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Vivian Slade - Vivian Slade
Saturday, 03 April, 1999
Vivian Slade - Vivian Slade | ||
Tracks:
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Album Cover: ![[Image]](../../Images/vivianslade.jpg) |
Label: Human Art Records Producers: Vivian Slade & Todd Barr Promotion: Abbott Promotions Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 45:30 m:s Review date: 3 May 1999 |
| Web site: www.vivianslade.com , Abbott Promotions | ||
| Rating: 7.5 | ||
| Verdict: A refreshing alternative for open minded rock fans. | ||
| This is another diversion from traditional Mood Swings territory. Vivian Slade is a female singer songwriter whose music I find hard to categorise. A potential description is Joni Mitchell meets Natalie Imbrulgia, perhaps a bit of Tori Amos. Acoustic/folk, rock and jazz all go into creating the Vivian Slade sound. This music might be a bit left of centre and a bit too acoustic for many Mood Swings visitors, but for the more open minded rock fans an interesting & intelligent album awaits. The songs are well executed and sung with passion and conviction, with Vivian matching the mood of the song with her vocals. It is the sort of album where you might just listen to the words or start reading the lyric sheet and forget about the music for a couple of moments just to find out what is going on in Vivian's head. The lyrics aren't just an afterthought but are as equally important as the music. If you are fed up with cheesy AOR lyrics and pointless guitar solos, then this will provide a refreshing alternative. | ||
Blue Yard Garden - No Good Sundays
Saturday, 03 April, 1999
Blue Yard Garden - No Good Sundays | ||
Tracks:
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Album Cover: ![[Image]](../../Images/byg.gif) |
Label: Empyrean Producers: BYG & Bob DeWald Promotion: Abbott Promotions Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 64:06 m:s Review date: 3 May 1999 |
| Web site: http://www.blueyardgarden.com , Abbott Promotions
Email: Abbott Promotions | ||
| Rating: 6 | ||
| Verdict: Background music. | ||
| Tonight I watched an American teen angst drama series called Dawson's Creek. The soundtrack music in the series reminded me that I still had to write this review. Even though I've listened to this for a few weeks, that is actually the closest comparison I can come up with - "sounds like it belongs on the Dawson's Creek soundtrack". On the first couple of listens Hootie & The Blowfish sprang to mind, so you get the idea of the broad musical genre BYG are appealing to. Second tune, "No Victim", takes on a bit of a jazzy/soul vibe and somebody like Van Morrison gets thrown into the equation. The band has that laid back vibe that Van often adopts. Later on the best song award goes to "Moon Song" which has an organ swirling around in the background and also displays a Van Morrison meets Hootie vibe. With the exception of "Direction Home" which picks up the pace, the remainder of the songs are acoustic & semi-acoustic fairly slow tempo numbers. "John Henry" adds a bit of variety at the end by adding a funk-tinged backgound. Each song is preceded by a sample taken from what sounds like a 50s movie, but the CD liner notes don't mention which one. I listened to the sound samples at their web site and thought this might be of interest. However, when presented with the full album, I find it just too laid back for me. This is the type of music I'd use as background music when reading a book, but I don't think I'd ever take notice, put the book down, and start listening to the music properly. I would prefer the balance to be in favour of tunes in a similar style to "No Victim" & "Moon Song" which I enjoy. | ||
Standing In The Sun - Standing In The Sun
Saturday, 03 April, 1999
Standing In The Sun - Standing In The Sun | ||
Tracks:
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Publicity shot: ![[Image]](../../Images/sitspostr.jpg) |
Label: Whole Track Entertainment Group Producers: SitS Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 34:57 m:s Review date: 5 June 1999 |
| Web site: www.standinginthesun.com
Email: | ||
| Rating: 6.5 | ||
| Verdict: U2 inspired Pop. | ||
| There is something very familiar about the first track on this album. I'm reminded of U2 meeting Oasis, with a touch of Nirvana thrown in. Looking over their promotional material I see that they have been the opening act for U2. I'm sure they went down well with the U2 audience. Standing in the Sun describe themselves using the terms - "Standing in the Sun is marked by a provocative, jarringly powerful collection of songs that communicate all the freshness and feeling that an honest look into the soul can produce." A bit deep for those of us brought up on "hair metal" bands whose ambition was to party every night and rock & roll every day. On the first couple of listens the whole affair sounds a bit one-dimensional. Standing in the Sun has a distinctive sound running through their songs. The result is that on initial listens the songs merge into one and individual tunes don't stand out. On closer inspection there are subtle differences for the listener to discover. "Standing in the Sun" is just over 7 mins long and I'm sure the band will wonder where I'm coming from on this but it makes me think about veteran rockers Hawkwind. It doesn't necessarily sound like them, but if they ever decided to get all trendy then I get the feeling it might turn out something like this. "See It Somehow" sees the band sounding like Skunk Anansie. It could be the name of the track, but "Magazine" makes me think of the new wave act of the same name. "River Wide" drifts out the silence to become my favourite tune. It is another of those U2 meets Oasis sounding tracks. The album finishes off with a punk/new wave tune called "Falling From Me". Standing in the Sun have clearly found a style of playing that they are happy with, which lends them a touch of individuality and which gives a sense of continuity between the songs. The result is an album where individual songs don't matter that much & you've got to immerse yourself in the rhythm of the album and let the guitars buzz around you to obtain maximum enjoyment. Anyway, that is how it works for me. I'm happy to listen to this for the 35 mins running time, but I'd like to see a bit more variety if the experience was to extend beyond that. This is one for the pop generation out there. A higher rating might be more forthcoming from a more pop orientated web site, but I think the 6.5 rating reflects how most Mood Swings visitors would regard this. Before I go I'll just say that the band have put a fair amount of effort into their web site and it is well worth popping over to check it out. | ||
Mrs Grundy - Your Stinky Candy
Saturday, 03 April, 1999
Mrs Grundy - Your Stinky Candy | ||
Tracks:
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Album Cover: ![[Image]](../../Images/StinkyCD3.jpg) |
Label: Screaming Yuppie Records Producers: Matt Scharfglass Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 43:06 m:s Review date: 5 June 1999 |
| Web site: www.mrsgrundy.com
Email: info@mrsgrundy.com | ||
| Rating: 7 | ||
| Verdict: Simplistic charm & humour on display | ||
| Mrs Grundy consists of Peter Levin on drums & vocals and Matt Scharfglass on everything else. Matt, a professional musician for 10 years, has played a wide spectrum of styles and transcribes for "Guitar World". Peter is in band called Dangerman and his past activities includes playing with John McEnroe. Take pity on Matt's neighbours because according to the liner notes the majority of this was recorded in Matt's NY apartment. The whole idea was to go for a raw 'under produced' live sound. The actual music itself comes across as power-pop but with a few touches of rock guitar, which is the main reason that this maintains my interest. "Sanctuary" is a blast of raw punk influenced pop that reminds me of The Offspring (not that I'm that familiar with what they sound like!). "Blessing" is a riff driven tune and improves upon the opening track. "One In Nine" is a modern loose sounding tune written about Matt's mother's battle against breast cancer. "Fall" is a jangly ballad. I'd describe "Monte Carlo" and "Ron Kuby" as anonymous power-pop. The acoustic guitar (& mandolin) comes out for "Matzonballs" resulting in one of the album highlights. "Modern Rock Rules" is a brooding piece about answering an ad for a bass player. "Butt Cheeks" & "Mirrors" feature more power-pop. "The Best Time To Talk To The Bass Player's Girlfriend" is during an instrumental apparently. "Break" features the inevitable Nirvana influence, but has some good guitar work. The lyrics display a healthy sense of humour mixed with intelligence throughout. The whole approach is a shade too 90s for me, especially on the more straightforward pop-power numbers. Having said that, it does have a certain simplistic charm that can be quite refreshing after listening to something like Dream Theater. Of course, that "simplistic charms" means the band achieved their aim of creating an entertaining album using their minimalist recording studio approach. | ||
Drive, She Said - Road To Paradise (Best of)
Saturday, 06 March, 1999
Drive, She Said - Road To Paradise (Best of) | ||
Tracks:
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Album Cover: |
Label: Frontiers Records Producers: Mark Mangold & Al Fritsch Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 80:03 mins:secs Review date: 6 March 1999 |
| Web site: www.Indigorecords.com
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: Worth it, if only for the bonus tracks alone. | ||
| Like I said in my Mystic Healer review a couple of months back Road To Paradise was an album I'd have to check out. Well, now I have, despite the fact that I already own their s/t & Drivin' Wheel albums. At least there are some bonus tracks to keep my interest. Drive, She Said are cult AOR heroes. The debut self-titled album is a classic. No surprise then that it has been one of my favourites over the years. The quality dropped with Drivin' Wheel & I gave the third & final album, Excelerator, a miss. Forgetting about the bonus tracks for the moment, when "If This Is Love" strikes up I remember just how much I like DSS. Keyboard laden AOR with great vocals. From then on it is rollercoaster ride through DSS's finest moments. 'Don't You Know What Love Is' is their version of the Touch tune from earlier in Mark Mangold's career. And so the album proceeds & for me it is a case of favourite after favourite. For example, Love Has No Pride, co-written with Aldo Nova, was a song that I remember dismissing as too wimpy when I first listened to the self-titled album, but which I subsequently grew to love. It has been a while since I dusted down the DSS albums and I'm thoroughly enjoying listening to the tunes again on this compilation album. Drivin' Wheel is just about the heaviest tune on offer and feels kinda out of place. It is also a reminder that some of the songs on the second and third albums didn't match up to the class of the debut. There isn't much more I can say about the previously available material. I suspect that many Mood Swings readers will be more interested in the bonus tracks because they may already own some DSS albums. 'Look At What You Got' is a belting start to the album and already up there with my favourite DSS songs. 'Fallin' Again' and 'Suddenly Closer' are more relaxed and require a bit more listening to appreciate. 'Suddenly Closer' has got a little interlude that reminds me of Led Zep (All Of My Love). 'Just For The Moment' is stuck in the middle of the other tracks & fits right in there. 'Water From A Stone' & 'All I'm Living For' are also worthy additions to your collection of DSS songs. The less said about the title track, Road To Paradise, the better. It is so annoying that I've deducted half a point from the rating. If you're a DSS fan, then I'd say that it is probably worth getting for the bonus tracks alone. If you haven't got any DSS in your collection, put matters right and get this collection. | ||
Lana Lane - Garden Of The Moon
Saturday, 06 March, 1999
Lana Lane - Garden Of The Moon | ||
Tracks:
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Album Cover: |
Label: Angular Records Producers: Erik Norlander Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 52:19 mins:secs Review date: 6 March 1999 |
| Web site: www.angular-records.com
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: This curious mixture of AOR & progressive rock found favour with me. | ||
| Sometimes you just take a chance on a record. I was browsing in a record store when spied this album. All that I could remember about Lana Lane was that Ian McIntosh at AOR Basement had mentioned them a few times in his column in SFK. I remembered that he had said good things about her, so this album came home with me. I don't know much about Lana Lane except that this is her third album. Producer, songwriter & keyboards player Erik Norlander says in the liner notes the first album was a commercial hard rock album and the second album was more experimental & progressive. This album is an attempt to fuse those two influences together to give a better idea of what Lana Lane's music is about. With the exception of Destination Roswell the garden theme is maintained throughout. My perception of the album is that it is a mixture of progressive metal, AOR and hard rock, with the emphasis on melody. and AOR/hard rock being the dominant influence. Heart is a name that springs to mind in places. Imagine a mixture of Heart & Dream Theater. It is a bit like the Storming Heaven album I reviewed elsewhere, it is difficult to pigeonhole. It might be hard to put a name to the type of music but I found it easy to like the album. However, I think a few people might find it a bit too 'quirky' for their tastes and come to the conclusion that it lacks cohesion. A few weeks ago I was thinking about compiling a list of my favourite albums from 1998 (nope, never did get round to writing the list) and this certainly one of the albums vying for the number one slot. Even though I listen mainly to hard rock and AOR, I find something with a progressive edge grabbing my attention (e.g. my No. 1 album - Dream Theater's Images & Words). The album begins and ends with a couple of instrumentals that are what you might expect from an act with progressive tendencies. Destination Roswell might deal with a somewhat jaded subject, but rocks along well in fairly commercial hard rock format. On 'Seasons' and 'Moodgarden' the Heart comparisons become valid. 'Moongarden' has a quieter passage that sounds like early Heart. On the heavier passages Chrissey Steele is more apt. 'Evolution, Revolution' is the 8 minute epic of the album. It contains all the progressive trademarks - fast paced rocking, quiet sections and widdly-diddly instrumental bits. 'Under The Olive Tree' has an orchestral opening before settling down to become a very acceptable slowish number with a hint of Heart. Eternal Waters sees the guitars taking a step forward again for a more traditional hard rock outing. 'Dream Of The Dragonfly' is a ballad that has Judie Tzuke as a possible comparison, before the second instrumental closes the album. 'Garden Of The Moon' is a curious mixture that might well fall between two camps - AOR fans & Progressive fans. This combination has found favour with me. | ||
Seventh Veil - Rubber America
Friday, 12 February, 1999
Seventh Veil - Rubber America | ||
Tracks:
Plus 3 bonus tracks |
Album Cover: |
Label: Warped Records Producers: Paul Osborn & Seventh Veil Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 66:37 mins:secs Review date: 12 Feb 1999 |
| Web site: www.cyberramp.net/~7thveil
Email: Availability: Warped Records Metal Mayhem Imports and the band's web site | ||
| Rating: 7 | ||
| Verdict: Funkified hard rock with a few bluesy surprises. | ||
| Seventh Veil have been together for about 10 years. Back in 1993 they were about to record an album & hit the road, but one of the guitarist left & in 1994 vocalist, Robert Babina, lost his fight against leukaemia. It took the band a while to get over this set back, but in April 1995 they hooked up with guitarist Jimmy Adcock & vocalist James Arnett. The band released "Rubber America" in 1998.
The band quote influences like The Cult, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Megadeth, Soundgarden, Lenny Kravitz & Jane's Addiction. With the exception of thinking about buying the last Megadeth album simply because of the Dann Huff involvement, I haven't even thought about buying albums by any of those bands. So I wasn't too hopeful about liking this one. Indeed, my initial reaction was decidedly icy. However, you can't review an album after one listen, so this got a few more spins before I got a clear idea of how the review was going to shape up. Those distinctly modern influences show through particularly on the first few songs of the album and despite the fact that is some tasty guitar action, those don't do a lot for me. "How I Feel" marks a turning point in my appreciation of the album. A gritty ballad that bears a passing resemblance to bands like Matchbox 20 and Hootie & The Blowfish. This followed by the lumbering "Ramses", which I like. On "No Reason" the Lenny Kravitz funky influence shines through. "Joyride" starts with what sounds like a car being stolen. There is a vaguely jazz vibe during parts of this tune, which has a GnR style chorus. The next track came as a surprise the first time I listened to the album. "Train To Memphis" is a blues metal affair. It has me thinking about Poison's bluesier moments. For "Hero" it is back to a more standard rock format. "2nd Chances" is the second ballad. "Clean" combines a funky backdrop with Iron Maiden style runs up & down the fretboard to give a modern sounding tune. The 3 bonus tracks give a bluesy acoustic guitar piece to start with, bluesy hard rock & a track that reminds me of Neverland. My favourites moments are the bluesy bits & the ballads. For regular Mood Swings readers it won't be a surprise that the more 'modern' sounding tunes leave me a bit cold. However, they could well be the ones that grab the attention of some of you out there. | ||
Kiss - Psycho Circus
Friday, 12 February, 1999
Kiss - Psycho Circus | ||
Tracks:
Bonus - Kiss screensaver (Win95) |
Album Cover: |
Label: Mercury Records Producers: Bruce Fairbairn Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 44:26 mins:secs Review date: 12 Feb 1999 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: It's great to hear Kiss still ' rockin' & rollin' all nite & partyin' ' every day after all these years. | ||
| Although I've bought 3 variations of Kiss Greatest Hits/Best Of albums over the years, the only other Kiss studio album I purchased was the cassette of Crazy Nights. And that has long since been chewed up & spat out by some tape recorder or other a long time ago.
