REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: June 2021 (Page 1 of 9)

MAHOGANY RUSH – IV

This is the album where the hippy psychedelic leanings of Frank’s music started to give way to the more guitar hero rocker tunes. This also coincided with being the first recording for his new label CBS. Ironically, Frank would be battling with them for the entire length of his contract. This would also be the last Mahogany Rush record, as Frank Marino would be in front hereafter. A very underrated artist, not just as a guitar player, but as a songwriter as well and all the tunes are self penned.

Opening track, I’m Going Away, is a reminder of the psych leanings of Frank’s early music and is a great tune. The funky vibes of Man At The Back Door is next up, and has some really cool tones from his guitar. Live favourite, The Answer, follows and has a very Hendrix groove and riff and the middle section is killer – Frank lets rip with some spacey solo. Jive Baby is a great step away from the norm with a jazz/funk vibe and groove. Side 1 closes out with Its Begun To Rain, and the late sixties love and peace vibe is alive and well.

Side 2 opens with Dragonfly and you will not hear a better riff and groove. I love everything about this track – the spacey solo is just the cherry on the top. Little Sexy Annie is a sped up beast of a tune with a great riff and melody line, and some ripping guitar to blow your blues away. The very weird, Moonwalk, follows and after the intro the track goes into Mahavishnu territory as Frank’s shows his chops. The album closes with IV The Emperor and is an epic spaced out psych fest with lots of guitar. A great and enjoyable record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

MORE – Warhead

Another one of the many casualties of the NWOBHM period of band’s who had a shot, but ultimately came up short. Probably more famous for having an ex-Iron Maiden vocalist in the band in Paul Mario Day, and Laurie Mansworth who went on to form Airrace, and I think he had something to do with the Cartoon in Croyden as well.

When you don’t have the songs there is not a lot you can do. I mean they are alright, but nothing jumps out and grabs you. Opener, Road Rocket, is ok but that riff was used by the Egyptians its that old. A cover of Arthur Brown’s Fire is next and it’s ok, but nothing amazing. Soldier is a half decent tune with a nice instrumental section. Side closer, Depression, is not a bad attempt at doing something a little more commercial, but the production is so flat it does nothing for the song – it almost feels like a demo.

Side 2 opens with the title track, Warhead, and again, it’s basic riff-erama that needs a boost to lift it. Mario Day’s vocals are the best thing about the song. Way Of The World at best is pub rock, and if it wasn’t for the guitars of Mansworth and Kenny Cox, this whole album would be a bust. We Are The Band has a variation on “the riff” and is ok. Album closer, I Have No Answers, starts with one of the worst guitar pieces you will ever hear, until the song starts at a gallop and could be a Hawkwind cast off.

What should have happened here is that the record company should have stumped for a half decent producer to work with the band on the songs. This album just sounds like a collection of demos that shouldn’t have been let out of the bedroom. Only for NWOBHM completists.

4/10 from The Grooveman.

ED WYNNE – Shimmer Into Nature

This album is freaking amazing!!! Ed Wynne is a co-founder of UK space hippies Ozric Tentacles, and Ed has played guitar and keys on every release by the band. It was a surprise in 2019 that Ed announced he was working on a solo record. Although this does feel like an Ozric’s album, there are a lot more guitar sections and a lot of programmed trippy trance like grooves, which Ed was responsible for bringing into the Ozrics.

There are only five tracks in total, the shortest being 7.44. Opening track, Glass Staircase, is a cracking opening tune an absolute instrumental delight. It has a very fusion vibe but with trance beats and grooves. There is so much going on under the surface of the main groove, that it takes repeated listens to pick up on all the intricacies. Travel Dust is a lot more chill and laid back and features lots of programming ambient sounds – at times it dives into a reggae dub groove. Oddiplonk is the last track on Side 1 and is a total spaced out piece with layered guitar soaked in all sorts of effects wizardry over the top of trance like rhythms.

Shim kicks off Side 2 with a trance club groove and Ed’s echo shimmering guitar licks that lead into some superb guitar playing. Ed is seriously underrated and I’m glad to say he is working on a second solo album as I write this. Wherble closes out the album and is a combination of all the sounds and grooves so far in one 10 minute epic. Ed has all of the tools and is a killer player. He respects the music totally and does not shred for shreds sake, he just plays what is needed. A must have in my opinion.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

AEROSMITH – Live Bootleg

When checking the exact release date of this release, I was amazed to discover how many kick ass live albums were put out in this year. As well as this there was Ted Nugent – Double Live Gonzo, Thin Lizzy – Live And Dangerous, AC/DC – If You Want Blood, and Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes – to name a few! Unlike all of those records that have either been enhanced afterwards with lots of overdubs in the studio, or completely laid down in a studio, this album (as the title suggests) is completely Live and is a total mess. Not in a bad way, you have to understand it’s just the way Aerosmith were in the seventies.

Every song seems to have been recorded at a different show, either a huge enormo-dome show or small little club shows or theaters, and it seems to have been sequenced in a random order. The band’s performances range from the amazing, to completely sloppy – and I love this album for that alone. The band’s love for chemical enhancements is well documented, and there are songs like Last Child where Tyler sounds as though he is completely off his face. Then there are killer moments like Lord Of The Flies which is superb ,and Come Together which is one of the best versions I have heard of this song.

Up until Permanent Vacation, the band was on its knees, and with the help of outside writers they made it to mega status. But there is something about the band at this time that I love – they were just a killer rock n roll band. They have written some classic tunes before Love In An Elevator that people forget. Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Toys In The Attic, and Walk This Way are all hall of fame contenders – but that was a different band.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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