THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 349 of 492)

BANG TANGO – Dancin’ On Coals

December 4, 2021 /

There was definitely a disruption in the force when these guys appeared on the scene. This album never did as well as Psycho Cafe, and I’m guessing grunge had a big impact on that. This didn’t appear until ’91, but I really like this record as it has a killer vibe and groove.

This album saw them trying different things. The opening track is a glam/sleaze funk monster of a tune that is killer – I really love the groove of the song. Well if that track floats your boat, then Untied And True is a glam anthem. It has a killer riff and sleazy groove with a Billy Idol chorus – a great tune! So how do you avoid going down the boring normal ballad route when slowing the pace down? The answer is in Emotions In Gear – a cool sleazy cinematic piece. I’m In Love is superb with the weird Elton Rifles guitar riff and the funky grooves – plus a ripping guitar solo. The funky vibe continues with Big Line, a serious up-tempo groover that has more in common with Fishbone than the LA glam scene. Midnight Struck closes out Side 1 and is a big sleazy barroom blues.

Side 2 kicks off with the power pop blast of the title track. Then we’re back to the slightly weird and funky with My Saltine. There is so much going on musically, it’s all over the map, which I do have soft spot for. Dressed Up Vamp is a sleazy hair metal groove fest, as is Last Kiss which was probably written in The Rainbow washroom. The album closes out with Cactus Juice, and it’s where the majority of the album lies in funky town.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

CHINA – s/t

December 4, 2021 /

Switzerland’s other rock band – you know – the one you’ve never heard of.

Krokus are the band that everyone knows, but China seems to dip under the radar. It’s a shame, as this is a great hair metal record – if they would have been from LA they would have made a big noise. A definite candidate for hair metal Monday.

Opening track, Shout It Out, is a superb hair metal stomp with a sing-a-long chorus and great riff. Back To You was actually written by Krokus’ Fernando Von Arb and would have been a great single – it’s just a great fun song. The Fight Is On is a track that Motley Crüe would have died to have written – a great chorus and melody – this track really rocks. Big hair power ballad time is next with Wild Jealousy and it’s a bit of a mood killer for me as we were really motoring, but it’s a decent enough tune. The glam is back up and rockin’ with Rock City with its simple riff and groove, but these songs work so well.

Over to Side 2 we go with Hot Lovin’ Night and it’s a similar vibe and groove as where we left with Side 1. I love the twin guitars of Freddy Laurence and Claudio Matteo – they make a killer pair, and with the vocals of Math Shiverow you wonder why these guys weren’t bigger. Living On The Stage has a nice funky undertone to the groove of the song, and with a fat riff makes a cool change of pace. I Need Your Love has a cool blues boogie swing before it’s back to ballad city with One Shot To The Heart. A nice choppy Van Halen style riff and a Hot For Teacher double kick shuffle announces the arrival of the album closer, Stayin’ Alive – a kick ass way to end the album.

This is a really good album that gets docked a point for double ballad murder – even though the second one does rock more and it turns into a Poison style sing a long.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

SAMSON – Shock Tactics

December 3, 2021 /

If you were like me and around when the NWOBHM hit, then Samson were thought of as something as a goof band – especially the first 2 albums and Live. They hammed it up quite a bit and you got the impression, especially from Bruce, that this was something he did as a giggle until he got a proper job. Then they released this album, and then I guess they thought they might have a shot.

Opening track, Riding With The Angels, is the best thing they ever put out. I guess it made certain people in the Maiden camp take notice as he was poached shortly after. The best thing about the next track, Earth Mother, is the sheer power of Bruce’s vocal. Nice Girl is a typical blues rock riff but with a very suspect lyric. Go To Hell is a fast shuffle and is ok. Communion could have been Bruce’s audition for Maiden, and I’m sure Steve Harris heard this and thought of the future.

It’s an ok album, but there were a lot better bands around at this time. You can see how Samson never reached much farther, though it would have been interesting to see what the next Samson would have been like if Bruce was still on vocals.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BOSTON – Don’t Look Back

December 3, 2021 /

Imagine the pressure that the band (and especially Tom Scholz) were under when they had to follow up what was one of the greatest debut albums of all time. It took almost exactly two years for them to come up with this – their follow up. As much as the record company wanted you to believe that Boston were indeed a bonafide band, you didn’t have to dig far to realize that everything revolved around the genius that is Tom Scholz.

When you hear the opening notes of Don’t Look Back you think “wow”, it’s as though they never stopped after the first album – a killer track. A cool little instrumental piece, The Journey, leads into Its Easy, and this is the first weakfish track for me. Side 1 closes out with the big power ballad and single, A Man I’ll Never Be, which when it gets going, is a great song.

Side 2 kicks off with another single Feelin’ Satisfied, which I would class as a typical Boston song heavy on the melody. As is the track after, Party, which is nearly a mirror image. Of course Tim Scholz’s guitar playing is fantastic, but when you look at how long it took him to record to get that perfect sound, then it should be. The album plays out with Used To Bad News and Don’t Be Afraid – both are good tracks but nothing stands out and grabs you.

I guess if this was their first album then people would have hailed it as a good album, but when this is your second album and it follows an absolute monster of a first album then it’s going to disappear somewhat.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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