THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: April 2021 (Page 5 of 11)

ALIEN – s/t

April 22, 2021 /

If you were under the impression that melodic rock had died at the end of the eighties – you were wrong. Well, it’s alive in Sweden anyway, as bands still put out great rock records. Check out bands like Eclipse, W.E.T and The Poodles who consistently put out great records.

Now, this album came out in ’88, and I doubt anyone outside of Europe has even heard of this band, which is a shame as they could give any band a run for their money. Having been blessed with having two lead singers in Jim Jidhed and Pete Sandberg, you know the emphasis is on the hooks and melody. Every song has the big chorus that you can’t help but sing to. They are also great musicians. Founding member Tony Borg is a killer guitar player. Tracks like Tears Don’t Put Out The Fire, and I’ve Been Waiting, are great songs and if the band was American (and around a couple of years earlier) things could have been a whole lot different. If you mixed Escape era Journey with Toto – you’d get an idea what music these guys make.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

BILLY IDOL – Rebel Yell

April 22, 2021 /

After the brief success of Generation X (who disbanded in ’81), Billy went to the States to start a solo career. He joined up with guitarist Steve Stevens and Billy boy hit payday. Success came near enough instantly with White Wedding, and they were off and running. Now, make no mistake here, Billy owes a hell of a lot to Stevens as his inventiveness and creativity drive everything on this album, plus he is one hell of a guitar player.

Opening and title track is a fantastic track and is very eighties in sound and feel – with the addition of keyboards played by Stevens on the album, but this track definitely rocks. Next up is Daytime Drama, and this song is made by the guitar track – incredible rhythm and lead playing – you really get to realize what a lucky boy William Broad is. Eyes Without A Face is all about the keyboards until the fat riff kicks in the middle section – another great tune and a hit single to boot. Blue Highway follows and closes out Side 1. A crazy guitar intro leads into a fairly standard song lifted again by the guitar.

Over to Side 2 and Idol’s best track of his entire career, Flesh For Fantasy. It starts with the simple bass line with an almost funk groove – then it’s all about the guitar. No crazy solo’s, just a great feel for the song with plenty of chorus and echo. Superb track! Catch My Fall is next, and is the only song credited to Billy himself and sounds very new wave. Crank Call follows and starts with a great riff and has a whiff old Gen X about it. Do Not Stand In The Shadows is very old school punk rock in the intro, and again is very eighties in sound but still it’s a good tune. The album closes out with The Dead Next Door which is a very atmospheric electronic slow tune.

This album was never bettered. Sure there is the occasional track that his good, but nothing came close to that quality of songs on this album.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

GOV’T MULE- s/t

April 21, 2021 /

Formed back in 1994 as an offshoot of the (then) members of the Allman Brothers, Warren Haynes and Allen Woody, they wanted to get back to basics with a good old fashioned three piece in the vein of Free. This is the first album they did, and in my mind this was the best, as after it they would expand their sound and scope of the material they would cover.

The album opens with Warren just singing alone on the track Grinning In Your Face, and the tone he has to his voice is just beautiful. This leads into Mother Earth – a blues based tune heavy on guitar and groove – and that voice! Rocking Horse is up next and has that off funky groove mixed with a good dose of Southern attitude. The production is awesome and super clear – showing the beauty of a three piece with that uncluttered sound. Monkey Hill doth follow with the fuzz vocal and the first glimpse of Warren’s slide playing. Temporary Saint is a slow tune with the guitar dripping in reverb and chorus – and again, that amazing voice. As you would expect there is always room a for a solo and they deliver in every tune. Trane is next up and probably was the blueprint for the whole band. It’s very loose and it feels as though they were just jammin’ and they pressed record and let it go.

The band’s own theme song is up next, Mule, and is a freaking awesome tune with a killer riff, groove, melody, and chorus – the whole nine yards. Worth the price of admission alone kiddies! The acoustic flavoured, Dolphineus, is next and does remind you of Zeppelin with a southern feel. This leads into the even more Zeppelin sounding intro of Painted Silver Light. I mentioned Free further up the page, and their cover of Mr. Big is just outstanding – not many singers could pull that off, let alone the guitar. Allen Woody’s bass is amazing on this track. Left Coast Groovies is the penultimate track, and again there is that off groove funk underlying the whole tune and a riff that turns up in the middle of the song. Jeez! Save the best till last??? Well yes, but the whole album is amazing. World Of Difference is just epic. Clocking in at 10.15, it is the perfect end to the album. A stunning vocal and guitar tour de force.

Yet another album that belongs in the everyone should own one folder.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

FREAK KITCHEN – Confusion To The Enemy

April 21, 2021 /

A very unique band and I love them dearly. File under experimental rock as that’s about as close I can summarize the musical space that they occupy. Mix Frank Zappa with heavy metal and an amazing sense of humour, and you are on the right path. Formed back in 1982 in Sweden, this is the 10th studio album and it carries on where they left off with more thought provoking awesome music. We are actually lucky they are still around as after the release of Dead Soul Men, Matthias was really disillusioned with the whole scene in general and he fired the rest of the band. Then he came back with a new bass player Christer Hysen, and drummer Bjorn Fryklund, and this has been the line up ever since.

Morons is the opening track and with a brutal honesty and humour that only Matthias could pull off – mixed with a killer riff and driving rhythm make this an amazing opening track. Alone With My Phone is another ironic look at life and is a great tune. The next track is sung in Swedish and is a monster track, Sa Kan Det Ga Nar Inte Haspen Ar Pa – I’m not sure what it means but it has a killer riff and grooves along nicely. Troll is a beautiful track and takes the pace down a notch. The title track, Confusion To The Enemy, is next and it’s the stand out track on the album. A great off groove time signature mixed with a fast staccato riff make this one of the most inventive metal songs I have heard.

Matthias is up there as one of the most original and amazing guitar players around today. Some of the things he plays is just incredible. Push Through sees bass player, Christer, singing and is a more commercial sounding tune with a great melody and chorus. Only A Dream follows and is not a track you would expect to hear on a metal album – it’s a very laid back tune and Matthias plays a beautiful solo. The crazy instrumental, Auto, is next and as well as it being one of the most weird solos on the album, it sounds as though lots of kitchen implements are used for percussion. Great groove and rhythm. By The Weeping Willow follows and is a ballad and another Christer sung song. Next up, The Era Of Anxiety, is a semi-funk heavy metal groove machine. They are so good at the rhythmic feel to each tune, and this is what makes them unique as no one else does this. Album close out track, We Will Not Stand Down, is another look at the insecurities and paranoia in the world today.

Another great album by Freak Kitchen to add to the many they have done. A great band and long may they continue their quirky journey though life.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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