THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: July 2021 (Page 8 of 14)

CONEY HATCH – Live At The El Mocambo

July 15, 2021 /

It was a big surprise when the band decided to play at the newly refurbed El Mocambo in October last year, and to record the damn thing was the icing on the cake. The band shone brightly for three albums – and then that was it. Those three albums make up the majority of the tracks played here. Apparently only 300 copies were pressed up, and I know some of them were signed.

We Got The Night opens things nicely and you instantly recognize what a great melodic rock band they are. Stand Up shows the quirky side of the band with the odd riff and groove, as well as the rap spoken vocal by Andy Curran – who is in complete contrast to the vocal talents of Carl Dixon. First Time For Everything is up next and was released as a single – it shows the more mellow side of the band. Wrong Side Of Town from Friction is next up and was probably the best song from that record.

I love the first two records. My four favourite tracks are all aired here: Hey Operator, which I do believe was their first ever single, the amazing Fallen Angel which could my favourite track ever by the band, and the two best tracks from the first album, a rockin’ version of Devils Deck, and the epic Monkey Bars. I’m not sure if they are back together full time or if this was a trip down nostalgia lane, but I’m glad they recorded this for posterity.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

DEF LEPPARD – High ‘n’ Dry

July 15, 2021 /

I’ll admit to not being a fan of the super over produced version of the band, which came after the release of this album. To me, this is the last true Def Leppard album – at least the version that was still true to themselves – a good, honest, hard rock band. Let’s get this straight, Def Leppard were never a heavy metal band, because other than Get Your Rocks Off (which was on their self financed EP), they didn’t have any fast songs. This album was the first to be produced by Mutt Lange, but it’s hard to hear his influence on this album, other than to give the band a clear and loud production.

Lead off track, Let It Go, is a classic Leppard tune – at least how I think them to be. High ‘n’ Dry reminds me of AC/DC – that’s who Lange produced before this album. You do wonder if he saw them as a younger version of DC, and after this album he changed his mind with how he thought the direction the band should go. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak was a track built for America, and it was a big single for the band in the US. Switch 625 was an unusual instrumental track that Leppard were not known for – its probably the heaviest moment on the album.

It’s funny listening to this record now. Between this and Pyromania, it’s as though a different band recorded each album. Not long after this, it was decided that Pete Willis would be surplus to requirements, and the band would bring in Phil Collen from Girl – and the rest they say is history. It’s still my favourite Leppard album.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

SKAGARACK – s/t

July 14, 2021 /

What is it with Sweden and Swedish bands doing everything better than everyone else? You can take any form of music and there will be a Swedish band at the top of the tree doing it better than anyone. Skagarack were around for 4 years from ’86 to ’90, and they were purveyors of the finest AOR soft rock. This is the first album from ’86, and the band were fronted by Torben Schmidt, who would later go on to have his own management company, Thunderstruck Productions (that would look after Freak Kitchen amongst others).

The band play rock with big hooks, big melodies, and catchy sing-along choruses -just like Night Ranger and Survivor. Move It In The Night is the opening track and is the best track on the album with a big chorus and great melody. Saying is another great tune, a bit more up-tempo and rockin’ whilst the emphasis is still on the song. Damned Woman is a slow plodder of a tune, but it does have a nice solo. Side 2 opener, Don’t Turn Me Upside Down, is a decent melodic rock tune that bands more established than them would have died to have written. Victim Of The System is the big production number on the album, but I think it falls a bit short and sounds forced. Double Crossed rocks out the record in fine style. My one major criticism of this record is that the production is a bit flat and needs a good dose of oomph to lift it.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

AVENGER – Blood Sports

July 14, 2021 /

Release number 18 on the Neat Records roster, this band were only around for two years and this was their first release. Part of the NWOBHM scene, although they were not part of the first wave, they just made the tale end of the second wave. There was lots of incestuous changing around of band members between. Blitzkrieg, Satan, and Avenger were all disbanding, then forming, and then reforming again – it all got a bit confusing if you were trying to follow these bands.

Anyhoo, the music is pretty standard fare for the genre with the usual stock riffs and grooves, but guitarist Lee Cheetham was a bit special and lifted the band from the norm. Opener, Enforcer is a decent tune, but the follow up track, You’ll Never Take Me Alive, is just sped up Sabbath with a decent solo. Matriarch is a different type of tune as it’s quite slow paced and un-metal, until the middle section kicks in then we’re off to Maiden gallop territory. Side 2 is more of the same, plenty of the usual riffs played with lots of enthusiasm. I guess my favourite track would be the bleed out track, N.O.T.J.

I will give this 7/10 for the nostalgia.

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