THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: February 2021 (Page 3 of 12)

NIGHT RANGER – Dawn Patrol

February 23, 2021 /

This is the first and best Night Ranger album released in 1982. They came onto my radar because guitarist Brad Gillis had been the replacement in Ozzy’s band after the tragic death of Randy Rhonda. Gillis came in to help Ozzy finish that tour. When the tour was finished, he didn’t take up the offer to join full time as he wanted to concentrate on the his band. Then typical Sharon she went into full bitch mode, and accused Gillis of joining Ozzy’s band just to get publicity for Night Ranger.

If you want to hear what Gillis sounds like playing for Ozzy, he is on the live Sabbath covers album, Shout At The Devil. Believe me, he is on fire on that record, and that will be the best you have heard Sabbath songs played. Night Ranger are unusual in the fact that they have two lead vocalists, drummer Kelly Keagy, and bassist Jack Blades – and they both are really good.

The album starts off with one of the two mega songs on the album, Don’t Tell Me You Love Me. An absolute belter of a tune. What comes next is what the band became famous for (well in America at least) – catchy melodic pop rock songs. You have to remember, Journey were huge at the time and every label wanted bands that sounded like them. Sing Me Away, and At Night She Sleeps, are perfect examples of this. Obligatory ballad, Call My Name, is next. I am not a big fan of ballads as they were nearly always a record company requirement at the time. Side closer, Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight is next, and thankfully it rocks with a fat riff from Gillis.

Over to Side 2 we go, and Can’t Find Me A Thrill is a classic example of hair rock of the time – a fat riff and a big sing-a-long chorus. Young Girl In Love is another great pop rock song that reminds me of Cheap Trick – the masters of pop rock. Play Rough is more of the same – big riff and big chorus. Penny is a doppelgänger of the last two tunes. When you find a formula don’t change it. Last track is the other mega track, and the one the band were named after, Night Ranger – and what a monster of a tune. It starts pretty normal before we get to rock out in the middle section with some killer playing.

I know they had bigger hits after this album, but this is my favourite because its before they sold their soul completely to the label.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

TALK TALK – It’s My Life

February 23, 2021 /

I’ve heard Talk Talk described as intelligent pop. I haven’t got a clue what that means. All I know is that they wrote great records and Mark Hollis was a genius. They were lumped in with the New Romantic movement at the time, and most rock fans would have passed them by due to that. It wasn’t cool to like pop bands if you were a metal head. It’s definitely synth-pop for sure, but they are very clever songs with great arrangements. Hollis has a very distinctive tone to his voice and is unmistakable. There is a lot of experimenting with tones and sounds on the record, and the band would pursue these later on subsequent releases as they left the pop behind and were going into a post rock direction.

Dum Dum Girl was the third single from the album, and opens up the record. A very clever synth-pop record with great lyrics. Such A Shame and Renee are up next, and are very eighties sounding and slow paced, but again the vocals and melody reign supreme here. Last song on this side was the lead off single, It’s My Life, and is the track that everyone will be familiar with. It is a great tune with a big hook and chorus that Hollis sings perfectly. Great tune!

Flipping over to Side 2 with Tomorrow Started – a very melancholic song with mix of electronic and acoustic instruments. Compared to other bands at the time, they were way ahead in terms of how they used synths and programming. The Last Time is quite an upbeat song compared to the rest of the album, and Hollis’ vocals do remind me of Brian Ferry – especially on this track. It’s noticeable that all of the singles were from Side 1, and Side 2 is a lot more about the album than the quick hit. Calling The Night Boy reminds me of It Bites, especially in the chorus – another great song. Does Caroline Know is synth-pop-funk, and a departure from the rest of the album. Album closer, It’s You, has a very Japan feel to it and is a nod to the future with subsequent releases.

A great album. Not my favourite, as that would be Spirit Of Eden, which would come later. A really good example of synth-pop of the time.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

NEKTAR – Magic Is A Child

February 22, 2021 /

I’ll admit to not knowing a whole bunch about these guys, other than they were English. Originally released in ’77, the band sounds like a cross between Yes and Styx. They passed me by back in the day, and I’m not sure why as this is a very enjoyable Prog album. It’s all here: weird fantasy subject matter, overblown arrangements, and great playing.

Opener Away From Asgard is classic Prog fare and done very well. The title track does make me think of Styx, as it’s very reminiscent of their early work. Eerie Lackawanna has a somewhat Supertramp feel to it with a cool funky guitar pattern. Midnite Lite is more of the same and sounds a tad like Gentle Giant. Side closer Love To Share is the weakest song the album and sounds a bit like The Beatles to my ears.

Side 2 kicks off with Train From Nowhere and has a guest appearance from non other than Robert Fripp, which is apt as this song does feel like a Crimson outtake. Listen starts off in epic grandiose style and then slows the pace right down. On The Run is the heaviest sounding track on the album, and the last track, Spread Your Wings has a quirky choppy start then is more of a straight ahead rock song with some nice guitar.

Not a bad album, and would I like to listen to earlier albums to see how proggy they were originally – apparently this album has shorter songs and is more accessible.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

STEVIE WONDER – Talking Book

February 22, 2021 /

Talking Book was the beginning of Stevie’s classic period from ’72 – ’76 where he couldn’t put a foot wrong as everything he put out was pure gold. Blind since just after his birth, and was seen as a prodigy, he was signed to Motown when he was just 11. He took soul and R&B to places that were not recognized at the time. He dragged the Motown label into the album era as they were known mostly for singles. At the time, Motown label artist’s songs were all 3 minutes and under. Stevie helped to change that outlook with 7 of the songs being over.

The album starts off with a stone cold classic, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. Maybe Your Baby weighs in at 6.45, and has funk added to the mix to give the song that harder edge – plus you get a superb vocal from Stevie. You And I is a slow ballad, and Tuesday Heartbreak follows in the great soul tradition of the label. You’ve Got It Bad Girl finishes Side 1, and is a mix of jazz, soul, and some very clever rhythm changes.

Flipping over to Side 2, probably Stevie’s most famous track, Superstition, get us underway with that unmistakable beat before you get Stevie’s trademark clavinet with the main riff of the song. I always associate this song with guitar as some very famous people (Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan) have turned it into a guitar workout, but this is all Stevie on the keys with some horns for great effect. This song is as groovy as it comes. The very un-R&B, Big Brother, is next and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was an Americana song written today. Blame It On The Sun is the weakest song on the album. The slow Lookin’ For Another Pure Love is next with a guest appearance from Jeff Beck, which then brings us to the album closer, I Believe, which ends things in epic ballad style.

I like this album a lot. This album, and the three that came after it, are the ones worthy of inclusion into any collection.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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