It is easy to be cynical about Kiss and the reformation of the original line-up. Especially given the high profile of the Kiss marketing machine, with the Kiss dolls, comics etc. Anyway, after the tour, comes the new studio album. Even though, I handed out the £'s for this before reading any reviews etc, my expectations weren't that high. Kiss certainly have some great tunes under their collective belts over the years, but I always imagined their studio albums to be patchy affairs. Over years Kiss have added variations to the theme, most recently on the much maligned Carnival Of Souls album. With the original line-up together again, it is very much a case of back to basics - good time rock/metal with big hooks & big melodies. All 4 members turn up on lead vocals at some point on the album. Paul starts the show with the title track or as he puts it "the amplifiers start to hum & the carnival has just begun". Indeed, welcome to 45 mins of bombastic melody. Other songs with Paul on lead vocals are "I Pledge Allegiance To The State Of Rock & Roll", "Raise Your Glasses" & "Dreamin'". I think Paul comes out tops on the lead vocals stakes, as I prefer the songs on which he sings. Gene handles "Within", "We Are One" & "Journey Of 1000 Years". "Within" sounds familiar, but I can't think what it reminds me of. "We Are One" is bit of change of pace on the album. An acoustic led tune that features some Beatles-style harmonies. The final tune on the album, "Journey Of 1000 Years", is the least immediate tune here. Aces turns up on "Into The Void", which reminds me of the early days. If I said that "I Finally Found My Way" is ballad, it won't be a surprise that Peter "Beth" Criss does a sterling job on vocal duties. That just leaves the humbly titled "You Wanted The Best" which features all 4 sharing lead vocals. Cynical old me got a pleasant surprise listening to this. I'm not sure there are any bonefiday Kiss Klassics on here, but the old masters haven't lost their touch. The reunion has produced at least one decent album. | ||
Uriah Heep - Sonic Origami
Friday, 12 February, 1999
Uriah Heep - Sonic Origami | ||
Tracks:
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Album Cover: |
Label: Eagle Records Producers: Pip Williams Year: 1998 Total Playing Time:75:38 mins:secs Review date: 12 Feb 1999 |
| Web site: www.uriah-heep.com
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: After a somewhat cool initial reaction, this one has grown on me | ||
| Uriah Heep! Now there is a blast from the past. Uriah Heep had already made a name for themselves by the time I discovered them. That was way back in the 80s with the 'Abominog' album. 'On The Rebound' from that album was a firm favourite at the time & indeed I bought one of those cheap 'Anthology' albums a few years back just get that track. After 'Abominog', I also bought 'Head First' which could well have been the follow-up. Apart from the anthology album, I haven't bought any further Uriah Heep albums, up until now of course. Even though my interest may have waned, the band has keep going with various line-ups. The current line-up features Bernie Shaw on vocals. After that long break, a couple of good reports about their latest release were enough for me to decide to find out what Uriah Heep were doing these days.
I put this in the CD player, listened to once, said "Disappointing" and didn't even bother to listen to it for a few weeks. Then one day a quest for something different to listen to brought me back to Sonic Origami. This time I must have approached it with a more open mind, or maybe I just had the time to listen to it properly, because I found myself thinking that perhaps I had been a bit hasty in dismissing the album & that it might be worth including a review of it on my web site. So why my initial cool reaction. Well, from the reviews I had read, I was expecting something along the same lines as 'Abominog' & 'Head First'. Sure, there are elements of those albums present in heavy doses, but it's a mixture of this commercial era with the pomp tendencies of their early days. This isn't as immediate, or as heavy, as I was expecting. Part of the problem is the 75 mins running time. Not that I'm complaining, but it does mean that you're going to have to set aside a bit of time to sit down & listen properly. I'm certainly glad that I did. Uriah Heep have been around long enough to not really need a description from me, but for those of you that have heard any of their material, I'd describe them as a mixture of AOR/Hard Rock with a big dollop of Pomp thrown in. OK, so they aren't exactly going to be targeting the charts with that approach, but I'm sure Mood Swings readers aren't that interested in what makes it into the Top 40. Uriah Heep put their signature all over the opening track, 'Between Two Worlds', and keep things running fairly smoothly throughout the rest of the album. Between Two Worlds features a swirling Hammond to start with before continuing with some uptempo rocking that is maintained for the first 3 songs. On 'Heartless Land' they pause for breath. Just sit, listen and enjoy. Unfortunately, the next track, 'Only The Young', isn't quite so memorable. The Pomp AOR of 'In The Moment' & the stark beauty of 'Question' are more acceptable. 'Change' is mid-tempo filler. 'Shelter From The Rain' is a more electric-based slowie, but with a hint of Pomp. 'Everything In Life' rocks along ala early Heep. After that reference to the past, the band adopt a modern rhythm track to accompany the 'Across The Miles' ballad. Being old hands at this making albums lark, Heep know it is a good idea to save some good tunes for the end of the album. 'Feels Like' is the most commercial sounding tune on here. What can I say about 'Golden Palace', apart from the fact that it is 8:34 m:s of shear beauty that flows from the orchestra beginning into a Pomp-tastic delight. On the limited edition version, the bonus track, 'Sweet Pretender', is a melodic rock track where the chorus outshines the rest of the track. After a somewhat cool initial reaction, this one that grown on me. | ||
Fiore - Body Electric
Wednesday, 06 January, 1999
Fiore - Body Electric | ||
| Tracks:
Fool Youself |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Producers: Harry Hess Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 38:02 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: Fiore put the lessons learnt in the HS development process to good use and create an album that shows HS how they should have done it. | ||
| Earlier this year I bought two albums together - Harem Scarem's Big Bang Theory & Fiore's Today Til Tomorrow. This turned out to be a very good combination. Big Bang Theory sees HS forging ahead and redefining their style yet again. For his first album, Today Til Tomorrow, Jon Fiore (ex Preview) teamed up with Harry Hess & Pete Lesperance of Harem Scarem . The result was an album jam packed with old style Harem Scarem songs performed excellently by Jon & the rest of the guys in Fiore. For this second album, Jon has again been working with Harry & Pete. Harry co-wrote the songs with Jon & produced the album. Both Harry & Pete play on the album. Just as HS have moved away from the style of their debut, the songs co-written by Harry & Jon have progressed towards the latter day HS sound. So where in the HS style progression do these songs fit in? To these ears somewhere between the HS debut and Believe/KC, with a few traces of Mood Swings thrown in. I'll have to admit that the first time I play this I was a bit disappointed - mainly because I guess I was hoping that Harry would have written old-style HS sounds for the occasion. Listening to it a few more times and trying to clear my mind of any preconceptions, I realised that this is really rather good. In fact, good enough to rival some of HS's own material. Forget about Voice Of Reason and Believe/KC, this album is the link between HS's Mood Swings and Big Bang Theory albums. Although both of those albums were necessary in HS's development, to my mind, this represents a more natural progression than either of them did. Fiore put the lessons learnt in the HS development process to good use and create an album that shows HS how they should have done it. With all this talk about HS, just where does Jon Fiore & the rest of the guys figure in this review. Well, Jon puts in a good vocal performance & the band do a good job. It all makes me think that maybe the HS guys should ask Jon to help them out with their next studio release. One HS characteristic that I could have done without is the brevity of what's on offer here. | ||
Mystic Healer - Mystic Healer
Wednesday, 06 January, 1999
Mystic Healer - Mystic Healer | ||
| Tracks:
Crossed My Heart |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Producers: Mark Mangold Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 53:33 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http://www.Indigorecords.com
Email: Indigoreco@aol.com | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: Immerse yourself in a world of keyboards and great vocals. | ||
| Back in 1990 when some persons of dubious parentage decided that they needed my HiFi and the majority of my LP/CD collection more than I did, I was forced to go out, buy some new Hi-Fi equipment, and start my album collection again. The Hi-Fi was duly selected and on the morning before the guy from the shop came to set it up, I went into town to buy some CDs to test out the new system. I came back with two CDs - Michael Bolton's Soul Provider (OK, I'll admit it, despite this being the album where MB finally kicked AOR into touch, I like it) and Drive She Said - s/t. Whenever the guy came to set-up the Hi-Fi, he asked what I'd bought to test it out. I remember being shocked when I mumbled something about a band that I was sure he had never heard of called Drive She Said and he said "Oh yes, Mark Mangold". I had just met NI's other AOR fan. I remember having a great discussion with him about music and using the DSS CD to test the Hi-Fi. He eventually left and I got a chance to play my "wimpy" Michael Bolton CD. DSS was the first CD played on my Hi-Fi and restarted my collection, so apart from the superb music, that debut DSS album has a special meaning for me. I went on to buy Drivin' Wheel, their second album, but I wasn't as impressed and didn't bother with the third. I guess I really should check the recent DSS Best Of album (Road To Paradise). OK, so what has all that got to do with Mystic Healer? Well DSS was Mark Mangold and Al Fritsch. Mystic Healer sees Mark Mangold team up with Terry Googing, with Al Fritsch playing guitars & bass, plus doing some song writing. There is a whole host of well-known AOR figures playing/singing on (Bruce & Bob Kulick, Randy Jackson, Tony Bruno, Chuck Bonfante & Michael Bolton) and writing songs for (Michael Bolton, Aldo Nova, Tamara Champlin & Jack Ponti) the album. If you're not familiar with DSS, then Mark Mangold was in the band Touch, who released a cult classic album in the 80s and if you check the song writing credits on your copy of Michael Bolton's Everybody's Crazy you'll see Mark Mangold's name. There are a couple of new songs, but the majority of the songs originate from the late 80s/early 90s. It is not surprising then that the album has a very 80s feel to it. If you like your AOR heavy on the keyboards and high on melody, then you're going to enjoy this. It is very much in the same vein as those DSS albums, with a bit of early Michael Bolton thrown in as a result of the co-writes. Maybe I'm just a nostalgic old sod, but I'm really enjoying this and finding it hard to be objective when writing the review. The new Unruly Child album is good, and I'm sure many of you will prefer it to this one, but this is the one that has grabbed my attention. Just like the debut DSS album, it is difficult to select standout tracks. Just immerse yourself in a world of keyboards and great vocals that just seem to ooze emotion. It is like the past 10 years never existed. Take a trip down memory lane or discover just how good things used to be. Whatever, I think fans of the wimpier side of AOR will be in heaven with this release. | ||
Promotion - Yeah Yeah
Wednesday, 06 January, 1999
Promotion - Yeah Yeah | ||
| Tracks:
Trampoline |
Album Cover: |
Label: AOR Heaven Producers: Anders Rydholm Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 54:50 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http://come.to/promotion or http://bahnhof.se/~promotio/
Email: promotion@bahnhof.se | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: Promotion have certainly brought a huge chunk of summer sunshine into the dark mid-Winter storms raging around this corner of the world. | ||
| Promotion is a name you might have seen thanks to the clever ploy of calling their first outing (a mini-disc) "Not For Sale". Reading through a record store advertisement or catalogue and seeing "Promotion - Not For Sale" certainly was eye-catching. At a time when Northern Ireland has suffered the worst storms for over 30 years, it is weird to be reviewing a genre of music I normally associate with summertime. Promotion play a mixture of Westcoast mixed with AOR. Promotion's slice of individuality is to make heavy use of a brass/horn section, which gives the songs an extra 'zing'. Promotion's music comes across as bright & breezy. Can you listen to this album and feel blue? - I don't think so. You'll find yourself tapping your foot, whistling, bopping, singing along, thinking - "Hell, life ain't so bad after all". With some Westcoast music I find myself drowning in a sea of sugar coated arrangements and predictable tunes. Sometimes I find all the tracks on a Westcoast album sounding very similar. The good news is that Promotion have steered clear of this potential pitfall and created an album that keeps me entertained throughout. When it comes to picking a favourite track, it has just got to be "All The Best Ones Are Taken" (as in "all the best ones are taken but me"), which could be a theme tune for single men everywhere. Elsewhere, the first track "Trampoline", "The Hunter and The Fox", the slightly harder edged AOR of "Premonition" made particularly good impressions. Promotion have certainly brought a huge chunk of summer sunshine into the dark mid-Winter storms raging around this corner of the world. This is a good album. I've found myself playing "All The Best Ones Are Taken" quite a bit more than any of the other tracks, but that is a bit of a distorted view because the album has plenty more to offer besides this one track. | ||
DLR Band - DLR Band
Wednesday, 06 January, 1999
DLR Band - DLR Band | ||
| Tracks:
Slam Dunk |
Album Cover: |
Label: Wawazat Records Inc. Producers: wawazat!! Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 51:19 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http:\\www.davidleeroth.com
Email: | ||
| Rating: 7 | ||
| Verdict: DLR makes a valliant attempt to capture the magic of Eat Em & Smile. | ||
| After the somewhat bizarre reunion with Van Halen for the couple of tracks on the 'Best Of' album, David Lee Roth is now getting on with his decidedly patchy solo career. This time the album is being issued as the DLR Band. DLR's first album, Eat Em & Smile, was a bit special and he has struggled to follow it successfully. There is something about the mood, atmosphere and attitude of the debut that seems to perfectly sum up what DLR is all about. Diamond Dave might not have been blessed with knockout voice, but he is one of the best frontmen rock has ever seen. The VH & DLR 'Best Of' CDs, plus I'm reading his autobiography at the moment, rekindled my interest in DLR's work. Even so, it wasn't until I'd read a couple of favourable reviews of that I decided to shell out the dosh for this. First track, Slam Dunk!, was the first single from the album, so some of you might have heard it already. It's a fast and furious track, which let's you know that DLR has returned to the style of Eat Em & Smile. This fact alone seems to have sent quite a few reviewers into a frenzy of praise & they've heralded this album as a return to form by DLR. Yes, there are quite a few tracks that 'hit the spot', but overall the album doesn't quite cut it for me. Best tracks are Blacklight ( heavy bassline, reminds me of Parliament's Flashlight), Lose The Dress Keep The Shoes (DLR does ZZ Top), WaWaZat!! (DLR's philosophy of life), Relentless (more lifestyle tips), Right Tool For The Job (George Thorogood style blues) & Weekend With The Babysitter (back to DLR's favourite subject). Elsewhere the tracks just don't seem that memorable. If you read some of my other reviews I complain about short albums, but in this case I think trimming the album down by a couple of songs may well have resulted in an album with more impact. On the production/mixing department, I'd like to hear DLR's voice more to the fore. | ||
Tandym - City Out Of Time
Wednesday, 06 January, 1999
Tandym - City Out Of Time | ||
| Tracks:
City Out Of Time |
Album Cover: |
Label: Saffold Productions Producers: Tandym Year: 1997 Total Playing Time: 52:40 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http://atlantacup.com/tandym or http://members.home.com/apromo/tandym.html
Email: Saffprod@aol.com | ||
| Rating: 7/8 | ||
| Verdict: AOR meets straight-forward rock to create good debut by Tandym | ||
The good thing about the WWW is that I get to hear about bands that might otherwise have passed me by. Tandym will be a new name to most of you. You can find out more about them at their web site http://atlantacup.com/tandym or their promotion company, Abbott Promotions, web site http://members.home.com/apromo/tandym.html . When their promotion company first got in touch I thought they would be a HM band - something about the name that made me think that. Check out the band photo on the inside of the CD jewel case and you'll think they look the part. Despite the HM sounding name and the NWOBHM image, Tandym's sound clips at their web site caught my imagination. Tandym play what is best described as a mixture of straightforward rock, hard rock and AOR. The closest comparison I can think of is UK act Passion Street. This is AOR, but approached from a traditional rock perspective. I've got this idea that Tandym grew up listening to traditional hard rock, but somewhere along the line the band decided to go for a more melodic approach. However you describe it, they're the sort of band that will appeal to Mood Swings readers. Listening to the album, it is certainly possible to hear why the band have already won a couple of song writing competitions. The band keep the interest levels up by mixing ballads & uptempo numbers along with the mid-tempo tracks. "City Out Of Time" (a mid-tempo track that at first sounds like a low-key start but has you saying "yeah, not a bad start" by the end) kicks of the album well. My vote for best song on the album goes to "Annie", which is one of the songs that won them a song writing award. Other highlights include "Can't Blame The World" (featuring some nice piano parts), "Symptom Of Reality" (a good chorus) and "I'll Wait" (a mid-tempo rocker that reminds me of BOC-style AOR). Tandym have put together a very respectable debut for themselves. | ||
Unruly Child - Waiting For The Sun
Wednesday, 06 January, 1999
Unruly Child - Waiting For The Sun | ||
| Tracks:
Heart Run Free |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Producers: Bruce Gowdy Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 47:25 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: Unruly Child make a successful return. | ||
| Another familiar name returns to the fray. I played Unruly Child's first album a huge amount when I first bought it many moons ago. The big incentive was the presence of the golden voice of Mark Free. This time out Unruly Child consists of Bruce Gowdy, Jay Schellen on drums, Kelly Hansen on vocals and Ricky Philips special guesting on bass. Bruce Gowdy's partner on the first Unruly Child album, Guy Allison, features in the song writing department, but due to heavy touring commitments couldn't make it into the studio for the recording sessions. Although this is the second album to be issued under the Unruly Child moniker, I'm sure most Mood Swings readers will be aware that the Marcie Free album (Tormented) is widely regarded as the second Unruly Child album. A couple of the songs on the Marcie Free album also turn up again here as well. In fact, the current Unruly Child members, on other projects, have previously recorded several of the tunes on this album. Well, if you're like me, and haven't heard any of these tunes before, that won't worry you too much. "Hearts Run Free" starts the album off well and wets your appetite for the rest of the album. The following track, "Rise Up", sounds even better. Unruly Child are well and truly back and recapturing the style of the debut. The other couple of tracks that standout are the Foreigner/Signal "Do You Ever Think Of Me" and the acoustic "Still Believe". "Live In The Night" is a bit a surprise because it has got a barroom boogie/good time/jazzy vibe to it, not what I'd expect from Unruly Child. The first few times I listened to this one, I was impressed, especially by the early tracks, but not overwhelmed. I seem to remember that the first album took a few listens to get into. It could well be the case again here. There isn't any doubt that this is a 'good' album (I've seen it appear in quite a few 1998 Top 10), but a couple of the songs ("To The Cross" & "Fool Again") stop it crossing the line into the "very good" category. I don't know, it might make into the lower reaches of my 1998 Top 10. | ||
Bob Catley - The Tower
Friday, 06 November, 1998
Bob Catley - The Tower | ||
| Tracks:
Dreams |
Album Cover: |
