THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music (Page 378 of 454)

ED WYNNE – Shimmer Into Nature

June 18, 2021 /

This album is freaking amazing!!! Ed Wynne is a co-founder of UK space hippies Ozric Tentacles, and Ed has played guitar and keys on every release by the band. It was a surprise in 2019 that Ed announced he was working on a solo record. Although this does feel like an Ozric’s album, there are a lot more guitar sections and a lot of programmed trippy trance like grooves, which Ed was responsible for bringing into the Ozrics.

There are only five tracks in total, the shortest being 7.44. Opening track, Glass Staircase, is a cracking opening tune an absolute instrumental delight. It has a very fusion vibe but with trance beats and grooves. There is so much going on under the surface of the main groove, that it takes repeated listens to pick up on all the intricacies. Travel Dust is a lot more chill and laid back and features lots of programming ambient sounds – at times it dives into a reggae dub groove. Oddiplonk is the last track on Side 1 and is a total spaced out piece with layered guitar soaked in all sorts of effects wizardry over the top of trance like rhythms.

Shim kicks off Side 2 with a trance club groove and Ed’s echo shimmering guitar licks that lead into some superb guitar playing. Ed is seriously underrated and I’m glad to say he is working on a second solo album as I write this. Wherble closes out the album and is a combination of all the sounds and grooves so far in one 10 minute epic. Ed has all of the tools and is a killer player. He respects the music totally and does not shred for shreds sake, he just plays what is needed. A must have in my opinion.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

AEROSMITH – Live Bootleg

June 18, 2021 /

When checking the exact release date of this release, I was amazed to discover how many kick ass live albums were put out in this year. As well as this there was Ted Nugent – Double Live Gonzo, Thin Lizzy – Live And Dangerous, AC/DC – If You Want Blood, and Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes – to name a few! Unlike all of those records that have either been enhanced afterwards with lots of overdubs in the studio, or completely laid down in a studio, this album (as the title suggests) is completely Live and is a total mess. Not in a bad way, you have to understand it’s just the way Aerosmith were in the seventies.

Every song seems to have been recorded at a different show, either a huge enormo-dome show or small little club shows or theaters, and it seems to have been sequenced in a random order. The band’s performances range from the amazing, to completely sloppy – and I love this album for that alone. The band’s love for chemical enhancements is well documented, and there are songs like Last Child where Tyler sounds as though he is completely off his face. Then there are killer moments like Lord Of The Flies which is superb ,and Come Together which is one of the best versions I have heard of this song.

Up until Permanent Vacation, the band was on its knees, and with the help of outside writers they made it to mega status. But there is something about the band at this time that I love – they were just a killer rock n roll band. They have written some classic tunes before Love In An Elevator that people forget. Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Toys In The Attic, and Walk This Way are all hall of fame contenders – but that was a different band.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

GARY MOORE – Back On The Streets

June 17, 2021 /

Don’t you just hate it when labels do theses reissues and change the original cover?! I guess they think they can improve on the original, but I wish they would leave them alone.

Just before Moore rejoined Thin Lizzy to record the Black Rose album, this album was recorded, and he roped in Phil Lynott to play bass and to do some vocals. He also called in two of his Colosseum 2 band mates on keys and bass in Don Airey and John Mole, plus Simon Phillips and Brian Downey on drums.

The album explodes into life with the title track which rocks hard, and Gary just rips it up on the guitar. Song For Donna is a great laid back tune with some really nice playing from Gary. What Would You Rather Bee Or A Wasp is next and is a continuation of what he was playing in Colosseum, a great jazz/rock workout with some serious playing. Fanatical Fascists is Gary’s entry into the punk rock arena but done with a hard rock edge. Spanish Guitar closes out Side 1 and is one of three tracks where Phil Lynott gets a song writing credit. Even though Spanish is in the title, it has a very Irish feel and has Moore showing what a great melodic player he is – it’s not all out about scales and runs.

Don’t Believe A Word opens up Side 2, and I know nearly everyone is familiar with this tune, as its a Thin Lizzy classic, but this version is done in a slow blues style and works really well. Again, Gary adds that beautiful melodic solo to proceedings and there’s a killer shuffle at the end. Flight Of The Snow Moose is the second piece that revisits Gary’s short stay in fusion world. I often wonder why he didn’t go back and do another fusion album as he was so good at playing in that style. Next up is Hurricane, and this track just exists so Gary can rip all over it, and that’s exactly what he does. This is what he was so good at, and it kills!!! The song that he was most famous for as a solo artist, Parisienne Walkways, closes out the record. Such a beautiful piece played with so much feeling, and his voice and Phil’s compliment it so well. I have seen him play this so many times and he gave it his all every time I saw him. It’s unreal to think he is no longer with us. RIP Gary you are greatly missed.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

STEVE STEVENS – Atomic Playboys

June 17, 2021 /

Probably best known for making Billy Idol look amazing, this is Steve Stevens’ first foray into solo territory – other than recording the Top Gun anthem from the film of the same name. He is joined in this project by former Warrior vocalist Parramore McCarty, plus they managed to get H. R. Geiger to do an awesome album cover. In my opinion, there is not a bad song on this album and it covers a wide range of styles – not just the standard hair rock of the time.

The album opens up with the title track and is a great up tempo rocker to start things off with – Steve fires off all the toys in his arsenal. Next up is The Power Of Suggestion, which is a cool take of a more traditional RnB groove. A cover of The Sweet’s Action is next up, and apart from some killer guitar, it’s pretty much a straight take of the original – with McCarty adding some power to the vocal. Desperate Heart is a ballad that I don’t actually hate, and that’s down to the great vocal and some sublime guitar. Souls On Ice closes out Side 1 and is the other killer up-tempo rocker on this side. Complete with a monster riff, some great histrionics on the guitar, plus a great vocal – it’s the best track so far.

Over to Side 2 we go and Crackdown starts us off with some background synths and some nice echo guitar. This would have made a great single if the record company could have been bothered to support it. I remember Steve being asked at the time if there was to be a follow up and he said “I doubt it, it’s the most expensive hobby ever”. Meaning nearly no support. Pet The Hot Kitty (complete with very suspect lyrics) follows and is about as glam metal as this album gets. Evening Eye is next, and the this is a contender for best track. Rock, it doesn’t, but it has a slow moody almost jazz groove with some great guitar, especially in the middle eight where Steve lets loose. Woman Of 1,000 Years is next up and is the only track where I thought of Billy Idol – I wonder if this song was a leftover – plus this is the only song where Steve sings lead vocal. The instrumental Run Across Desert Sands follows and has Steve digging out the old acoustic for some awesome guitar olympics. The final track is Slipping Into Fiction, with a killer riff and melody, plus a great funky instrumental section – a fitting end to a great album. Shame there wasn’t another record but we still have this.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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