THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 163 of 479)

GENESIS – s/t

May 19, 2023 /

Is this the album where Genesis went totally pop and left good old Prog town behind? Well, I would say it’s split 50-50 for sure, but I also think that Mama is Collin’s era Genesis’ finest hour. A superb track that uses all of the tech around at the time to create a very striking sonic masterpiece, and when the huge drums kick in it sounds incredible. Then again, I really don’t like Illegal Alien it’s totally the opposite of how awesome Mama is. A throwaway tune for sure, and yes I’m well aware how well it did as a single which sought of makes my point.

Home By The Sea is as close as Prog Side 1 gets, and a song I really like but the electronic simmonds drums on Second Home By The Sea are very annoying. I really like Just A Job To Do and Silver Rainbow, they are Collin’s Genesis at their best.

So yes, I’m split on this album as 50% of it gets 9/10 and the other 50% gets 5/10. You decide which is which.

LAW AND ORDER – Guilty Of Innocence

May 18, 2023 /

Appearing out of nowhere in ’89, although being tagged with all the hair bands around at the time, Law And Order’s sound was anything but. Coming across as more of a modern take on that classic Aerosmith sound, but when grunge hit they were thrown to one side like the rest of the 80’s crowd. They were probably ahead of the curve really, as that whole retro thing is hot news right now.

Opener We Don’t See God is a beast of a tune and you feel that Aero vibe right from the get go. Dawg follows and has a great hook and chorus with a hint of barroom sleaze thrown in. Your Sister Does is next up and the vibe and groove slow somewhat and vocalist Shane reminds me of Eddie Vedder on this one (of all the people). It’s favourite track time next with Say You Love Me. Killer slide opening and that whole dirty rock n’ roll swagger and groove of this tune is awesome.

We are off to Zeppelin 4 territory next with I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today, and that acoustic sounds so familiar. Kick ass riff to open up with on Possession Of Control, a great uptempo groover. I love the opening vibe to No Love Lost with those killer blues licks and that driving bass underneath. The fast blast that is Needle And The Spoon closes out Side 1.

In The Shelter opens up Side 2 with more of that acoustic Zeppelin feel. Back to the riffs with next track Love Reality, a quick fire dirty rock n’ roll romp. Next up is Soul Inside which was released as a single. Layers of 12 strings give way to some nice riffage, and for some strange reason the band Yes pop into my head. Delta Prison Blues does what it says on the tin. An acoustic blues with some nice slide played underneath. Back to the dirty rock n’ roll swagger with Downtown Suicide, I love the chorus and hook on this one. We close out the album with Whiskey, it takes a while to get revved up but when it does this baby beasts its way to the end of the record.

Cool record!

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BATTLEAXE – Power From The Universe

May 18, 2023 /

A second wave NWOBHM band from South of the River Tyne for a change. This album was released in ’84 and was the band’s second album, and ultimately their last until 2014 when a reunion of sorts happened.

You can see and hear why they never made it out of the lower divisions, so to speak, as they do have some decent tunes but overall this album is lacking that one killer track to sell the album and lift it above the ordinary. The two best tracks are Chopper Attack on Side 1, and (my favourite) Power From The Universe from Side 2. Other than that, it’s pub rock all the way.

6/10 from The Grooveman.

NESTOR – Kids In A Ghost Town

May 17, 2023 /

Not the type of band I expect Napalm Records to have on their roster that’s for sure. Nestor are a hard rockin’ melodic rock band from Sweden and they sort of came out of nowhere for me. To be fair, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise as Sweden have been responsible for some of the best in rock music since the great grunge unpleasantness. I think this is their first album although they were around in the late eighties and released a few singles in Sweden.

Anyway on to the album, and I can safely say this one of the best albums of 2022. The tracks are all superbly written and the production is stunning. The emphasis here is on the melody and the ability to write songs that just stick in your brain and you will be humming them for days. The title track does exactly that, a superb hook and chorus and the musicality is incredible. The big surprise on the album is a cover of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody. The original is iconic but they have managed to rock it up and make it their own without straying too far from the original. Favourite track goes to the uptempo grooves of Firesign. Yet again, they deliver the big hook and chorus coupled with a great riff and pounding groove.

If you are a fan of melodic rock then this is a must own.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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