THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 239 of 492)

TOTO – Live In Tokyo 1980

November 10, 2022 /

There is no doubt (in my eyes anyway) that Toto are rock royalty. In much the same way that Steely Dan got together, a bunch of session guys getting together to make music they wanted to make and not being told what to play. This short five track live album is from Toto’s first visit to Japan in 1980, and was a a RSD release.

St George And The Dragon opens up the album and it was one of the killer songs from Hydra, it’s great to hear it played live and Lukather’s guitar is just beautiful. Mama is just incredible. A superb funky vibe and Luke’s really on the money. Tale Of A Man closes out Side 1, and what a killer track this is. Jazz, funk, and Rock are all covered here and it’s my favourite track as I love this rendition – killer playing by all.

Side 2 opens up with White Sister, one of my favourite Toto songs. Great playing and this is how it should be, all playing live no overdubs or miming to tape here. The album finishes with Runaway, which I don’t think has appeared on any album before, and is an old school rock n roll romp. Just five tracks isn’t an LP but an EP, I’m not complaining as warts and all recordings don’t exist anymore.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

DEAD END – Ghost Of Romance

November 10, 2022 /

I thought I was up on all the Japanese rock and metal bands, so when I saw this in a bargain bin and it was on Metal Blade I thought, why not? Dead End were formed in ’84 and this is their second album, released in the US in ’87.

Musically, it’s really on the money. Killer riffs and grooves, and I really like the guitar sound on You. The thing that really bugs me is I can’t understand a word that is being sung. I’m not sure if they are singing in Japanese or not. There is no lyric sheet, so I’m not sure. But, all the song titles are in English. Anyway, vocals are usually the last thing I hook onto so it’s no biggie.

The songs that really grab me are The Damned Thing which has a great groove and some killer guitar. Phantom Nation has an epic riff and guitar tone, it is my favourite. The intro to Godsend is epic and very eighties, it reminds me a bit of Killing Joke. The middle section of The Red Moon Calls Insanity is really cool and again, killer guitar tone and some of the lyrics are in English. The close out track Song Of A Lunatic starts like some 80’s goth band and is so out of place compared to the rest of the album, but the guitar playing is awesome. Well, it was worth the $3 I paid for sure.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

FUNNY MONEY – s/t

November 9, 2022 /

We all know the band KIX, right? Well, after they called it a day after the Show Business album, lead singer and frontman Steve Whiteman formed Funny Money and this is their first album, released in ’98.

Opening track Off My Rocker is a killer Aerosmith-style rocker with a great hook and groove. Art Of Persuasion follows and it has a Cheap Trick power pop vibe -another cool tune. Can’t Take The Heat is up next and is a beast of a boogie with a great riff and groove. Love this track! Baby Blues is up next, and I’m guessing Mr Whiteman has the hots for Cheap Trick as this song could have appeared on any of their records. Side 1 ends with For Keeps, which has a hint of the Beatles about it, and an earworm of a chorus.

Boogie Man opens up Side 2 and is a full on FUN tune with a great riff, and the clue is definitely in the title – and yupm it’s my favourite. Pick Me Up starts with a really sleazy cool riff. Love the melody and hook! Suckin’ My Blood is a full on sleaze fest with a dirty Stones-like riff. Monkey See Monkey Do is pure LA glam and I love the descending riff. The album closes out with Dry Eyes Cry and it’s as close as this album gets to a ballad. A great fun record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

LEATHERWOLF – Street Ready

November 9, 2022 /

This is the third album released by these California melodic metallers, in 1989, and would be the last until they reunited in 2006. They would be lucky enough to have a major label supporting them until the original split. The label sure believed in them, as this was probably their final shot, and they pulled out all the stops bringing in mega rock producer Kevin Beamish to produce and Michael Wagener to mix. It sounds awesome, as it should, but there was a lot of competition around at the time.

Opening track Wicked Ways is a solid opening track with riffs aplenty. Street Ready follows, and is a sure fire winner. Killer riff and guitar sound, and the hands in the air hook and chorus make this a monster of a tune. Hideaway is half ballad and half rocker, a sort of by the numbers track of the time to change the pace of the record with the three axe attack having a chance to show off. Take A Chance is a standard uptempo groover with a four to the floor beat. Side 1 closes out with Black Knight, an instrumental speed/thrash metal blast with plenty of groove changes and lots of guitar, it is my favourite track on the album.

Thunder opens up Side 2 and it has a slight feel of Iron Maiden about it with an added hands in the air hook and chorus. Great tune! The Way I Feel is a bit of a let down after the onslaught of Thunder and this where this album fades. I mean the solo is killer but, will the real Leatherwolf please stand up? Too Much on the other hand is supercharged in comparison. A fast metal romp with a killer riff and double kicks giving it plenty. Then we go from that to a big production keyboard intro for Lonely Road, which is hair band love song-o-rama. Spirits In The Wind closes out the album and it’s back to the Maiden comparisons with the main riff and groove. I love the middle section, it’s a great song to go out on. Overall, it’s a good solid album but I can see why they were dropped.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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