REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: December 10, 2024

CHINA – Go All The Way

This is the band’s third album, released in ’91 and the follow up to the hugely successful (in Switzerland) Sign In The Sky. I’m not sure if they are still together, but as of 2013 the only original member was guitarist Claudio Matteo and over the six studio albums they managed to record, it was a revolving door of coming and going of members.

I have to say this is my favourite of all the band’s records. Here, they have the right mix of a great production coupled with some killer songs. China have the gift when it comes to writing memorable melodic rock tunes, each song has an unforgettable sing a long hook and chorus. It’s really hard to pick a favourite song as there are some killer tracks to assault your ears here but Pictures Of You, Medicine Man, and In Trouble With Angels are killer tracks that would float anyone’s boat.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

REVOLUTION SAINTS – Against The Wind

Revolution Saints, the band that aren’t really a band at all. Three great musicians with Dean Castronovo on drums and vocals, Joel Hoekstra on guitar, Jeff Pilson on bass, and yet they have not written one note on the entire album. Frontiers love child Alessandro Del Vecchio is the main songwriter on all the album and this is basically a Frontiers vanity project.

Does the album sound good, I hear you cry? Well of course it does! Super slick and polished as they try to recreate that classic Journey sound. Dean could sing a Chinese take away menu and it would sound superb, he just has the perfect voice for this music. Hoekstra is a killer melodic player and he deploys the relevant notes to the relevant places in each song.

I can’t help feeling this is Pop Idol for balding men of a certain age with expanding bellies to match. I jest somewhat, but it does feel a bit like a certain type of music done to order. You know what I mean! You roll up to the drive through and give the attendant your order “Can I have Journey quarter pounder with a huge ballad on the side?”

Anyhoo, don’t listen to my cynicism it’s a very well put together record.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.