THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: August 2022 (Page 1 of 10)

SLADE – Alive

August 31, 2022 /

Before Slade became one of Britains favourite glam bands of the 70s they had been knocking on the door for a few years before. They had a love of American blues and that’s what they started off playing. They came to the attention of Chas Chandler who thought a change of image and label would be a good idea. So the skinhead image was adopted and Play It Loud was released. This live album was from that tour.

This was the second full length album I ever owned, and I do have a soft spot for the raw power of this record. There are only seven songs on the album, the majority of which are covers including their first chart single Get Down And Get With It, which has all the hallmarks of the Slade to come. The album closes out with a monster version of Born To Be Wild. But the cover of Alvin Lee’s Hear Me Calling is my favourite track. It’s good to hear how raw and rockin’ Slade were before fame came a knocking.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

LITA FORD – Lita

August 31, 2022 /

This is ex-Runaway’s lead guitarist’s third solo studio release, and her most successful. This was also the beginning of her association with Sharon Osbourne’s management company, hence the co-write on Close My Eyes Forever. You can’t beat extra royalties, eh Sharon? To be fair this is a really good album with a super slick production by Mike Chapman who gets a couple of co-writes himself.

Everyone is familiar with Kiss Me Deadly and the aforementioned Close My Eyes Forever, which were huge hits for Lita, and you could not move without hearing or watching those tunes, but it’s the lesser known tracks that I really like. Can’t Catch Me which was written with Lemmy is my favourite on the album, as it shifts along at a killer pace with a wicked groove and Lita shows she’s no mug on guitar. Blueberry is a typical Mike Chapman tune, very similar to the hits he had in the 70’s with the likes of Sweet. Fatal Passion is more Motley Crüe than the Crüe themselves. Side 1 is a killer side of music and is let down somewhat by Side 2 which has to much filler.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

SANTANA – Abraxas

August 30, 2022 /

This is Santana’s second album released in 1970. After an amazing performance at Woodstock, the band were on a roll as that latin groove hit the spot perfectly. This early incarnation of the band were all about the jam and extending tunes to the max, and I didn’t realize that he didn’t write a whole lot himself. The only thing he writes on here is Samba Pa Ti, which along with Black Magic Woman, were the two songs on this album that everyone was familiar with.

Other than Carlos himself, the other band member that catches your attention is keys and vocalist, Greg Rollie, whose Fender Rhodes and Hammond playing are a distinct feature of the band. Carlos’ ability to arrange Classical Latin tunes into a Rock environment is genius. Oyo Como Va and Samba Pa Ti being cases in point. These early albums are very of their time, but still a fun listen.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

BATON ROUGE – Shake Your Soul

August 30, 2022 /

This is another album I thought would never make it to record, but thanks to those good folks at Real Gone Music – here we are. This is the first album that came out in ’90. It was a bad time to be putting out melodic rock records no matter how good they were. The man that some of you will of heard of, is vocalist Kelly Keeling who has been with MSG, King Kobra, and Eric Norlander (amongst others).

Things get moving with opening track, Doctor, with a great fat huge riff and a slight Trampled Under Foot vibe, but it’s the huge hook and chorus that gets your attention. Walks Like A Woman follows, and what a great riff with a slight funky vibe, and the hook and chorus are huge – great fade out as well! Big Trouble is Glam Rock 101 – a simple repeating riff with a four to the floor groove, and that big sing-a-long chorus. It’s About Time is ballad number one. Bad Time Comin’ Down is my favourite track, as I love the choppy riff and the hook and chorus are really infectious. Side 1 closes out with the instrumental, The Midge, which is just a short acoustic piece.

Side 2 opens things up with Baby’s So Cool – what a great riff and groove, and the hook and chorus are really good. Young Hearts has a huge hook and chorus, and I love the middle section with a killer solo. Melanie is a lot more laid back and more AOR sounding. Ballad time is here again with There Was A Time. The riffs return with Hot Blood Movin’, and what a huge drum sound. This would have made a great single. Side 1 closes out with Spread Like Fire – a great uptempo groover. Another band that came too late, but still a great record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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