Label: Now & Then Records/Frontiers Records Producers: Gary Hughes Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 57:57 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://web.ukonline/co.uk/nowandthen.records/nowthen.htm, http://www.hard-rain.demon.co.uk
Email: | ||
| Rating: 9 | ||
| Verdict: Take Magnum's "On A Storyteller's Night" and Ten's "The Name Of The Rose", merge them together, with the balance in Magnum's favour, what do you get - Bob Catley's "The Tower". | ||
| I remember that from the very first moment that I learned about this album being recorded, I was excited. Never mind the latest Harem Scarem album released earlier this year, this is the album that I've been waiting for all 1998. So what was that combination that got me so excited - Bob Catley on vocals, Gary Hughes writing, keyboards, bass & production, Vinny Burns on guitar and Greg Morgan on drums. I sure most of you will recognise the names, but for the few readers who've been on another planet over the last while - Bob is the voice behind Magnum & Hard Rain and Gary, Vinny & Greg are all in Ten. Listen to any Ten album and you'll hear Magnum-isms galore. I assume that Bob is one of Gary's heroes. Give Gary the chance to write songs for and record an album with the man himself and he must have been one very happy rocker. My one reservation about the project was that it might end up sounding like a Ten album, but with Bob on vocals. Instead we have an album that combines the best of Ten & Magnum, and indeed could be considered a worthy follow-up to Magnum albums like "On A Storyteller's Night" or "Wings Of Heaven". I think both sides were inspired by each other to lift their game & produce a truly phenomenal result. The album starts in typical Ten fashion with a long intro & big pomp rock number, "Dreams", which merges into second track, "Scream". Scream has a piano driven introduction for a couple of verses before it gets going. A big keyboard/synth riff carries this along in true Magnum style. Far Away is a semi-ballad that evokes memories of early Magnum and has a huge chorus. Deep Winter's acoustic guitar & piano slow the pace. Sit back and listen to just how good Bob sounds on this album. Fire & Ice rocks and could be described as the "Just Like An Arrow" of the album. Gary Hughes has indeed done his research well. Madrigal perfectly captures the Medieval feel of early Magnum cira 11th Hour. I like it, but the Ten trait of sounding like it could do with a bit more 'colour' to keep up the interest, is on display. One of the great things about either Ten or Magnum/Hard Rain is their ability to come up with a great AOR tune, here we've got "Steel". The title track, "The Tower", is the album's epic production. A mixture of Ten & Magnum. The difficult task of following "The Tower" is given to "Fear Of The Dark". This "Storyteller's Night" sounding track doesn't have any problems. Give a vocalist a solo album and what does he do ? Finish it with an instrumental. Still, it gives you time to reflect on just how good Bob Catley sounds on his first solo album. So does the album live up to my high expectations of it. Yes, it does. I guess it is fairly awe-inspiring. Great performances from all concerned. In the midst of heaping praise upon Bob for his vocals and Gary for the song-writing, let's not forget about Vinny Burns who scorches his way through the album & Greg Morgan who lays down a very solid foundation from which the other can launch themselves. Take Magnum's "On A Storyteller's Night" and Ten's "The Name Of The Rose", merge them together, with the balance in Magnum's favour, what do you get - Bob Catley's "The Tower". My album of 1998 ? There are still a couple of months to go, but it is the leading contender at the moment. It is funny that with all the new music I'm discovering by being on the WWW, a man that I first heard when I was just starting to get into rock music, should suddenly jump up & blow me away. | ||
Rick Monroe - Legend's Diner
Friday, 06 November, 1998
Rick Monroe - Legend's Diner | ||
| Tracks:
Legend's Diner |
Album Cover: |
Label: Divorce Records Producers: Tom Evaniuk & Rick Munro Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 57:58 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.rickmunro.com
Email: divorcerec@earthlink.com | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: It is the sort of album that you won't even realise it, but could spend a great deal of time in the CD player. | ||
| Rick Monroe is name that might just bring back memories for some of you. Rick fronted 80's LA metal band Monroe. Well, forget about that. Rick has moved on. In the process Rick has built up a wealth of experiences & he shares them with us on Legend's Diner. It's much the same way that I always feel Bruce Springteen is telling me a little bit about his life when I listen to his songs. Rick's style is rootsy soulful bluesy rock, with a singer/song-writer feel to it. The sort of music that you welcome like an old friend. Listening to Rick's music is like being with your best buddy, rather than being on a hot date. Relax, chill out and let your buddy Rick tell you about what has been happening in his life. With 13 songs, plus an acoustic version, that makes 14 track to listen to. Day By Day is little bit country & a little bit Black Crowes, giving a radio friendly tune. More Black Crowes on "Can't Get Blood From A Stone". A gospel feel is present on a song about the LA scene - "Life Goes On In LA". "Dancing In The Moonlight" is one of those songs where you just gotta turn the volume up another notch when listening to it. "Barbie's Got A Jones" is a laid back sad tale about addiction. On "Apple" Rick cranks it up with a bluesy southern-ish rock tune. Runaway mixes a Celtic influence with New Country. That is just a selection of what is on offer. Rick has crafted some good songs & delivers them well. It is the sort of album where the quality is maintained throughout and there aren't any tracks that stand head and shoulders above the rest. I'd describe it as a bit of a grower. It is the sort of album that you won't even realise it , but could spend a great deal of time in the CD player. | ||
Challenge - Acoustic Universe
Friday, 06 November, 1998
Challenge - Acoustic Universe | ||
| Tracks:
Words |
Album Cover: |
Label: ALV Music Producers: Arno Verstappen & Allison Lindsay Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 41:06 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~challenge
Email: Challenge@Earthlink.net | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: If you're like me and love classy female vocals, then accept the Challenge and give Allison & Arno the chance to let you into their Acoustic Universe. | ||
| Challenge are essentially a two piece outfit - Allison Lindsay on vocals & Arno Verstappen on guitar (& song-writing). The additional musicians featured here have played with the likes of Steve Vai, Alice Cooper & Sheryl Crow. Arno, originally from Holland, came to Los Angeles to study at the Guitar Institute of Technology & stayed to form a band, with Allison fulfilling the vocals job. Allison teaches at the Sabine Institute (For Vocal Strengthening and Development) in LA, which is famous for coaching the like of Axl Rose, Dave Mustaine & Dan Huff. Sometimes the title of a CD gives you a clue to what's in store, sometimes not. In this case, Acoustic Universe, is very appropriate. This album is an electric lead guitar free zone. All the lead guitar parts are played on acoustic guitar. Listening to Allison's voice Ann Wilson springs to mind. If Heart ever decided to go with an acoustic lead guitar they'd sound something like Challenge. I'm also reminded of Jamie Kyle's first album, which just happens to be a favourite of mine. Virtually all the songs work in this 'acoustic' mode, with "It's My Life" the only one where I'd like to hear some electric guitars. Picking highlight is difficult, as there are so many good songs on here. The couple of songs featuring some B3 organ ("Angel's Scared To Fly & "I'll Fight For You") both sound good to me, but top marks goes to "When Love Finds A Fool", which has a few Jamie Kyle-like qualities. Whilst I was waiting for this to arrive, I had the idea that I'd end up telling the guitarist to wise-up and plug his guitar in to mains & crank out some proper lead breaks. Well, I was wrong, because, with the exception mentioned above, I'm happy with the 'back to basics' approach the band have taken. I really admire guitarist, Arno, for taking a step back from the limelight and letting the vocals hog centre stage all to themselves. This 'back to basics' approach means that the vocalist is under immense pressure to deliver the goods. Fortunately, Allison's voice is up to the job and the vocals shine. But good vocals on their own aren't enough, but don't worry on this front either because some good song-writing and solid musicianship complete the package. If you're like me and love classy female vocals, then accept the Challenge and give Allison & Arno the chance to let you into their Acoustic Universe. | ||
Snakes In Paradise - Garden Of Eden
Friday, 06 November, 1998
Snakes In Paradise - Garden Of Eden | ||
| Tracks:
Seventh Wonder |
Album Cover: |
Label: Z Records Producers: SIP Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 50:26 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: Snakes In Paradise have created a good album, albeit with a heavy Whitesnake influence. | ||
| Snakes In Paradise hit us with their second offering, this time on the home of all things Scandinavian, Z Records. If you heard the couple of songs they had on the Z sampler, then you'll know what's on offer here.
Describing the Snakes In Paradise sound is very easy because they wear their influences very much on their sleeves. SIP are clearly big Whitesnake fans and their influence can be found in virtually every nook & cranny of this album. To narrow things down even further, then late 80's Whitesnake would appear to the era they enjoy the most. The band set out their stall on the first track - "Seventh Wonder". Whitesnake's "1987" opus is clearly a winner with SIP. The band seem to move up a gear in terms of quality with the seconds track - "Don't Let Your Love Turn To Hate", which has a hooky & catchy chorus. If you don't believe me about the WS thing, then just listen to "Voice Inside". In fact, it is much better than some the stuff WS did. The band pretty much maintain this high standard throughout the remainder of the album. "Gypsy In Your Blood" adds some variety with it's King's X/Hendrix style. "Hard Day Long" is a mid-tempo rocker that features some tasty guitar playing. Can't Let Go is an acoustic guitar driven tune that lifts you and sweeps you along. With "Can't Let Go", "Without Love" and "I Want It All" the band score a nice little hat-trick. On the title track the band go for bust on the Whitesnake 1987 impersonations by incorporating a Led Zep influence. To be fair to them they do add their own little touch by incorporating a rap section. Snakes In Paradise have created a good album, albeit with a heavy Whitesnake influence. However, there are about just enough of their own ideas and style thrown in here & there to stop things becoming to derivative. | ||
Return To Zero - Lost
Friday, 06 November, 1998
Return To Zero - Lost | ||
| Tracks:
When You Love Someone |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Music Producers: Barry Goudreau Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 43:25 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.mtm.pi.se/mtm
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: It has been worth the wait. | ||
| After a lengthy absence, RTZ hit us with the follow-up to their debut. I remember listening to the debut virtually non-stop for a while, but eventually hitting the next button on the remote controller a few times to skip the filler between the moments of brilliance. With Brad Delp & Barry Goudreau being the main players, it is no surprise that Boston are a good starting point when describing the RTZ sound. Imagine a more acoustic guitar based version of Boston, then you'll pretty much get the picture. A good description is "Lightweight rock with classy vocal harmonies". The style established on the debut is continued here. "When You Love Someone" is the uptempo catchy start you'd expect from these guys. The song makes me wonder why the debut hasn't visited my CD player for a long time. Next up is "Turn This Love Around", which is a real gem of a song. It is easy to see why MTM picked this one for their "Ballads" compilation. "Someday" increases the electric guitar quota & is very immediate. And so the album continues with a procession of good songs in which RTZ add a few variations on top of the basic theme - moody electric guitars (Change For Change), a little bit of blues (One In A Million), some 10cc (Don't Wait) and barroom good-time boogie (Talk To Me). RTZ have created an album that is more consistent than the debut. I play this album all the way through without skipping out any of the tracks. There is always something about listening to a Boston album that leaves me feeling uplifted. I get that same feeling from RTZ. It has been worth the wait. | ||
Jimmy Lawrence - The World Is Round
Friday, 06 November, 1998
Jimmy Lawrence - The World Is Round | ||
| Tracks:
All We Have Is Our Dreams |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Music Producers: Jimmy Lawrence, Janice Roeg & Joe Boyland Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 44:35 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.mtm.pi.se/mtm
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: If you're looking for a slice of enjoyable commercial rock, then look no further. | ||
| Jimmy Lawrence is a new name to me & I had no expectations whatsoever about how this was gonna sound. Over the past couple of weeks this has gradually wormed it's way into my affections & is my choice from this month's MTM releases. As far as I know, Jimmy Lawrence has spent his time so far helping other people making their albums by doing background vocals. For his own album, he has called upon the services of some heavy duty & classy studio musicians such as Dan Huff, Tim Pierce & Stan Meissener. No surprise then that the playing is top notch - what else could it be with the mighty Dann Huff on board. I scribbled down lots of names when trying to come up with comparisons - Jimmy Barnes, Tina Turner, Bonnie Tyler, Joey Tempest, Michael Bolton & Bon Jovi. None of these seemed quite right & I have to confess that it wasn't until I read someone else's review of the album that it dawned on me who Jimmy Lawrence reminds me of - Mitch Malloy. If you're looking for a slice of enjoyable commercial rock, then look no further. There are a nice variety of styles on offer, possibly due to fact that the songs are co-written with a variety of people. On offer are Mitch Malloy style numbers (such as All We Have Is Our Dreams & Tonight I Got The World), uptempo commercial rock (Ain't No Thing But Love), slower numbers (Test Of Time & Cool Blue) and tracks with a slightly funky style (Under The Influence & A Little More Blue Sky). "One Night Like This" bears a remarkable similarity to Starship's "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us Now". My favourite track is Rose Tattoo. It has a prominent bassline, which propels it along, and a Tina Turner vibe. If only one song sticks in your head, its gonna be this one. This is the MTM release that has been getting the most airplay at Chez Mood Swings. This has got enough crossover appeal to generate interest outside the, at times, confining boundaries of the AOR market. If you've been sitting around waiting for the 'real' follow-up to Mitch Malloy's debut, then look no further, Jimmy is your man. | ||
MTM Music - Ballads
Friday, 06 November, 1998
MTM Music - Ballads | ||
| Tracks:
Bad Habit - Forever |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Music Producers: Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 77:35 mins:secs Review date: 5 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.mtm.pi.se/mtm
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: If you're thinking of spending the night in and want a CD to create a romantic atmosphere, then MTM can help you out. | ||
| Record company samplers are a good method of 'try before you buy the album'. The potential pitfall for such projects is that the variety of styles across a record label portfolio leads to a disjointed sounding album where you find yourself skipping out the bands that you don't like. With this sampler, MTM have picked a theme - ballads, a common thread to hold the album together. Soft rock and power ballad albums have long been popular with the record buying public and, in fact, appear to be one area of rock that still attracts mainstream interest. Bad Habit start off the album with a duet - "Forever", which is the track that finishes their "Adult Orientation" album. This is an excellent start, albeit a rather gentle one. Harlan Cage, Dare & Steelhouse Lane follow and are all good, althought I keep expecting to hear Phil Lynott's vocals on "Still In Love With You". D2 offer a Beatle-esque acoustic offering, which, in keeping with my general dislike of all things Beatles, I'm not that keen on. Think Out Loud's lazy relaxed "The Invisible Man" steers the album back on course. CITA offer us a typical power ballad. Axe do a cover of Kevin Chalfant's "Love Changes Everything" which I find difficult to judge because I'm so familiar with Kevin's own version. It is strange, but the big power ballads, are the tracks that I'm not that convinced by. Such is the fate of Ransom's "Let The Night Be The Night...", which probably works well in the context of their album. Every rule has at least one exception and Velocity's power ballad - Janine - works very well, one of the songs that you'll remember after the first play. I'm a big Harem Scarem fan, so it won't surprise any of the regular Mood Swings visitors that I love the Fiore track - excellent track from a great album. Von Groove is one of those bands I've wanted to check out for ages and this is the first time I've heard any of their material. Yeah, I still want to check out one of their albums. The good patch continues with Sunshine Jive, who give us a big Journey-esque production. RTZ follow with one of the best tracks from their new album. The album's flow is interrupted somewhat by the Public Domain track, which doesn't work as well for me as some of the others. Still, Heaven's Edge finish off proceedings with one of my favourite tracks from their album. For me, an album of ballads only works if the material is top notch. The vast majority of the songs here work well. Since the list of disappointing tracks is shorter, I'll give you those - Steelhouse Lane, Danger Danger, Axe, Ransom & Public Domain. The standout tracks are by Bad Habit, Think Out Loud, Velocity, Fiore & RTZ. If you're thinking of spending the night in and want a CD to create a romantic atmosphere, then MTM can help you out. | ||
Heavens Edge - Some Other Place - Some Other Time
Thursday, 01 October, 1998
Heavens Edge - Some Other Place - Some Other Time | ||
| Tracks:
Rock Steady |
The Band: |
Label: MTM Music Producers: ? Year: 1998 Total Playing Time:43:29 mins:secs Review date: 31 Sept 1998 |
| Web site: www.come.to/heavensedge
Email: | ||
| Rating: 7/8 | ||
| Verdict: If you put off hearing this until "some other place-some other time" you'll be missing some fine 80s style melodic hard rock. | ||
| Heavens Edge released their debut album in 1990. I don't have it in my collection, but from what I remember the album was well received. Of course, grunge happened & a lot of melodic hard rock bands went tits-up as a result. Heavens Edge did start recording material, still in the melodic hard rock theme, for a second album, but the project got shelved. The guys at MTM got to hear some of the second album material and as a result the band went back into the studio at the start of '98 to get this album together.
The band didn't jump on any alternative bandwagons back at the start of the 90s and in 1998 they are still remaining true to their melodic hard rock inclinations. This is illustrated by opening track - Rock Steady. It is a big slice of 80s hard rock. This is followed up by the more AOR orientated title track. Next track, Jacky, is where things start getting really tasty, especially on the contagious chorus. The band continues firing on all cylinders on the Halen-esque Jump On It. Many 80s acts fluffed the ballads, but as Just Another Fire proves Heavens Edge can cut it on the slowies. The band cranks it up on Backseat Driver, which rocks out nicely. The band continue to rock in a VH kinda style on the next couple of tracks. Cry is a power ballad. Rollercoaster finishes the album very much the way it started with another slice of 80s hard rock. When the band put their more hard rocking aspirations on hold and add a little more melody in their place, the album works best for me. Tracks like the title track, Jacky and Just Another Fire are the stars of the show for me. Most of the harder rockin' tracks work perfectly well, but when I scribbled out the draft copy of this review I singled out Cuts Both Ways & possibly Call My Name as being the songs that let the side down a but by sounding a bit too "we wannabe VH". Definitely one for fans of 80s hard rock to look out for. | ||
Southpaw - Southpaw
Thursday, 01 October, 1998
Southpaw - Southpaw | ||
| Tracks:
Christmas |
The Band: |
Label: Z Records Producers: Fredrik Akesson & Mats Leven Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 45:36 mins:secs Review date: 31 Sept 1998 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 6/7 | ||
| Verdict: Plenty of punch, but I ain't knocked out. | ||
| Another group of Swedes on Z, what a surprise. This time we've got Fredrik Akesson (Talisman), John Leven (Europe), Mats Leven (Treat/Malmsteen) & Richard Evensand (It's Alive).
