REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 2)

SLAUGHTER – Revolution

Seven years passed between Slaughter’s platinum selling debut album Stick It To Ya, which came out in ‘90 and this album which arrived in ‘97. Of course, the musical landscape had changed beyond recognition in that time. The Slaughter that recorded that debut and the band that the recorded this gem were no longer under the same pressures when they were signed to a major label. That means they can let their creativity run wild a little here, and the cover art should give the listener enough clues with its psychedelic artwork.

There is still the occasional hair metal dalliance with Tongue N’ Groove (great anthem) but the power pop psychedelia runs riot here and I have to say I prefer this vibe. Revolution (the title track) is a work of genius, adding a little funk to the groove, but the hook and chorus is epic and this is defo my favourite song. This is Jellyfish on steroids and every song is a revelation. Heat Of The Moment is a close second for me because that lead in to the hook and chorus is freakin’ huge.

Great record!

9/10 from The Grooveman.

W.A.S.P – The Last Command

It took me a long time to appreciate W.A.S.P because at the time I thought they were just headline seekers aiming for the lowest common denominator with the shock image and the foul language. Of course, that was the point, but hidden away in there was a band with some great songs.

After the success of their debut album the pressure was on to beat it and I’m not sure they did, but with singles Wild Child and Blind In Texas they sure got some MTV exposure as they were great catchy commercial songs. Chris Holmes isn’t the best guitarist in the world but he’s not a bad rhythm player, and producer Spencer Proffer makes him sound huge here.

As for my favourite track… well it has to be Blind In Texas. It stands so far out from the rest of the album, it’s a no brainer. It’s just a straight up boogie, but the hook and chorus are just huge. W.A.S.P are one of those bands that never actually made a killer front to back record but if you put all the best tracks together you would have one hell of a record.

8/10 from The Grooveman.


HIGHWAY CHILE – For The Wild And Lonely

These guys describe themselves as Holland’s first hard rock band. I’m sure Golden Earring may have something to say about that.

This six track EP is Highway Chile’s second release and it came out in ’84. If I’m brutally honest here, this EP is not that good. The vocals are terrible in places and really spoil what is a spirited effort. The opening track Power And The Force musically is not bad, with the twin guitars riffing hard. Brand New Star has a raw NWOBHM feel and I would say this is my favourite.

They broke up I think around ’84 and they reformed in the toonies for a live show. These songs frankly should never have left the bedroom and need a lot of work to bring them up to scratch.

5.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BLONZ – s/t

I know I say this quite a lot: “if these guys would have released this five years earlier…” but for these guys, it’s true. They could have given any hair band of the time a run for their money. This album has a killer production courtesy of Kansas Steve Walsh and somebody obviously believed in them, for a short while at least. You won’t find much written about these guys as they just disappeared after this album which came out in ’90.

The first two tracks Miracles and Hands Of Love are absolutely huge melodic gems, and you will struggle to find a better opening than this within the genre. Great hooks and choruses, a huge sound you just have to sing a long. It’s The Same has a different vibe starting with a rockin’ country blues groove, then when the big guitar kicks in that little bit of funk is the cherry on the top. Nice acoustic intro to Troubled Child before we settle down to a four to floor kick ass rocker and this is my favourite song on the record. Great tune! What’s On Your Mind closes out Side 1 and we’ve finally reached the ballad. We’re talking Journey quality ballad with big solo as well.

Over to Side 2 with One And Only, and it’s back to the rock with a killer choppy riff and matching groove with a great swing. The middle eight is superb! Rainbow follows and the Bon Jovi vibes are huge here with this big power ballad. A nice fat riff greets your ears at the intro to Skintight. A definite Friday night party tune with a chorus that will stick in your head for days. Another killer riff opens Sexy Ride. I love the groove and swing to this one, not your normal 4×4. Killer playing as well! The album closes out with Last Call (For Alcohol) a straight up fun time groover.

I can guarantee that they are the best hair band you’ve never heard of, and you should track a copy of this album down.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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