THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 465 of 491)

TALK TALK – It’s My Life

February 23, 2021 /

I’ve heard Talk Talk described as intelligent pop. I haven’t got a clue what that means. All I know is that they wrote great records and Mark Hollis was a genius. They were lumped in with the New Romantic movement at the time, and most rock fans would have passed them by due to that. It wasn’t cool to like pop bands if you were a metal head. It’s definitely synth-pop for sure, but they are very clever songs with great arrangements. Hollis has a very distinctive tone to his voice and is unmistakable. There is a lot of experimenting with tones and sounds on the record, and the band would pursue these later on subsequent releases as they left the pop behind and were going into a post rock direction.

Dum Dum Girl was the third single from the album, and opens up the record. A very clever synth-pop record with great lyrics. Such A Shame and Renee are up next, and are very eighties sounding and slow paced, but again the vocals and melody reign supreme here. Last song on this side was the lead off single, It’s My Life, and is the track that everyone will be familiar with. It is a great tune with a big hook and chorus that Hollis sings perfectly. Great tune!

Flipping over to Side 2 with Tomorrow Started – a very melancholic song with mix of electronic and acoustic instruments. Compared to other bands at the time, they were way ahead in terms of how they used synths and programming. The Last Time is quite an upbeat song compared to the rest of the album, and Hollis’ vocals do remind me of Brian Ferry – especially on this track. It’s noticeable that all of the singles were from Side 1, and Side 2 is a lot more about the album than the quick hit. Calling The Night Boy reminds me of It Bites, especially in the chorus – another great song. Does Caroline Know is synth-pop-funk, and a departure from the rest of the album. Album closer, It’s You, has a very Japan feel to it and is a nod to the future with subsequent releases.

A great album. Not my favourite, as that would be Spirit Of Eden, which would come later. A really good example of synth-pop of the time.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

NEKTAR – Magic Is A Child

February 22, 2021 /

I’ll admit to not knowing a whole bunch about these guys, other than they were English. Originally released in ’77, the band sounds like a cross between Yes and Styx. They passed me by back in the day, and I’m not sure why as this is a very enjoyable Prog album. It’s all here: weird fantasy subject matter, overblown arrangements, and great playing.

Opener Away From Asgard is classic Prog fare and done very well. The title track does make me think of Styx, as it’s very reminiscent of their early work. Eerie Lackawanna has a somewhat Supertramp feel to it with a cool funky guitar pattern. Midnite Lite is more of the same and sounds a tad like Gentle Giant. Side closer Love To Share is the weakest song the album and sounds a bit like The Beatles to my ears.

Side 2 kicks off with Train From Nowhere and has a guest appearance from non other than Robert Fripp, which is apt as this song does feel like a Crimson outtake. Listen starts off in epic grandiose style and then slows the pace right down. On The Run is the heaviest sounding track on the album, and the last track, Spread Your Wings has a quirky choppy start then is more of a straight ahead rock song with some nice guitar.

Not a bad album, and would I like to listen to earlier albums to see how proggy they were originally – apparently this album has shorter songs and is more accessible.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

STEVIE WONDER – Talking Book

February 22, 2021 /

Talking Book was the beginning of Stevie’s classic period from ’72 – ’76 where he couldn’t put a foot wrong as everything he put out was pure gold. Blind since just after his birth, and was seen as a prodigy, he was signed to Motown when he was just 11. He took soul and R&B to places that were not recognized at the time. He dragged the Motown label into the album era as they were known mostly for singles. At the time, Motown label artist’s songs were all 3 minutes and under. Stevie helped to change that outlook with 7 of the songs being over.

The album starts off with a stone cold classic, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. Maybe Your Baby weighs in at 6.45, and has funk added to the mix to give the song that harder edge – plus you get a superb vocal from Stevie. You And I is a slow ballad, and Tuesday Heartbreak follows in the great soul tradition of the label. You’ve Got It Bad Girl finishes Side 1, and is a mix of jazz, soul, and some very clever rhythm changes.

Flipping over to Side 2, probably Stevie’s most famous track, Superstition, get us underway with that unmistakable beat before you get Stevie’s trademark clavinet with the main riff of the song. I always associate this song with guitar as some very famous people (Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan) have turned it into a guitar workout, but this is all Stevie on the keys with some horns for great effect. This song is as groovy as it comes. The very un-R&B, Big Brother, is next and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was an Americana song written today. Blame It On The Sun is the weakest song on the album. The slow Lookin’ For Another Pure Love is next with a guest appearance from Jeff Beck, which then brings us to the album closer, I Believe, which ends things in epic ballad style.

I like this album a lot. This album, and the three that came after it, are the ones worthy of inclusion into any collection.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

LIVING COLOUR – Stain

February 20, 2021 /

This is Living Colour’s third album, which came out in ’95, and not too long after they disbanded, only to reform in 2000. At the time they were at the forefront of the short lived funk-metal off shoot scene. I remember all the critics liking this album a lot when it came out, but I don’t think it did very well sales wise.

The album starts off with Go Away, with its Metallica influenced heavy riff mixed with their trademark funky grooves. A great opening track. More heavy funk in the form of the second track, Ignorance Is Bliss. The bass playing from Doug Wimbish is incredible, and holds the whole thing together for me, while Vernon slaps random guitar over the top of every spare space in each song – I don’t think its necessarily beneficial to the songs.

I’m going to skip a few songs here as the vibe is very much the same. Auslander has a very weird almost out of tune riff, and a fast paced groove to change things up. Nothingness is a slight change in pac, and was released as a single. The album closes with Wall, another slice of heavy funk and is my favourite track on the album.

Of their first three albums, this is the weakest, although still a good album and if you like your metal funked up – this could be for you.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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