THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: December 2023 (Page 1 of 9)

THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND

December 19, 2023 /

This is the first album from one of Scotland’s greatest rock bands, released way back in ’72. Alex was looking to form a band and he saw one called Tear Gas play. He convinced them to join up with him, and the rest is history.

Alex had been performing a few of these songs since the early sixties in his soul band. The Willie Dixon song I Just Want To Make Love To You and Framed were from that time, but given a heavy update. Hammer Song and Midnight Moses are different versions from his solo album Roman Wall Blues, but given the Harvey treatment again. There’s No Lights On The Christmas Tree Mama was released as a single and is pure vaudeville and fit perfectly into the band’s theatrical performances. My favourite song is St. Anthony which is definitely one of the heaviest songs they recorded, with Zal riffing up a storm.

SAHB were a huge part of my adolescent years and I still listen to them often.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

CROBOT – Motherbrain

December 19, 2023 /

This is album number three for these retro sounding heavy groovers from Pottsville Pennsylvania. Fronted by the powerhouse vocals of Brandon Yeagley, these guys tick all the boxes for me. A lot of modern rock sounds as though it was created on the same computer using the same plug in, but not these guys.

Burn and Keep Med Down are standard Crobot groovers but Drown and Low Life sees the band adding to their pallets. Drown has a killer eerie vibe added to the grooviness and Low Life is my favourite tune on the album. It’s got freakin’ awesome heavy riffs and grooves with a monster hook and chorus. Alpha Dawg starts with a really heavy evil vibe and it reminds me a tad of RATM when they groove hard. The pace slows down for Side 1 closer Stoning The Devil, but there is no let up in the intensity. I’ve never thought of them as a stoner band, but this track definitely has those vibes.

Gasoline opens up Side 2 and what a killer track it is. It has a deep and dirty groove with Yeagley screaming out those vocals. Destroyer just rips from the get go. Again, it has that deep heavy riff that slays and the slow down for the main verse is so cool. Blackout starts with a slow moody intro before the riff-heavy guitar lays it down, and the instrumental section just rips. Afterlife is a close second in the favourite track stakes as that riff and groove swings just perfectly, and if I was going to release a single this would have been it. The album closes out with The Hive and we end as we came in, with a patented Crobot groover.

A great album by a great modern rock band and no, they DO NOT sound like Nickelback.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

YESTERDAY AND TODAY – S/T

December 19, 2023 /

Back to ’76 we go, the first album released by this legendary Californian hard rock band. It wasn’t until the Earthshaker album that Yesterday and Today shortened the name to just Y&T. You sort of expect for Dave Meniketti to sing all the vocals as that’s every thing you know after Earthshaker, but here Joey Alves and Phil Kennemore also sing leads.

This album is far from what they would become in just two albums time, but all the elements are in place. The production is very flat and empty and I’d love to hear this album with a big shot producer behind the desk. Still, for ’76 the record has a great heavy groove to the songs and was a bit ahead of the curve.

Earthshaker the track is a killer tune and has a gallop groove that Iron Maiden would perfect a few years down the line. Game Playing Woman has a very unusual middle section which I really like, especially the solo. However my favourite tune is Come On Over as it’s the nearest to the Y&T we all know and love. It has a nice fat riff and groove with a nice hook and chorus.

A cool look back into the last of one of America’s great rock bands.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

MARS VOLTA – De Loused In The Comatorium

December 19, 2023 /

There are some bands that just don’t fall into any pre-conceived box, and just exist in their own realm. Mars Volta are that band and who would have thought that At The Drive In would have spawned something so amazing.

This is the band’s debut album, even though there was an EP released before. The creative partnership that is Mars Volta comprises of Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Cedric Bixler Zavala and the other musicians join to form The Band. This is not music that you just put on for a quick listen while consuming your breakfast. This is a commitment to make yourself comfy and grab some snacks because it’s gonna be a while.

The term progressive was made for music just like this, and the concept album is alive and well, and long may it be so. Based on a short story written by Cedric and Jeremy Ward (who was a a founding member) about a man named Cerpin Text who is in a coma for a week after overdosing on morphine and rat poison (alluding to a friend of Cedric’s). Side note: Jeremy Ward was found dead of a heroin overdose just before the recording started for this album. So, the whole vibe running up to this album wasn’t the most positive. Well you know what they say, “out of adversity,” positive things happen.

This is an incredible piece of work and I do admit it’s not the easiest of listens, but just immerse yourself in it. I don’t really have a favourite as I look on this as a whole.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts

Archives

© 2024 THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