THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: thunder (Page 1 of 3)

EYES – S/T

July 14, 2024 /

If you read a lot of my scribblings you will have picked up that I like Jeff Scott Soto a lot. I love the guy’s voice and his enthusiasm for just being able to make music is an inspiration. He has been in soooo many albums and projects that I haven’t got the space here to list them all.

I first heard him in on Yngwie’s Rising Force album and thought what a great set of pipes he had, and then when I heard the Talisman albums I thought they were gonna be huge. This record was recorded the same year the first Talisman album was recorded, I’m not sure which one came first but they are both killer in different ways.

This baby slots perfectly into the melodic rock/AOR basket of delights. The Cover of Ace Of Base’s Don’t Turn Around is a definite improvement on the original and works really well. It is a Dianne Warren tune so you’re working with great material but it’s way better than the original. Other than Jeff, the other stand out musician is guitar slinger Steven Dougherty who knows his way around a fretboard that’s for sure. Just listen to the Van Halen-tinged Miss Demeanor as his entry into the guitar olympics. With all the classy tunes on offer here I however am going for the more straight up and down groover Walkin’ Fire as my favourite tune. A great killer riff and groove with a hook and chorus to die four. Wired 4 Love was very close as I’m a sucker for a four to the floor sing a long rocker.

Great album and band.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

ICON – Right Between The Eyes

July 14, 2024 /

Icon are another band that should have been a whole lot bigger than they were. After their second album (Night Of The Crime) the band were dropped by Capitol. Their third album came out only on cassette as an independent release and they were thinking of calling it a day. Lady Luck came into play and they were picked up by Megaforce/Atlantic for this album, their fourth release.

I was lucky enough to see them on this tour as they were supporting KingsX, but after the relatively poor sales for this album they called it a day. If you like your rock with a hard edge and big sing along vocals in the chorus, then maybe you should check these guys out. So many good songs it’s hard to see why they failed.

From the opening crunch of the title track, this is one belter of an album. Two For The Road, Taking My Breath Away, Bad Times, and Running Under Fire will have you up and rockin’ and singing like a demon. Only one ballad to take the vibe down a notch and a weird end instrumental piece, but I’ll forgive them that. My favourite track is Right Between The Eyes, a truly great song that any hard rockin’ band would have been proud of.

Sometimes the “biz” sucks and true talent gets tossed aside.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

KROKUS – Change Of Address

July 12, 2024 /

Labels put all sorts of pressures on bands in the mid eighties to add keys to their sound, to make them more radio friendly. I think that’s called the Def Leppard effect. Krokus had great success in cranking out the tunes with guitars a blazing (which they were great at), so why try and change them? The sales were not as good for this album and their subsequent releases, so I guess it was an experiment that failed.

It’s an okay album, it just doesn’t sound like Krokus. Take the final track Long Way From Home, and you’d swear that you were listening to Foreigner. The only song that really shakes my tree is Hot Shot City, as at least the guitars are loud.

Sometimes labels should leave bands alone.

6.5/10 from The Grooveman.

TED NUGENT – Little Miss Dangerous

July 12, 2024 /

If anyone remembers uncle Ted from the Double Live Gonzo days, you know how wild and hungry he was as a killer guitar player. Now, if you stepped off the planet for a few years and the first thing you heard was this and somebody told you it was Ted, then you would think “no way.”

This album is super polished and melodic rock radio-friendly, essentially everything that Ted wasn’t in the 70’s. It’s not until the third track in (which is the title track) that the old Ted makes an appearance. Even though the song reminds me of Billy Idol, at least the guitar is wailing and loud. Crazy Ladies is pure old school Nugent. Pounding double kicks all the way with Ted riffing up on the guitar good and loud, and lyrics that only Ted can get away with. It’s definitely my favourite track.

It’s a fun record that really comes to life when Ted gets to sing.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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