THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: March 2022 (Page 5 of 14)

MASSIVE ATTACK – Mezzanine

March 22, 2022 /

The reason I bought this album was for the track Angel. It is one of the most powerful brooding pieces of music I have ever heard. The way it builds and builds is epic, and the simple vocal is outstanding. This piece has been used in numerous films, and the one that stands out for me is it’s use in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch.

Massive Attack are one of the most important bands to come out of the UK music scene in eons, as they mash together all styles of music. The album is a complete dark atmospheric groove fest. The main single from the album and the one that got the most attention was Teardrop, with the vocal done by Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins – a superb track that always gives me goosebumps. Inertia Creeps is another track that really grabs me with the mix of East Indian rhythms and dub. The band are described as trip hop, and I understand that because of the grooves and the beat, but if ever there was a band that embodies the term “progressive” then it has to be Massive Attack.

Massive Attack are a one off, and in Mezzanine they have made a masterpiece.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

DAVID GILMOUR – s/t

March 21, 2022 /

Everyone knows David Gilmour as he is one of the most respected guitarists in the world. He always plays the right amount of notes, and his solos always fit the song perfectly. He is responsible for the most recognizable solo ever in Pink Floyd’s Money.

This album was released in ’78 in between Floyd’s Animals and The Wall. This is basically a three piece recording with Foreigner’s Rick Wills on bass, and Willie Wilson on drums. You wonder if some of these songs were Floyd rejects, as Waters was taking more control of the direction Floyd at the time, and There’s No Way Out Of Here feels like a Floyd tune. Cry From The Street has a killer riff and groove and he plays some great guitar. There are two instrumentals on the album opening track, Mihalis, and my favourite track It’s Definitely, where Dave plays a great solo and keyboards. I think Dave has only done 4 studio albums outside of Pink Floyd, and this is the best. Great songs and playing.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

TEAR GAS – s/t

March 21, 2022 /

Tear Gas hail from Glasgow and this is their second album released in ’71. Alex Harvey was looking for a band to bring his music to life, and he saw these guys playing and thought they would be the perfect match for his vision. Three of the band, Zal Cleminson (guitar), Chris Glen (bass), and Ted McKenna (drums) would join Harvey’s new band straight away, and vocalist Davey Bachelor would be the bands producer.

The music on here is very much of the period. That’s What’s Real opens with a very heavy blues and with instrumental sections that would be extended Live. They do a killer version of Jethro Tull’s Love Story which SAHB would cover later on the Penthouse Tapes album. Women For Sale is very reminiscent of Free’s Fire And Water. I really like I’m Glad as there is lots of self indulgence with Zal letting loose on the guitar. There are a couple of old rock n roll covers to fill out the album, but it’s better than their first album, Piggy Go Getter. It’s a cool insight to what the band were into before SAHB.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

SALTY DOG – Every Dog Has Its Day

March 19, 2022 /

The band have been around since ’86 but this (their only album) wasn’t released until ’90. They had the same management team as Guns N Roses and Faster Pussycat, and I would say they are a cross between the two musically. They have the whole sleaze/glam thing down to a T, with the added bonus of having a hot guitar player in Pete Revern. I remember reading in (I think) Kerrang that they were to be the next big thing, but the musical climate changed and they (like every other rock band at the time) dropped off the planet. I’m a sucker for a good guitar player, and this albums scores high for the fact that Revern’s playing seriously lifts the vibe on the whole album.

The first three tracks: Come Along, Cats Got Nine and Ring My Bell are all great tracks. They all have the same vibe with a sleazy barroom groove and a catchy hook and chorus. Where The Sun Don’t Shine has a slower groove and doesn’t have the impact as the first three. Spoonful is their sleazed up take on a Willie Dixon blues standard – with a killer solo. Just Like A woman closes out Side 1 and almost enters country territory, and the surprise here is that vocalist Jimmi Bleacher ditches his rasp for most of the track, and shows he has a decent clean tone to his voice.

Side 2 kicks off with Sim Sala Bim, a short burst of backwards tracked guitar before the sleaze returns with a modified Led Zeppelin riff to Keep Me Down. Heave Hard and Lonesome Fool are the weakest track on the album and they sound like a Faces outtake. After that little blip, the last three tracks are all killer: Slow Daze with its awesome riff, the slow build of Sacrifice Me, and my favourite track on the album – Nothin But A Dream – which has some killer slide playing.

One album and done! There have been a couple of failed attempts at comebacks, but nothing came of them.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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