THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

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DIRTY LOOKS – Turn Of The Screw

August 11, 2024 /

For some reason when Dirty Looks first appeared on the scene I passed them off as a poor mans AC/DC. Musically, they are definitely drinking from the same cup. They play that blues laced dirty rock n’ roll but with a tad more commercial vibe.

This album came out in ’89 and was the follow up to the successful Cool FromThe Wire. Nobody Rides For Free is that basic DC formula, but with a great hook and chorus. The title track and C’mon Frenchie are sleezed up glam fests with the latter grooving along at a great pace. Take What Yo Get is my favourite tune. It’s a great boogie driven song with a great riff, and the hook and  chorus are killer. Sometimes the DCisms are a bit close, like the opening riff and groove to Love Screams which steals the main riff to Let There Be Rock. Great song  though!

I do like my rock n’ roll simple with plenty of riffs and grooves, and Dirty Looks tick all those boxes. A great fun record.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

MACHINE HEAD – Through The Ashes Of Empires

August 11, 2024 /

Now, Machine Head have released two genre defining albums. Burn My Eyes (their first release) was a killer addition to the groove metal academy with fat huge riffs and grooves a plenty. They lost their way for a while until the release of album number six, The Blackening, which is an absolute beast of a record. However, the album before that (Through The Ashes Of Empires) laid the groundwork for The Blackening and is often overlooked when talking about Machine Head.

The groove and riffs returned on this monster and what a way to open up a record with Imperium. Everything I love about the band in one song. Huge pounding grooves with accompanying mighty riffs and Rob snarling his way through the vocals. Bite The Bullet is an immense track. Again, crushingly heavy with both groove and riff. There are still hints of the Nu-metal mash up with tracks like Left Unfinished on the border of both but overall the heaviness and brutality win out.

Vim crushes everything in its path with the run to the end being a monster groove fest. I know this may sound weird, but there are definite comparisons with the Chili Peppers on All Falls Down in the quieter moments that are welded onto the crunch. Imperium is my favourite tune as it just doesn’t get better than that.

If this one passed you by, give it a chance. Great record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

VAN HALEN – 2 Mo-Fi edition

August 11, 2024 /

When Mo-Fi announced that they were issuing the first six Van Halen albums on their super hi-def ultrasonic format I was intrigued to hear what they would sound like, but at $125 US each album I thought I would give them a miss. The first one appeared and my curiosity got the better of me and I splashed out and got one. Yep, it sounded incredible and that was my curiosity placated. Or so I thought!

When VH2 appeared a few weeks ago, like a moth to a flame I caved in and bought this one too. This was the one album of the original six that I listened to and I thought the pressing I had wasn’t up to scratch. The one I had was a tad muffled in places so I have always wanted to hear it with more clarity. There was a hi-def mix that came out a few years ago that sounded great, but it’s nowhere near this version. I can’t see this record ever sounding better in an analogue format.

I already adore this album and you can read my previous review. Just a stunning mix and pressing, it’s as though you are in the room with them. The stereo separation is so good and the clarity is incredible. I know it’s a lot of money, but if you love early VH as much as I do then this has to be a must have.

Here’s to trying to ignore the Mo- Fi Women And Children First when it comes out.

1,000/10 from The Grooveman.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION – V

August 11, 2024 /

Now I love the premiss and the idea behind Black Country Communion. A modern day hard rockin’ band in the tradition of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple is a great concept on paper. I mean, you have a son of one and a member of the other in the band, how close can you get?

However, I think this will be their last album as there is not one song here that you think “WOW, what a killer tune,” and maybe the well of ideas has run dry. Sure, it’s a decent enough album but it lacks that big moment. The only song that I really like is Red Sun and that feels a bit like a Glenn solo track. It has a nice deep riff and groove and a cool vocal from him.

I’ve played the album five times straight and it’s definitely their weakest record. If they are to carry on (which I doubt) they need to have some outside input with the writing, an injection of fresh ideas.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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