THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 284 of 492)

TESLA – Mechanical Resonance

June 9, 2022 /

This is without doubt Tesla’s finest hour – a great, no nonsense, hard rockin’ record. Not bad for your first album!

I have to say it’s one of the better openings to an album with Ez Come Ez Go and the wild guitar intr. It’s a great uptempo groover, then they top that with Cumin Atcha Live, a near blueprint copy of Ez Come with even more wild guitars that drive along at a great pace. Gettin’ Better has a very Americanized Zeppelin vibe to it. 2 Late 4 Love starts with a choo-choo train drum groove and settles into a more straight ahead rocker with a great hook. Rock music is quite simple really, all you need is a great riff, and a great groove, hook, and chorus and away we go. Tesla really got it right with this album and Rock Me To The Top is a perfect example. Side 1 closes out with We’re No Good Together and it’s the only disappointment to what is a killer album so far.

Side 2 kicks off with the track that made them in the US, Modern Day Cowboy. I’m sure there’s a Def Leppard track it reminds me of, but it’s still a killer track in its own right. Changes is next and it’s definitely a power ballad, but the emphasis being on the power with some nice guitar from Frank Hannon. The only cover on the album, Little Suzi, is up next and this has hit single written all over it. Love Me is a slow stomper – a lighters in the air kinda tune. Cover Queen is next and has a really nice different groove with a couple of main riffs going on, and another hands in the air hook. The album closes out with Before My Eyes which is my favourite track on the album. This track builds and builds into a very dramatic piece. A great album that any fan of 80’s rock should own.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

ROBIN TROWER – No More Worlds To Conquer

June 9, 2022 /

To say Robin has found a rich vein of material in his latter years, would be an understatement. This is studio album number 26, and it’s a real quality record. Don’t want to go on about age too much, as Robin is now 76. There are musicians who are a lot younger and more in the mainstream who complain about making new music as they don’t make any money – and here’s me thinking artists did it for the art.

For a while, Robin was handling vocals himself, but on this album he is joined by Richard Watts whose tone compliments Robin’s beautiful guitar sound. Robin’s never been one for throwing in a million notes that don’t mean a whole bunch, it’s all about what’s right for the song. Check out the slow funk groove of Deadly Kiss to see what I mean. It’s a simple riff and groove, great vocal, and some sublime playing from Robin – a great song! There is not a bad moment on the album and I love it all. There is even a nod to earlier days with The Razors Edge, where Robin’s tone feels like Bridge Of Sighs era. This is a very groovy album and deserves your attention.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

MAGNUM – On A Storytellers Night

June 8, 2022 /

Magnum had been slogging around for a few years with not much success, and they were supporting anyone who would have them. Then, with the release of Chase The Dragon, they made a breakthrough in the UK. When this album was released in ’85, the rest of the world began to listen.

The main focus of the band has always been singer Bob Catley, and guitarist Tony Clarkin, who wrote all the music and lyrics. I always thought they should have made it big in the US, as their sound sits comfortably in the area that Styx operate in. It’s very melodic with the big pomp production and sound, you think they would be a perfect fit.

How Far Jerusalem is opens up the album and is almost Prog in its feel, but the melodies let you know that we are in AOR territory. Just Like An Arrow was a single in the UK and I remember hearing it on the radio at the time. Endless Love is my favourite track, and there are parts of this song that remind me of Journey. It has a great hook and melody, and Clarkin’s guitar does remind of Schon at times. All England’s Eyes has that US radio feel to it and I was surprised that never was released as a single. Is this Magnum’s finest hour?

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

TANK – This Means War

June 8, 2022 /

This is the band’s third release, and was also the third album to be released on the fledgling UK label, Music For Nations. The band also expanded the line up to a four piece with the addition of a second guitar player, Mick Tucker. This would turn out to be a nightmare for band founder, Algy Ward, much later on with two versions of the band doing the rounds. Algy’s trademark Lemmy style vocals are still there, but this time the songs have a lot more melody present (whether this was Tucker’s influence or management, who knows?), but this was the best album the original band did.

Right from the opening track, Just Like Something From Hell, you can hear the songs are longer and more intricate. The production is more polished and Tucker’s guitar playing is a definite upgrade. His solo on Hot Lead Cold Steel is very UFO. I love the riff and groove to the title track, it’s NWOBHM at its best. This is a real catchy record, and If We Go Down Fighting will get the head a nodding and the toe tapping – the hook and chorus is a total earworm. Last track, Echoes Of A Distant Battle, is quite possibly the best thing the band have done.

If you are a fan or a collector of NWOBHM, then you should definitely have this in your collection.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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