THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 399 of 492)

PINK FLOYD – Meddle

August 9, 2021 /

For me, this is where Pink Floyd became interesting. I didn’t care too much for all the psychedelic nonsense – even though on Obscured By Clouds there were signs to the direction they were going, but it wasn’t until Meddle that the path became clear. It’s also the last album where the whole band contributed, before Herr Waters would wrest control of the band and the arrival of all the tensions in the group.

I love the production on this record as the clarity and separation are amazing. Basically it’s an album of 2 Sides (aren’t they all). Side 1 is all song orientated, and Side 2 is given over to the epic Echoes. It contains the bringing together of instrumental passages that were written by all the band. It’s now become a requirement of every Prog band worth their salt to have one track lasting a full side. If ever you want to test your audio equipment, this is the perfect track to do so as they use the whole of the stereo spectrum.

The opening burst of One Of These Days is one of the greatest opening tracks, with that hypnotic driving Waters’ bass riff that powers the whole song. Fearless is a classic melancholic Floyd melody with the added bonus (if you’re a Liverpool fan) of the Kop at Anfield singing You’ll Never Walk Alone. I think the band did not know where they were headed when they recorded this, as there is also a lounge lizard jazz tune in San Tropez, and the odd blues of Seamus.

It gets 9/10 just for the inclusion of Echoes from The Grooveman.

FIFTH ANGEL – s/t

August 7, 2021 /

Originally released by Mike Varney on his Metal Blade label, after being transfixed by guitar whizz James Byrd. This is the first and best of the band’s releases. I loved all of the releases that were coming out of the US with the hot shot guitar players at the time. It’s only when you look back that you realize a lot of them were pretty average, mainly due to the fact the guitarists could wail, but the bands couldn’t write good tunes. These guys were different, as they could write good tunes and they also had a decent vocalist in Ted Pilot, and a great drummer Ken Mary who would go on to drum with loads of bands.

In The Fallout is a pretty standard mid eighties metal track, but with a killer solo. Shout It Out has that big anthem feel to it. Call OutThe Warning is peddle to the metal with some Yngwie style widdle – it’s very power metal. The self titled track is next and is very Dio in its delivery, and has a superb lead break. The side closes out with Wings Of Destiny, which has an Iron Maiden intro and pretty standard riffage, again lifted by an unreal solo.

Side 2 starts out with The Night, which is the best track on the album – it’s a power metal anthem. A really cool intro to Only The Strong Survive opens with a riff I have heard before, but my brain won’t release the information. I’m sure the metal heads amongst you will know (let me know!!!). Cry Out The Fools is the penultimate track and is very Michael Schenker with Ronnie Dio singing. Album closer, Fade To Flames, is almost an acoustic fade to black until the song bursts into a Maiden gallop.

So two albums and that was it, until a comeback a couple of years ago. James Byrd released a few solo albums for Shrapnel, which if you are a guitar nut, are worth checking out.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

EAGLES – Hotel California

August 7, 2021 /

Born out of Linda Ronstadt’s backing band, they were up and running immediately with the success of their first album – mainly due to the singles, Take It Easy, and Witchy Woman. This was their 5th album and would be the peak of their commercial success. It would also see the first line up changes, as Joe Walsh would come in to replace Bernie Leadon.

There is no doubt that the Eagles are the kings of soft rock, or more correctly, country rock. It was fashionable at one point to bash the Eagles as a figurehead for all that was bad and overblown about the music business. What gets lost on people is that they wrote some fantastic tunes that sold in there squillions, and you don’t do that by being terrible.

Side 1 is loaded with all the hits. The amazing Hotel California has that odd reggae under groove that leads off the album, followed by another smash, New Kid In Town, and if that wasn’t good enough, Life In The Fast Lane, steams in after that. I think I’ve mentioned before how record company’s load albums up on the first Side with all the good stuff – this is a perfect example of that. Side 1 closes out with Wasted Time, which takes the tempo right down into super ballad territory.

Side 2 starts with an instrumental reprise of Wasted Time before Victim Of Love. I think it’s safe to say that these are the tracks that people are not too familiar with – even so, they are still great tracks and the hardest sounding on the album. Pretty Maids All A Row is Joe Walsh’s first writing credit for the band and first lead vocal, and I’ll admit to having a soft spot for all things Joe. I really love the tone to his vocal, and this does not disappoint, it’s a nice slow groove that fits the Eagles brief perfectly. Try And Love Again would be Randy Meisner’s final contribution to the recorded output of the band, as this would be his last album and it’s pure country. The Last Resort is the final track and the big showpiece track on the album -weighing in at 7.25.

Just to put things in perspective here, the album has been certified platinum 26 times and has sold over 32 million copies worldwide.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

VANDEN PLAS – The God Thing

August 6, 2021 /

This is one of my favourite releases from the last 25 years, and it’s nice to see it get a release on vinyl, having originally only being available on CD. However, they have now swapped labels from Inside Out to Frontiers. Try to think of Judas Priest mixed with Images and Words era Dream Theater, and you would be close. The production on this record is exceptional, and it always amazes me how full and huge the instruments sound. The guitar sound is bigger than the biggest thing you can think of, and the drums sound so full and massive. They certainly know how to make a record.

The opening salvo of instrumental piece Fire Blossom that leads into Rainmaker is a freakin’ awesome opening to a record – it really sets the scene for the rest of the album. Every song sounds epic and grandiose, and vocalist Andy Kuntz sings for his life on every track. The ending of Day I Die is so huge and monster sounding that it will send goosebumps down your body. They definitely have a sense of the dramatic, and it can be heard in the opening to Garden Of Stones. It has a slow almost operatic build up, with a beautiful guitar lead in to the fat monster riff of the main song – it is really well put together. This is the format for the whole album, and the quality of each piece is off the charts.

If I’m pushed for a favourite track (and believe me, it’s so hard as they are all awesome) I would go for We’re Not God. The guitar tone alone is just unreal, coupled with the melody and the composition of the tune – its incredible. The band are huge in their native Germany, and I am at a loss why world domination has a eluded them.

This is 10/10 all day every day from The Grooveman.

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