With those backgrounds I was expecting some tasty Scandi hard rock. The track on the Z Sampler CD told me that it was most likely that Southpaw had different ideas. Now that I've heard the CD, it appears to me that the band seem to be hell bent on taking us into the new millenium with a distinctly modern style. The more pink & fluffy Mood Swings visitors can stop reading this now, because it is going to be too heavy for you. For the rest of you the modern approach could be the problem. Whereas labelmates Human Race managed to get the balance right, these guys are too modern for my tastes. I always believe in giving something a fair go & I've listened to this more times that I really wanted to, just to write this review. I sit listening to this, track after track, and they all sound the same. To put it simply, I just don't get what this album is all about. A typical listening experience is that I sit with track after track washed over me, then I hear something interesting - "that sounds a bit like Kings X. I like that track". Glance of at the CD player - track 10, the final track. Maybe this one of those albums where if you stick with it, it might just click & be a life long friend. I just can't see me investing the time to find out if that is gonna happen with me. I guess Z have to cover a spectrum of styles to develop the portfolio of the label. This train is leaving the station with me still standing on the platform waving it goodbye. | ||
Hush - If You Smile
Wednesday, 30 September, 1998
Hush - If You Smile | ||
| Tracks:
Talk To Me |
The Band: ![[Image]](../../Images/hush.gif) |
Label: AOR Heaven/Point Music Producers: Kenneth (Keith) Kristiansen Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 53:04 mins:secs Review date: 30 Sept 1998 |
| Web site: http://home.sol.no/~hush1/
Email: | ||
| Rating: 7/8 | ||
| Verdict: Tried & trusted formula, but very listenable | ||
| To avoid any confusion, I guess the first thing that I should say is that this isn't the same Hush that featured Robert Berry & released an album on Escape a while back. No, these Scandi-rockers from Norway are much more worthy of your attention. In fact, if you're going to this year's Gods event, then you can hear them live. Hush have been together for a while and even managed to make it over to Northern Ireland, under the moniker Headstone, back in 1991 to support the Quireboys. Enough of the history lesson already, what about this CD.
When the opening track belts it's way out of your speakers, you're hit by a blast of a Whitesnake-type sound. Vocalist, Keith Kristiansen, sound a lot like Mr Coverdale. We're talkin' mid-career Whitesnake when things still had a vaguely bluesy feel. A good start to the disc. Babe continues the good impression. Believe has got a bit of a Journey vibe added to the mix, or maybe it is just the title that makes me think that. All change for Piece Of The Action. A lil bit o' funk gets added a la Dan Reed. Let It Rain is the first ballad, which tends toward the predictable. Curiously, this followed by yet another ballad - This Side Of Love. A brave move - placing two ballads back to back. For me, anyway, this kinda kills the flow of the album. This Side Of Love wins this battle of the ballads. A third ballad, I don't think so. Heaven Ain't is a mid-tempo number which actually reminds me of Romeo's Daughter (with a male singer, of course). One of the best tunes on the album. Big Time, big tune, good time rock (Motley Crue, Poison, Loverboy.....) Sometimes feature that Romeo's Daughter vibe again. Just like early Whitesnake, Hush's rockers are a variation on the barroom boogie theme - G&B. The bonus track, If (Butterfly), has got a laid-back vibe and sits sligthly apart from the rest of the disk. Hush have a lot in common with a band like, say, Velocity. They have created a very listenable album by applying some tried and trusted techniques to getting their style together. My only question mark is the decision to put the two big ballads back to back. But, hey, that easily fixed by a bit of CD player programming. | ||
Pete Sandberg - Back In Business
Wednesday, 30 September, 1998
Pete Sandberg - Back In Business | ||
| Tracks:
When The Night Comes |
The Band: |
Label: blueStome Producers: Fredrik Bergengren Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 55:47 mins:sec Review date: 30 Sept 1998 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: Relax, have fun, listen to some classy AOR. | ||
| This was a unexpected visitor to my letterbox. Pete Who? OK, so the blurb mentioned Midnight Sun, Alien & Madison. Erm............Still, Pete Who? as far a I was concerned. A quick listen. By now I was thinking, I don't know who he is, but this a hell of an album. With Savannah last month & Pete Sandberg this month, things are looking good for us old fashioned AOR fans.
Those nice people at Hard Roxx put my curiousity to rest my including an interview with him in their October issue. This is Pete's first album, which I guess has been available in Japan for a while. Here, in Europe, blueStone Music have just released it. Fans of his work might like to know that a new Midnight Sun album, plus a new solo effort are about to hit the shops. The album starts of with a series of lightweight AOR tunes. The emphaisis is clearly on melody & Pete's voice is central stage. Then the Dan Reed style funk of Big Bad Rap catches you by surprise. With a name like Babe, it just had to be a ballad, and a damned good one to. River Of Tears stays in AOR ballad terratory, but this time it is a much bigger production. A December Monday gets the funk out once again. By this stage you'll be thinking - "hey, this is quite good". While you're in this positive frame of mind, Pete hits you with his 'best shot'. Cold Hearted Woman is the undoubted star of the show. A gloriously catchy chunk of uptempo AOR. A finger clickin' & foot stompin' gem. Worth the price of admission alone. So good that you're gonna hit the repeat button a couple of times to have another listen before moving on. The ultra slow ballad - Scared - tries it's best follow up, but sounds ordinary in comparison. Having tried funk, Pete give us a bit of bluesy/funky soul on Unchain Your Heart. Check out the credits and you see that Closer To Heaven is a FM number. I'm not sure if this appears on any FM album, but Pete does a good job with it here. That relaxed laid-back feeling that permeates the album continues on the final track, Need Your Lovin'. The blueStone describe this as rock mixed with pop & easy-listening AOR. Couldn't have put it better myself. Pete does 'the business' big time. | ||
Bad Habit - Adult Orientation
Wednesday, 30 September, 1998
Bad Habit - Adult Orientation | ||
| Tracks:
Shine Your Light On Me |
The Band: |
Label: MTM Producers: Hal Jonston & Bjorn Dahlberg Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 57:41 mins:sec Review date: 30 Sept 1998 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 9 | ||
| Verdict: Who said grown ups were boring! This is one Bad Habit I'm happy to have acquired. | ||
| My first Bad Habit album, the band's third. Apparently, this album heralds a new era for the band both mentally & musically. Heck, they've even cut their hair. After reading that Bad Habit fans are probably starting to panic, so I'll just set you minds at rest - they haven't soldout, gone grunge etc. They've simply grown up and become adults. Hence, the title 'Adult Orientation'.
I wasn't impressed on the first couple of listens. The vocals didn't sound quite right to me, can't figure out why now. Anyway, never one to write something off after only a couple of listens, I put this in the car. That must have been when it happened - whilst I was driving around. I acquired a bad habit. Sitting at the traffic lights, I suddenly became self-concious and released that I was sitting screaming (I wouldn't describe it as singing) at the top of my voice. What was the song? - Bad Habit - Heart Of Mine. In fact, now that I thought about it, Bad Habit had been top of my in-car playlist ever since I stuck it the multi-changer. Apart from the very obvious description of 'mature AOR', how else can I describe this - AOR with a mid-West influence. It isn't exactly an instaneous proposition.That might not be a bad thing, because sometimes it is the albums that take a few listens for you to get into, that turn out to be long lasting favouritesWith nearly an hour's worth of music on offer, a blow by blow account of each song isn't a viable proposition. Here are a few of the names I jotted down whilst listening - Joey Tempest, Jamie Kyle, Romeo's Daugher, Brett Walker, Agent, King Of Hearts........ The album has got a natural, relaxed feel to it. It is like these guys just play this type of music so effortlessly. This is laid-back AOR at it's best. Yes, it is a relaxed effort, but there is an underlying energy running along in the backgound, which I guess is a result of the band's conviction that the new style is the right direction for them. At this point in writing the review, I decided to pick out a few highlights. This caused a few problems - 1. I started listening to the CD instead of writing the review 2. I looked at my list of highlights & I had selected practically all of the 13 tracks. From uptempo lightweight AOR (Heart Of Mine, Lost Without You), semi-ballads (Everytime I See You, If I Could Do It All Again), mid-tempo tunes (When The Sun Goes Down) to ballads (Forever), they've got all the bases covered. This is one Bad Habit I'm happy to have acquired. The top MTM release in my collection. | ||
Savannah - Savannah
Friday, 28 August, 1998
Savannah - Savannah | ||
| Tracks:
Down Ever Road |
Album cover:
![[Image]](../../Images/savannah1.jpg)
|
Label: Z Records Producers: Savannah & Jim Lightman Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 43:06 m:s Review date: 28 Aug 1998 |
| Web Site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: A good debut. | ||
| After listening to the Z Records Sampler CD earlier this year, Savannah were one of the bands I wanted to hear more of. Well, their debut album was released on 24 August 1998, so now the waiting is over. Z's releases, so far, have tended to be on the harder side of things & could have left AOR purists wondering if the label had forgotten about them. Enter Savannah.
Listening to the intro to the first song, had me thinking about how good things used to be. You know, when every new band wanted to be the next Journey, Survivor or Foreigner. These days new bands want to the next Alice In Chains or whatever masquerades as rock music in the pages of Kerrang etc. Savannah have a 'classic AOR' sound that contains elements of Journey, The Storm & Survivor and on the more rocking numbers Danger Danger. Many will pick vocalist, Earle Lord, as the star the show, but I'd say everyone plays their part in creating a sound that is surprisingly refreshing. Opener, Down Ever Road, sets the tone for the rest of the album - a mixture of Journey & Survivor. The second track starts with the sound of Rain. Just what is this obession with the weather for Journey wannabes :) Seriously, you're gonna have a big smile on your face by this stage. It is great to hear that classic AOR sound again. Premonition is another winner. On Never Too Late they sound more like The Storm. Two Young Hearts is the song you might have heard on the Z Sampler disc. It is an uptempo number that echoes Danny Vaughan era Tyketto.The guitars are cranked up for Spend A Little Time, Never Let It Go & Back In Line. Never Let It Go comes off best, the other two being the only places on the album that I'd say the quality dips slightly. After listening to the Useless Alibis ballad you may well reaching for your copy of The Eagles - Hotel California, I know I was. A bit too pink and fluffy for some, but I'm partial to a bit of candy floss. For the final tune, we get something a little different - a good time tune as dispensed by the likes of Poison. A good debut. It is nice to see a band going for that Stadium AOR sound. In days gone by, these guys would have been getting loads of airplay on American rock stations. | ||
Harem Scarem - Big Bang Theory
Friday, 28 August, 1998
Harem Scarem - Big Bang Theory | ||
| Tracks:
So Blind |
Album Cover:
![[Image]](../../Images/bigbang.jpg)
|
Label: Warner Music Ltd Producers: Harry Hess & Pete Lesperance Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 39:11 m:s Review date: 28 Aug 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.warnermusic.ca/harem/index.html
Email: | ||
| Rating: 7/8 | ||
| Verdict: A welcome return to form by one of my favourite bands, but it stinks in the VFM category. | ||
| Any new Harem Scarem release is of great interest to me, simply because one of their albums was a source of inspiration when naming my web site. However, my life as a Harem Scarem fan hasn't all been plain sailing. Harem Scarem like to change things around with each new album and develop their sound. Something which I admire them for. The down side is that the last couple of Harem Scarem incarnations haven't been that easy for me to get into, as I exlained in my review of Believe on the 1997 Reviews Page.
After the Believe release, my opinion of HS was that I thought it should be possible for HS to find some way of combinating the sounds from the first 3 albums to give them something to move forward with, but that Believe wasn't the right combination. To be honest, I thought it more likely that the band would be back with more VOR-type material on this new album and that my days as a HS fan were numbered. The good news is that I think HS have found that right combination. To a certain extent the band have returned to the sound of Mood Swings, but this doesn't feel like a retrograde step for the band. The majority of the songs on BBT could easily fit on Mood Swings II, if the band had decided that was what they wanted to do. If they had gone into the studio with a 80s hard rock attitude, MS II would have been the result. But, thankfully, the band have avoided repeated themselves. Instead of going for a depressing 90's sound, as they did on VOR, the band have taken a few of the elements from 90s music and blended it with the basic HS sound. We get the melodic hard rock & the great vocals, but delievered with a minimum of fuss and lots of raw enthusiasm. What I mean is that they still retain the basic HS sound developed on the first couple of albums, but with an up to date delivery that keeps in mind that we're in the 90's rather than fully embracing the whole 90's sound. This is AOR/hard rock for the 90s. The majority of the songs are uptempo, with the final track, In My State Of Mind, being a ballad. Tables Turning is a remix of one of the studio tracks on the Live At The Siren album. Sometimes I Wish sees Harry Hess taking a back seat and letting bass player Barry Donaghy handle lead vocals, which he does well. Never Have It All shows a heavy Queen influence. Other than those few notes, there isn't much else I can say about individual tracks, except that there isn't any 'filler' material on here. Based solely on the music, this album would be getting a 9 rating. This album doesn't even make it to the 40 min mark, instead we get a 'free' poster of the band (wow!, not). If we take into account that may fans already have Tables Turning on the live album, that makes just about 35 min of new tunes!!! In the end there were 3 versions of the Believe/Karma Cleansing album. I jumped in with the first (Japanese) release, and I've been told that the third (Special Edition remix) version is much better. Instead of learning a valuable lesson, I did the same thing again on BBT. The difference this time is that time I reckon that whatever version of BBT you buy, you'll enjoy it. Trouble is, I'm sure the Canadian release of this will have a different track listing, so there are extra tracks out there which should have been included here. Big Bang Theory might not get top marks in the "Value For Money" category, but, musically, it is a good album and easily beats both VOR and Believe. In the space of a few weeks, I've probably already played this more times than VOR and Believe combined. I had no option but to knock down the final rating to reflect the poor VFM. | ||
Crown Of Thorns - Lost Cathedral
Friday, 28 August, 1998
Crown Of Thorns - Lost Cathedral | ||
| Tracks:
Lost Cathedral |
Album Cover:
![[Image]](../../Images/lostca.jpg)
|
Label: Now & Then/Frontiers Records Producers: Jean Beauvoir Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 62:55 m:s Review date: 28 Aug 1998 |
| Web site: Crown Of Thorns Homepage
Email: cr0wns@aol.com | ||
| Rating: 9 | ||
| Verdict: COT finally fulfil the promise of the debut. | ||
| Until I listened to this, I had COT labelled as 'diamond geezers'. What is a 'diamond geezer' I hear you say. Well, 'diamond geezers' give great interviews and all the rock journalists love 'em, but their recorded work doesn't quite justify their legendary status. Other 'diamond geezers' include UK rockers Thunder.
COT's debut showed potential, but after I listened to it, I was left wondering what all the fuss had been about. The critics weren't so keen on the second album, so I gave it a miss. A couple of days after being asked to include a link to their new web site, I was in town and came home owning their latest album. If there was such a term as Glam AOR, that is how I would describe COT. Crunchy AOR is another. At just over an hour of music, it is quite a long album. By the time I had listened to it first time through, I wasn't that impressed. A lot of the songs sounded a tad similiar. However, after a couple of more listens, I'd 'got it' and I've been playing this to death ever since, to the detrement of the other albums I was supposed to being reviewing this month. Riff-tastic numbers include opener Lost Cathedral, Motorcycle Loretta, Greed Of Love & Cold Hearted Bitch. The rocking is continued on Lyin' and Although We're Fools which features a Beatle-esque chorus that seems a bit at odds with the rest of the song. From what I remember of the ballads on the debut, this was the area which let COT down by being a bit too predictable. This time there is a slight improvement in the ballad & semi-ballad area - Free Me, End Of The Road, Wasted Prime and final wimpout If You Need Me. Hard Rain did it on That Ain't Love, now COT have continued the hard rock/dance crossover on Hell Of A Night. That just leaves my favourite tune on the album - Live & Die. The title track is a good start to the album, but it doesn't prepare you for Live & Die. A wonderful mid-tempo tune that features a good mix of keyboards and guitars. Stuffed full of big hooks & infectious grooves, it is one of those albums that kinda works it's way inside your brain and becomes addictive. I guess I finally see why all those people have been singing COT's praises over the years. On Lost Cathedral they finally deliver on the promise of the debut. | ||
Guild Of Ages - One
Friday, 28 August, 1998
Guild Of Ages - One | |||
| Tracks:
Into The Night |
Bonus CD
CITA Live Over Germany Tracks: Heat Of Emotion Total playing time: 69:25 m:s |
Album Cover:
![[Image]](../../Images/goaone.gif)
|
Label: MTM Music/NEH Records Producers: Bobby Barth Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 60:02 m:s Review date: 28 Aug 1998 |
| Web site:
Email: | |||
| Rating: 7 | |||
| Verdict: The name may have changed, but the song remains the same. | |||
| If Guild Of Ages is a new name to you, then perhaps CITA will be more familiar. Another name change was necessary due to a boy-band of the same name. Th irony is that I heard recently that their name rivals have now broken up. Caught In The Act, CITA, Order Of Power, Guild Of Ages, wonder what they will call themselves for the fourth album? Well, the name may have changed, but the song remains the same. "One" continues on where Heat Of Emotion left off.
