THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 281 of 480)

OZZY OSBOURNE – Blizzard Of Oz

May 18, 2022 /

For all of us mere mortals who lived outside of Southern California this was the first any of us had heard of Randy Rhoads. He came out of that same Pasadena scene that EVH and George Lynch came out of, albeit a couple of years later. He played on the first two Quiet Riot albums, but they just slipped by without gaining much attention.

As soon as you heard the opening to I Don’t Know, you knew you were hearing something special. A killer tone, sound, and a great band around him made all the difference. This and Diary Of A Madman are Ozzy’s best albums and that’s all down to the band with great playing and great songwriting. The only dodgy moment on this record is Goodbye To Romance, which is alien to everything else on the album, the rest of the album is just killer and it revitalized Ozzy’s career that’s for sure. Crazy Train, Mister Crowley, and Suicide Solution are all bonafide classics in their own right and a guitar hero was born. The solo in Suicide Solution, especially live, was a sight and sound to behold. Randy is sadly missed and we only have a small body of work to enjoy but he left was killer.

9.5/10 from the Grooveman.

PRONG – Zero Days

May 18, 2022 /

I’m a huge fan of the album Cleansing, which was released back in ’94. So how have the years treated this industrial metallic groove machine? This is the band’s last release which came out in 2017. On this album, main man Tommy Victor is joined by Mike Longworth on bass, and Art Cruz on drums – although I believe they now have left the band.

I’m pleased to say the groove is alive and well on tracks like the opener, However It May End, and Operation Of The Moral Law where the riffs and grooves just make you want to bounce. The overall vibe is more of a straight up metal record with hard fast beats and evil riffs. I have always heard a Killing Joke vibe on some of their tunes, and this continues on with this record on the tracks Blood Out Of Stone. On this track Tommy’s voice and delivery remind me of Jazz Coleman’s and even more so on Compulsive Future Projection, which has a great groove and a crunching riff. It’s great to see Tommy Victor still putting out great records that still mean something.

9/10 from the Grooveman.

DAVID LEE ROTH – Skyscraper

May 17, 2022 /

Ten years after Van Halen’s debut album, Dave released his second full length solo album. It still T’s me off that Dave left VH, as that was the perfect band for me. I’m not sure what advice he was being fed that led up to the decisions made, but I guess bait happens for a reason. After the success of Eat Em And Smile, the pressure was on for this follow up that’s for sure. This is a lot slicker and a much more polished album – the rough edges have been smoothed out.

Just Like Paradise was the big single off the record with its big hook and chorus, and layered harmonies over the top – it was definitely a winner chart wise.  A definitely different vibe to this record as well, as the uptempo rockers like Knucklebones, The Bottom Line (with its Hot For Teacher feel), and Hot Dog And A Shake, are where new things are tried. Just like the title track which feels like something that Steve Vai would do with his solo material, and Hina with its Asian feel. I always thought that Stand Up was a better choice for a single as I love the groove and chill feel – plus Vai’s playing is superb on this track.

I think it’s a worthy follow up to its predecessor, and a great record with variety in the tunes.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

CINDERELLA – Heartbreak Station

May 17, 2022 /

I’ve always looked on this album as the runt of the family. Initially, it didn’t shake my tree as the first two did. The vibe was a lot more rootsy and blues, and the glam took a back seat. The album was still platinum selling, and the two singles, Shelter Me, and The More Things Change, did quite well. This album feels a lot more at home listening to it today than it did upon the release, as the whole retro thing is big right now.

The More Things Change gets things off and grooving, and there is a big Steve Earle feel to it. Love’s Got Me Doing Time has a great funky vibe, and is very reminiscent of Aerosmith. Shelter Me starts with a stripped down country blues groove that leads into an almost gospel chorus. Heartbreak Station is a ballad with a rootsy blues vibe with some nice slide playing. Sick For The Cure feels like I’m listening to a beefed up version of The Faces. One For Rock And Roll is pure barn burning country.

Side 2 kicks off with Dead Man’s Road, and we are still deep in country blues territory. Make Your Own Way is about as glam as this album gets, but with a big country rock feel. Although Electric Love starts like the Byrds, but the groove is seventies with a hint of RnB. Loves Gone Bad has a very seventies classic rock feel with a killer hook and chorus. We close out the album with Winds Of Change, a big production ballad with a heavy Americana vibe.

I still feel as though the album is a poor relation to the first two – it’s like listening to a different band but with the same singer. The obvious change in style from hair rock to a rootsy blues band was maybe a wrong move, but a year later grunge would wipe out most bands anyway, so I guess you go with what you feel.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Archives

© 2025 THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