THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: May 2021 (Page 6 of 15)

BLACK N BLUE – Nasty Nasty

May 20, 2021 /

These guys were hot for about four years – from ’84 to ’88 – and then they were gone. This was also Kiss guitarist, Tommy Thayer’s, original place of work, and Simmons did produce this album. This is the third studio album, and in my opinion, their best. The production is huge and the album sounds massive.

Opening track, Nasty Nasty, is a superb opening track, it rocks hard and everything is in your face. I Want It All (I Want It Now) should have been a single as it’s a super commercial track with a rather catchy sing-a-long chorus. Does She Or Doesn’t She follows and this is full on American party rock with a killer riff and groove. Side 1 closes out with Kiss Of Death with a great opening riff and is as metal as this album gets – a superb track.

Side 2 starts with 12 o’clock High with the huge voice of Jaime St James – it’s another anthem rocker and the guitars sound HUGE! Do What You Wanna Do is next up, and the pedal goes to the metal with this one with its big sing-a-long chorus, and a killer breakdown. These guys should have been huge! I’ll Be There For You is the only track not produced by Simmons as it’s done by Journey’s Jonathan Cain…you know what’s coming right? Ballad city! YAWN! This album is so good it didn’t need a cash in tune like this. Rules is next and thankfully we’re back to the big rock tunes. Last track is Best In The West, and its a huge stomper of a tune and reminds me of AC/DC.

It’s easy to see why Simmons wanted Tommy Thayer in Kiss as he’s tailor made for them. It’s just a shame they don’t write much with him. They lose half a mark for the ballad.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

HELLANBACH – Now Hear This

May 20, 2021 /

The NWOBHM threw up a lot of bands that were not essentially metal, but because they rocked, they were tagged with the genre anyway. One such band were Newcastle’s Hellanbach, who were touted as Britain’s answer to Van Halen. The comparisons are obvious, especially with guitarist Davey Patton, who style-wise, was a ringer for EVH and had obviously studied early Van Halen closely. And with cocalist, Jimmy Brash, who did his best DLR impressions – complete with an American accent to his vocals. The only thing that lets it down is a somewhat flat production.

Dancin’ kicks things off and it’s the raw energy and enthusiasm that hits you, and of course Dave Patton’s guitar playing. The ending to Times Are Getting Harder is pure VH, and you have to give them 10/10 for getting it almost right. Look At Me is pure Dave Lee Roth and is a great tune. All Systems Go is fast as hell and reminds me of Women An Children First era VH – with a total feedback fest at the end. Maybe Tomorrow is up next and is the weakest track so far. Side closer Motivated By Desire is the best track yet. Awesome raw guitar on the edge of feedback all the time, and it riffs hard.

Over the flip we go and Taken By Surprise starts with a standard blues groove and with overdriven guitar riffs over the top – you have to check that this is not a VH demo it’s that close. Let’s Get This Show On The Road follows and takes the speed up a notch or two. Kick It Out is an ok track, but is let down by the drumming as it’s way too basic for the track – killer guitar though and the rip off VH middle section. All The Way is next up, and is the only track that feels NWOBHM with DLR on vocals. The last track is the only cover on the record, and ironically it’s my favourite. It’s the band’s take on Disney’s Aristocats’ Everybody Wants To Be A Cat – and it’s an absolute belter of a take. A quite traditional opening leads to a superb solo and a very metal ending.

So did the world need another Van Halen? Well, these kids from the North East thought so, and for a small window of time they were in with a shout, but due to them taking forever to get the next record out (and it not being as good) and also crap management, they disappeared as quickly as they came.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

HOUSE OF LORDS – Demons Down

May 19, 2021 /

Formed in ’87 by ex-Angel keyboard whizz, Gregg Giuffria, the band instantly signed to Gene Simmons’ label. By the time this album was released in ’92, the writing was on the wall – grunge had taken a hold and well crafted and well written melodic rock songs were deemed surplus to requirements, and they would disband a year later. It’s a shame as this record had a big budget, and you can tell, as the production is top drawer. They also had division 1 drummer for hire, Tommy Aldridge to lay down those heavy grooves.

Melody and hooks are the order of the day here, and opener O Father shows that to the max. Second track in and the big production title track blows the cobwebs right off. It has an epic feel with a great vocal and big production. Next up it’s ballad central, and this is one of the reasons bands like this failed in the nineties. What’s Forever For and Spirit Of Love on Side 1 are decent enough songs, but fans wanted that harder edge – they had enough of all these syrupy ballads. Sandwiched in between is Talkin’ Bout Love, which is really great rockin’ song.

Side 2 starts with Down Down Down, and it begins with the obligatory EVH rip off solo for all hair band guitarists everywhere, before the big fat riff kicks in – it’s a great opener. Metallic Blue keeps the pace moving with a contender for best tack on the record. A great up-tempo rocker with a killer melody and chorus. Then it’s back to ballad city with Inside You. Christian sings it really well, but the ballad count is up to three. Johnny’s Got A Mind Of His Own is prime time hair rock, with a big sing along chorus and a bounce along groove with a side of fat riff. Last song of the album is Can’t Fight Love and is very Def Leppard, but not a bad way to end the record.

If they had kept the ballad count down to one then I would have given it a 9 but they get 8/10 from The Grooveman.

THE POLICE – Outlandos d’Amour

May 19, 2021 /

The Police’s rise to mega stardom was very quick to say the least. Taking advantage of the the fledgling punk movement, drummer Stewart Copeland had recently left Prog band, Curved Air. He met up with Sting at a gig in Newcastle and exchanged numbers. When Sting left Newcastle for London, he tracked Copeland down and the rest is easy. The missing piece of the puzzle was ex-Zombies guitarist, Andy Summers, and the rest they say is history.

By the time they recorded this album, it was obvious the band’s future lay in a more commercial environment than the punk scene – as they could actually play and write great songs. Everyone knows Roxanne, and this would light the torch as the reggae vibe would carry the band throughout their career. Hole In My Life and Can’t Stand Losing You are the other two reggae heavy songs on the record, and are really great. There are two punk tinged tunes on the record with Peanuts and Be My Girl – just as a nod to the scene they piggy backed off of. This is probably my favourite Police album as it still has that raw edge to it that would ultimately disappear, and a much more polished sound would develop as they became pop icons.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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