THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

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POISON – Open Up And Say… Ahh!

April 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Poison certainly divide opinion that’s for sure. I was in the camp that derided them and thought they were all that’s bad about rock n’ roll. When you look a little closer, they maybe kept big rock alive as they were still filling out stadiums and were all over radio and MTV, whereas some of their contemporaries were falling by the wayside.

This album alone made them stars, it’s rammed full of hit tunes. Nothin’ But A Good Time, Look But You Can’t Touch, Fallen Angel, Your Mama Don’t Dance, and the huge all over the world track Every Rose Has It’s Thorn. They must have been doing something right as this album sold by the shed full. If you keep it simple with a chorus to remember, you can’t go wrong.

So yeah, I’ve come to appreciate the music they made and give credit where credits due.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

SWEET & LYNCH – Heart & Sacrifice

April 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

If check out George’s discography you will be surprised at just how many albums he has put out on varying side projects, and with Dokken and Lynch Mob. This collaboration with Stryper’s Michael Sweet has now reached album number three and they are on a roll. The quality of tunes is so good it’s a shame they never got together a lot sooner. George has really got the taste for it on this record as his solos are killer and then riffs just keep on flowing.

Heart And Sacrifice opens up proceedings and this is one of the heaviest tunes thy pair have come up with. Double kicks all the way with max riffing from George, and Michael is giving it is all. Where I Have To Go is sooo good. I love the riff and the groove to this one with some great guitar this baby just swings along like a treat. Miracle has that so familiar Dokken feel and is the most commercial sounding song yet, and I bet Don wishes he had pipes like this.

Well, that’s Side 1 over with and Leaving It All Behind kicks off Side 2. A more laid back song and it’s George’s playing that carries this one along, plus the groove at the middle section is so cool.  You’ll Never Be Alone follows, the main riff is great and I really love the bass and vocal together where the guitar drops out in the verse. After All Is Said And Done is the inevitable power ballad which is okay but it’s the solo that lifts it. Give Up The Night brings back the tempo somewhat. The hook and chorus are cool but again, it’s the solo that steals the show.

Will It Ever Change brings the heavy drop tuned riffage to the intro and the hook, but the verse is more mellow and kinda cool. It’s A Time To Believe drives along at a ripping groove with probably the best hook and chorus on the album. Side 4 kicks off with Every Day, an uptempo rocker with a cool riff and solo. It Rains Again is the penultimate tune and the pace his high tempo, I love the groove and chorus. We close out the album with World Full Of Lies, and it’s a power ballad to finish.

I think this is maybe the best of the three albums Sweet & Lynch have done, George’s playing is super and I even forgive them for ending on the ballad.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

TERRAPLANE – Black And White

April 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Before Thunder, Luke , Danny, and Harry were Terraplane. They released two albums of mainly R’n’B power pop, of which this is the first. There are a few similarities to Thunder, namely the big crunching chords and Danny’s unmistakable voice, but that’s about it. Terraplane’s sound is a lot cleaner and more commercial.

Danny has recently suffered a stroke and he may never get up and sing again, which is so sad because he possesses one of the best voices in rock. It’s kind of bittersweet to look back at the band’s fledgling attempt to get a foot in the door. It’s not a bad album and you can hear glimpses of the greatness to come. The ballad I Can’t Live Without Your Love and Right Between The Eyes are great songs but my favourite is the powerhouse Talking To Myself. It’s a great song with Danny singing is ass off and Luke delivering a killer solo, that he seldom does in Thunder.

Where it all started and a fun look back.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

HEARTLAND – S/T

April 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

There are not many British AOR bands out there, but Heartland are the one that should have been huge. If they were American and were around five years earlier then they would have been a gimme, but alas that’s not the case.

Does anyone remember a band called Virginia Wolf? Well, that was Chris Ousey’s previous outfit before forming Heartland. After this album, A&M dropped them and they were eventually picked up the by UK label, Escape Music which is still their home today.

Chris has one of those one in a million voices with such a great tone and feel that no matter what he sings it sounds awesome. Carrie Ann is such a great song it has to be my favourite on the album. It has a superb melody and groove and the vocals are great. The production on the album is fantastic and super clean, it makes every song pop.

Every AOR junkie should own a copy of this record.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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