THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music (Page 331 of 454)

PARLIAMENT – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein

October 18, 2021 /

One nation under a groove! It’s a great sentiment that has got lost along the way.

This is the fifth album from the funk kings. Parliament were the more commercial of the collective, as Funkadelic were way more experimental. I love seventies funk, and I have quite a bit in my collection. Parliament are great when they play, but they lose me a bit when they do the jams with ramblings from the Funkospherespoken over the top. ‘Gamin On Ya is fantastic, whereas Dr. Funkenstein just rambles on. Gettin To Know You is a soul funk gem. Everything Is On The One should be a funk mantra, as that’s what it is. Funkin’ For Fun is a great funky classic.

Not the best Parliament album, but still a very groovy record.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

MONTROSE – Paper Money

October 18, 2021 /

This the second Montrose album, and the last to feature Sam The Sham before his falling out with Ronnie and his departure to be a solo artist. This version has a bonus live album that was recorded at KSAN radio in ’74. It’s hard to believe it, but this album was the band’s highest charting album at #65. I always thought the first album was the best, but I guess not sales wise.

After the wam-bam of the first album, the first two tracks are a bit of a let down as they are very laid back and are both covers. It’s not until we get to The Dreamer where the volume gets turned up and Hagar does his best Paul Rodgers impression. Starliner is quite an interesting track as there is no vocal, but you can see that Ronnie was trying to change the band’s sound. I Got The Fire is the first track which could have been on the first record and it’s a great up tempo tune. The one thing you notice on this album is the guitar sound is a lot cleaner and the distortion has been dialled back.

My favourite track on the album is the dirty blues groove of Spaceage Scarifice. We’re Going Home sounds as though it should have been in Laurel Canyon in the late sixties – it feels as though its on the wrong album. The final track is Paper Money and this also has a very hippy vibe to it. If you didn’t know which album was recorded first, this or the self titled first album, you would probably say this one as it sounds older than it’s predecessor. I’m not sure if the fighting between Ronnie and Sham was the reason this album sounds very disjointed, but I guess it was having an effect.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

RAY GOMEZ – Volume

October 16, 2021 /

I’ve always had a soft spot for this record as I love Ray’s playing. I’m guessing most of you won’t have heard of Ray before, but in the seventies he was a go to guy for a lot of fusion and groovy projects. He played in albums by Narmada Michael Walden, Lenny White, and Stanley Clarke to name a few. So when I heard he was putting out his own album I was very interested. This album was released in 1980, and I managed to get a remastered version of this album on CD from the man himself – with a different running order. Anyhoo, Ray writes all the tracks himself, apart from a cover of the classic, Summer In The City. It’s great to hear a guitar player releasing an album with songs, rather than a purely instrumental album I guess he got to do all the widdly stuff in all of the other projects he was involved with.

Make Your Move is a great rock track with a great harmony, hook, groove, and some great playing. More of the same with next track, USA, and I really like the way this song swings. Waiting For The Big Time has a great funky groove and some killer playing. The side rolls out with what I think is Ray’s trademark tune, West Side Boogie – the playing is outstanding. Ray gives Beck a run for his money on this track. Killer groove and riff!

Side 2 opens up with Summer In The City, which I’m sure most of you will have heard of, but this version gets the full treatment complete with horns and everything. Love At First Sight is my favourite Ray vocal track on the album. It has an almost disco beat played in a rock style with a really tasty solo. The World Will Keep On Turning has Ray playing everything with a weird drum machine. The last track is Blues For Mez, and I would have paid the money just for this track alone. Some of the best guitar you will hear.

This is just one of those albums that connects and hits the spot for me, and I would recommend this album for anyone’s collection.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

TNT – Intuition

October 16, 2021 /

Only two albums after the awesome metal-ness of their killer second album, Knights Of The New Thunder, this, their fourth album is a completely different beast. Whether that was record company interference, or the band taking advantage of Harnell’s voice for a more softer radio friendly sound – I guess we will never know. One things for sure, this album raised their profile in the US thanks to the singles, Tonight I’m Falling, Intuition, and Take Me Down (Fallen Angel).

Now if you’re like me and love all things guitar, then Ronnie Le Tekro was something slightly different to the usual LA copycat crowd – his style and sound were like a breath of fresh air. He doesn’t get to shine so much on this record as the emphasis is more on the songs, but when he does it’s a joy to hear like on tracks like Caught Between The Tigers, which is trademark old school TNT with a killer riff and superb playing from Ronnie. Forever Shine On, a throwback to the older sound with a superb riff, killer playing, and Harnell’s voice and range is just insane. Even on tracks like End Of The Line, which is a very syrupy ballad but Ronnie’s solo is superb.

Still the same band, but changes a plenty. It’s hard to beat Knights as that was such a killer album, but I really like this album a lot and it’s still an enjoyable listen.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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