THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

UNCLE SAM – Letters From London

April 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

How would you describe what Uncle Sam sound like? I have read a few comments where people reckon they sound like Motorhead. Now, I sort of understand that, especially early Motorhead, but there are also elements of punk. So, if you put the punk attitude in a blender with Motorhead, a pinch of Hawkwind, and a twist of Sabbath you might be somewhere close. Noisenics was another phrase I saw mentioned about Uncle Sam and I would say that about sums them up.

Favourite tune? Well, I’m going for the close out track Lexington Blues which has a bit of a Dr. Feelgood-style R’n’B to it, that is until they get bored and then it’s a race to the finish.

If you’re into to early punk and raw rock n’ roll then this could be the record you’re looking for.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

ZINNY ZAN – Lullabies For The Masses

April 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

You may have heard of more of the bands that he has been in than the man himself. Zinny Zan has been in Shotgun Messiah, Easy Action, and Zan Clan. He has been determined to make his music heard, often swimming against the tide. You have to give the guy respect for keep in going.

He is joined here by two of his old Skintrade buddies, Stefan Bergstrom on guitar and Hogge Calmroth on bass. I think this is a great record and to come out with something as good as this so far into your career is quite remarkable. There are tracks that have that familiar Zinny feel like the opening single Heartbreak City with its great heavy chugga riff, and Bombs Away.

There are some different vibes going on like on Its No Good (which is my favourite track) which experiments with an almost electronic groove and a killer feel and swing. The sleaze groove is still there on Welcome To The Show, which possesses a great riff and groove to match, and it continues on the almost funky Let It Rock.

So there you have it, I am looking forward to the next one.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

KEEL – S/T

April 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This is album number four from Keel, released back in ’87 and the transformation to a hair band is all complete. The sound was lot more raw and aggressive with the Steeler album and the first Keel album Lay Down The Law, and I guess they wanted to appeal more to the MTV generation hence the more polished sound and radio friendly material.

In fact, the songs here are bordering on pop at times, especially Cherry Lane and Calm Before The Storm. The hard rockin’ chest beating anthems are in short supply on this record with King Of The Rock and my favourite 4th July – the only ones to get you enthused. The Michael Wagener production is quite weak and all the balls has been removed.

I guess Gene Simmons didn’t do a bad job for these anyway.

6/10 from The Grooveman.

WINGER – Seven

April 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Winger were always that little bit different to the rest of the melodic/hard rock community. They had that little bit of class and seemed to write more technically challenging songs while still keeping that core sense of melody and groove in place. This album is no different. It’s called Seven because well, it is their seventh album. It is another collection of very classy well written rockin’ tunes. I have to say it’s one of my favourite Winger albums from start to finish.

The lead off track Proud Desperado gets things going with a bang. Killer riff and groove played at high pace with a killer hook and melody. Heaven’s Falling is a track only Winger could write. Great groove and riff, and the vocal melody is superb. Tears Of Blood has a more traditional, heavy, simple chord riff but Kip’s vocals are awesome.

That’s Side 1 done and Resurrect Me leads off Side 2, another trademark Winger tune. The melody is so strong and the hook and chorus are huge. Voodoo Fire is a slower paced beast with an evil groove, but that vocal harmony and chorus are massive. Next up is Broken Glass and it’s ballad time. Great solo!

It’s Ok opens up Side 3 and normal service is resumed. I really like this one, the riff and groove are killer and I love the swing of the track. The heaviest song on the album is next with Stick The Knife In And Twist. This baby rolls along at a great pace with the customary huge hook and chorus with Reb ripping it on the guitar. One Light To Burn is my favourite tune. It’s got a very evil and sleazy main riff with a vocal to match with short bursts of killer geeetar!

We are onto Side 4 and Do Or Die. Another one of those Winger only tunes. Killer melody and riff with plenty of light and shade. Great tune! Time Bomb follows with a slow pounding groove and bass to match, it switches up very quickly and the vocal harmonies take over, with an added solo to die for. It All Comes Back Around closes out the record. A fitting end to a great record with an almost Prog vibe.

Well done Winger, a really fantastic album.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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