THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 265 of 479)

RIOT – Fire Down Under

June 24, 2022 /

If ever there was a bad luck band, it just has to be Riot. If you consider how amazing this record is, Capitol records refused to release it after the band had recorded it saying it was “commercially unacceptable”. Capitol used Riot as a pawn to support Sammy Hagar on a UK tour, as they were popular with young fans in the UK, and he wasn’t. As soon as the tour was over, they dropped the band and held this album in their vaults refusing to release it. Finally, after pressure from the fans, the label sold it to Elektra who duly released it to world wide acclaim.

They played the first Donnington festival, and they were on the bill for the Port Vale Heavy Metal Holocaust. They should have been huge, and for that small window in time, hey had their shot. Vocalist, Guy Speranza, left after the tour cycle for this album saying he was disillusioned with the whole business and went to be a rat catcher. His replacement, Rhett Forrester, was shot after refusing to give up his car in a car jacking. Bad luck seemed to follow these guys around.

They managed to put out this monster of a record despite all of their troubles, and it still sounds great today. Definitely all killer no filler – great songs with awesome vocals, all the time keeping the melody with huge crunchy riffs and a groove that swings. Swords And Tequila, Fire Down Under, Don’t Hold Back, and Altar Of The King are all stunning tracks in their own right – all with superb riffs and grooves, but my favourite is Outlaw. This song grooves hard with killer riff, hooks, and chorus – with the added bonus of a great Mark Realle solo.

This is the Metal Blade reissue with two extra tracks, but like a lot of Metal Blade reissues, it’s a very noisy pressing. If you are lacking this album in your collection, then I suggest you track down an original copy.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

BLUE OYSTER CULT – Agents Of Fortune

June 23, 2022 /

It’s amazing how one song can define a band and how they are perceived. Don’t Fear The Reaper is undoubtedly one of the best songs of the 20th century, and yet, before that they were just another rock band playing the halls and theatres of America. Their first three albums were quirky hard rockin’ albums that had been called punk (before it was a thing), biker rock, and everything in between, but when Agents was released everything changed.

This album is still a quirky beast of a thing, and its still very hard to pin down. The vibe is all over the place and yet it’s still a very accessible album. Other than Reaper, I love Tattoo Vampire with its rockin’ riff and groove, Morning Final with that slightly evil main riff and angelic hook and chorus, and the very cinematic Revenge Of Vera Gemini. The most hard rockin’ track on the album is ETI, which has a great riff and killer solo from Buck Dharma.

It’s a weird album for the band as it’s not their best, but it’s the one that everyone remembers.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

THE DARKNESS – Last Of Our Kind

June 23, 2022 /

This is the band’s fourth album, and the second after their comeback. They have a knack for writing some seriously catchy rock songs and that seems to be dying art these days.

The album kicks off with Barbarian which was a lead off single, and has is typical Darkness – a nice fat riff with catchy hook and chorus. Open Fire starts off with a picked chord that sounds like early Cult, before an AC/DC straight rocker takes over. The title track follows with an acoustic intro that sounds a bit Eurovision until the middle eight. Roaring Waters has a very nice funky riff to start with a very unusual hook and chorus. Wheels Of The Machine is a slow acoustic driven piece. Mighty Wings kicks off with a keyboard intro that’s very reminiscent of Buggles, until normal service is resumed with a floor to the floor riff and groove. Then we change it up again with a very Queen hook and chorus. This is the best track so far! Mudslide has an Aerosmith sounding riff with a straight up groove. Sarah O Sarah is the weakest song on the album for me. Hammer And Tongs starts with a straight up Quo like boogie and stays for the whole song. Conquerors close out the album and is a lighters-in-the-air type of tune.

This is not a bad album, but also it’s not a great album.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BLUES PILLS – Holy Moly

June 22, 2022 /

This is the band’s third studio album that was released back in 2020. I loved the first album as the vibe was a heavy blues rock, which really floated my boat. This album plows the same path but with more of a late sixties psychedelic groove added to the mix. However, the focal point is still vocalist Ellen Larsson, who possesses a killer set of pipes that is a perfect fit for the grooves that the band lay down.

The songs are short and to the point, except Song From A Mourning Dove, which weighs in at 5.34 and is the showcase tune on the album. It’s a very trippy track with awesome vocals and guitar. This is a kick ass groovy retro beast of an album and the opening trio of Proud Woman, Low Road, and Dreaming My Life Away just groove you into submission. California is all about Ellen Larsson’s vocal as she gives Janis a run for her money with an epic performance. Rhythm In The Blood is my favourite on the album. It’s a superb groovefest that just gets under your skin. Dust closes out Side 1 with a slow blues groove and a stunning vocal.

Kiss My Past Goodbye kicks Side 2 into gear with a very retro riff and groove. I feel as though I should be wearing my tie dye and split knee loons. Wish I’d Known is a return to that slow blues groove with yet another killer vocal. Bye Bye Birdy is pure fuzzed up 60’s psych rock. Longest Lasting Friend closes out the album with yet another killer vocal wrapped around a slow blues ballad. The first album is still my favourite, but this one’s not far behind.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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