THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 273 of 491)

WHITE LION – Pride

July 7, 2022 /

Of the four albums that the band issued in the 80’s, of which this is the 2nd released, this is my favourite. Great songs and some unbelievable guitar playing from Vito Bratta.

Two singles from the album Wait and When The Children Cry were huge (especially on MTV), and they were riding high until the change in the musical landscape did for them as it did for most of the hair bands. This is such a great record I will just mention my favourite tracks (which is nearly all of them 😂).

Hungry is a monster opening tune with a great hook and ripping guitar. Lonely Nights again with a great hook and melody, and incendiary guitar. Lady Of The Valley, which I think is the best track they ever did, has a brilliant intro and some insane guitar. All You Need Is Rock N’ Roll with its monster riff and groove. The vibe is very early Van Halen throughout but with their own twist, which is fine by me. If you only own one White Lion album then it has to be this.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

ROXY MUSIC – s/t

July 6, 2022 /

As a very impressionable young 12-year-old seeing these glammed up space aliens playing Virginia Plain on Top Of The Pops, it was a ground zero moment for me. Everyone else seemed to be playing to a formula, but Roxy Music were just doing what they wanted and if you liked it or not then boo ya!!

Virginia Plain and the follow up the amazing Pyjamarama (which weirdly never appeared on an album) just ticked every box imaginable for me, and Bryan Ferry, Eno, and Phil Manzanera were just so damn cool. Every art/rock band that came after were inspired by them, right through to the frilly shirts and haircut brigade of the eighties. For a short period of time they were the centre of the universe and this album is pure nostalgia for me.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

220 VOLT – s/t

July 6, 2022 /

This is the band’s first album, released in ’83. An original copy is going for silly money so when MOV announced they were releasing the first three albums, it was a no brainer. Coming across as a late seventies version of UFO, mixed with all the good bits of NWOBHM, they managed to get a deal with Epic records after the track Prisoner Of War was released in the US. The band was put together by guitarists Thomas Drevin and Mats Karlsson, who are still in the band today.

Lonely Nights is a great opening; melodic hard rock with plenty of guitar. No Return is very UFO with the riff and rhythm being very Michael Schenker. The End Of The World is very NWOBHM with some very tasty licks from both guitarists. Side 1 fades out with Gypsy Queen, and no prizes for guessing where they stole the intro riff from. Nightwinds gets things going and I’m a big fan of the twin harmony guitars that graces the intro and middle eight. The one thing that isn’t so great on the album is the vocals of Joachim Lundholm, who isn’t the strongest vocalist in the world. But, it’s the guitars that carry the album and Child Of The Night has a great fast riff and is very NWOBHM in style. Stop And Look Back has a nice opening riff and pounding beat and groove. Prisoner Of War was the single that got the band signed, and I’m guessing the label were looking to sign up any metal/hard rock bands they could get their hands on. Woman In White closes out the album and it’s classic NWOBHM, and I guarantee you will have heard that riff before.

If you take the vocals out of the equation, it’s a decent first album and it’s worth getting just for the guitars; plus the two albums after this are great records.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

DOKKEN – Erase The Slate

July 5, 2022 /

This is the only Dokken album to feature Reb Beach on guitar. The band sort of split in ’89 as Don and George Lynch hated each other. They buried that hatchet (not in each other’s head) and got back together to record Dysfunctional and Shadowlife. Then, George had enough again and moved on, and Reb was brought in.

This is one of the best Dokken albums, as not only does Reb play some killer guitar, but he breathes new life into the band and the songs are really good. The opening and title track is a typical Dokken uptempo rocker with Reb just ripping it up. Change The World has a great groove and main riff, the hook and chorus are so cool. Mad Hatter is another four to floor rocker with a standard Dokken riff, but the chorus and hook are just fantastic, and the solo is insane. Drown slows the pace down with an evil riff, and a killer funky choppy groove. Side 1 closes out with Shattered and it’s a heavy power ballad; the middle eight solo is awesome.

One gets Side 2 under way with an amazing cover of the Harry Nilsson track. I like when bands do unusual choices for covers. Who Believes is ballad city, and is lifted greatly by some Reb Beach wizardry. Awesome intro to Voice Of The Soul that drops into the huge main riff. Crazy Mary Goes Round is such fun track and has drummer Mick Brown on vocals. Haunted Lullabye is a slow brooding rocker with a very cool riff, and I love the solo. The album closes out with In Your Honour and it’s ballad city with a very Beatles sounding middle section. Great album and often overlooked when talking about Dokken albums.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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