THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 260 of 479)

L.A. GUNS – s/t

July 5, 2022 /

I think we all now that Guns N’ Roses was the coming together of Traci Guns and Axl Rose, right? So, that didn’t work out and Guns left to form LA Guns. Simple, right?

I loved Girl and I thought Phil Lewis was a great frontman. I was shocked to see him pop up in LA and fronting this band. But, when the needle drops and No Mercy kicks in it all makes sense. He obviously found the right band with the same tastes as himself, as this is Girl on steroids. In fact, they recorded a killer version of Girls’ Hollywood Tease for this album. The vibe is a sleazy glam fest but with a harder edge, and this album rocks hard compared to say Faster Pussycat. The highlights are opener No Mercy, Bitch Is Back which is very Guns N’ Roses in style (I wonder if this is a track that Traci brought over?), and my favourite Hollywood Tease; a great song and I suggest you track down the original. Still enjoy playing this album.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

VAN HALEN – 5150

July 4, 2022 /

I’ll get this out of the way, I’m not the biggest Sam The Sham fan for numerous reasons that I won’t get into here. The first six VH albums are classics. They had that edge that made them unique, and every rock band that came out after ’78 wanted to be them. So, when I heard Dave had left the band to be… well, Dave, I was soooo disappointed. When Hagar was announced as the new singer it felt like someone had stolen my favourite thing and got away with it.

As soon as the needle drops and you hear that stupid “Hellooooo Baby”, you know it’s all over. Musically I like Good Enough, as it feels old VH and the band sound tight, especially Alex’s drums that sound so good. Get Up is really good and Ed’s playing is epic (as it usually is). I like the main riff to 5150 and the breakdown in Summer Nights is really cool, but that’s it for me. Nearly all the other tracks just sound like some other corporate rock act of the day and that edge they had is gone. The Inside is ruined by dipstick’s attempts at being Dave, and failing miserably. It got even worse after this album, as what I loved so much had gone.

7/10 from the Grooveman.

CROBOT – Something Supernatural

July 4, 2022 /

For some reason I always think these guys are from deep down in the southern US, when in fact they are from Pennsylvania. This is the band’s debut album, released on Wind Up records in 2014. They live in that very retro rock groove space; with the emphasis on the groove. The nucleus of the band is vocalist Brandon Yeagley and guitarist Chris Bishop; Yeagley has one hell of voice. They sort of remind you of everybody and nobody at the same time, if that makes sense.

This is a great album for a debut and the first three tracks, Legend Of The Spaceborne Killer, Nowehere To Hide, and The Necromancer are all high octane uptempo groovers with great riffs and epic vocals. The pace and groove slow down for Le Mano De Lucifer, with a very dirty retro almost Sabbath-style riff, but what a killer vocal. Skull Of Geronimo starts with some nice squealing guitar until we settle down with a slow brooding heavy groover. Side 1 ends with Cloud Spiller a very heavy funk riff with a great hook and melody.

Fly On The Wall kicks off Side 2 and the funk vibe continues with a massive riff but with a slower groove. Next up, Night Of The Sacrifice has that early seventies Sly Stone vibe, but heavier. Chupacabra is more of the same; they have found that groove and they’re sticking to it. Wizards has a very heavy psych groove going on. The last track, Queen Of The Night, is the only song with a change of dynamic; adding a bit of light and shade. I maybe would have placed it in the middle somewhere. Great debut album!!!

9/10 from The Grooveman.

OPETH – Ghost Reveries

July 1, 2022 /

One of my favourite Opeth albums, and the music on this album bares little or no resemblance to what the band release today. That’s not to say I don’t like modern Opeth, I do, it’s just this and Blackwater Park we’re so impactful for me.

The opening and title track is what made Opeth so great for me. It’s like an epic movie, musically laid out for you on one track. The highs and lows, the change from clean to scream vocals, and the change of grooves and riffs, plus the solos within this song alone is wondrous. It doesn’t end there however, as Baying Of The Hounds continues where the last track left off with more of the same, and the middle section is just sublime. Beneath The Mire starts with fat huge chords and a mellotron for added prog credibility. Atonement has a very Beatles feel to the intro, and has the most proggy vibe of the whole album. That huge cinematic feel returns with Reverie/ Harlequin Forest. Hours Of Wealth is a very delicate, almost folk vibe with just vocal, keys, and guitar. The Grand Conjuration is one of my favourite Opeth tracks. Again, a huge epic piece with killer riffs and grooves all the way through, and the ending is epic. The LP version ends with Isolation Years, a prog/folk vibe with a great Mikael vocal. A masterpiece album (and they have done a few of those) and every home should have one.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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