THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 277 of 492)

THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND – Rock Drill

June 25, 2022 /

This the last SAHB album released back in ’78. Alex would return with the New Band, but it was over for SAHB after this release. The band would reform in the early toonies with Max Maxwell on vocals, and they released a live album and DVD called Zalvation with some reworking of old SAHB classics, which was killer but no new material appeared. Because of internal disputes and health issues, none of this album was ever played live.

Side 1 is The Rock Drill Suite split up into five parts and pieces. Of this, namely Dolphins is up there with the best material the band ever did. A superb riff and brooding groove with some of the best lyrics Harvey ever penned – “Where were you little man when I laid down the foundations of your universe” is one I really love. Rock & Rool is a straight up rocker with a great Zal riff. Who Murdered Sex, with its old school rock n roll riff and groove, is really cool. Water Beastie, which has a great reggae groove and repeats over, is a really odd piece. The single, Mrs Blackhouse, closes out the album, and ode to self appointed protector to the people, who had more things banned due to moral objections than any government ever did.

I always find this a sad ending to what was a great band, and I miss them greatly.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

KING KOBRA – Ready To Strike

June 25, 2022 /

When I usually say that “this band should have been huge” it’s usually down to record label apathy because they dropped the band for whatever stupid reason. But for this band, they dissolved when Carmine Appice folded the band because he threw in his lot and joined John Sykes in Blue Murder. I love Blue Murder, but they only released two initial albums and then goodbye. Hindsight is a wonderful thing right?

This is the first King Kobra album released in ’85 and it’s a bit of a stormer. The title track gets things going in fine style with a hard rocking beast of a track – with a killer riff and groove, and an equally superb vocal from Mark Free. Hunger is a melodic rock master class, a great melody and hook with the a big sing-a-long chorus. Shadow Rider has a very sleazy riff and slow groove, with a short killer solo. Shake Up has (what I call) a stock 80’s riff with a great guitar tone and big huge chorus. Attention closes out Side 1 with a blast and double kicks a plenty – a bonafide party rocker.

The party vibe continues with Side 2 opener, Breakin’ Out – another up-tempo rocker with the big hook and chorus. A really nice riff and guitar tone opens up next track, Tough Guys, with a textbook hook and chorus, and a very nice dual guitar solo. Ballad city next with Dancing With Desire, and they do try something a little different with the format that keeps it interesting. Second Thoughts is my least favourite track on the album – it feels as though it belongs on a soundtrack from any teen angst 80’s movie. Piece Of The Rock closes out the album, and it’s a big anthem hands-in-air finish.

An album very much of the eighties, but a great example of the genre.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

URIAH HEEP – Return To Fantasy

June 24, 2022 /

I feel old listening to this album as I remember buying it the week of its release in ’75. Most people think of 70’s Heep as this big big rock/Prog crossover band – especially after the release of Demons And Wizards, and The Magicians Birthday with those fantasy Roger Dean covers and the big extended songs. In reality, through most of the 70’s the band wrote melodic hard rock albums with emphasis on vocal melodies and big harmonies.

This album is somewhere in between, as songs like Beautiful Dream and A Year Or A Day have that old Heep vibe with Prog very much in evidence. The title track shows the great vocal qualities in the band, with Dave Byron showing what an amazing range he was, while the rest of the band back him with killer harmonies. The band almost reach country/blues territory with Why Did You Go and shows how eclectic this album is. A solid album but not their best.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

RIOT – Fire Down Under

June 24, 2022 /

If ever there was a bad luck band, it just has to be Riot. If you consider how amazing this record is, Capitol records refused to release it after the band had recorded it saying it was “commercially unacceptable”. Capitol used Riot as a pawn to support Sammy Hagar on a UK tour, as they were popular with young fans in the UK, and he wasn’t. As soon as the tour was over, they dropped the band and held this album in their vaults refusing to release it. Finally, after pressure from the fans, the label sold it to Elektra who duly released it to world wide acclaim.

They played the first Donnington festival, and they were on the bill for the Port Vale Heavy Metal Holocaust. They should have been huge, and for that small window in time, hey had their shot. Vocalist, Guy Speranza, left after the tour cycle for this album saying he was disillusioned with the whole business and went to be a rat catcher. His replacement, Rhett Forrester, was shot after refusing to give up his car in a car jacking. Bad luck seemed to follow these guys around.

They managed to put out this monster of a record despite all of their troubles, and it still sounds great today. Definitely all killer no filler – great songs with awesome vocals, all the time keeping the melody with huge crunchy riffs and a groove that swings. Swords And Tequila, Fire Down Under, Don’t Hold Back, and Altar Of The King are all stunning tracks in their own right – all with superb riffs and grooves, but my favourite is Outlaw. This song grooves hard with killer riff, hooks, and chorus – with the added bonus of a great Mark Realle solo.

This is the Metal Blade reissue with two extra tracks, but like a lot of Metal Blade reissues, it’s a very noisy pressing. If you are lacking this album in your collection, then I suggest you track down an original copy.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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