The band are still playing the same style of melodic hard rock. When I'm listening to this I enjoy it, but the trouble is don't find myself playing it too often. The songs all sound similar and individual tracks don't standout that much. Listen to part of one track, flick onto the next, more of the same, flick on to the next, more of the same, and so the cycle repeats until you reach the end of the album. I get exactly the same feeling about this album, as I did about Heat Of Emotion - I keep thinking I should like this more than I actually do. It is very seldom that I listen to this all the way through. Play me any of the tracks on their own and I'll be impressed. Sit me down and play me the whole album and I'll give you a so-so reaction. Strange! Included with this copy of the album is a live album recorded in Germany. It features songs from the band's two previous releases. It proves the band can 'cut it' on stage. The band do a good job of re-creating the studio sound in the live environment, with everyone doing good job. I'm impressed that the vocals, lead & background, sound this good live. As you might expect, a bit of the studio 'Oomph' is missing, but that always happens on live albums. I'm listening to the live album virtually for the first time as I write this review and I'm enjoying it more than "One". I think that some of the melody in their earlier material got replaced by a harder edge on the "One" material. If you're gonna buy this album, make sure you get the version that includes the bonus-CD. I'm convinced that GOA are create a really great album some day. I'm still waiting. | |||
Rick Manwiller - Living At Square One
Thursday, 27 August, 1998
Rick Manwiller - Living At Square One | ||
| Tracks:
Let Go |
Album Cover:
![[Image]](../../Images/rm_sq1.jpg)
|
Label: Confidenial Records Producers: Rick Manwiller Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 36:33 m:s Review date: 27 Aug 1998 |
| Web site:
Email: | ||
| Rating: 7/8 | ||
| Verdict: Chill out with Rick! | ||
| As a member of Dakota, Rick was responsible for one of my favourite albums to be released last year. Rick and Jerry from the band were also the first band that I interviewed for my web site, shortly after 'The Last Standing Man' was released. During that interview, Rick mentioned that he was working on a second solo album. That solo album is now completed.
Whereas I'd say that Dakota's last album was rooted firmly in AOR, this solo album sees Rick in more of a Westcoast mood, with elements of AOR and mid-West pop on display as well. I haven't heard his first solo album, but I think this a continuation from where it left off. Solo really is the operative word here, with Rick playing all the instruments and doing the vocals himself. Rick is the keyboard player in Dakota, therefore it is no surprise that keyboards are to the fore on this solo outing. It is during the second track that the album starts to warm up. If the first couple of songs don't get your attention, then "This Night" will. A slowie with more than a hint of Chicago. Company, Bump and Blurring The Lines all continue in a laid-back Westcoast vibe. Nasty Li'l Bidness is a 70s funk 'thang'. The Best That I Can Do is an charming ballad and the only song to feature outside collaboration. This was co-written with Jimmy Harness, who also helps out on backing vocals, in 1993. Nothing To Say finishes the album in an uptempo mode with a Westcoast/Toto number. On the first few listens, I wasn't in the right frame of mind for this & kept thinking about how I preferred the more straight-ahead AOR style of Dakota, compared to the laid -back Westcoast keyboards dominated songs on here. When I approached it in a more relaxed mood, it suddenly became more appealing. The playing time is a bit short, but I'm aware of the tight budgets for such solo projects on the artist's own label. My favourite tracks are This Night, The Best I Can Do & Nothing To Say. For me, the album takes a couple of songs to warm up, but once it hits it's stride I find it more engaging than I'd expect from a laid-back album, because I usually like things to 'rock' a little more. An album to relax to. For Dakota fans, and those of you with a perchant for Westcoast, it is well worth further investigation. | ||
Winterland - Blind
Tuesday, 18 August, 1998
Winterland - Blind | ||
| Tracks:
The Damnation Game |
The Band:
![[Image]](../../Images/winterland2.jpg)
|
Label: Producers: Winterland Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 53:15 m:s Review date: 18 Aug 1998 |
| Web Site: http://gandalf.rz-zw.fh-kl.de/~pfeffe1
Email: Markus Pfeffer at Pfeffer.Markus@t-online.de Available at: "Blind" is available for DM30 ($18) - incl. P&P - from Winterland, c/o Markus Pfeffer, Am Wald 10, D-66851 Hauptstuhl, Germany. | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: An entertaining album at the heavier end of the Melodic Rock market. | ||
| Winterland are a German hard rock band that I was introduced to through the internet by their guitarist Markus Pfeffer. They've got this album together for themselves and are hoping for a record deal. The band cover a variety of styles at the heavier end of the melodic rock spectrum.The songs were written in 1997 (apart from Changes & the cover - Everything Counts) and recorded between February and April of 1998.The band's influences include Tyketto, Savatage, Dokken and Ten. Of these, Savatage & Ten are the influences most audible.
The first time you play the album, the one feature you'll notice about the album is the vocals. Thorsten Fries isn't your average hard rock high-pitched screamer. The band compare his vocals to Gary Hughes/Ten and Dave Gahan/Depeche Mode. I'd say Dave Gahan is probably the closer of the two, although I don't have any DM records to hand to do a direct comparison. A while back, I got the Savatage's Wake of Magellan and Zak Steven is another vocalist that is a reasonable comparison. It took me quite a few listens to get used to the vocals, but now I see them as an integral part of the Winterland sound. I guess I've been programmed over the years to expect a certain style of vocalist fronting a rock band. Opener, The Damnation Game, is a moody affair that has got a bit of a modern feel to it. This is followed by the traditional 80s hard rock of Clearer And Clearer. European bands seem keen on including a Talisman style number on their albums. A Walk On The Sun is Winterland's perspective on the Talisman sound. Shadows is one of the tunes that owes much to Ten. If everyone is constantly comparing your vocalist to Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode why fight it, record a Depeche Mode song. A hard rock version of Everything Counts!!! Surprisingly it works. Changes is one of the bands earliest tunes and features some heavy riffs. Snow Falling is all about suicide and was written on the day Michael Hutchence killed himself, so the song is dedicated to the former INXS singer. Ain't Losing My Mind is the most Ten-like tune and one of my favourites on the album. Missing is the heaviest song on the album - Depeche Mode meet Metallica, not many people have tried that combination before. The Tables Are Turning shows a few tempo changes and hints at potential progressive tendancies. What rock album would be complete without a ballad. Neverland is an acoustic guitar ballad with a singalong chorus. The albums finishes off with another heavy offering, Blind. Winterland have created an album that will appeal to fans of melodic heavy metal. They combine elements from a number of styles - traditional hard rock, heavy metal, power metal, progressive metal and even AOR - to create a style of their own. An entertaining album at the heavier end of the Melodic Rock | ||
Blue Oyster Cult - Heaven Forbid
Saturday, 01 August, 1998
Blue Oyster Cult - Heaven Forbid
See You In Black
Harvest Moon
Power Underneath Despair
X-Ray Eyes
Hammer Back
Damaged
Cold Gray Light Of Dawn
Real World
Live For Me
Still Burnin'
In Thee
Label: Steamhammer/SPV
Year: 1998
Producer: Buck Dharma
Duration: 44:57 m:s
Review Date: August 1998
Bargain bin searching many years ago I picked up a cassette copy of one of their live albums. It was huge disappointment and I've steered clear of these guys ever since. The one album that I have thought about buying a couple of times is Fires Of Unknown Origin. The Heaven Forbid album marks the return of BOC after a lengthy period of inactivity. After reading a couple of reviews where the critics raved about good this album was, I am here listening to my first BOC studio album.
See You In Black is a storming start to the album. The guys come out fighting with an interesting option for victims of domestic violence. This is followed by the uptempo AOR of Harvest Moon. Power Underneath Despair is classic BOC. Moody and menacing. A great chorus. More uptempo AOR in X-Ray Eyes. The are back in heavy mode for Hammer Back which is like a heavy version of The Kinks' You Really Got Me. They then give Purple a run for their money on Damaged, which is propelled along with some great Hammond blasts. My fave tune from the album. Cold Grey Light Of Dawn is a BOC ballad. The acoustic blues mid-west pop of Real World comes as a big surprise. Live For Me is an AOR tune that reminds me of the stuff I've heard from Fires Of Unknown Origin. Still Burning is more of the same. The final track is an acoustic version of In Thee, which I think is a song from one of their earlier albums.
This is a well-balanced album that is a good mixture of their more AOR-ish material and their heavier style. It certainly makes me think that I should check out Fires Of Unknown Origin after all.
Rating: 8/9
{ $ endif $}
Stun Leer - Once
Saturday, 01 August, 1998
Stun Leer - Once
Love Is A Liar
Go Don't Go
If You Want Love
Eye To Eye
Foolin'
No Words Can Say
Come To Me
All The Kink's Horses
Hungry Eyes
Deliver
Label: MTM Music
Producers: Stun Leer with Bob St John, Anthony Resta & Paul Cervone
Year: 1998
Duration: 43:19 m:s
Review date: August 1998
Stun Leer play melodic hard rock with an 80's style. They are operating the the same area as bands like Silent Witness, Arcara, Eyes and Tower City.
Love Is A Liar is a brilliant start to the album. A glorious chunk of melodic hard AOR. The strong vocals are provided by ex-Touch man Doug Howard. Go Don't Go is also impressive. If You Want Love slows the pace slightly with a The Storm vibe about it. Eye To Eye has got a good chorus but fails to impress elsewhere. Foolin' is mid-tempo rocker that hints at an early Def Leppard influence. No Words Can Say is yet another mid-tempo hard AOR tune. Come To Me has a Van Halen groove which is continued on All The Kings Horses. Hungry Eyes & Deliver are more competent melodic hard rock.
Stun Leer has created a highly competent melodic hard AOR album. It is a good album and I certainly enjoy listening to it when I play it. Perhaps they play their trump card too early by sticking Love Is A Liar at the start of the album, as the rest of the album struggles to maintain the high standard set by the first couple of tracks.
Rating: 7/8
{ $ endif $}
Velocity - Impact
Saturday, 01 August, 1998
Velocity - Impact
You Don't Amaze Me Anymore
Julia Ann
Supernatural Lover
She's Been Around
Janine
Riot Goin' On
More Than Tonight
Love Is Dangerous
One Minute To Midnight
Open Road
Label: MTM Music
Year: 1998
Duration: 44:36
Review date: August 1998
Velocity were the first band I know of who made good use of the internet to raise their profile & I'm sure this helped in securing a recording contract. Their demo tape seems to have been reviewed at quite a few of the sites I've visited. Hell, founder member David Victor must have explored the far reaches of the net, because he even managed to find himself at Mood Swings on a couple of occasions. Velocity is David Victor on vocals, guitars & bass, and Chris Dodge on lead guitars. Pat Torpey of Mr Big does the skin bashing on the album.
With quite a few good reviews under their belt and the general buzz there has been about the band, I thought it was about time I checked them out. I wanted to see if they were any good, or merely an example of a successful internet marketing campaign.
Velocity play melodic hard rock. Good old fashioned melodic hard rock. Some people might say hard AOR. Forget about all the latest trends. I can't think of any direct comparisons, but if you're into stuff like Giant, Hardline, Y&T, Red Dawn, Night Ranger, Billy Squire, Firehouse, Def Leppard, Loverboy etc, then this is right up your street.
Opening track, You Don't Amaze Me Anymore, is a bit of a low-key start. Julia Ann is better. Better still is Supernatural Lover, which the first track to make me sit up and pay attention. She's Been Around features some tasty lead guitar work. Janine is a power ballad that most people seem to have heard about, as it is all about a lady who makes a living displaying her assets. Riot Goin' On is a 80's metal rocker. More Than Tonight is a radio friendly tune that reminds me of Boston. Love Is Dangerous is well-executed hard rock. One Minute To Midnight is a slight change in style which might sound familiar (Firehouse's Lover Lane). The album finishes with an instrumental than reminds me of Thin Lizzy.
It has all been done before. Velocity isn't exactly pushing back the frontiers of hard rock here. However, Velocity make 80's hard rock sound cool in 1998. This is well-executed melodic hard rock, which I'm sure most Mood Swings readers would enjoy.
Rating: 8
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Dare - Calm Before The Storm
Saturday, 01 August, 1998
Dare - Calm Before The Storm
Walk On The Water
Some Day
Calm Before The Storm
Rescue Me
Silence Of Your Head
Rising Sun
Ashes
Crown Of Thorns
Deliverance
Still In Love With You
Label: MTM Music
Producer: Darren Wharton
Year: 1998
Duration: 57:30 m:s
Review date: August 1998
Finally the rumours come true - new Dare product is upon us. Should we be kneeling before what some consider one of the Gods of AOR? The debut album, Out Of The Silence, is widely regard as one of the best, if not the best, British AOR albums from the 80's. It certainly is one of my favourite albums.
In my case OotS has a little story associated with it. A few years back I was determined to convert my sister to listening to some 'decent' music. I used to record tapes and send them to her. I stopped after a while amid very little positive feedback. Years later, my sister and her husband were visiting and on this occasion they had bought the car over with them. During the visit we were heading off somewhere in their car. I got in the back seat, and we moved off. The car stereo was switched on and something very familiar came on. I said I liked the music. She replied that I should like it because it was the Dare tape I had given her. She then went on to explain how much she like the album and played it quite frequently. So Dare succeeded where Journey, Survivor etc had failed.
Dare's follow up, Blood From Stone, was more guitar orientated and panned by the critics. I gave it a miss until quite recently when I picked up a vinyl copy at a bargain price. Still haven't listened to it yet due to a fault in my amplifier with the record deck pre-amp. After the lengthy absence, Darren Wharton has assembled a new Dare, and Calm Before The Storm marks their return.
Walk On The Water is a good start. The keyboards & Darren's great voice, the classic Dare sound established on the first album is still there. Darren has got one of the most emotive, richest voices around and he conveys a passion in the music that most vocalists can only dream about. The band still manages to create a good balance between guitars and keyboards. The classic Dare sound in maintained throughout the album. The best way of describing the whole album is to say that the band has adopted a more mature attitude toward the music. The songs have a relaxed, effortless feel to them. I've seen some reviews where Pink Floyd has been used as a reference point for the album's keyboard sound.
The first time I listened to this, I was also reading a book and wasn't paying that much attention. The album kinda washed over me. On the second listen through I kept having to check the CD player display to check if it had moved onto another track. The song structure and tempo doesn't vary that much. And therein lies the basic problem with the album - the lack of variety. Maybe Darren is remembering the bashing the critics gave the second album and there has been a deliberate attempt to recapture the sound of OotS. I get the feeling that the song writing and track selection has been restricted too much by this decision. What we end up with is a set of generic Dare songs that don't quite capture the magic that was OotS. That's not to say that CBTS doesn't have it's highlights - Walk On The Water, Calm Before The Storm and Silence Of Your Head A Break in the formula is provided by the cover of Thin Lizzy's Still In Love With You.
After listening to this album, I put Out Of The Silence in the player. IMHO, it blows this one out of the water. My final thoughts on this album are that although it is a good enough album, I can't help but be a little disappointed. Because I love OotS some much, the standards I expect from Dare are higher than most other bands.
The news is that Dare have got another album's worth of new material and yet another new Dare album is in the pipeline - possibly later this year. I'm hoping that this album really is the 'calm before the storm' and that the next album is going to blow me away.
Rating: 7/8
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Phantom's Opera - Following Dreams
Saturday, 01 August, 1998
Phantom's Opera - Following Dreams
Play My Guitar
I'm So Tired
Heartache
I've Had My Share
Life Is So Natural
Following Dreams
You're In REM Again
My Love, Is It You
Have You Ever Been Alone
In The Middle Of The Night
Land Of The Damned
Label: Escape Music
Year: 1998
Producer: Phantom's Opera & Steve Evetts
Duration: 65: 21 m:s
Review date: August 1998
For a while, I'd been curious as to what Phantom's Opera sounded like, but none the reviews of their previous albums were favourable enough to increase my curiosity to the 'must purchase' level. However, the reviews of their latest album, Following Dreams, have all be good and 'must purchase' level was achieved.
I had read that there was a Queen influence, but I didn't quite know what to expect from Phantom's Opera when I first plonked this in the CD player. Although I hear lots of Queen influences (early Queen?), Phantom's Opera have enough of their own sound to forge their own identity. As well as Queen, I also hear Styx and Asia.
Having just written the review of the new Dare album, where virtually every song sounded the same, Phantom's Opera are a welcome relief. The are enough variations in here to keep me happy. I do like an album to have a few mood swings. :)
Play My Guitar is Queen meets Styx. I'm So Tired is early Queen. Heartache moves into melodic rock territory and musically Asia are the reference point. Asia crop up again on the uptempo I've Had My Share. Life Is So Natural has a Middle Eastern feel. The title track starts as a ballad before turning in a grandiose pomp affair. You're In REM Again is a total change in mood - mostly uptempo barroom boogie blues. My Love, Is It You has a Queen vibe and I can imagine Freddie strutting around the stage singing this. Have You Ever Been Alone is a stark ballad with some very Brian May guitar. On In The Middle Of The Night a hitherto unhinted at Led Zep influence pops up. With a band that describe themselves as 'theatrical rock', there just had to be a long track - the 10 min Land Of The Damned. It is a sprawling epic that allows Phantom's Opera's progressive/pomp tendencies to run riot. There is also a hidden bonus track, which is a bluesy number.
