THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 425 of 493)

AKIRA – Tusk Of Jaguar

June 1, 2021 /

Most commonly know for being the guitarist in Loudness, this is Akira Takasaki’s first solo album from ’82. I have been fortunate enough to see Akira play a solo show, and he is an amazing player that can play all styles. This album is firmly in the rock/metal universe with occasional trips to what the hell was that.

First track and the title track is a good old metal romp with lots of Akira ripping guitar. Second track, Steal Away, starts with a “what the hell was that moment”, before we enter Prog territory (reminds me of Yes), then a quick switch and it sounds like Blackmore era Deep Purple. The vocals are well dodgy, but luckily the guitar playing is exceptional. Macula is next up and starts with weird space noises that flow into a slow Brian May style traditional arrangement. Side 1 close out track, Ebony Eyes, sees a return to more familiar metal territory – but again – in true Uli Roth style, the vocals are pretty bad.

Side 2 starts off with the weirdest of instrumental duets with violin and guitar – it’s pretty pointless other than novelty value. Gunshots is next and is a fusion/metal crossover, and if there was more of this on the album I would be a happy bunny. A funky Mid Day Hunter is next and is an ok piece, but it feels as though it’s just a backing track for Akira to noodle. Show Me Something Good is the penultimate track and is just a bog standard plod rock track but with the not-so-good vocal. Last track Say What? closes out the album and is the best piece on the record with the best groove and playing.

The album has its moments but ultimately it’s not that great. His later albums are pretty good albums but this…meh!!!

6/10 from The Grooveman.

OUR OCEANS – While Time Disappears

June 1, 2021 /

I’ll admit to not knowing a whole bunch about these Prog metallers from the Netherlands, other than there are ex-members of Cynic and Pestilence in the band. I was totally blown away when I first heard this as I was not expecting the depth and beauty of the songs. Couple that with some amazing playing – this is one of my surprise finds of recent times.

The album begins with the epic Unravel which showcases the amazing talents of the band. Great playing, fantastic arrangements with crystal clear production, and some interesting chord and key changes – ladies and germs, we are on to a winner. Second track, Weeping Lead, reminds me of Radiohead at the beginning until the track opens out into another epic prog-tastic experience. Tymon Kruidenier’s vocals are sublime, and the feeling and emotion he puts into each piece is a joy to behold. The Hearts Whisper has a hint of Steven Wilson and a very singer/songwriter vibe at the beginning – until the power comes – and Tymon’s voice explodes with power and range. Motherly Flame starts with a slow off-time groove with picked chords and a very melancholy vibe – this is as good as modern Prog gets with an amazing middle section. Side 1 closes out with Passing By and it is a slow, very melancholic piece with bare instrumentation, and a very emotive vocal – until the switch gets flicked and the tune explodes and all emotions are laid bare. Such feeling in this genre is hard to express, but these guys do it so well.

Side 2 starts with the off-time up-tempo burst of Face Them – this will have the drummers amongst us working out what time the song is in. It sounds as though there are three songs being played at once – lots of dissonant guitar tones as well. Fantastic song! Your Night, My Dawn follows and starts with a great drum pattern with a very Muse style vibe with killer harmonies – this is one of my favourites on the album. You Take is one of the best love songs I have ever heard – it’s not your usual syrupy-schmoo. It feels as though it is written from the point of view of a stalker. Dark indeed! With Hands Torn Open closes out the album and what an epic groove to start proceedings…until the crunch of the opening chords and the off time beats are messing with your head again. Soaring vocals and melodies ensue, with the occasional chunk of heaviness interspersed with some monster playing. I love surprises and this was a great one. This is an album that keeps on giving.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

PAUL GILBERT – Stone Pushing Uphill Man

May 31, 2021 /

One of the world’s best guitarists, Paul has recorded and appeared on tons of albums. After taking a break from Racer X, Paul was part of the awesome Mr. Big who tasted mega success with some well written and played hard rock. In between all this super stardom nonsense, he also started recording solo albums starting with King Of Clubs in ’98. Now, these albums were a mixture of sung and instrumental tunes – all of them being very diverse with the content. This album is slightly different again, as the majority of these tracks are cover songs. Some of them may seem like odd choices, but they work really well when you get used to the fact that the guitar is playing the vocal parts.

First up is a ripping cover of Loverboy’s Working For The Weekend with some amazing guitar. Aerosmith’s Back In The Saddle is next and is a pretty standard take – except for the killer solo. One of the great tracks of the album is next and it’s a freaking awesome cover of James Brown’s I Got The Feelin’. A fast funked up beast of a track with LOTS of guitar. Elton’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is played with a slight blues vibe, and if I’m honest, it does sound a bit karaoke – but the killer guitar just makes it all seem good. The Beatles’ Why Don’t We Do It In The Road follows and his guitar tone really makes this track – it just proves that you can shred guitar on any tune. Last track on Side 1 is the first original tune, Shock Absorber, and Paul is wailing over an old RnB groove – it’s just awesome, I could listen to this all day!

Side 2 starts with another original, Purple Without All The Red, and with the theme of the album its an almost country standard, but done PG style. A cover of The Police’s Murder By Numbers is next up and doesn’t really stray too far from the original, albeit with lots of PG on guitar and some heavy skin bashing from Kenny Aronoff. My Girl by Eric Carmen follows and how PG picked this I will never know, but it kinda works. Another weird choice is next with Wash Me Clean by KD Lang – it’s the most chill song on the album and it’s beautifully played. Last track is the title track and the third original. It’s the only track with vocals and it starts like a gospel song with some killer acoustic guitar from PG, until BOOM, and the power gets turned on. Best track on the album, a great vibe and arrangement with incredible soloing as the cherry on the top.

I love all of his solo albums as they are all different, and I’m a sucker for great guitar playing.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

LIMELIGHT – s/t

May 31, 2021 /

In my Saxon review recently, I mentioned how I first got to know them by seeing them in their previous incarnation in working men’s clubs around Doncaster. Well, Limelight were maybe more famous in that scene as they had quite a following wherever they played. Even this record was released on Future Earth Records, which was a local Doncaster label. Hailing from Mansfield, which is just down the road from Doncaster, they were another local band that I thought would make it. The band are made up of Mike Scrimshaw on bass and vocals, his brother Glenn Scrimshaw on guitar, and Pat Coleman on drums. They can best be described as a poor man’s Rush.

Opening track, Going Home, is decent but the first thing you notice is how flat and sparse the production is. Knife In Your Back is a pretty basic tune and doesn’t really try too hard to stand out from the crowd. Mamma I Don’t Want To Lose You is not a bad track but again suffers from that flat production. Next track, Man Of Colours, was the band’s showpiece song when they played live. This is where the Rush comparisons came, but I guess it’s influences are based in Prog . It’s still a good track today and holds up quite well.

Side 2 starts with another favourite with Metal Man. This was as NWOBHM as they got. They were thrust into that scene as this album came out in 1980, even though they had been around as Limelight since ’74. An opportunity is an opportunity right? Walk On Water is next and it starts with a twin guitar assault – this is one of their best tracks. How do they get a twin guitar with a three piece I hear you ask ? Well, Mike played a double neck guitar for this piece, a guitar on one, and bass on the other. They were quite an ambitious band, even with very limited resources. Last track, Don’t Look Back, which is the epic track for this side. The Prog shines bright with this one young Skywalker.

Some bands are destined not to make it, and I’m afraid Limelight falls into this category.

6.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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