THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: July 2021 (Page 5 of 14)

BIG BIG TRAIN – The Second Brightest Star

July 22, 2021 /

The new darlings of the Prog brigade, well, at least to those who like their Prog in a more traditional way. The old Prog fans are not very open minded to experiment within their beloved genre, so band’s that give a nod to Genesis, Yes and Caravan, always get maximum love. To me, Big Big Train’s early albums were paying maximum homage to those bands, and over time (and line up changes), they have expanded their sound and changed somewhat. Don’t panic, it’s still very Prog, but there is a very classic rock and folk quality to proceedings now.

If this band has passed you by, then you maybe amazed to know this is their 11th studio album. The instrumentation and writing is second to none, and the production is crystal clear, which is so important for music like this. This album is a mix of new songs and old reworked material from Folklore and Grimspound, which take up Side 3 and 4. This is a traditional Prog fans wet dream. So if you are a lover of early seventies Prog, then you will love this.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

FLESH & BLOOD – Dead, White & Blue

July 22, 2021 /

These guys are a very odd little band that had to jump through hoops to even get this released – thanks to The White House. This album was actually released in ’88 under the band name Dear Mr. President, and apparently The White House didn’t like that very much and actually bought the rights to the band name – so the album disappeared from sight. Cue the name change! Then they reissued the album with this title, but cut two tracks. Only in America eh!

Looking at the image of the band from the picture on the back of the album, you would be forgiven for thinking that they were your typical sleaze late eighties glam band, but that is not the case. They are a cross between a late eighties indie band, and an aor/melodic rock band – certain songs even remind me of the Aussie band Midnight Oil.

Opening track, Fate, would have you thinking that maybe it’s the Cure or even U2. Hey Daddy Have You Ever Been Arrested is a really good track, and a great balance between rock and indie. They take quite an original approach that I really like. Side 2 opener, Fred Astaire, sounds like Trent Rezner fronting some early eighties back with frilly shirts and haircuts, with a Michael Jackson drum track. It sounds weird, but it works really well. Fatal Desire is closer to what you would expect, and has a big guitar riff to start and then the indie sounding chorus and melody kick in. I can see why they never really amounted to anything, as at this point in time, every band was pigeon holed. If a band were hard to categorize, it was a struggle as the labels were not sure how to market them. A very odd record but an enjoyable one all the same.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

OVERLAND – Scandalous

July 21, 2021 /

Most people will know Steve Overland from his time with Wildlife, who for a brief time were managed by Zeppelin’s manager Peter Grant and were actually on the Swan Song label, and FM (the mildly successful British AOR outfit). Now under the Overland name, this is the band’s fifth release. Go on – admit it – you probably thought this was the first under this name. That’s because the melodic rock scene is so underground now, that unless you know where to look, you would easily miss all of these releases. Steve is joined here by Tommy Denander who is a co-writing partner and plays all guitars, Brian Tichy on drums, and Brian Anthony on bass.

Don’t Give Up is a standard good AOR song highlighting Steve’s great voice. Never Say Die is a more hard rockin’ affair with some tasty guitar from Tommy. Lost In The City is the first real highlight of the album with a really cool riff, groove, melody and chorus – it’s a really good song. Closest Thing To Heaven is ballad city, and the intro reminded me of Thin Lizzy in their quieter moments. Blackheart changes things up with a nice funky intro and groove. Again, great vocal and melody with some superb guitar from Mr. Denander. Side 1 closes out with Changing Times, a slow blues groove that builds to a killer solo section, along with some great vocals from Steve.

Side 2 starts off with The Trouble With Love, which has a funky Steely Dan groove and is a nice change of pace and feel. Diamond In The Dust has a very Bad Company vibe going down, and the emphasis is on the melody and hook. Nice tune! Testify follows and is another slightly different tune with an interesting groove and hook with a great middle eight. God Made An Angel is a return to ballad city with a slight harder edge. Joe Cocker came to mind here, which is more to do with the arrangement than the vocal – Tommy really wails on this one. Blaze Of Glory starts with a very southern country vibe, and then the power goes up and we start rockin’. Long Road To Heaven closes out the album. It’s the heaviest track with a monster riff that has an early seventies feel to it.

Overland and Denander make a great team, and this album deserves all of your attention. If this was 1986 this band would have been huge, but alas, that is not the case. I suggest you take a trip over to Escape Music’s web page and purchase this beauty ASAP.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

TOTO – Isolation

July 21, 2021 /

How do you follow up an album that was as successful as Toto IV? Well, in Toto’s case, you would struggle to even get the band back in the studio. At the time, there were problems with vocalist Bobby Kimball’s voice due to his ongoing drug problems. The problems really started on the tour for Toto IV, as a lot of shows were cancelled. When it came time to record this album, they gave Bobby the old heavo and recruited Fergie Fredrickson as his replacement. Anyone who knows Toto well will realize that as well as having a lead singer, they had Steve Lukather and David Paich occasionally singing leads on certain songs as well. Surprise, Surprise, Fergie would only last for this album and tour, as he also had vocal issues that caused huge problems.

Before Toto became a thing, all the members were high end session guys that played on squillions of albums in the mid-to-late seventies, and even into the nineties, so these guys knew how to write tunes. Even though Isolation never achieved the chart success that IV did, it was still a great album full of pop rock classic tunes, and the single, Stranger In Town, was the highest charting rock song the band had. Toto being Toto, the instrumentation and playing is second to none, and for guitar aficionados, Luke really rips in his usual style. If you love Toto -especially the more poppy side – then you will love this album.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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