At 65 mins long, there is a lot of music on here. My favourite tracks? - I'm So Tired, Following Dreams, My Love, Is It You. However, I could probably pick any of the first 9 tracks. At the end of track 9, we're talking a 8/9 rating. By the time the album finishes, it is down to a 8, mainly because Land of the Damned doesn't quite work for me.
Rating: 8
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New England - Explorer Suite, Walking Wild & 1978
Saturday, 01 August, 1998
New England - Explorer Suite, Walking Wild & 1978
| Exporer Suite | Walking Wild | 1978 |
| Honey Money Livin' In The Eighties Conversation It's Never Too Late Explorer Suite Seal It With A Kiss Hey You're On The Run No Place To Go Searchin' Hope You'll Be Born Again |
Walking Wild Holdin' Out On Me Don't Ever Let Me Go Love's Up In The Air DDT Get It Up L-5 She's Gonna Tear You Apart Elevator You're There |
Alone Tonight Nothing To Fear *Candy *I Will Be There Shoot Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya Hello Hello Hello *Even When I'm Away Searching' Turn Out The Light *Previously unreleased |
| Year: 1998 (orig 1980) Label: GB Music Producer: Mike Stone & John Fannon Duration: 43:50 m:s |
Year: 1998 (orig 1981) Label: GB Music Producer: Todd Rundgren Duration: 35:31 m:s |
Year: 1998 Label: GB Music Duration: 37:50 m:s |
Review date: August 1998
New England formed in 1978 and released 3 albums before they split-up in 1983 - New England, Explorer Suite & Walking Wild. After the split Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo went on to join Alkatrazz. Hirsh Gardener and John Fannon also stayed in the music business writing and producing. The interest shown in the New England web site told Gary Burgess at GB Music that there was still interest in their music. GB Music secured the rights to release Explorer Suite and Walking Wild on CD. To cover the earlier part of their career we get 1978, which contains early demo versions of tracks on the self-titled debut plus 3 previously unreleased tracks.
I have to admit that I hadn't heard of New England until I reviewed the Shyboy album, which Hirsh Gardener produced. As a bonus track on that album Hirsh Gardener & John Fannon got together with the guys in Shyboy to record a live version of New England's Top 40 hit - Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya. With this trio of albums I've been able find out just what else was happening in the early 80s while I was listening to NWOBHM and Purple & relations bands.
1978
New England's early material has a soft rock/pop sound whose most distinctive feature is the ELO/Beatles vocal harmonies. The album shows that New England had commercial rock radio in the States as their prime target. They succeeded when Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya was a Top 40 hit and it is probably to track that most people will remember them for. It you're looking for reference points then ELO, Paul McCartney's Wings and Styx are names that sprung to mind at various points whilst listening to this. Best tracks are Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya, Hello Hello Hello (ELO synth pop rock) and Searchin' (ELO meets Bee Gees vocals).
An interesting album for fans to find out about the early days of the band, but the least essential of the trio. A bit too laid back for me and the demo quality of the tracks shows through.
Rating: 6/7
Explorer Suite
On this album to band move on from the late 70's pop rock of the earlier material to adopt a more recognisably AOR approach to the music. The band still retains those ELO style harmonies, but this time the music is 80's keyboard AOR with a slight New Wave-ish influence on the faster tracks.
Honey Money is an uptempo start that is AOR with pop appeal. A New Wave-ish guitar introduces Livin' In The Eighties which is more synth driven rock. It is clear that the band is adopting a more 'rock' based approach to their music. Things take a gentler turn with Conversation which has acoustic guitars strumming this along. It's Never Too Late features that 80's approach to AOR. The title track is a big pomp affair with ELO & Queen characteristics. Seal It With A Kiss brings the tempo back up - AOR pop. Hey You're On The Run is great - ELO with a rock attitude.The piano gets centre stage for the ballad No Place To Go. Searchin' as I've already said when reviewing 1978 has got vocals that say 'ELO meets Bee Gees'. Hope is 'big' ballad. They close the album with a piano ballad - You'll Be Born Again.
Rating: 7/8
Walking Wild
Walking Wild has Todd Rundgren on production duties and sees the band adding a harder edge to some of their material and rocking out on a couple of tracks.
The title track is uptempo AOR rock with plently of keyboards. All that touring with AC DC, Kiss etc clearly had an effect. On Holdin' Out On Me there is more than a touch of Angus & Co. Don't Ever Let Me Go is back to the commercial uptempo style from Explorer Suite. Love's Up In The Air is a slowie with the ELO/Beatles influence shining through. Why it is called DDT, and not Dream a Dirty Dream, I can't figure out, because political correctness wasn't invented back in the 80's. This uptempo number has a habit of getting inside your head. The type of tune that if you hear it in the morning, you're likely to wander around all that day singing 'Dream a dirty d-r-ee-am tonight' - yeah that will really impress your co-workers. Get It Up (another chorus I wouldn't recommending singing in public) is a display of vocal prowess that sits on top of some nifty synth string work. L-5 has a good vocal harmony in the bridge. Ok, that's enough of the blow-by-blow account of each song. I'm sure you've got the picture by now.
Rating: 8
The Big Picture
It has been an interesting experience listening to all the albums back to back for about 2 hours. If you get all 3 albums, you can listen to the band progress from fledgling 70's popsters through to 80's AOR rockers. If you're on a budget and can't afford all 3, then which ones you buy really depends on your personal tastes. 1978 features their most successful moment (Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya), but I'd say it is one mainly for existing fans. Explorer Suite sees the band move into AOR territory and perfect those ELO style vocal harmonies. My personal favourite is Walking Wild, where the band take the style developed on Explorer Suite but give it a harder edge, but I suspect that most other reviewers will choose Explorer Suite. Both albums deserve a place in the collection of AOR fans.
The good news for all New England fans is that the band is back together & working on some new material. It will be very interesting to find out how they sound 20 years on from when they first started.
For more information about New England check out www.newenglandrocks.com.
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Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment
Wednesday, 01 July, 1998
Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment
Paradigm Shift
Osmosis
Kindred Spirits
The Stretch
Freedom Of Speech
Chris and Kevin's Excellent Adventure
State Of Grace
Universal Mind
Three Minute Warning
Label: Magna Carta
Year: 1998
Production: LTE
Total Playing Time: 73:55 m:s
Review date: August 1998
Mike Portnoy, on drums, gets together with Dream Theater buddy John Petrucci on guitar, Tony Levin from King Crimson on bass and Jordan Rudess on keyboards. I usually give instrumental albums a miss, but with both MP & JP from DT in the line-up, I decided to find out what they get up to in their 'spare time'.
The results of this particular experiment are pretty much as you'd expect - musicianship excellent (although I'm not qualified to comment) and music that is a mixture of DT and rock/jazz fusion. If you like the musical passages that frequent the longer DT tunes, then you at least stand a chance of liking this, if not then avoid it.
The band suggest on the back cover that the musically faint-hearted, impatient or critics of extreme self-indulgence should hit the stop button at after track 8, thus avoiding the 28:31 epic curiously called 3 Minute Warning. I'd go further and say if you fall into any of those categories, avoid the whole CD.
A quick track rundown goes something like this: Paradigm Shift is DT-like, Osmosis is a lilting atmospheric tune, Kindred Spirit is more DT rocking which calms down in the middle, The Stretch has a heavy funk influence, Freedom Of Speech is DT again, Chris & Kevin's Excellent Adventure is quirky (i.e. crap) & where they join The Scorpions by whistling, State Of Grace is stunningly beautiful piece of music, Universal Mind is more widdly-diddly music that is rescued by the keyboards, and 3 Minute Warning is a jam session that continued until they had to stop to let someone go to the toilet or something
You're either going to love it or dismiss it as self-indulgent rubbish. It all depends upon your view of progressive instrumental albums. I know I spent the money buying this, and that was more to do with my love of DT than anything else, but I'm surprised to find myself liking this. However, my final recommendation has got to be that this is one for very dedicated DT fans and insomniacs only.
Rating: 8
Z Records - Musically Correct Volume 1
Wednesday, 01 July, 1998
Z Records - Musically Correct Volume 1
Jekyll &Hyde - Breaking The Silence
Amaze Me - God's Gift To Woman
Snakes In Paradise - Without Love
Savannah - Two Young Hearts
Human Race - Remember When
Eyeball - Thy Will Be Done
Rainmaker - There For You
Push - Never Again
Norgren Leven Project - Losin' My Religion
Jekyll & Hyde - Best Of Me
Montana Screams - Red White Back and Blue '98
Amaze Me - Wonderland
Picture Perfect - Hold On
Snakes In Paradise - Voice Inside
Lifeline - My Days Are Counted
Scudiero - Whispering Shadows
Label: Z Records
Year: 1998
Total Playing Time: 68:32 m:s
Review date: August 1998
Z have built up quite a collection of signings in what seems a short space of time. The first 3 albums have already been released and this sampler lets us find out just what else they've got lined up to unleash upon the record buying public.
Firstly, let's get the tracks off albums that I've already reviewed out of the way. I'm not totally convinced by the J&H's Heavenly Creatures album, but in small doses, as is the case here, J&H get a general thumbs up from me. Amaze Me & Z are clearly more in love with God's Gift To Woman than I am, as they chose it to open the s/t album and showcase it here. There are just so many other great songs on that album that I'm a bit surprised to find it here. From the new album we get a pre-production version of Wonderland. If you look behind the raw production, there is a good song underneath. Human Race's modern working of the Rainbow/Purple/Talisman sound works on the album and this time I agree with the choice of track from the album.
If Z's first releases have rocked just a bit too hard for you, then bands like Savannah, Rainmaker & Picture Perfect all adopt a more commercial/AOR stance. First time you listen to the compilation, these could well be the tracks that grab your attention. Push are melodic hard rock and I'm convinced I've heard their vocalist before somewhere. Snakes In Paradise will have Whitesnake fans jumping for joy. The opening of Voice Inside is just so Whitesnake. Clones they might be, but good to listen to.
There are a few tracks where I detect hints of that dreaded 90s approach to rock music - Eyeball, NL Project and Montana Screams. Lifeline (who've now changed their name to Dreamhunter) provide the sole ballad which is a bit like REO Speedwagon. Final track, by Scudiero, is perhaps my favourite on the album and they've obviously been listening to a bit of Dream Theater.
If you're into melodic hard rock, then this will definitely be of interest. Of course the whole idea of a record label sampler is to get you interested in some of their albums. Well, Amaze Me & Human Race are worth checking out and I'm interested in hearing more from Snakes, Scudiero, Savannah and Rainmaker.
Rating: 8
Stacy Parrish & Steve Cordova - Drowning Sailor's Lullaby
Wednesday, 01 July, 1998
Stacy Parrish & Steve Cordova - Drowning Sailor's Lullaby
The Open Sea
- Sorry Anne
- Saviour
- Odysseus
- Former Republic Of Us
- Fear Of Love
The Storm
- The Lonely Days
- Book
- Pilot Pilot
Death
- Drowning Sailors Lullaby
- Up On The Shore
Home
- Home
- Better Than This
- Sigh Of The Lord
- Perfect Dream
- Lost
Label: Windows Records
Production: Stacy Parrish & Steve Cordova
Year: 1998
Total Playing Time: 66:26 m:s
Review date: August 1998
The sounds of the sea and waves introduce this album. The first track, Sorry Anne, floats into the foreground and you realise that the album has started. A gentle tune that immediately has me thinking about Marillion and their Brave album. The majority of the album is filled with similarly mellow and atmospheric tunes. The first time I listened to this I just didn't get it at all. If you listen to a diet of AOR or Melodic Hard Rock most of the time, you're expecting songs to leap out and grab your attention. With this album, you've got to sit down relax and immerse yourself in the music. Only then do you start to appreciate the subtle differences between the songs and what was once a bland landscape takes on some colour.
The Open Sea builds up to the Former Republic Of Us, which is the first song to display a sense of urgency. This is followed by another slow number, Fear Of Love, which has some good vocal harmonies. The Storm's second song, Book, features some late night jazz. Pilot Pilot reminds me of bedsit-land favourites The Smiths. Both tracks in Death are mellow and feature a mixture of Marillion and the prog merchants from last month's reviews Tale. The ending of Home fades into those sea sounds that started the album. I think that marks the end of the Drowning Sailors Lullaby. The remaining tracks are from a bonus EP that is included on the CD. There is a change of mood for these tracks. Better Than This has a more commercial feeling than what has gone before and Perfect Dream features some upbeat semi-jazz swing. The CD finishes off with the most rock orientated track, Lost.
A different listening experience for me & I would of liked more time to listen to this before writing this review. I'm a bit undecided about this one. It hasn't quite clicked with me yet. In fairness, I should say that Marillion's Brave never did click and the number of times I've played it is probably still in single figures.
Rating: 7
Million - Electric
Wednesday, 01 July, 1998
Million - Electric
Wrong Side
Candyman
Get Down To Biz
Eye Of The Storm
Step On The Breaks
Liar
Opinion Machine
Warblind
Narrow Mind Land
Magic Woman
Tears Of Pain
Kiss Of Death
Label: blueStone Music
Year: 1998
Producer:Martin Hedström & Million
Total Playing Time: 43:48 m:s
Review date: August 1998
Million's 'Hanoi Rocks/GnR' image made me a bit wary before I put this in the CD player. I didn't think it would be my type of music. However, on the inside cover the band explain how the 90's idea that "rock music should be depressive, nonmelodic and the bands have to look very bored or extremely angry on stage" was not their idea of rock n roll. Well, at least we were thinking along the same lines.
The whole sound is very 'in yer face'. I've written down Kiss meets Rainbow/Purple as a description, but Million tend to have more attitude/aggression than either of these display on record and at times there is a hint of Motorhead. Million's sound is melodic hard & heavy rock. The band pretty much keeps the pedal to the metal throughout, pausing only for the power ballad Liar and the slightly slower Tears Of Pain. You won't find yourself hitting the skip track button too often. If I have to select a couple of highlights then - the Rainbow/Dio-ish Eye Of The Storm, Opinion Machine (simply because I'm in total agreement with the lyrics, musically it is Purple meets Thin Lizzy), and the final romp, Kiss Of Death, which speeds along a la Motorhead meets Purple.
To sum it all up, Million like to rock out and keep up a fast and furious pace, but they still remember the importance of melody. This is their third album. They clearly haven't lost their passion for the music. Like the band say 'Play the mutha loud'.
Rating: 7/8
Roadside Attraction - Rock Formations
Wednesday, 01 July, 1998
Roadside Attraction - Rock Formations
Secrets
Love Makes You Stupid
Lost Child
Trust The Sun
Flat World
Fancy Bars
Cosmic Thang
Sound OF The World
Rockpile
Year: 1998
Total Playing Time: 36:38 m:s
Review date: August 1998
Trying to pigeonhole Roadside Attraction is virtually impossible. They've got a diverse set of influences floating around the various members and they seem determined to include most of these on the album. 'New Century Rock' is how they describe themselves, who am I to argue.
With so many styles on display, it could all end up sounding messy and disjointed. Not so, the guys hold it all together fairly well. The adjective 'refreshing' is one that springs to mind when listening.
At the core of their sound is rock mixed with a touch of the rhythm n blues. This basic sound is on display on songs like Secrets, Trust The Sun, Cosmic Thang, Sound Of The World and Rockpile, with Cosmic Thang and Rockpile being the highlights. Another common factor is some modern 90s influences. Tunes where this gets the upper hand are Lost Child and Fancy Bars. A dinosaur like me would have preferred those to stay in the background. Love Makes You Stupid has got funked up verses and a punky chorus. This unusual combination creates a memorable song. Rock bands playing reggae is a formula that most often spells disaster. Just listen to the bonus track on the last Journey album. Actually a band called Girl, who featured Phil Collins (Def Leppard) & Phil Lewis (LA Guns), did get it right on their Sheer Greed album with Passing Clouds. Roadside Attraction also succeeds where many others have failed. On the production side of things, the CD has a live feel to it.
The majority of bands these days seem to write 2 or 3 songs based around a borrowed style and then spend the rest of their careers creating variations on that initial theme. Roadside Attraction are to be applauded for trying something different right from the start.
Rating: 7
Josette - Josette
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Josette - Josette
Wicked Child All I Want Is You Beating Heart Closer Heading Home When Love Begins Livin' 2 Lives Our Love Believe In Me Don't Be Lonely As Time Goes On Label: Escape Music Ltd Year: 1998 Producer: Jerry Hludzik Total Playing Time: 42:25
The big interest for me in this album is the hefty presence of Dakota members - Jerry Hludzik on bass & production, Rick Manwiller helps out on the engineering side, Eli Hludzik on drums and Jon Lorance on guitars and song writing duties.
It is no surprise then that the musicianship meets with my approval. If you read the Dakota interview, you'll see that Jerry reckons that he and Rick haven't let Jon & Eli loose on a Dakota record yet. Here, Jon & Eli get a chance to show us just what they are capable of. I might even go as far as to say that Jon Lorance is competing with Miss Josette herself for the limelight.
The obvious comparisons are Pat Benetar and to a certain extent, Heart. However, quite a few of the songs have more of a raunchy edge to them and Sayara and a less a aggressive Chrissy Steele are names that I'd also throw into the ring.
The first couple of songs are Sayara style rockers that don't quite grab your attention quite as much as an opening duo should.
Beating Heart, Closer, Living 2 Lives and As Time Goes By all rockers that adopt a more melodic approach, similar to Benetar/Heart, and work much better.
