THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 280 of 492)

DIO – Sacred Heart

June 18, 2022 /

This is technically Ronnie’s third solo album as Dio, but if you check out his bio he has been releasing things since the fifties. That’s right back to the beginning of rock n roll!!! Crazy right? I’m not the biggest Dio fan if I’m honest as I only own two of his solo albums, the other being Holy Diver.

The King Of Rock And Roll feels like a follow up to Long Live Rock And Roll, but Vivian just rips it up with a great riff and solo. In fact, Vivian Campbell is what makes this album – his playing is killer. There were a couple of singles from this album: Rock N’ Roll Children and Hungry For Heaven, which actually charted. It’s a very one paced album and not many songs that go through the gears, but I do like Fallen Angels with Vivian playing a great riff and solo. I think it’s well documented Dio’s hate for Vivian after he jumped ship to join Def Leppard, but they did make some good music together.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

VOLA – Applause Of A Distant Crowd

June 18, 2022 /

This is the band’s follow up to the incredible Inmazes, which is a genre defining album for me. On this release the band are expanding the vibes and grooves of the first album, but the melodies are more of a focus this time around and we are definitely in prog country.

We Are Thin Air is a superb opening with such a great groove, and the melody is just sublime. Ghosts takes this even further and the vocal sounds almost ethereal, which is in keeping with the title. The opening groovefest to Smartfreind is just nuts and that riff when it kicks in!!! This song  sound so evil compared to Ghosts. Ruby Pool is a complete contrast and sounds like a backtrack to some Japanese anime; a very serene piece. Alien Shivers has a short electronic intro before they bring the heavy low end grooves, which gives way to a ghostly vocal. I adore Vertigo with a fragile vocal, atmospheric keys, and picked guitar its a goosebumps piece that gets me every time. Still has a really cool opening with just voice and heavy choppy riff. This song feels as though it should be a soundtrack to some sci-fi movie. The title track follows with a very busy riff that gives way to a beautiful vocal melody, of which the odd groove builds over the top. Whaler is the second very heavy low end crunch fest on the album. The main chugga riff is huge and quite simple, and the middle section is incredible with some great dropped down grooveage. The album closes out with a beautiful chilled out keyboard piece: Green Screen Mother. Great band that are not standing still and expanding their sound – they are one of my favourite bands of the moment.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BILLY SQUIER – Emotions In Motion

June 17, 2022 /

Billy hit gold with Don’t Say No and this was the follow up released in ’82. Again, it’s produced by Queen producer Mack, and the title track is very The Game era Queen complete with Another One Bites The Dust funky groove. Billy has a knack for writing great pop/rock tunes, like Everybody Wants You (which was a single) and Keep Me Satisfied with its old school rockabilly beat. It Keeps You Rockin’ is a return to The Stroke style groove of the first album, and I guess it’s a dose of if it ain’t broke why fix it. Billy has a great voice and he reminds me of Robert Plant at times, and on the track Listen To The Heartbeat he is definitely channeling his inner Robert. I like this album and it’s a worthy follow up to Don’t Say No.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

VAN HALEN – Diver Down

June 17, 2022 /

The album of the first six that everyone hates on. The only thing that bugs me is it is the shortest album ever, at just a tad over 29 minutes. One of the biggest criticism is there are too many covers. Well, the record company forced them into the studio to record an album when they thought they were going to get some downtime so, covers was a good way of coming up with a quick album. The covers that they chose weren’t obvious and you have to admit they are great renditions.

The band’s first single was a Kinks cover so, a return to them with Where Have All The Good Times Gone was an inspired choice and they made it their own. Hang ‘Em High is a monster uptempo track with an awesome riff and groove. Cathedrals is Eddie playing around with swells, a chorus peddle, and his volume control for a neat solo piece. Secrets is one of my favourite tracks on the album with a really cool groove, and Eddie gives it the beans with a superb solo. Intruder was added to Pretty Women as the song itself was too short for the video they shot, and it’s Ed just torturing a guitar – you have to admit this version of Pretty Woman is killer. Dancing In The Street was a Dave choice for a cover, and it shows the band could play anything and make it their own. Little Guitars is a superb original, and again the band are  really stretching out here taking their sound off piste. Big Bad Bill is a traditional swing standard, and Eddie and All get to play with their dad who plays the clarinet. The Full Bug is Van Halen doing what they do best: a full on boogie with plenty of swagger and a ripping solo from Ed. We close out with Happy Trails, which the band used to do acapella live.

I love this album just as much as the other Dave era albums and it gets 10/10 from the Grooveman.

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