THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: January 2021 (Page 3 of 14)

RHINOCEROS – Satin Chickens

January 26, 2021 /

Well I guess it had to happen sometime…I don’t remember acquiring this record at all! It must have been lumped in with a batch that I bought. Anyhoo, here’s what I we know.

This was Rhinoceros’ first album released in 1969, and they were a band that was put together by Electra Records. Not sure if this is classed as a psych record or not, as there are elements to that genre in Monkee Man, which has a very jam-band vibe to it. Then again, tracks like Top Of The Ladder are pure RnB with a very laid back feel. Sugar Foot Rag is almost in chicken picking territory for the whole of the 37 seconds it lasts. You really have to wonder what was Electra’s brief to the band when they put them together – as the music really is all over the map – as Side 1 closer has an almost Free feel to it.

I’m having a good guess in saying they were probably stoned when they went into the studio, as the beginning to Side 2 with the farm animal impressions is weird. The only song that is mildly entertaining is the last track, Back Door. The most amazing thing is that after this they were asked to record another album?!

If anyone is missing this from their collection and they want it then hit me up.

4/10 from The Grooveman.

METALLICA – And Justice For All

January 26, 2021 /

It always amazes me the hate that this album gets amongst fans and non-fans. First it was the whole sell-out thing by doing a video for One, which was something they said they would not bow down to. But you know what? The whole scene had changed since they began, especially with MTV starting up and being such an influential medium. Then there was the whole “Where’s the bass?” thing. James did mention much later on that they were just messin’ with the new guy. Plus, you can here it anyway it’s just not prominent. Also Lars gets some grief over his drumming skills on this album as well, which is mind boggling to me as his playing is fantastic here. Anyway, I really like this album, so zero negative vibes from me. This was to be the last album produced by Fleming Rasmussen before they would go with Bob Rock and mega stardom.

Let’s get down to the tunes. We start with the epic Blackened, a nailed on textbook Metallica masterpiece. Huge fat riff, plenty of chugga-chugga and that change in pace awesome. Title track is next , and basically more of the same, no let up in the quality here. Next, and an epic slow fade into the beginning of Eye Of The Beholder, and we are off and running. This needs to be played LOUD!!! Then a bonafide ‘Tallica classic, One, is next with its very striking anti-war message about a soldier who has lost all of his limbs and nearly all of his senses. This was the one that made everyone pay attention – not just the metalheads.

So that’s disc 1 done, now onto disc 2 with Shortest Straw – with a groove change very early on in proceedings, with plenty of jun-jun’s to keep that head banging. It’s quite noticeable how the mood is becoming a lot more serious with the lyrics compared to their earlier albums. Monster track, Harvester of Sorrow, is next with that sooooo doomy beginning that fits the subject matter perfectly. Then one of my favourite Metallica tracks ever, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, which starts with an almost funky choppy groove with a huge riff. The middle section and the ending is killer. If this doesn’t get you bouncing round the broom cupboard then nothing will. Flip over onto the last side and straight into the acoustic intro to Live Is To Die, an almost instrumental that was about as mellow as Metallica got at the time. Which brings us to album closer, Dyers Eve, which is very early ‘Tallica, and the only song that has thrash written all over – superb ending.

So there you have a fantastic album that doesn’t deserve all the hate.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

ZZ TOP – First Album

January 25, 2021 /

This is a million miles from what they would become after Eliminator. As The Rev Billy G would say himself “we are just a ‘lil ole blues band from Texas”, and ladies and germs that is exactly what we get here! A good, honest, no bells and whistles record. It has its high points and low points, namely Squank, but we’ll stick with the high ones.

First track is Somebody Else Been Shakin’ Your Tree, a great opener with a groovey blues swing, and some nice lead from Billy G. Then we get the really bluesy Brown Sugar, which starts with just guitar then grows into a cool boogie. Goin Down To Mexico is next another up-tempo groover, and then Side 1 closes with a blues/country ballad, Old Man.

Flip over to Neighbour Neighbour, a typical ZZ Top shuffle groove, and into Certified Blues again with that swinging groove and cool guitar. Next up the dirty boogie of Bedroom Thang, with a very suspect lyric and a killer close out instrumental break. Now onto the two close out tracks, Just Got Back From Baby’s, and Back Door Love Affair – both co-written by producer Bill Ham. Both of these tracks are traditional style blues, and have been covered by a variety of artists over the years – and both have some great guitar from Gibbons.

The band had only been together about six months before they went in and recorded this, so the songs were quickly put together. I’ve always loved three piece bands as there’s no hiding in the mix. You can hear everything super clear, and every instrument has its place in the sound – and this is a good recording! Not their best album, but a good representation of where they were at at the time.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

SUPERTRAMP – Breakfast in America

January 25, 2021 /

This is the sixth studio album by British band, Supertramp. They started out in 1970 as a full on Prog rock band. It wasn’t until they released their third album, Crime of The Century, and especially the single Dreamer, that they moved into a more commercial direction. Breakfast in America was probably the pinnacle of their careers as it spawned four Top 40 singles in America alone – where they toured endlessly. They first came onto my radar while at school with Dreamer. Even though this is not my favourite album by them, there is not a bad song on here.

Starting things off with Gone Hollywood, this sees them at their best with a trademark huge song that takes the listener everywhere across their musical spectrum – complete with a groovy breakdown. Next up is The Logical Song, which was a huge hit everywhere. It is followed by Goodbye Stranger – another typical song, and then into another huge hit with the title track, Breakfast in America. Last track on Side 1, Oh Darling, is probably the weakest on the album but still a good tune.

Side 2 kicks off with yet another classic Tramp tune, Take The Long Way Home. The two main protagonists Rodger Hodgson and Rick Davies vocally, although very different, compliment each other perfectly. Both of them are the main song writers, they sing their own songs, and they seem to have very different outlooks on life judging by the lyrical content of the songs. This would prove to be the down fall of the band at a later point. Last song of the album, Child Of Vision, starts off with that Wurlitzer organ sound first heard on Dreamer, that feels like an old friend, and builds into this huge closing piece with an almost jazz like piano section with a cool groove.

There is no other band like Supertramp. Nobody writes the way they do, and no matter what song is played, you instantly know who it is. It’s really hard to pin them down when someone asks you “what style of music do they play?”. My reply is “well, it’s Supertramp!”. Obviously this album sold squillions, and was 300 times platinum or something like that…so I guess somebody likes it.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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