THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: September 2021 (Page 13 of 13)

KING CRIMSON – Beat

September 2, 2021 /

The second in the trilogy of albums from the early eighties incarnation of the band, and my favourite period of the band. It was a stroke of genius by Robert Fripp in bringing in Adrian Belew, and I was aware from his work in Talking Heads. As well as being a second guitar player, Belew brought a pop sensibility and melody to the band. This album is definitely the most commercial Crimson ever were.

Any band of the time would have wished they could have written a track like Heartbeat. It’s such a beautiful song with a killer melody and hook, and superbly sung by Belew. Another thing that this version of the band opened up to, was influences from around the world, especially Africa and electronic drums. Discipline was full of these influences, and this album does carry on that vibe especially on tracks like Sartori In Tangier, which is a superb instrumental. The Africa influence can be heard best in Side 1 closer, Waiting Man, with the amazing Tony Levin playing the Chapman stick like he is playing a rhythm instrument.

There are still elements of Crimson of old, with (at times) the complete whack a doodle of Neurotica and experimenting with time and grooves, and Fripp with his Frippatronics. Bill Bruford is superb on this record, and I’m not sure if his talents have not been showcased better on any of the myriad of projects he has been involved with. This album and Discipline are my favourite KC records and both come highly recommended.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

THE POLICE – Zenyatta Mondatta

September 2, 2021 /

Released right in the middle of the band’s original career, this was album number three. The band were flying by this point, and could literally do no wrong. Everything they wrote and put out was a Grade A product, and Sting obviously thought the same. When the band folded and went their separate ways, this album’s songs featured heavily in Sting’s first solo tour – albeit with different arrangements.

Side 1 is as near a perfect side of music you will hear anywhere. The single and big hit, Don’t Stand So Close To Me, leads off the album and is followed by one of my favourite Police songs, Driven To Tears. This track alone is what The Police were all about. Superb track! I don’t think music gets much better than When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around. Seemingly a very simple arrangement, but what a killer groove and melody that goes round and round. I never tire of hearing this. The fast reggae, almost calypso, groove of Canary In A Coalmine follows and again is a superb track. Don’t forget, only two albums earlier they were this quirky punky crossover band. Voices Inside My Head is next, and when played live, this was the track that they would extend to a full on groove out. Bombs Away closes out Side 1, and boys and girls I think you would agree, a near perfect side of music.

Now Side 2 does have its high points, namely the nonsense lyric of De Do Do Do, and the amazing Man In A Suitcase, but all the big guns were loaded onto Side 1. So I will still give it a 9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

APRIL WINE – Harder Faster

September 1, 2021 /

Now this might come as a surprise to none-Canadians, but this was the band’s 8th album released in ’79. This was the first time I had paid attention to the band, as previous efforts were a tad poppy and a bit weak for my tastes.

It was the lead off track, I Like To Rock, that got my attention and they were even asked to play the very first Monsters Of Rock festival in the UK. They were 4th on the bill after Saxon and before the Scorpions. The very radio friendly, Say Hello, was the second single from the album and did a lot better in North America than it did in the UK. There is a brief section in Tonite that rocks, and Ladies Man does rock harder as well, but other than I Like To Rock, it’s a very AOR record. There is a very strange choice of a cover that closes out the record, with King Crimson’s 20th Century Schizoid Man. It’s an ok rendition, but I would be interested in finding how they chose that one.

I don’t think this album has aged that well and the production is a bit flat, but it’s still an enjoyable album.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

OPETH – Morningrise

September 1, 2021 /

Old Opeth don’t bare much resemblance to the band you see today. Their sound has developed way beyond the death metal band they set out to be. This is the bands’ second release from ’96, and the only surviving member from this release today is Mikael himself. It’s not a total growl fest, as there are still the lighter moments with clean vocals. There are also some acoustic and progressive elements to the music as we get more of today. After the release and tour for their previous album Orchid, the band were rehearsing and writing constantly and went quickly back into the studio to record this beast. There is a definite progression between the two records and the progressive elements are more focused here, but the riffs are still dark and aggressive. Mikael’s deep screams are amazing, and how he switches to cleans in a second is unreal.

My two favourite tracks are Nektar, and Black Rose Immortal, both taking up a side each. The riffs and the dynamics of these two songs is a step above the rest of the album IMHO. I’m a big fan of Opeth, and when you go back and listen to the older records, it’s great to see how they have evolved and progressed. This is the RSD release in shiny blue vinyl and it sounds crystal clear. A fantastic pressing.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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