THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: September 2021 (Page 7 of 13)

DOKKEN – Under Lock And Key

September 16, 2021 /

This is their third album released in ’85 and the band were flying by this point. They always managed to get the balance between the melody and the crunch just right. George Lynch is one of my favourite players and boy can he write a riff. I know his name is on the cover and it’s his band, but Don is definitely the weak link in the band. He has always struggled with his voice, but his vocal melodies are really good here I’ll give him that. A killer rhythm section in Pilson and Brown – this band should have been bigger.

I always thought that Unchain The Night was a single as the melody and hook are good – but it wasn’t. The singles were The Hunter, In My Dreams, and It’s Not Love. To be honest, there isn’t a bad song on this record. If I’m pushed I would say this is my favourite Dokken record. Not only are the songs strong, but George really plays killer all over the album. This was the record where he really made a name for himself. I never tire of hearing the whole album as it’s class, but It’s Not Love stands out for me – its just the icing on the cake, a superb track. They definitely don’t make albums like this anymore.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

TYGERS OF PAN TANG – Crazy Nights

September 16, 2021 /

The forgotten third album from the Tygers and it’s quite amazing how the sound had changed since the first record only a year and a half earlier. Gone was the full on metal of the first and was replaced by a band struggling for a sound. It’s obvious they were going for a more melodic sound, probably due to pressure from the record company, but this album suffered in my opinion.

The first two tracks are pretty standard for the period with very simple riffs, and it’s not until we get to Track 3 with Never Satisfied that things hot up a bit and the quality goes up a notch. Last track on Side 1, Running Out Of Time, tries hard to capture the true nature of the band, but the production is very flat and wooden.

It’s more of the same over on Side 2. The title track is just ok, and Deverill is over singing and not singing for the song. An attempt to boost up the guitars with effects has been made on Down And Out, but it’s just ok. Bearing in mind Sykes would leave after this album to join Thin Lizzy and write Thunder And Lightning – I am struggling to hear any of what is obviously John’s ideas and riffs on this record. Then Lonely Man arrives and I’m gonna stick my hat on that he had a big hand in writing this one. Make A Stand comes and goes, and the best track on the record is Raised On Rock which closes out the album.

So not a great record compared to the two albums that came before, and that’s what we have to compare it to.

6/10 from The Grooveman.

STEVE HILLAGE – L

September 15, 2021 /

This is Steve’s second full length solo album, and was released in ’76 after a stint with the cosmic hippies, Gong. This album was produced by Todd Rundgren in the US. There are only six songs on the album, three of which are covers. One of which is Donovan’s Hurdy Gurdy Man which is better than the original, it has a killer solo from Steve. The whole album has that space hippy vibe to it with a huge dose of Krishna thrown in, and was probably recorded whilst high on copious amounts of chemicals.

Hurdy Gurdy Glissando is very trippy and groovy and has a superb repeating bass line and some great guitar. You want to know where Ozric Tentacles got their inspiration from, look no further than here! Electric Gypsies feels as though we are back in the late sixties, especially with the harmonies. Om Nama Shivaya is a modern take on a traditional Indian piece. The 11 minutes of the album centrepiece, Lunar Musick Suite, is next and it’s a full on prog/jazz fusion experience – with a lot of hippy thrown in. The album closes out with a cover of George Harrison’s It’s All Too Much, which is a great rendition with a very odd snare drum sound.

This is one of my mood albums that I put on when I am already chilled.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

ANVIL – Metal On Metal

September 15, 2021 /

There was a point in time when Anvil were gonna be the next big thing – especially after this album was released. They kept up the momentum with the next release, Forged In Fire, and then they slowly went down and down until they disappeared off the map. It could have had something to do with the gimmicky bondage gear and playing guitar with dildos, or the very sexist lyrics, but who knows? I’m sure most of you will have seen the Anvil documentary and how heartbreaking that was, but that’s what the music business is like for nearly all bands.

Anvil, and this album especially, were an influence for lots of metal bands of the time – even Metallica namecheck the band – and it’s not hard to see why, this is a killer record. First track and the title track is one of my favourite tracks from this period. The main riff is simple but oh so effective, and that head just wants to bang. An ode to the Japanese monster Mothra is next, and the speed quickens and the metal is a pounding. Stop Me is a about backstage lust and sees rhythm guitar player, Dave Allison, handle vocal duties instead of Lip’s crazed warblings. I love the guitar tone on this one. One of the best metal instrumentals is next up with March Of The Crabs, and I’m sure Maiden were an influence for this one. Side 1 closes out with Jackhammer, and what a killer track with a superb pounding groove and fat chugga riff.

Side 2 opens up with Heatsink, and we continue where we left off with another great track. A bit of variation next with Tag Team, as the groove slows down before Scenery comes in with its slowed down Crazy Train riff – these lyrics are seriously cheesy. Tease Me Please as a very NWOBHM riff and groove with a large hint of Mr. Nugent thrown in. The album closes out with 666, and this is Anvil at their best. Super fast speed metal with the dark devil demon subject matter instead of the porn star lyrics.

Side 1 gets 10/10, but Side 2 gets 8/10 from The Grooveman.

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