THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: March 2021 (Page 10 of 14)

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT – Tales Of Mystery And Imagination

March 10, 2021 /

This was the debut release by the band, and in true Prog fashion, is a grandiose concept album based around the scribbling of gothic horror author, Edgar Allen Poe. Before this, Parsons was more widely known as an engineer/producer working on the likes of Dark Side Of The Moon. Basically the band is Parsons himself, his songwriting partner Eric Woolfson, and a bunch of guests. The two most notable names as guest vocalists are John Miles and Arthur Brown.

The album is basically a rock opera and is laid out as such. The standout track being the 15.13 minute long The Fall Of The House Of Usher, which takes up most of Side 2. A very ambitious project for your first release and it works really well. The album is very well written, and as you would expect, the production is top drawer.

If you like your Prog delivered in a big operatic way then this could be for you. 7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BLACK SABBATH – Master of Reality

March 10, 2021 /

Hard to believe this album is approaching it’s 50th birthday. Boy do I feel old. Lots of people argue all day long about who was the first band to be classified under the banner of “Heavy Metal”. I’m going to go with the general consensus and say it’s these guys. This album in particular is often cited as the ground zero moment for the stoner/doom scene. Another astonishing fact is this was Sabbath’s third release and recorded in just over a year. That would never happen today. I remember rockin’ out to this when I was in my early teens and loving the evil grooves within. Nice big fat simple riffs that hit the spot, well for me at least. There are only 6 proper songs on this record, plus 2 short instrumentals.

The album starts with the all time classic, Sweet Leaf. Everyone should have heard this at some time in their existence. After Forever is next, and is quite a rambling tune that goes from a standard verse-chorus into a hippy guitar workout. The instrumental Embryo follows, and it’s quite an oddity with its baroque vibe. The original stoner classic, Children Of The Grave, ends Side 1 and is another track that everyone and his dog will have heard somewhere.

Side 2 beckons with the second instrumental, Orchid, which is a pleasant acoustic ramble that leads into Lord Of This World, with Iommi’s fat fuzzed up riff that announces its arrival. Quite a slow plodding track that the doom lovers like. Solitude is next with its opening picked riff – having been stolen by many a metal band (Opeth anyone?). A very slow song with an almost unrecognizable vocal from Ozzy. Into The Void closes out the album with another Iommi fuzzed out riff. My favourite track. Fun fact Iommi de-tuned his guitar on this track – not for the sound – but because he had injured his hand by losing the tips of two of his fingers, and it relieved the string tension to help with the pain. Years later everyone would de-tune to get that evil sound.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

STEVEN WILSON – The Future Bites

March 9, 2021 /

This album was due to be released last June. There should have been an arena tour throughout Europe to promote it – with his biggest production yet – but due to the pandemic it was not meant to be. When the first single dropped, Personal Shopper, all the so-called fans were up in arms about how poppy and un-Prog it was. A quick search on the majority of the haters, one would see they have only been interested in Mr. Wilson’s output since around the Raven period, and were oblivious to his previous output through his various projects. In the beginning, before SW solo or Porcupine Tree, there was No-Man – basically a indie/synth pop duo. Sound familiar? He has also mentioned in interviews, on numerous occasions, that he does not want to repeat himself from album to album, and wants each release to be different. Again, people are not paying attention!

Each of his solo albums have been different and have progressed with each release, the true definition of a progressive artist. There was always a nod to the previous release somewhere on each release. The reference point from the last album to this one would be Song Of I with the electronic pop feel. I’m not going to dissect each song, as that won’t achieve anything. I will say my two favourite songs are Eminent Sleaze, and Personal Shopper – with the hilarious inclusion of Elton John doing the spoken piece. I will say that this album should be heard as a whole – it makes a lot more sense if you do. It is a wonderfully crafted album that deserves your attention, albeit short at 39 minutes. The production is incredible, and if you buy the surround sound version, as well as a raft of extra tunes, there is a Dolby Atmos mix which even sounds incredible with the headphones on.

Is it his best release to date? Well, the short answer is no – as nothing could beat Hand Cannot Erase, but it’s up there as one of his best – it’s just a different listening experience. Buy this, don’t believe the haters.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

ALICE IN CHAINS – Dirt

March 9, 2021 /

So I mentioned when reviewing Jerry Cantrell’s solo album that it was one of the best albums that came out of the whole grunge sidestep, this IS the best. This was also the band at their creative peak. It was all downhill after this for this line up, as Staley would succumb to his drug misuse. Such a shame, as he was an amazing talent and ultimately a great singer. Credit should go to Cantrell as well, as the harmonies that the two did were a part of the Alice In Chains sound.

Them Bones starts the album off in fine style and is a huge beast of a track. Damn That River follows, and the quality remains high. Rain When I Die is next, and is the hidden gem on the album. It has killer vocals, melody, great riff, and wonderful harmonies. The very sixties feel to the beginning of Down In A Hole is next, and it’s a beautiful song with a very powerful message – almost a cry for help. A very moving track. Sickman rolls on in and has a very Rob Zombie beginning, which fades into what I think is the weakest song so far. Next up is side closer and my favourite track, Rooster. Everyone thinks this is a drug song, but it’s actually about Cantrell’s father who was a vet. An incredible song with so much feeling put into the vocals by Staley. Epic stuff!

Over the flip we go and Junkhead is first up. Lots of drug references on this one and the melody lifts the song out of mediocrity. After the onslaught of Side 1, it was going to be difficult to match the quality of the songs. The title track is next, and it starts with a very eastern feel. It is lyrically another depressing song but is lifted by the music. Godsmack is next and the depressing vibe continues lyrically – although musically it’s quite an interesting tune. Hate To Feel in my opinion is the worst song on the album, and sounds as though it was thrown together in the studio with second hand Led Zeppelin riffs. Angry Chair was one of five singles released from the album at the time, and shows how huge grunge was – now it feels just like a blip in the force. Would is the album closer, and a relatively short song with the tom tom groove and haunting chorus.

They only released 1 EP and a full album after this before Staley’s death in 2002. It’s very sad as he just could not get it together.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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