THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 306 of 491)

RED DRAGON CARTEL – Patina

April 20, 2022 /

This is the second album from Jake E Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel, and after having a few problems with Darren Smith when playing live, he is back for this album. I really like the first album and I’m a big fan of Darren Smith as a drummer from his work with Harem Scarem, and I really like his vocal style too.

Opener, Speedbag, is a great modern melodic rock track with a nice vocal and groove. Second track in, Havana, was the first track released and is the best track on the album. The main riff and melody are killer and will have you humming away to yourself. Also nice to hear Jake ripping it up somewhat as there seems to be more leads on this album. Crooked Man has the same opening drum fill as Rock Candy by Montrose, but has a more downbeat feel to it. The whole album has more of a raw feel to it than it’s predecessor, and the use of fuzz pedals does add to that somewhat – listen to the tracks, The Luxury Of Breathing, and Bitter, to see what I mean. Chasing Ghosts is a really cool track as they are trying to do something new in a very tired format, and I really love that choppy riff and groove.

All in all it’s a good album, but doesn’t quite reach the heights of their first.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

THE JEFF HEALEY BAND – See The Light

April 20, 2022 /

Being an avid aficionado of all things rock guitar, I actively seek out the newest releases every week to feed my habit. I first heard Jeff on a radio show in the UK, then I managed to watch a clip of him a short time after and I could not believe he was blind. His skill and mastery of the guitar was insane, and I was lucky enough to see him a few times at his club in Toronto after I moved there. To see him up close was an inspiration.

This is his first album and was released back in ’88 and it’s the one I love the most. He has the feel of an old blues man and the chops of a seasoned rocker. It’s the title track that gets all the attention because of Jeff’s incendiary playing, but there are some really great blues tracks like the shuffle of Don’t Let Your Chance Go By, and Blue Jean Blues that really float my boat.

It’s a real shame that he is no longer with us, but he has left us with some great tunes and some killer playing to remember him by.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

SUPERTRAMP – Crime Of The Century

April 19, 2022 /

This was the band’s third album. They were already an established Prog rock band in the UK, but the release of this album (especially the single, Dreamer and the Wurlitzer piano sound) redefined the band’s future sound.

This is a schoolboy memory for me as everyone was talking about them because of Dreamer. Definitely a perfect record. I love the sound and groove of the whole album – especially the way they added pop elements into the songs and kept the groovy extended instrumental pieces. The production is fantastic and is one of the greatest sounding 70’s records.

There is not one bad moment on the whole album, in fact, School, Bloody Well Right, Dreamer, Rudy, and the title track, are all some of the best pieces the band ever composed. I still get so much joy from listening to it after all these years. A truly stunning record.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

KILLER DWARFS – Big Deal

April 19, 2022 /

Hailing from Oshawa (a burb around the metropolis of Toronto), the band had moderate success in Canada in the eighties – although not much anywhere else.

This is the band’s third album which came out in ’88, and although the band were known as a metal band, this album is much more of a melodic rock album (even I would say power pop), especially on tracks like We Stand Alone which is very Cheap Trick sounding. Startin’ To Shine is one of the best tracks on the album, as it has a great groove and hook and some really nice guitar. To keep their metal credentials intact, the deliciously heavy and fast Burn It Down is my favourite on the album. This album does sound a bit flat, as when they these songs Live they are a lot more alive and popping.

I think Killer Dwarfs sit alongside the Tragically Hip in that they are peculiarly Canadian, in that they don’t mean a whole bunch anywhere else.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

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