THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: November 2024 (Page 3 of 5)

WARRANT – Greatest & Latest

November 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Jani Laine’s story is a sad one for sure, but he did leave us with a fine body of work and some very memorable songs.

This is another one of those “re-record some of your hits and stick it together with some new tunes” record. These versions don’t have the big slick production as the originals did, but that raw stripped down sound suits the songs quite well. I mean a good song is a good song, right? Cherry Pie, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Heaven, and Sometimes She Cry’s will be remembered long after we’ve all left this world.

The three early albums have all been re-released on vinyl, so most fans will have them anyway but this is a fun accompaniment to those.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

MELIDIAN – Lost In The Wild

November 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments

It seems to be one and they’re done month on the blog because up next is this melodic rock beast released back in ’89 and then, as per script, they disappeared from whence they came. Somebody obviously believed in Melidian because CBS paid for a video for the opening song Ready To Rock. The two stand outs in the band for me are vocalist Chris Cade who is a gruffer version of Paul Stanley, and guitar whizz Jayson Lane who can really play.

Ready To Rock opens the album with a meat and potatoes melodic rocker. Livin’ Under The Gun follows and is my favourite song. A superb up tempo riff beast with a monster hook and chorus, and a very tasty solo. Fire Up The Heart is an another great melodic rocker. Sleepless Nights is a by the book syrupy ballad. Side 1 closes out with a great feel good hands in the air anthem with Hands Off.

The title track opens up Side 2 and this one takes a sideways step from the rule book on the main chorus with a choppy riff beat, and groove. I love the solo on this one, and the gear change at the end. A very close second for my favourite song is Overheated. A big huge chugga riff and matching pounding beat leads to a massive hook and chorus. Cool tune! Top Of The Rock is up next, and it’s another banger. Big fat riff, a pounding beat and groove, and a monster hook and chorus. Easy isn’t it!! The album closes out with Broken Toys, and it’s a ballad. How to kill the mood or what? I mean the solo is great but…

Anyhoo, this is a really solid album and I like it a lot.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

LAOS – We Want It

November 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Released back in 1990, this is a bit of a forgotten gem, five years too late because this album would have ruled. The track I Want It is a massive Def Leppard style groover. I remember seeing the video at the time and thinking what a killer tune. Fronted by the vocal talents of Gudrun Laos and backed the by the twin guitars of Ralf Hansmeyer and Frank Fricke, they make a wonderful noise indeed.

Laos managed three releases in their time, of which this is the second. So I’m guessing they did okay back in their homeland of Germany. If Bon Jovi had released this album, everyone would have been beside themselves in heaping praise over this record. It’s full of great memorable melodic rock anthems, and this album is a must have if you’re a fane of the genre.

Yup, there are ballads but the groovers blow them to the back of your mind. I Want It, Straight To The Top, Long Shot, and Higher Ground (ballad) are all killer tracks. The production is crystal clear and huge giving the songs the oomph they deserve. Straight To The Top is my fave song. Killer melody and hook, you will sing this long after it’s finished.

If you manage to see this while digging, then buy it and you can thank me later.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

LETCHEN GREY – Party Politics

November 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

On the face of it Letchen Grey are another one and they’re done band. This was the only EP that they managed to put out back in ’86. They were the darlings of the Sunset Strip and were down to be the next big thing, but life got in the way. Guitarist Frank Suber developed an aggressive cancer which sadly ravaged his body. 

They have recently reformed and recorded a brand new album. As for this EP, you can see why it never sold that well because the songs are okay but it’s missing that killer punch to make them stand out. Plus the vocals of Robert Sykes just aren’t strong enough to carry the songs. Out of the five tracks here only two shake my tree. Sexy Sadie with its cool acoustic main riff, and the close out track No Way Out which is my favourite of the two. This song should have been the template for them to follow. A kick ass up tempo glam rocker that is very Sunset Strip.

This one is for collectors and other than the last track, you won’t play this too often.

6/10 from The Grooveman.

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