REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: July 1, 2023

TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION – The Name Lives On

So this is album number seven for these whiskey soaked Texans. They put the groove and swing into their hard rockin’ metal anthems. Album number seven and I’m guessing not many people have heard of them. Still led by frontman and wailer Big Daddy Rich, they sound as huge and heavy as they ever have. This is thanks in part to a great production by Bob Marlette.

The album opens up with the fat heavy groover Hell Hounds, where the riffs are heavy and Big Dady is giving his all. I Come From The Dirt is a similar groove with a great guitar sound. Built For The Road has a hint of country mixed into an AC/DC simple rocker chord pattern. Scream is up next and that riff and groove will get you up and bouncing. Dirty rock n’ roll at its best! Hard Habit closes out Side 1. A slow pounding rocker with a killer hook and chorus.

Believe opens up Side 2 and a very similar track to Hard Habit. Both written by Bob Marlette with a more commercial edge. License To Kill follows and it’s another huge sounding, slow paced rocker. Keep My Name Out Of Your Mouth starts like something Pantera would write. It has a great guitar sound and my favourite track. If you want to know how that huge voice sounds on a ballad then I Teach Angels How To Fly will answer that question. Pretty freakin’ awesome is the answer! The Name Lives On closes out the album in fine southern outlaw style. 

Great album with great production.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

BONHAM – Mad Hatter

This is album number two for Bonham. It was released in ’92, three years after the band’s debut (The Disregard Of Timekeeping) and would also be their swan song. It has a different feel to the debut album, with the band going for a more groovy hybrid Zeppelin sound after the melodic rock of the first. I like this style more to be honest, but I guess the record buying public didn’t agree as it didn’t sell too well.

Opener Bing is Zeppelin 101, with Macmaster giving it the full Robert Plant. The title track follows and there is more of a heavy Aerosmith vibe with a great swing to the song. The slow brooding Change Of Season follows and its power ballad time complete with strings n’ things. Cool groove at the intro to Hold On with the drums and guitar seemingly playing in different time. Great vocal! The Storm closes out Side 1 and this feels like a Zeppelin re-write. I’m not dissing the song as it’s really cool, but the sound is so close.

Side 2 opens with my favourite track Ride On A Dream. A killer riff and groove, and Ian Hatton is superb on guitar. Good With The Bad has a really chill jazzy intro and veers into Prog territory as it builds and builds. Awesome solo! Great bluesy intro to Backdoor and the main song has just that hint of funk to give it that swing. Back to that heavy Zeppelin slow pounding groove with Secrets. Los Locos is an instrumental ballad with Ian Hatton giving it the beans on guitar. Squeezing the tracks in on Side 2 as we reach the sixth and final tune Chimera. It feels as though this should have been in the first album as the vibe is almost Toto.

I think it just beats album #1.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.