THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl of the day (Page 191 of 493)

RIOT – Born In America

March 31, 2023 /

The first three Riot albums are their best. There was something about Guy Speranza’s voice coupled with the killer hard rockin’ tunes that made them special. So when Speranza left because he couldn’t afford to do it no more, as he had a young family to take care of, it was a sad day indeed.

I’ve mentioned before how the whole vibe of the band changed when Rhett Forrester joined to accommodate his style of singing, and that continues throughout most of album number two. There are a couple of exceptions however: Wings Of Fire is a decent up temp rocker with a nice groove; Vigilante Killer which is my favourite track on the album, has a great groove and feels like Dianno era Maiden; and Heavy Metal Machine whose tempo is rockin’ the riff is just pure old school, and Rhett does his best Blackie Lawless impression (or is it the other way around?). There is a moment of high comedy with the inclusion of Devil Woman, a cover of a Cliff Richard tune. I mean c’mon, you can’t be struggling for material that mulch, surely.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

DOKKEN – Greatest Hits

March 30, 2023 /

A Dokken greatest hits album, now that’s a good idea. All is not what it seems however, as this is Dokken circa 2015 and I get why they did this but it leaves a sour taste.

The songs are all from the classic four albums and there are no modern tracks at all. The first thing you can’t ignore is how weak Don’s voice is compared to how it was. He can’t hit those notes anymore and there are a few extra enhancements on call when needed. The only other original member is Mick Brown on the drums. John Levin does a fair job on guitar, but it’s not George. The selection of songs are all the hits basically, but nothing too fast, all are at the same tempo. My favourite of the ones played here is Into The Fire.

I love Dokken and George is one of my favourite players, but it would have been nice if Don had asked George to do this.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

DREAM THEATER – Made In Japan

March 30, 2023 /

Now, to play one of the best live albums ever in its entirety as a second part of a live gig is one thing, but then to release it and put it out into the wild, takes balls of steel. The original Made In Japan is so good and Dream Theater do a pretty good job covering it, even with the little odd musical warm up parts and raps before and in between tunes.

Of course, Labrie is not Gillan, especially an Ian Gillan in his prime. I mean, he tries and he does a great job but…I have seen Dream Theater more than any other band and I loved when they did things like this when playing live. When they played Dark Side Of The Moon at the Hammy O, it was incredible.

It’s best just to sit back and enjoy a great band pay tribute to a great band. It sounds incredible though!

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA – Lint

March 29, 2023 /

This album first appeared in ’97 and I thought it was through the now defunct MTM Music, but google tells me it was Blue Stone Music. This copy is a reissue through Frontiers, and has a bonus album of demos. Believe it or not, the band have released ten albums, and this was album number one. They sort of float between very slick melodic rock and adding a Prog element to some songs.

Morning Over Morocco is a superb opening to the album. A killer melodic masterpiece with a great riff, and superb hook and chorus. The title track Lint has some of those proggy moments I was mentioning, but is still a great song. Method Of Madness follows and starts with a great riff, but the rest of the song is more at home in aor world. I have very fond memories of them playing this song at one of the Gods festivals in Wigan. #8 opens up with what sounds like an African choir singing, and then we move firmly into ballad territory. Who’s Lying Now follows and is a super catchy, slick sounding, ping aor groover. Side 1 closes out with Elephant Gun, a decent enough tune with a nice opening riff but as with most of the album, the songs sound empty. Don’t get me wrong, the album sounds super clear, it just needs an injection of oomph.

Our Love Was Good opens up Side 2 and the first thing that pops into my head is the Eagles, and I guess the riff reminds me of Life In The Fast Lane. A nice bluesy intro of what is essentially a ballad with track, The Story’s The Same. Canned Laughter starts with a nice guitar riff, and the groove is really cool. The vocal harmonies are superb and that is one of the high points of the whole album. Remember follows and is a pleasant enough tune, it just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. The album closes out with Everything’s Fine.

The album started in fine style with Morning Over Morocco, which is easily my favourite track, a great hard rockin’ tune and then the album ends as though it was part of the Laurel Canyon crowd at the end of the sixties. A decent enough album that has a bit of an identity crisis.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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