firsts, these songs explore searching, longing, leaving and rediscovering new paths. Hearing Colley sing sparks bittersweet memories of young love, traveling on the road with the wind in your hair and hanging out riverside in a Volkswagen van on a Saturday afternoon.

I "ping-ponged" the tracks to create a 5 track recording while singing and playing all the instruments myself in real time. Really amazing to be able to do in those days. 

At that time I was heavily influenced by the 1st rock concert I ever saw when I was 14. It was 'The Who' performing 'Tommy' (considered the first Rock Opera).  A year later, Paul McCartney came out with his first solo album where he played all the instruments himself. The production of '4U' was inspired by both.

In this new release I kept the music, lyrics and arrangements as close to the original soundtrack as possible by, again, playing all the instruments myself.

Even though technology was primitive compared to what we have available today, the songs have stood the test of time. It took me a couple of months to re-learn all the parts before I started to record. Honestly I am amazed at how advanced and intricate my songwriting and arrangement abilities were at that young age. You will find a variety of different styles of rock influenced music. I say rock because, at that time, that is what is was. Classic rock came later. 

The project took me approximately 7 months and over 300 studio hours to complete. Believe it or not, I did not use any sheet music , lead sheets or charts when recording this album. I did this all from memory.

I am very proud of this album. It was a monstrous undertaking and I hope it finds a way into your heart and your playlist.

Enjoy and share!

Craig

>> Click below to hear the original 1974 recording.