THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 319 of 491)

RORY GALLAGHER – Stage Struck

March 9, 2022 /

One of the finest blues rock guitarists of his generation. Rory always gave 100% on every show, and I was lucky enough to see him play Live a few times around this period. You just had to see him play as his studio albums always seemed watered down – it was impossible to capture that power and energy in a sterile environment like a studio. Unfortunately, the demon drink took it’s toll on Rory and he died with complications after having a liver transplant.

There are a ton of Live albums out there and a lot of them have crawled out of the woodwork since his death, but this recording was a legit label release recorded at various venues around the world in ’79-’80 and it’s my favourite Rory album.

There are only eight tracks, but it is definitely all killer and no filler. It’s really hard to pick a favourite as Wayward Child, Moonchild, and Shin Kicker are awesome and Rory rips into that faded guitar. If I’m pushed, then it has to be Shadow Play which has Rory at his absolute best as he knocks seven bells out of that sweat faded strat. Great album, and yes, everyone should have a copy.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

THE WHO – Who’s Next

March 8, 2022 /

It always amazes me how people rave about The Beatles and the Stones and how they influenced everyone and their dog, but The Who are equally – if not more – of an influence on modern rock. They actually looked and played like a rock band, plus Pete is one of rock’s great songwriters. This album is their best work beating both Tommy and Quadraphenia. It started out life as the Lifehouse project, which Pete was determined was going to surpass Tommy in its concept and execution. As we all know, that never happened and Who’s Next was the album that came from those sessions.

This is the three disc deluxe edition with the original album, plus songs that were recorded in New York for Lifehouse, and Live at the Young Vic which they played while writing and recording for both projects. Of the original album, there is not a bad moment – every song is just pure joy. It’s interesting to hear the New York recordings and how they differ from the finished songs. The Young Vic Live recordings are very warts and all, but they show what a killer Live band they were. Everyone should own this record.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

BRIGHTON ROCK – Take A Deep Breath

March 8, 2022 /

Another Canadian band hailing from Niagara Falls – as well as Honeymoon Suite. This is the band’s second album released in ’88 and the emphasis is more on the tunes than the rock. They have more in common with Journey (on this album at least) as the keyboards are very dominant. If that’s what they were aiming for with the radio friendly sound – it worked – as this was the band’s best selling album.

If you read a lot of my reviews, you know that I like records that rock, well in this genre anyway, and they do that in a more less aggressive way. The first two tracks Can’t Stop The Earth From Shaking and Outlaw have a really good  groove with nice melodies and hooks. A surprise package for me is guitarist Greg Fraser who is a very tasty player – his solos are great and to the point. Unleash The Rage, Power Overload, Shootin’ For Love, and Rebels With A Cause are the tracks that I love the best because the guitar and the riff is more dominant – the band sounds as though they like these songs the best.

A very enjoyable album, and is what I call, a Friday night special.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

THE SEA WITHIN – s/t

March 7, 2022 /

For those of you who don’t know, The Sea Within are a Prog supergroup – or collaboration – whichever you want to call them. If you’re thinking old school Prog then forget it – these guys are in the tradition of Transatlantic which also feature Roine Stolt. Anything with Marco Minneman on drums always gets my attention and this album is superb.

The writing, performance, and composition of the songs is incredible. The song takes more of a focus than rambling instrumentals that is usually associated with these types of project – although there are a couple of those. The track Broken Cord weighing in 14.20 mins is epic, with nods to all old and new influences – a true masterpiece. I love Roine’s vocal style on this track as it feels as though I am being personally told a story. As well as songs that you can immerse yourself in musically, there are also quite beautiful pieces like Denise, which closes out the album.

A wonderful record and I still play it a lot nearly four years after it’s release.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Archives

© 2026 THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