THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: January 19, 2022

TYGERS OF PAN TANG – Wildcat

January 19, 2022 /

Tygers are definitely one of the more influential bands from the NWOBHM. A lot of metal bands that came after, especially in America and Germany, call the Tygers a major influence. Metallica’s Lars and James especially love early Tygers and this album in particular. This is the only album to feature Jess Cox on vocals, as after this album he was replaced by John Devarall, and a second guitar player was added with John Sykes being brought in. The band’s label, MCA, heavily interfered after this release and it slowly went downhill after. Spellbound was the highlight after this album, and there is not one bad track on this record. From the opening riff of Euthanasia, to the close out of Insanity, this album encapsulates everything that was great about NWOBHM.

I remember buying the Don’t Touch Me There single and just loving the power and the riffs. My two favourite Tyger’s tracks are on this album: Slave To Freedom and Susie Smiled, which are both killer tunes with big riffs and a great groove. Tygers are still out there and still rockin’.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

VAIN – No Respect

January 19, 2022 /

Vain were one of the most hyped bands of the late eighties glam/sleaze scene, at least they were in the pages of Kerrang and Sounds magazines. Every week one of their hacks was waxing lyrical about the band, and I was very interested to see if the tunes lived up to all the hype. Ultimately you can wear all the fancy clothes and have the biggest hair on the block, but if you ain’t got the tunes, all the hype in the world won’t save you.

It’s a good album, but was it worth all the hype? I would say not. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an enjoyable listen, but is it the first Van Halen album? Davy has a decent voice and the band can really play. On tracks like 1000 Degrees it all comes together really well, and when the they play it really sleazy on tunes like Aces, this seems to be when they are most comfortable. The emphasis is all on Davy’s vocals, well it is his band after all, and on the slower tunes like Without You, it works.

My favourite track is the last track, Ready, as the pace picks up several notches and the album ends on a high. Special mention to guitarist Danny West as he adds some great licks to all the songs. The band are still going after fading in and out a few times, and that sort of sums this album up really.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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