THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: blog music (Page 33 of 40)

THE JOE PERRY PROJECT – I’ve Got The Rock N Rolls Again

March 11, 2022 /

For five years after Perry had left Aerosmith, the project released three albums and toured sporadically. They had pour album sales until the inevitable happened and he rejoined the Smiths and they all became super rich. This is the second album they released, and of all of the three albums, this is the one that shows what Aerosmith would sound like if Joe was in control.

I actually really like this album – especially Side 1. The opening track East Coast, East Coast is a great sleazy rock n roll tune. No Substance For Arrogance is another great tune with a great riff. The title track has another great riff and motors along at a great pace. Buzz Buzz is just a fun dirty rock n roll song. Soldier of Fortune has a killer sleazy sloppy punk riff that I love as its car crash rock n roll at its best.

Side 2 starts with TV Police and it sounds like an idea that Aerosmith threw away. Listen To The Rock has a typical Perry sloppy riff with a nice funky under groove, and I’m a big fan of Charlie Farrens vocals. Dirty Little Thing is quite a cool pop song with a nice hook and chorus. Play The Game follows and it’s a slow ballad and is the weakest song on the album. South Station Blues closes out the album and is a beast of a tune. It’s easily my favourite track on the album and I love the acoustic intro – boy does this baby swing.

If you took all the best tracks from the three Project albums and put Steven Tyler on vocals, you would have a killer old school Aerosmith record.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

SAXON – Power & The Glory

March 11, 2022 /

Me and Saxon go way back before they were Saxon. I saw them play a few times at working men’s clubs around the Doncaster area. So when they got a deal and had success it was like one of our own had made it.

The first 5 studio albums are all must haves for me as they define a point in time – I have very fond memories of this period. This album is the last of the great Saxon albums, as the decline started to set in after this album as a certain member started to take control of the band.

There is not a bad second on the album, it’s the perfect mix of crunch and melody with big hooks and it’s what I love the most about the band – plus it’s what makes them different to all the rest of the NWOBHM bands. From the opening crunch of the title track, to the epic ending of The Eagle Has Landed, this is one hell of an album. If I’m pushed to pick a favourite then it would have to be This Town Rocks, with the double bass drum salvo of new boy drummer, Nigel Glockler.

Yes, you guessed it, every home should have one! Happy days!

10/10 from The Grooveman.

WINGER – Pull

March 10, 2022 /

Another milestone reached as this is the 700th review I have done from my collection, and the randomizer has served up a really good album for today.

For some reason Winger were singled out as a band that highlighted everything that was bad about rock music at that time. Partly due to a childish comment and throwing darts at a picture of Kip Winger by Metallica’s Large Oilrig in one of their documentary videos. I believe that was totally unfair and uncalled for as they were one of the better melodic rock bands around at the time.

This, their 3rd album, was the last they would record for a long time as they broke up after the tour for this record. I really love this record as the writing, arrangements, and production is just fantastic, and I think this is better than the first album – plus the band are killer musicians. Opening track, Blind Revolution Mad, has a superb opening with great acoustic intro before the groove begins. It has an awesome lead vocal, and as usual, the harmonies are epic. Down Cognito is up next and was also the title of a Kip Winger solo album. The harmonica gives a false impression as to what’s to follow, as the song has a really cool swing to the groove and a superb hook and melody. Spell I’m Under follows and has quite a slow beat, but the chorus and hook are huge, and boy are these guys killer at the harmonies! In My Veins is the hardest rockin’ track so far with a killer riff and a slow funky vibe – plus Reb Beach lays a ripping solo. He has to be one the most underrated guitarists around. Junkyard Dog brings the heavy with the big chugga riff and a superb middle eight – this is my favourite on the album.

Side 2 kicks off with The Lucky One using that acoustic intro to build the dynamics into the main power of the song – it’s a killer tune that sounds huge. In For The Kill follows and there is no let up in the quality. A slow rock groove with a killer solo, and it goes without saying that the vocals and harmonies are epic. A simple riff announces the arrival of No Man’s Land – another great tune. Like A Ritual has a dirty sleazy riff with a really cool swing to the tune and Reb’s solo is short and to the point. The album closes out with Who’s The One – a full on acoustic number which is just incredible.

Kip’s voice throughout the album is on another level and the harmonies are incredible. A great album, and a lot better than some of the band’s who were calling them out at the time.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND – Nightingales And Bombers

March 10, 2022 /

After having quite a successful pop career in the sixties with a few hits, Manfred Mann decided to move with the musical times and formed The Earth Band in ’71 and went down a more contemporary path with a very progressive vibe.

I’m sure everyone is familiar with the band’s amazing cover of the Springsteen song, Blinded By The Light, which appeared on the Roaring Silence album, but that was not the first Springsteen track the band covered as they did Spirit In The Night on this album and it was an upgrade on the original. Countdown is an instrumental with a very Celtic feel to the arrangement, mainly due to the main riff. Time Is Right follows and has a very off-time funky groove and a great instrumental section. Side 1 closes out with Crossfade, another instrumental with a jazz fusion vibe.

A cover of Joan Armatrading’s Visionary Mountains opens up Side 2, and I would call this a typical seventies extended album track. Quit Your Low Down Ways was not on European copies of the album. It was added to the US version as the record company thought there were not enough vocal tracks on the album. To be honest, it’s not that great a track. The title track is again an instrumental and is the most progressive sounding piece on the whole album, with big nods to fusion pioneers of the day. The very quirky Fat Nelly is next and uses the intro keyboard pattern that they would use on Blinded By The Light. The album closes out with As Above So Below, which was recorded Live and is another instrumental with a funky reggae groove – its a strange but wonderful track to end with.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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