THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 422 of 491)

KYUSS – Welcome To Sky Valley

June 7, 2021 /

This is the third (and best) album by California desert rock combo, Kyuss. If anyone is interested, the name comes from Dungeons and Dragons. The band are best known as being Josh Homme’s home before Queens Of The Stone Age took flight. Kyuss were the purveyors of the finest stoner rock, with their roots firmly in the early seventies – naming Sabbath as a big influence. Produced by Masters of Reality main man ,Chris Goss, this album was the band’s high point creatively.

Gardenia starts things off with the fuzzed out distorted tones of Josh Homme’s guitar. This is the recipe for the whole album. The riffs continue in a repetitive and hypnotic groove that you can chill to, hence the stoner rock term. A lot of the tracks have a grooved out middle section where you can lose yourself. Me personally, I find this album great to relax too. I know that sounds weird when the vibe is so heavy, it just has that effect on me. After the aforementioned Gardenia, the other monster track that I really like is Demon Cleaner, which starts with a great heavy tom tom beat and a wicked riff. This track probably sums up the band more than any other. I find it odd that Josh Homme has said he had never heard of Sabbath when the band started – Sabbath’s influences are all over this record. The band were only around as Kyuss for 4 years, and yet their impact was huge.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

JETHRO TULL – Aqualung

June 5, 2021 /

There aren’t that many albums throughout the history of rock music that reach iconic status, but this album, Aqualung, which was Tull’s fourth release from ’71, is definitely in that category. This album is 50 years old this year, and this is the Steven Wilson remix from 2011. I actually played the original mix before putting this on, just to get the feel of the new one to hear the differences. This version is a lot brighter, and you can hear instruments more clearly as have been brought into the centre of the stereo spectrum.

This is the band’s best selling album and the one everyone associates the band with more than any other. It’s a concept album with the central theme of the distinction between religion and god. Heavy stuff aye? You wouldn’t think so listening to the music as it’s a very uplifting album. From the opening lines “Sitting on a park bench eying little girls with bad intent”, to the rocking awesomeness of Locomotive Breath, and all points in between, this is a Prog masterpiece. The band are at the height of their powers, and Anderson’s ability to weave tales with that distinctive voice and mad flute playing, is a pure joy.

I never tire of listening to this record as the mix of Prog, folk and rock hits the spot every time. Locomotives Breath is still one of my favourite tunes some 50 years later – I guess a good tune will always be a good tune. Crooks Eyed Mary is another favourite, and for an album this old it sounds, its surprisingly fresh. It’s another in the category of every home should have one.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

FIGHT – War Of Words

June 5, 2021 /

It’s hard to believe there ever was a Judas Priest without Rob Halford, but that’s what happened in the early nineties, when Rob left Priest to form a more metal version, Fight. He was joined by his fellow Priest buddy and drummer, Scott Travis, and Russ Parish on guitar – before he became a parody and joined Steel Panther. Priest had been touring with Pantera and Rob saw what they were doing – he thought Priest should be going in that direction also. I guess the rest of the band didn’t think that way, and so it was goodbye Rob.

Ironically, the first two tracks Into The Pit, and Nailed To The Gun are probably what Priest would have sounded like if they had gone in this direction. Life In Black is a modern Sabbath type tune, with a slow plod riff and great guitar from Parish. Also of note is Rob’s voice – he still has the power to pull off the high stuff, which he does struggle with today. Next up is the very Pantera/Preist-esque, Immortal Sin. Huge fat chugga riff with that bounce off the walls groove. I have to say, Russ Parish is wasted in Steel Pantsoff, he is great player and metal is his calling. The title track is next and it’s more of the same with a hardcore edge. The middle eight has a great groove to change up the pace. Last track on Side 1 is Laid To Rest and sees Rob with a more restrained vocal and quite a doomy vibe.

Side 2 begins with For All Eternity, a classic old school metal track. Starts off really slow with the picked chords and into the big chorus. Funnily enough a format Priest almost invented. Little Crazy is next up, and for a split second I thought we were in Southern rock territory with that slide beginning. It’s probably the weakest track on the album, not a bad track, just not as good as the others. Contortion follows and again the big fat chugga riff that’s designed to make the listener bounce – it achieves what it sets out to do. Kill It is the most nu-metal sounding track on the whole album with the repeated riff and tag line. Vicious is next and is very metal in the groove and riff, but not that great in the lyrics department. Last track Reality, A New Beginning was a hidden track on the CD, but obviously vinyl won’t let that happen. A big monster d-tuned riff drives the tune, along with Rob telling everyone it’s a new beginning.

I really like this project and thought it was very entertaining. Ultimately, it only lasted two albums, then Halford The Metal God was invented and the Halford solo career took flight, before the inevitable reunion with Priest when they all needed cash.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

SUPERTRAMP – Crisis? What Crisis?

June 4, 2021 /

This was the first Supertramp album I bought way back in the mists of time while I was at school. My interest had been aroused by Dreamer. Supertramp are an unusual band as they write great pop songs that they hide, or strategically placed, in extended musical workouts verging on prog with complex arrangements. This is why I love them. It’s not necessarily the catchy chorus and harmonies, but it’s the instrumentation and the way they add really groovy pieces in each tune.

Opener, Easy Does It, is a really short peace that leads into Sister Moonshine. This emphasizes the point I was making perfectly, super catchy chorus, great melody and great groove. Ain’t Nobody But Me kicks in with the big Hammond and guitar – it feels really heavy, then we change to the doo wop chorus and the very heavy outro. Next up is A Soapbox Opera, the very familiar fender piano and Hodgson’s voice complete with orchestra. Side 1 closes with Another Mans Woman, a great up-tempo tune with a killer melody and a fantastic instrumental section that really grooves – this is what I love most about the band.

Side 2 starts with Lady and that Fender piano from Dreamer feels so familiar, as with a lot of Hodgson’s songs, there is that old rock and roll reference with the ooh-lalala’s. Poor Boy follows and has that simple, almost Motown, feel to it until the middle section that is all ragtime jazz. Just A Normal Day is up next and has a very singer songwriter vibe – it’s very Elton in its execution. One of the band’s most well known tunes follows with The Meaning. It begins with a very middle eastern feel with Hodgson’s wailing vocal style, before the song settles into a more familiar groove with the repetitive singing which feels like a mantra. Two Of Us closes out the record and it feels quite a melancholic musical ending, and the lyrics are quite uplifting. A great album by a band that took Prog to the masses and made a boat load of cash.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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