Heading Home, When Love Begins, Our Love and Don't Be Lonely all slow the pace down, with When Love Begins coming out as the winner.
That just leaves Believe In Me, which is my favourite song on the album. This uptempo number simply outshines the rest of the material. Again, it falls into the Benetar/Heart category.
After the excellence of the recent Dakota album, I had high expectations of this album. Maybe that is why I'm a little disappointed by this. A mainly fair to good album, and I've got no complaints about Josette's vocals, but it is let down by some bland ballads.
Rating: 6/7
Jekyll & Hyde - Heavenly Creatures
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Jekyll & Hyde - Heavenly Creatures
Breaking The Silence I Am King Of Pain In Your Dreams Jekyll & Hyde Peace Child Holy Ground Blood On My Hands Point Of No Return Everlasting Last Time Ten Years Gone Label: Z Records Year: 1998 Producer: Jekyll & Hyde Total Playing Time: 62:04 m:s
I'd been listening to an advance tape of this for a few weeks. Initially it got a cool reception, but it had slowly been gaining favour. Just as I was about the type up the review, the real thing dropped through my letterbox.
Jekyll & Hyde include Jake Samuel (ex Talisman) and Pontus Norgren (ex Great King Rat). This is the debut release by new UK record label Z Records. I guess it says it all about the state of the UK rock scene, when the first release is Scandi-metal.
Musically, the band owes a lot to those most dangerous chaps - Guns 'n' Roses. The vocalist also does a good Axl Rose impersonation at times. Although I own Appetite For Destruction, I'm not a huge fan of GnR. Maybe that's got more to do with the "who's in the band this week" etc sagas than the music.
So, having proclaimed 'We're the next GnR', do J&H manage to pull it off. Whilst first listening to the advance tape, I wasn't convinced that they even came close. But like I said earlier it was starting to grow on me. I guess I must be programmed into expecting the 'CD sound', because now that I've had a chance to listen to the CD, I've warmed to J&H. It still sounds a touch heavy and raw to suit my personal tastes, but I can see it has merits. I'm sure it will still be making visits to my CD player in a few months time.
The songs that work best for me are the GnR-like uptempo rockers I Am, King Of Pain & Peace Child, the 8 min ballad Blood On My Hands and the atypical lighter-weight vaguely funk-metal of Everlasting. Nothing on here sounds quite as memorable as the songs on Appetite For Destruction, but AFD is a metal classic.
If you like you're music with a metal edge to it, then it is worth checking out.
Rating: 7/8
David Lee Roth – The Best
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
David Lee Roth – The Best
Tracks:
Don’t Piss Me Off (new)
Yankee Rose
A Lil Ain’t Enough
Just Like Paradise
Big Train
Big Trouble
It’s Showtime
Hot Dog And A Shake
Skyscraper
Shyboy
She’s My Machine
Stand Up
Tobacco Road
Easy Street
California Girls
Just A Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody
Sensible Shoes
Goin’ Crazy
Ladies’ Nite In Buffalo
Land’s Edge
Label: Rhino
Year: 1997
Producers: Ted Templeman, DLR, Bob Rock, Nile Rogers & wawazat!!
Total Playing Time: 77:36 m:s
As I said when reviewing the VH Best Of Vol I, the Roth era years passed without me taking much notice. I started taking an interest in both DLR and VH (Sammy era) at about the same time. If you read that review you’ll see that I mostly prefer Roth era VH.
Diamond Dave always struck me as the talented frontman, but I’ve never thought that he had a great voice. It’s more about the vibe he generates, than his technical singing abilities. I’m not even sure that some of DLR’s music qualifies as Rock. DLR tunes are mainly party rock with a jazz/blues groove.
The highlight of his solo career is undoubtedly his first solo album – Eat Em And Smile, closely followed by the Crazy From The Heat EP. I also used to own Skyscraper and I can’t remember ,but I might have owned A Lil Ain’t Enough (can’t have been that good if I can’t remember). The general consensus is that his solo career was a gradual progression downhill. Actually, someone mentioned recently that they had heard a couple of new studio tracks and that he is back on form again.
First up is the new track. A blues tunes, which ranks in the OK category. Nothing to get excited about. Looks like the rule when compiling this was "The earlier the album, the larger the contribution to this collection". It’s also true to say that the earlier material is also the better material.
Clocking in a 77 mins, it’s making good use of the space available on a CD, but there is some filler in here and I’m sure I’ll usually program my CD player to skip a few tracks when I’m playing this. If you’ve already got Eat Em & Smile and Crazy From The Heat, then there isn’t much point in getting this. There is still enough good material on here, for me to reckon it’s a good buy for someone investigating DLR for the first time. If they had just included his version of That’s Life, then I’d have bumped the score up to a full 8.
Rating: 7/8
Richard Marx – Greatest Hits
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Richard Marx – Greatest Hits
Tracks:
Don’t Mean Nothing
Endless Summer Nights
Now And Forever
Should’ve Known Better
Angelia
Hold On To The Nights
Angel’s Lullaby
Take This Heart
Satisfied
Until I Find You Again
Hazzard
The Way She Loves Me
Keep Coming Back
Children Of The Night
Touch Of Heaven
Right Here Waiting
Label: Capitol Records Inc
Year: 1997
Total Playing Time: 74:34 m:s
Richard Marx is a bit of an anomaly. Despite being what I’d regard as a fairly anonymous American adult contemporary star, he still manages to get hit singles in the UK. I remember being somewhat surprised to find him playing Hazzard on an UK chart show, long after I’d forgotten all about him.
I’ve always liked his singles, but for a long time I was never interested enough to buy any of his albums. I managed to pick up S/T and Repeat Offender at a reduced price somewhere along the line. Which means that I already own about half the songs on this collection. Judging by the tracks selected for this album, Richard has been adopting a ‘softer’ approach in recent years.
When listening to those albums I find myself wishing he’d let go and rock it up a bit more. His music always sounds a touch too controlled and laid back. I get that same feeling when listening to this. Although, I like virtually every song on this album, I find it difficult to keep playing it all the way through. I’m a sucker for a good ballad, but maybe it’s a case of ‘you can get too much of a good thing’.
Even the occasional radio listener will already be familiar with the vast majority of songs on here. So I don’t have to tell you that the album is crammed full of great songs. At the moment, my favourites are all taken from those first 2 albums, but that could just be because I’m familiar with them (e.g. Endless Summer Nights, Should’ve Known Better, Satisfied, Right Here Waiting). Despite the fact I’ve managed to review it, I haven’t really had the chance to listen to this too often.
Rating: 8
John Cougar Mellencamp – The Best That I Could Do
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
John Cougar Mellencamp – The Best That I Could Do
I Need A Lover
Ain’t Even Done With The Night
Hurt’s So Good
Jack And Diane
Crumblin’ Down
Pink Houses
Authority Song
Lonely Ol’ Night
Small Town
ROCK In The USA
Paper In Fire
Cherry Bomb
Check It Out
Without Expression
Label: Riva Records
Year: 1997
Producers: various
Total Playing Time: 58:42 m:s
This collection of single releases spans 1979 to 1988 and includes a bonus track (Without Expression).
John Cougar hit the British charts in 1982 with Hurt’s So Good and followed that with the more successful Jack And Diane. As far as the most people in the UK are concerned, that’s the end of the story. They’re great songs, but might have suffered from over exposure as they keep appearing on virtually every "Soft Rock" compilation I read the track listing of. My local radio station occasionally still gives them a spin and I’m always happy to hear them on the radio.
JCM oozes Americana and this probably explains the limited UK success. His music always conjures up images of small town America, pickup trucks etc. I’ve always found it difficult to pigeonhole his music – it not quite rock, it’s not quite country, I guess now that I’ve discovered the Mid-Western moniker I can use that. I think of him as roots-ier version of Bruce Springsteen.
He has always been on my ‘must buy one of his albums sometime’ list. In fact, I do own 1991’s Whenever We Wanted, which doesn’t get played as often as it should. I think I picked it up in some sort of bargain bin. I’m sure some of you will be more familiar with his work than I am, but I’m sure we’d agree that this an excellent introduction of his work. My personal favourites are Hurt’s So Good, Jack And Diane, Pink Houses, Small Town and Cherry Bomb. If you’ve only heard Hurt’s So Good or Jack And Diane and like them, then this is an excellent way of checking out one of America’s best singer/songwriters.
Rating: 8
Van Halen – Van Halen III
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Van Halen – Van Halen III
Tracks:
Neworld
Without You
One I Want
From Afar
Dirty Water Dog
Once
Fire In The Hole
Josephina
Year To The Day
Primary
Ballot Or The Bullet
How Many Say I
Year: 1998
Label: Warner Bros.
Producers: Mike Post & Edward Van Halen
Total Playing Time: 65 mins
I suppose a bit of background on where I stand on the VH & Extreme stories would help. I own VH’s OU812, Balance & Best Of. I prefer DLR and early Sammy material. I’ve got Extreme’s Pornograffitti and Waiting For The Punchline. I’m probably the only person on the planet that prefers WFTP. Like a hell of lot of other people out there, I’d have liked Diamond Dave to get the gig when Sammy departed. I thought Gary Cherone was an interesting, but maybe not obvious, choice as a replacement. I bought this more out of curiosity than anything else.
After an instrumental, it is on to Without You, which many of you will have heard on the radio. It’s not a radical departure from the VH formula. One I Want also makes a good impression, despite the fact that the chorus hits you just a little too often. From Afar is the first time the Extreme influence gets an airing. A slowish number that is slightly quirky. Jungle-like drums start Dirty Water Dog before it develops into the type of material you’d associate with a certain David Lee Roth. Maybe, it’s not that surprising – if you mix Extreme’s funk tendencies with latter day VH, do you get somewhere close to DLR/early VH? My favourite song on the album.
Once is an 8 min ballad that relies heavily on keyboards and isn’t typical VH. It’s OK if you’re in the mood, but most of the time it’ll probably just sound too long. The guys return to more familiar ground with the rocking Fire In The Hole. I haven’t got Extreme III Sides, but remember reading it was full of Queen influences. Josephina is VH meets Extreme meets early Queen. It takes a while to get into, but it’s worth it. Year To The Day is an 8 min ballad which is way too long and simply boring. Primary is a short burst of Eddie having fun. Ballot Or The Bullet is the sort of dull stuff I’d expect from Balance era VH. A rocker, with Gary’s voice sounding strained and getting lost somewhere in the wall of sound. How Many Say I is a piano based ballad where Eddie gets to show his vocal talents (?). I’ve seen Leonard Cohen used as comparison – it’s a reasonable one. They could have easily chopped this off the end.
If you’re a VH fan used to having albums with at least a couple of hit singles onboard, then this is going to a bit of a shock. To appreciate this, you’re going to have to sit down and listen to it a good few times. And even then, I’m not sure if individual songs are going to stand out. I don’t know enough about VH to say how this ranks along side the rest of their albums. It’s certainly a hell of a lot better than Balance. In the space of a couple of weeks I’ve already listened to this more than I’ve ever listened to Balance. It isn’t a going to be a classic, but it certainly isn’t the turkey that some people have dismissed it as. Approach with an open mind and you’ll find a decent album lurking underneath all the controversy.
Rating: 7/8
{ $ endif $}
Frankie & The Knockouts - Makin' The Point
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Frankie & The Knockouts - Makin' The Point
Tracks:
Outrageous
You Don't Want Me (like I want you)
Come Rain Or Shine
You're All That Really Matters
Carrie Why?
So Cool (Nobody's Fool)
One Good Reason
Blame It On My Heart
Can't Get Enough Of You
Hungry Eyes (original version, bonus track
Year: 1998
Label: Escape Music Ltd
Producer: Bill Schnee
Total playing time: 40:14 m:s
Escape re-releases another cult classic AOR album from the past. This one dates back to 1984. In fact F&TK released 3 albums altogether, the other two being F&TK (1981) and Below The Belt (1982). Escape are re-releasing them in reverse order. Vocalist Frankie Previte is undoubtedly the star of the show. Other band members for this album are Leigh Foxx on bass, Tico Torres on drums (yeah, that TT), Bobby Messano on guitars and Tommy Ayres on keyboards.
What was I listening to in 1984? And how come I missed out on this first time around? OK, I was probably listening to something a tad heavier. It is easy to see why the 80's are a decade that AOR fans look back on with affection. This is very typical 80's AOR and I guess some people might be tempted to say that, at the end of the 90's, it sounds dated. Not me. If there were more bands releasing albums like this these days I'd be a happy man.
Outrageous has a pulsating synth intro following by suitably chunky guitars. Turn it up loud and this just leaps out of the speakers to grabs your attention. - a wonderful marriage of guitars and synthesisers. You Don't Want Me keeps the infectious groove, albeit at slightly more restrained pace.
OK, it has been good so far, but Come Rain Or Shine is pure AOR heaven. A piano based song that seems to just glide along. When the organ cuts in for the mid-section, well, AOR doesn't get much better than this. The best song I've heard in ages. All That Really Matters slows it all down and is silky smooth.
The band then hits you with a rocker called Carrie Why? Another great chorus. The rocking mood continues with So Cool which is.
After all that good work, the band then blot their copybook with One Good Reason which sounds like a down-market Toto.
They redeem themselves with Blame It On My Heart, which features a sax solo for a bit of variety. Can’t Get Enough Of You is back to style of the first couple of tracks. The discordant synth breaks take a bit of getting used to
On this re-release we get the original version of Hungry Eyes, which was a hit for Eric Carmen and featured in the Dirty Dancing movie. I like this song and after years of being used to the Eric Carmen version, this sounds a bit strange at first. It is a bit more laid back compared to how I remember the EC version.
I thought about giving this a 9, but I've read that Below The Belt is even better, plus One Good Reason really is kinda crap, so I'll stick with giving this an 8 for the moment. An essential purchase for all fans of 80s AOR.
Rating: 8
Sure Conviction - 54 and Change
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Sure Conviction - 54 and Change
Are You There?
I Can't Explain
I Need You
Thru The Night/More Than A Feeling
Where Do You Go?
Sacrifice
Change
Quiet Place
The Journey
Power Of One
Label: Get Ready Records
Year: 1997
Producer: Sure Conviction
Total Playing Time: 50:07 m:s
I knew absolutely nothing about Sure Conviction when this dropped through my letterbox. Opening the packaging and glancing at the group photo on the back cover, I thought I'd let myself in for a grunge/alternative-rock ordeal. Well, I guess I learned something that day (you shouldn't judge a book CD by it's cover), because when I put this in the CD player, I was very pleasantly surprised. Sure Conviction is a Melodic Rock band. Of the CDs reviewed this month, this one arrived last and was stuck at the bottom of the pile not getting that much attention. That was a mistake on my part.
I've now done a bit more research and I've discovered that this is actually Sure Conviction's 3rd album. The name is a bit of clue, also the fact that they've got "In God We Trust" written on the CD in big bold writing, but it didn't register until I started listening to the lyrics that Sure Conviction are a Christian act. Their last album was in 1995 and there have been a few personnel changes, including the singer, since then.
The style on this album is punchy AOR, with a few hints at a harder edged sound floating around. In the comparison stakes Heart and Pat Benetar spring to mind. The Josette album I reviewed earlier in the year is maybe a closer comparison because it has a rawer edge to it. SC's vocalist is male, so imagine any of those acts with a few testosterone injections. The album has a loose, natural feel to it, which is actually refreshing. I'd like to hear the vocals a bit more up front, but that's only nit picking on my part.
Are You There?, I Can't Explain, Where Do You Go?, Changes & Quiet Place all fit in with the above description. Thru The Night/More Than A Feeling is lightweight rock. I Need You is a power ballad. Sacrifice & The Journey both see the band adopting a more aggressive stance and rocking out. The final piano led ballad, The Power Of One, has hints of Pomp and keeps me listening right to the end. Top tune? Well, it's got to be either Are You There? or The Power Of One.
Sure Conviction prove that Mr Beelzebub doesn't have all the good tunes.
Rating: 8
Human Race - For The Sake Of Your Soul
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Human Race - For The Sake Of Your Soul
The Web
Where Do I Belong
Remember When
Free Your Mind
Them
Mothership
Into the light
Don't Look Back
Lost In The Shadows
E20 expressway
Label: Z Records
Year: 1998
Total Playing Time: 40:24 m:s
This is Human Race's first full-length album. They have previously released a mini-album that included a cover of Rainbow's Stargazer. In fact, nearly everything I've read about the band seems to mention Rainbow at some stage.
As a result of these preconceptions, I was surprised when I first played this. If I was going to make comparisons, then I'd say that the Talisman were a great deal closer. A straight comparison with Talisman doesn't do the band justice. It is the Talisman sound, but brought up to date, mainly by the use of keyboards. Of course, the Rainbow/Deep Purple influence does show itself a few times as well. Starting from a traditional hard rock baseline, HR add a 90s vibe. And, just for once, that is OK with me.
The other Z release this month, Amaze Me, is a very immediate record. I knew I liked it after the first play. Human Race are a different proposition. It has taken quite a few listens for me to appreciate what HR are all about and I'm glad I stuck with it.
The Web kicks off a la Talisman. Where Do I Belong continues to rock, but with a monster riff propelling it along. Remember When is Talisman meets Rainbow. Free Your Mind is fast and furious and smacks of Rainbow. Them is a surprisingly intelligent ballad that features a good chorus. The instrumental Mothership is very Rainbow cira Light In The Black. On Into The Light even the vocals sound like Jeff Scott Soto. Don't Look back is my fave tune. Lost In The Shodaws is Talisman meets Rainbow meets Deep Purple. The final track is another surprise. Recorded after the rest of the album to bump up the playing time, the gently sweeping synths and piano remind me more of Tangerine Dream than anything else.
