THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 267 of 479)

CHEAP TRICK – Woke Up With A Monster

June 20, 2022 /

Album number 12 sees the US power pop kings in fine form, and let’s be honest they nearly always deliver great tunes. This was the first album for Warners, having been dropped by Epic after previous album Busted. Warners brought in the big guns with Ted Templeman producing.

This album came out in ’94; the supposed lean years for rock bands after the great grunge unpleasantness, but for Cheap Trick they put out one of their best ever albums. My Gang kicks things off with a great power pop groover and trademark sing along chorus. The title track is next, a slow brooding groover with a killer riff and hook very reminiscent in feel to Gonna Raise Hell from the Dream Police album. That jingle jangle Beatles vibe which Cheap Trick do a lot is up next with Your All I Wanna Do. Never Run Out Of Love was the big single from the album, and we have entered ballad city. Didn’t Know I Had It is Cheap Trick 101, they write tunes like this in their sleep and I’m sure the Wilburys stole this one. Great riff and groove to Ride The Pony, which closes out Side 1 – a great little stomper. Girlfriends’ riff is the exact same as Bad Boy Boogie by AC/DC. Let Her Go is as close as the band get to the Stones, especially at the intro. Tell Me Everything sees Robin Zander channeling his inner Roy Orbison, and it’s back to power ballad. Cry Baby is a dirty sleazy blues which I really like. Love Me For A Minute closes out the album and it’s my favourite track. Love the swing and groove to the main riff a killer ending to the album.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

DIO – Sacred Heart

June 18, 2022 /

This is technically Ronnie’s third solo album as Dio, but if you check out his bio he has been releasing things since the fifties. That’s right back to the beginning of rock n roll!!! Crazy right? I’m not the biggest Dio fan if I’m honest as I only own two of his solo albums, the other being Holy Diver.

The King Of Rock And Roll feels like a follow up to Long Live Rock And Roll, but Vivian just rips it up with a great riff and solo. In fact, Vivian Campbell is what makes this album – his playing is killer. There were a couple of singles from this album: Rock N’ Roll Children and Hungry For Heaven, which actually charted. It’s a very one paced album and not many songs that go through the gears, but I do like Fallen Angels with Vivian playing a great riff and solo. I think it’s well documented Dio’s hate for Vivian after he jumped ship to join Def Leppard, but they did make some good music together.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

VOLA – Applause Of A Distant Crowd

June 18, 2022 /

This is the band’s follow up to the incredible Inmazes, which is a genre defining album for me. On this release the band are expanding the vibes and grooves of the first album, but the melodies are more of a focus this time around and we are definitely in prog country.

We Are Thin Air is a superb opening with such a great groove, and the melody is just sublime. Ghosts takes this even further and the vocal sounds almost ethereal, which is in keeping with the title. The opening groovefest to Smartfreind is just nuts and that riff when it kicks in!!! This song  sound so evil compared to Ghosts. Ruby Pool is a complete contrast and sounds like a backtrack to some Japanese anime; a very serene piece. Alien Shivers has a short electronic intro before they bring the heavy low end grooves, which gives way to a ghostly vocal. I adore Vertigo with a fragile vocal, atmospheric keys, and picked guitar its a goosebumps piece that gets me every time. Still has a really cool opening with just voice and heavy choppy riff. This song feels as though it should be a soundtrack to some sci-fi movie. The title track follows with a very busy riff that gives way to a beautiful vocal melody, of which the odd groove builds over the top. Whaler is the second very heavy low end crunch fest on the album. The main chugga riff is huge and quite simple, and the middle section is incredible with some great dropped down grooveage. The album closes out with a beautiful chilled out keyboard piece: Green Screen Mother. Great band that are not standing still and expanding their sound – they are one of my favourite bands of the moment.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BILLY SQUIER – Emotions In Motion

June 17, 2022 /

Billy hit gold with Don’t Say No and this was the follow up released in ’82. Again, it’s produced by Queen producer Mack, and the title track is very The Game era Queen complete with Another One Bites The Dust funky groove. Billy has a knack for writing great pop/rock tunes, like Everybody Wants You (which was a single) and Keep Me Satisfied with its old school rockabilly beat. It Keeps You Rockin’ is a return to The Stroke style groove of the first album, and I guess it’s a dose of if it ain’t broke why fix it. Billy has a great voice and he reminds me of Robert Plant at times, and on the track Listen To The Heartbeat he is definitely channeling his inner Robert. I like this album and it’s a worthy follow up to Don’t Say No.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Archives

© 2025 THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