THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl (Page 16 of 50)

RIOT – Narita

March 11, 2021 /

Riot were often cited as the unluckiest band in world, due to all the misfortune that came their way. Original vocalist, Guy Speranza, left the band after the Fire Down Under record to work as an exterminator, and he died from cancer in 2003. Fun fact, Scott Ian from Anthrax asked him to be the singer in the band before Joey Belladonna. His replacement, Rhett Forester, was shot in a gangland execution. Band leader and founder, Mark Reale, also died of cancer.

The band could not get a record deal no matter how hard they tried. They had to finance this album and the first album (Rock City) themselves as no record company wanted to sign them. This album was picked up in Japan and was released there before anywhere else, mainly due to the title of the album being that of the Tokyo airport. It was released in ’79, three years after their first album, and is a good representation of where they were at at the time. They were heavier on the next record, which opened a lot of doors for them. Even then they managed to screw things up for themselves, and they were strictly second division after.

It’s quite a good hard rockin’ release, and there aren’t really any bad tracks on the album, but there are a couple of stand out tracks for sure. The cover of Born To Be Wild is probably the best version of this classic – it’s been given a nice and heavy transformation. The title track, Narita, is a bit of a speed metal classic and was one of the first tracks to be talked about in those terms. The last track, Road Racin’, would be come a classic live track for the band.

This was the album that saw Riot change from hard rockers to metallers. They took full advantage of the NWOBHM scene in the UK. They toured a lot and the fans loved them in the UK.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

ALEX HARVEY THE NEW BAND – The Mafia Stole My Guitar

March 11, 2021 /

This is the complicated album. Alex walked out of SAHB after the recording of the amazing Rock Drill album . He was unable to tour due to health problems at the time, and he was totally disgruntled with poor management and the fact that the band owed the label a ton of cash after having a semi-successful career with sold out tours. It started to all to go South for Alex after the death of his friend and long time manager, Bill Fehilly, a few years earlier. Alex surprised everyone by returning to the scene with this album and The New Band, proclaiming that the guitar player was the new best thing. Not sure he did a lot after this to be honest. The only leftover from the recording of the last SAHB album was keyboard player Tommy Eyre.

A bit of a left turn for the opening track, Don’s Delight, as it’s an instrumental and features horn player, Don Weller, who wrote the track. Back to more usual Harvey fare with Back In The Depot, again it features horns as the main instrument. Wait For Me Mama is more of a traditional Scottish arrangement, which Harvey had visited throughout his career. The last song on this Side is the title track, and is the first time you get to hear what Matthew Cang can do on the guitar (after all the boasting). Not a bad riff and is reminiscent of times past.

Over to the flip we go and a cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’, Shaking All Over. Alex, once again, showing his love for all things rock and roll. Well, he did win a competition back in the fifties and was heralded as the Scottish Tommy Steele. It’s actually a really good cover, and adds a lot to the original with some tasty guitar from Mr. Cang. Next up is The Whalers, where Alex gets to show us what a great storyteller he is, and is the big production of the album with a great middle section. Oh Spartacus follows and wins the most unusual track on the album award. The album closes with a cover of Just A Gigolo/Ain’t Got Nobody, and is a very lounge lizard version of this classic.

Not loved by SAHB fans, as the classic band were not involved. I think that was the point, and it was to be a new beginning for Alex. Unfortunately, a couple of years later he died of heart failure in Belgium whilst waiting for the ferry back to the UK. I was a big fan of SAHB when I was a lot younger. I even had the band name painted on my school bag, as you did in the bad old days. I do like this album.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT – Tales Of Mystery And Imagination

March 10, 2021 /

This was the debut release by the band, and in true Prog fashion, is a grandiose concept album based around the scribbling of gothic horror author, Edgar Allen Poe. Before this, Parsons was more widely known as an engineer/producer working on the likes of Dark Side Of The Moon. Basically the band is Parsons himself, his songwriting partner Eric Woolfson, and a bunch of guests. The two most notable names as guest vocalists are John Miles and Arthur Brown.

The album is basically a rock opera and is laid out as such. The standout track being the 15.13 minute long The Fall Of The House Of Usher, which takes up most of Side 2. A very ambitious project for your first release and it works really well. The album is very well written, and as you would expect, the production is top drawer.

If you like your Prog delivered in a big operatic way then this could be for you. 7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BLACK SABBATH – Master of Reality

March 10, 2021 /

Hard to believe this album is approaching it’s 50th birthday. Boy do I feel old. Lots of people argue all day long about who was the first band to be classified under the banner of “Heavy Metal”. I’m going to go with the general consensus and say it’s these guys. This album in particular is often cited as the ground zero moment for the stoner/doom scene. Another astonishing fact is this was Sabbath’s third release and recorded in just over a year. That would never happen today. I remember rockin’ out to this when I was in my early teens and loving the evil grooves within. Nice big fat simple riffs that hit the spot, well for me at least. There are only 6 proper songs on this record, plus 2 short instrumentals.

The album starts with the all time classic, Sweet Leaf. Everyone should have heard this at some time in their existence. After Forever is next, and is quite a rambling tune that goes from a standard verse-chorus into a hippy guitar workout. The instrumental Embryo follows, and it’s quite an oddity with its baroque vibe. The original stoner classic, Children Of The Grave, ends Side 1 and is another track that everyone and his dog will have heard somewhere.

Side 2 beckons with the second instrumental, Orchid, which is a pleasant acoustic ramble that leads into Lord Of This World, with Iommi’s fat fuzzed up riff that announces its arrival. Quite a slow plodding track that the doom lovers like. Solitude is next with its opening picked riff – having been stolen by many a metal band (Opeth anyone?). A very slow song with an almost unrecognizable vocal from Ozzy. Into The Void closes out the album with another Iommi fuzzed out riff. My favourite track. Fun fact Iommi de-tuned his guitar on this track – not for the sound – but because he had injured his hand by losing the tips of two of his fingers, and it relieved the string tension to help with the pain. Years later everyone would de-tune to get that evil sound.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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