This one takes quite a few listens to get into, but it is well worth the effort. They've taken the traditional hard rock sounds of Talisman and Rainbow, added their own flavouring, and created an album that sounds right for the 90s.
Rating: 7/8
Amaze Me - Amaze Me
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Amaze Me - Amaze Me
Gods Gift To Woman
You Say You Never Cry
Help Me Through The Night
Tough Aint Enough
Fairwaring
Your Lover Your Friend
It Seems So Hollywood
Next Train Back
Love Is A Fire
You Can't Hide
Fever
I Dream Long Distance
Tell Me Why
Label: Z Records
Year: 1998
Producer:
Total Playing Time: 52:45 m:s
Up until now, I'd always thought that Amaze Me's Dream On album, released by Now & Then, was their debut. It This self-titled CD is a re-release, by Z Records, of Amaze Me's first album, which was originally only available in Japan. Z will release their third album later in the year. I haven't heard the N&T release, so this is my first experience of Amaze Me.
This album is crammed full of great material and why the band decided to kick off with a cliché like Gods Gift To Women I can't quite figure out. Def Leppard should be talking to their lawyers. You Say You Never Cry is so much better. Still a few Def Lepp drum patterns floating around, but this really has great vocal harmonies and a healthy dose of melody. Danger Danger and Fair Warning are possible reference points for most the songs, apart from Fever (Talisman), Love Is Like A Fire (Loverboy), Your Lover Your Friend (sounds a bit like Dan Reed's Stronger Than Steel) and I Dream Long Distance (hints of Whitesnake). D2 and Fair Warning aren't noted for their originality and I suppose you could level the same accusation at Amaze Me. Amaze Me have created a good package of songs, which I enjoy listening to. My 'Likes' are - You Say You Never Cry, Tough Ain't Enough, I Seems So Hollywood, Next Train Back, Fever. I don't have any real dislikes, but the opening track does fall below the high standard set by the rest of the album.
A good album that I have no reservations about recommending.
Rating: 8/9
Tale - Elysium Fields
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Tale - Elysium Fields
Rape Of The Catacomb (Part 1)
Rape Of The Catacomb (Part 2)
The Holy Man
Escape
Spirit Train
Baron House
The Lost Concerto
Memorial Hall
Rustle And Run
Beelzebub
The Card Game
Life Of Ryelly
Rose Garden
Elysium Field
Label: Baronhouse
Year: 1998
Producer: Tale
Total Playing Time: 54:22 m:s
I have to admit that the prospect of reviewing a progressive rock concept album was a bit daunting. Especially when my last venture into this department, Saga's Generation 13, was a disappointment and hasn't made that many visits to my CD player.
A brief synopsis of the concept - The principle character, Joe Boliero, is in the final stages of death. He creates a fantasy - the tale of Elysium Fields. Joe imagines himself as a nomad in search of a paradise called Elysium Fields. The musical adventure begins from Joe's hospital bed as he descends into a mystical world of exotic cities, animated trains, lost concertos and outrageous encounters of survival and seduction. In his arduous pursuit for the mystery fields, he dies and the fantasy becomes reality. With quite a few albums to review this month, I have to confess that I haven't had the time to sit down and read the lyrics to find out just how the story progresses.
Much to my surprise I find myself enjoying listening to this. There is quite a bit of variety in there. The band steers clear of several progressive clichés by keep the track lengths mainly below the 5 min mark and by avoiding long intricate musical passages.
The tunes I enjoy the most are: Rape Of The Catacomb which sounds like Pink Floyd with some nice vocal harmonies, the instrumental Escape, Memorial Hall which doffs it's cap to Supertramp, The Card Game which glides along for 7 mins and has some good female backing vocals, Life Of Ryelly and the title track.
The album has been beautifully crafted and I can imagine that the band spend a good deal of time paying attention to detail. By the way, I've probably played this more times than either Saga's Generation 13 or Marillion's Brave . AORsters or metalheads aren't going to dig this, but anyone with even a passing interest in progressive rock should certainly find out more about Tale.
Rating: 7/8
Mike Gibbins - A Place In Time
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Mike Gibbins - A Place In Time
Sue Me
Picture Of You
Rocking The Boat
Time In
Overdue
Bad Boy Blues
Layaway
Please Please
A Place In Time
Warcloud
Day After Night
Egg
Label: Forbidden Records
Year: 1997
Producer: Mike Gibbins
Total Playing Time: 53:50
Apart from a little help from Rick Warsig on guitars & bass, Mike does everything else on the record (vocals, keyboards and drums), as well as writing the material, recording and producing. Mike Gibbins was formerly a member of Badfinger, has played with George Harrison and includes the Beatles as a major influence. Amongst his musical accomplishments he includes Bonnie Tyler's It's A Heartache. Mmmmm……….I'd have kept quiet about that one.
Mike plays Adult Orientated Rock with the emphasis on adult. When listening to this the following came to mind at various points Elton John, Billy Joel, post-Beatles George Harrison & Paul McCartney, and ELO. I'd describe this as pleasant listening. It isn't a style of music that I'd get really excited about. I'd prefer to hear the guitars cranked up a bit more somewhere along the line. This makes it difficult for me to assess how good I think the album is.
The songs that work best for me are the ELO-ish Overdue, Bad Boy Blues and the title track, which drifts along quite nicely for just short of the 8 min mark. The final track has got a Dire Straits vibe, but with the guitars replaced by piano. In the vocals department Mike falls into the OK category, but next time I'd recommend bringing in another stronger singer to add a bit of sparkle in this area.
Rating: 6
The Kill - Superdragsmackheadpsychoplasticgogopunk
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
The Kill - Superdragsmackheadpsychoplasticgogopunk
Renaissance Man #6 (Deluxe)
Sister Skeleton
I Wanna Know
Ain't It Tragic
Gina's Penis
Throw Me Away
All Tied Up
Speedin' To Oblivion
Quicker Than Dead
Label: Forbidden Records
Year: 1997
Producer: Dana Cornock & The Kill
Total Playing Time: 32:05 m:s
Long title, short album. I was very tempted just to write my shortest review ever simply by repeating the title - Superdragsmackheadpsychoplasticgogopunk. It is a remarkably accurate depiction of what's on offer here - punk meets metal meet industrial meets whatever…….
White Zombie, The Ramones, Blackmail are all names I've jotted down whilst listening to this. These tunes are all punk/metal assaults on your eardrums. I find it quite difficult to distinguish between individual tunes. The picks of the bunch are the lumbering Renaissance Man, I Wanna Know and the Ramones style romp of All Tied Up.
I think most of the people surfing into Mood Swings would prefer something more melodic. Listening to this has had a curious effect, because I've just bought the White Zombie remix album. For most Mood Swings readers this has got to be a listen before you purchase proposition.
Rating: 6
Tabitha's Secret - Don’t Play With Matches
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Tabitha's Secret - Don’t Play With Matches
3 am
Forever December
Here Comes The Horses
Paint Me Blue
Dear Joan
High
Unkind
Jesus Was An Alien
Tired
Swing
3 am
Forever December
Label: Forbidden Records
Year: 1997
Producer: Jay Stanley & Tabitha's Secret
Total Playing Time: 70:07 m:s
Tabitha's Secret describe their music as jangly alternative rock. I had been listening to this album for a few days when I heard the first song 3 a.m. on the radio. It was performed by Matchbox 20, who've been doing well Stateside from what I've seen on the net. I'm not sure what the story is with Tabitha's Secret and Matchbox 20. I think some of the members of Tabitha's Secret split to form Matchbox 20. The Tabitha's Secret web site makes mention of a lawsuit regarding 3 a.m.
The first time I listened to this I thought of Hootie & The Blowfish. That makes them post-Grunge acoustic popsters in my pigeonholing system, what they are in yours I don't know.
3 a.m. is radio friendly and destined to get inside your head. It's easy to see why the song has been a hit single. Forever December displays similar qualities. There are plenty of other mid-tempo jangly semi-acoustic tunes that maybe aren't quite so immediate but which work well. For example - Paint It Blue, High (a bit like Nirvana with acoustic guitars), Tired and Swing. I'm afraid the ballads Dear Joan & Jesus Was An Alien sound dreary to me.
I guess regular Mood Swings readers would expect me to hate this. Well, truth be told, the first couple of times I listened to this I was unimpressed. But, it is hard to resist the charms of 3 a.m. and Forever December and several of the other more uptempo ditties. The ballads are irritating, but with 70 mins of music to choose from, you can always program your CD player to skip these out. This is modern sounding music that is actually worth listening to.
Rating: 7/8
Ian Gillan - Dreamcatcher
Wednesday, 01 April, 1998
Ian Gillan - Dreamcatcher
Hard On You
You Sold My Love For A Song
Sugar Plum
A Day Late And A Dolar Short
Chandra's Coriander
All In My Mind
Prima Donna
Sleepy Warm
Country Mile
That's Why God Is Singing The Blues
Gunga Din
Anyway You Want Me
Label: Forbidden Records
Year: 1998
Producer: Ian Gillan & Steve Morris
Total Playing Time: 49:32
Mr Gillan needs no introduction from me (Episode Six, Deep Purple, Gillan, Black Sabbath). Deep Purple's Made In Japan album topped my list of favourite albums for quite a while. Although I don’t own any of the albums, I also remember hearing quite a bit of Gillan on the Friday Rock Show on BBC Radio 1, many, many moons ago. Despite the fact that I like Deep Purple, Ian Gillan has never made into my list of top vocalists. I think he falls into the "I made the most of what I've got" category and he certainly has created some great music over the decades.
For this album, he teams up again with his old buddy from Gillan - Steve Morris. Steve might be more familiar to most of you as being one half of UK AOR band Heartland. They've created what I'd describe as a highly personal collection of songs. I use this description because it isn't the most blatantly commercial album I've ever heard - Deep Purple or for that matter Gillan it ain't.
Hard On You is one of the heavier and more conventional songs here. It sounds vaguely like Gillan. Likewise Sugar Plum (despite the pan-pipes start) and A Day Late And A Dollar Short.
Finger-clicking bluesy jazz is on offer on You Sold My Soul For A Song and That's Why God Is Singing The Blues.
Quite a few of the songs are best described as laid back and mellow - All In My Mind, Prima Donna, Sleepy Warm (this one works particularly well), Country Mile and Anyway You Want Me.
Two of the quirker tunes are Chandra's Coriander (sounds more Amazon Rainforest than Ganges Delta to me) and Gunga Din (propelled along by a Celtic/Scottish jig, which strangely works within the context of this album).
Different. But in this case, different doesn't necessarily mean bad. One for the more musically open minded out there.
Rating: 7/8
Agent - Evidence
Tuesday, 30 December, 1997
Agent - Evidence
One Word Never Forget Don't Let Me Know Heart In My Hand Human Condition Somebody Speaking In Tongues Just Say Tonight Maybe It's Time Perfect Heart She Wants Blood Produced by: Agent Label: Escape Music Ltd. Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 50:56 m:s
Agent return with an album of new material following the release of the re-recording of their s/t album at the start of 1997. The band continue to follow an AOR path and I find myself yet again using Survivor, early Michael Bolton, Drive She Said and Richard Marx for comparison purposes.
There a some good tunes on here such as Don't Let Me Know, the catchy Human Condition, the Bryan Adams sounding Somebody and the Boltonesque Maybe It's Time. However, I'm not convinced that it matches up to the s/t. For example, the Robert Palmer style Speaking In Tongues and the uptempo Foreigner style rocker She Want's Blood both leave me cold.
Rating: 7
Stephen Housden - New World Groove
Tuesday, 30 December, 1997
Stephen Housden - New World Groove
Tracks: Celtic Warrior New World Groove Seaspray Skyline Spanish Castles Siobhan Some Kind Of Strut The Bounty Emerald Blues Soul Surrender Part 1 & 2 Label: Thoughtscape Sounds Year: 1998 Producer: Stephen Housden & Anthony J. Fossey Total Playing Time: 53:27 m:s
Guitarist Stephen Housden (Little River Band & Broken Voices) steps into the limelight with this solo instrumental album.
The prospect of yet another album with a guitarist whizzing up and down the fretboard and generally widdly-diddlying about over a bland background, doesn't exactly fill me with enthusiasm. Well, the good news is that this is more mood music than guitar histrionics. Put it on, have cup of coffee, read a book and leave your tennis racket in the cupboard.
Celtic Warrior sounds like it should be the theme music for something like Xena Princess Warrior. It isn't as Celtic as the title might suggest. New World Groove is similar, but at a more relaxed pace. A choir doing their thing in the background helps to add some variety. That choir crops up again on Seaspray. I'll cut the track by track description short at that point, mainly because I have usually have enough trouble describing songs let alone instrumentals. The other tracks worthy of a mention are Siobhan, the blues/funk of Some Kind Of Strut and the jazzy/funk of Soul Provider.
Rating: 6/7
Broken Voices - Broken Voices
Tuesday, 30 December, 1997
Broken Voices - Broken Voices
Lessons of Love Halls of Justice Restless Heart Into Your Arms I Have No Words Secret Affair Wanted Your Secret Is Out Tangled Skeins I've Got Everything Label: Thoughtscape Sound Year: 1997 Producer: Graham Goble Total Playing Time: 45:50 m:s
Featuring Graham Goble (main songwriter) and Stephen Housden from the Little River Band, together with vocalist Susie Ahern, my initial impression of this Aussie band was that they sound like they should come from somewhere a lot closer to home. If I described Clannad as Traditional Irish Folk with a hint of Pop and The Corrs as Pop with a hint of Traditional Irish, then Broken Voices are AOR with a hint of Celtic. Susie's vocals are upfront and have a crystal clear quality that I normally associate with folk singers. I think this impression was re-enforced by some the song titles (Celtic Warrior, Siobhan & Emerald Blues) on the Stephen Housden solo album I received at the same time.
The one thing I haven't figured out about Broken Voices is how they came up with their name. The truth is that the vocals, lead & backing are their strongest asset. The lush vocal harmonies are what lift this album into the something-special category.
Lessons In Love has a folk meets rock feel (like Mike Oldfield's Midnight Shadow). The music is rock/AOR based, but the vocals are folk-like feel. Maybe Susie Ahern learnt her trade in a folk band.
Most of the other songs follow a similar style and the quality is fairly well maintained throughout, although I do find my interest dropping off towards the end. That might have more to do with the one paced nature of the material, rather than a drop off in quality.
A couple of songs are worth picking out for a special mention. Lush vocals introduce Halls of Justice. Clocking in at over 7 mins, its long for this style of music, but it never drags. The best track on the album. Into Your Arms is the song that really evokes memories of Clannad. The vocal parts are very similar to their style. Tangled Skeins is just about the only slower track, but it works well.
Rating: 8
Shyboy - Shyboy
Tuesday, 30 December, 1997
Shyboy - Shyboy
Have A Little Pity Good Girls All In The Name Of Love Goin' Down Fire Two Of A Kind Losin' You Grab My Lovin' Desperate Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya Label: Escape Music Ltd. Year: 1998 Producer: Hirsh Gardner Total Playing Time: 40:02
Escape Music hit us with yet another slab of Melodic Hard Rock, which seems to be their preferred genre. If uncomplicated arena style rock is what you get off on, then Shyboy are going to be for you. Most of the time they remind me of Damn Yankees meet arena gods Kiss, but Loverboy also crop up every now and then. However, the Shyboy sound is rawer than any of the aforementioned acts.
The rocking opening quartet all sound good. The acoustic Fire that follows isn't a bad song, but it kills the flow of the album for me. Two Of A Kind is one of the songs were the Loverboy comparison is relevant, the other being Grab My Lovin'. The band finishes off the album with two slower numbers. Desperate is a ballad. The album closes with a live version of the New England song Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya. John Fannon and Hirsh Gardner from New England help out on this one. A good song, but it doesn't feel as if it fits in with the rest of the material.
That leaves just one song to talk about. The most 'instant' song on the album is Losin' You. It would make a great single. It is the album highlight for me.
A respectable, if somewhat short, performance.
Rating: 7/8
Hush - Hush
Tuesday, 30 December, 1997
Hush - Hush
Out On The Street Saturday Night Alright Rendezvous It's All Too Much You Hold The Key Money Let Me Live You Room Label: Escape Music Ltd Year: 1998 (originally 1979) Engineered by Gradie O'Neal, Robert Berry & Gene Perrault Total Playing Time: 50:31 m:s
The limited edition re-issue of this 1979 album is centred around the presence of Robert Berry ("3" with Carl Palmer and Keith Emerson, the "GTR II" project, several solo albums, and his band "Alliance").
The band's style is a mix of AOR, Rock, Pop and New Wave. The style of the album is dictated by the era in which it was recorded. In order to survive, rock bands were experimenting with adopting elements of Pop and New Wave.
I know that Escape have being re-releasing long forgotten gems on CD. A couple of those releases, Aviator and Agent, are firm favourites with me. This time, I'm still asking myself - Why? I hear nothing special on this that warrants this re-issue.
Well, that's not strictly true. I have to admit that the ballads - It's All Too Much & You Hold The Key, plus the more AOR/rock track - Let Me Live, made favourable impressions. The rest of the songs could be classed as either Rock meets Pop or New Wave and just don't make any impression on me at all.
With only 3 songs that I'd want to hear again, the charms of this particular album elude me.
Rating: 4/5
