Album Reviews

[Mr Walker]

It's a pretty short list. There was the guy from Rare Earth who played drums and happened to be the lead singer, Don Brewer from Grand Funk, Levon Helm with The Band and Buddy Miles come to mind. I think the guy in The Romantics sang a couple of tunes, as well as the drummer in Triumph.

Andy Sturmer from Jellyfish (if that passes for drumming)

[Mushroom]

Is Grant Hart the only drummer who can actually sing while he's playing the drums. Seems that most of the drummers who they decide they want to sing (Ringo Starr/Phil Collins/Don Henley/Dave Grohl/etc) end up not doing both at the same time.

Kelly Keagy, Night Ranger, but he's a better drummer than he is singer.

[GreenBayLA]

Morcheeba ~ Blood Like Lemonade



Good news, after a seven year absence singer Skye Edwards reunites with the Godfrey brothers to restore the original, classic lineup. After forcing her out they failed to come up with a suitable replacement and released two albums with mixed results. While Skye's solo material lacked the musical muscle of Morcheeba.

Bad news, Blood Like Lemonade is a return to form but not a powerful surge forward. The material is good but seldom great, a bit too familiar with little variance in mood or tempo from song to song (read: mellow) except the two instrumentals.

That said there is plenty to get excited about. The first single/video "Even Though" has that dreamy floating feel that makes it an instant classic. The title track is not about a vampire but a man seeking to avenge his wife's death, he drinks blood like lemonade, tasty. Other standouts include "Recipe For Disaster" addresses why there's a dead guy in her dining room and "Easier Said Than Done" on walking the band reunion tightrope. The only clunker is the droning "Self Made Man" that's at once both quirky and cliche. Overall the album presents a subtle but strong musical undercurrent that along with Skye's crystal velvet voice sweeps you away. A good first step, hopefully next time out they can expand on the theme.

[indeedido]

Black Label Society - Order of the Black

Anyone expecting a deviation from the BLS sound will be sorely dissapointed by this, Zakk's 8th record. The sound is still very much between Black Sabbath and Pantera. So, its still a parada of pinch harmonics, screaching solos, piss-poor lyrics and steroid fuelled riffs over arrangements that come straight out of songwriting 101. But what separates this record from every BLS album since 'The Blessed Hellride' is the sense of fire, and the focus that has gone into its production - sure, Wylde is never going to win a Grammy for songwriting but that's not the point. The typical BLS elements have been mixed here to perfection, and the end result is metal: straight with no chaser. If this record even had sophistication in its rear view mirror it'd turn around just to go wrestle with it, and on songs as stomping as 'Crazy Horse', 'Black Sunday', 'Southerh Dissolution' and 'Riders of the Damned', Zakk delivers up some of the most bombastic moments of his career. So, this is an album a couple of notches above 'solid'. What stops it from fulfilling its grasp, however, are the piano ballads, which sound tired and kitsch. Zakk simply doesn't have the voice to pull off the like of 'Darkest Days' or 'Time Waits for No-one', a song straight out of a bin that even Desmond Childs would label 'vapid.' But when he's flying the metal flag, there's few who do it with more passion or sincerity; and even fewer who make you feel like a 14 year old air guitar player all over again.

I have to say that I love the new BLS album. The production is definatly the best of any of ZW's albums. No more muddy detunes and bass. The drums are really clear and the guitars are not so layered that they are mud. It is a really clear album. I think the music written too is above what he has done in the past. Some nice interludes in the center section of a lot of the songs. Really strong album. I agree, ditch the piano ballads, that is my only complaint.

[binnie]

I would definitely agree that it sounds crisper than previous outings. Zakk is never going to write a classic, but this is a pretty decent straight-out Heavy Metal record.

[binnie]

Buckcherry - All Night Long

You know the sort of guy who's in his late 30s or early 40s but still believes its cool to act the way he did at 21? The sort of guy who hits on girls youger than his daughter, wears a vaguely commical hat as a contrived 'cool' affectation, and comes about as close to an actual stereotype as any individual could? Now imagine a bunch of such men got together and made a record.......and here it is, album number 5 from Buckcherry. Perhaps thats unfair. This isn't a bad album, not by any means. Big choruses, sleek solos, slick production and plenty of volume. But it feels forced and contrived. 10 years ago when 'Buckcherry' and 'Timebomb' came out, listeners were in no doubt that these guys walked the walk as well as talking the talk, smoking, drinking, snorting and fucking their way around the globe. Here, I'm not sure we buy it - they might tell us 'Its A Party' 'All Night Long', but the vibe here feels like a bunch of middle aged guys let out to play by their wives on the weekend. Songs like 'These Things', 'Neve Say Never', 'Liberty' and 'Recovery' are all solid enough blues drenched Sunset Strip anthems, and in a time where goo time rock 'n' roll bands are in the minority perhaps it is uncharitable to want more from a band who believe that music was vastly superior before Kurt Cobain - but the whole thing feels unambitious. Like a familiar lay rather than a newfound fuck, this is nice but unexciting.

[binnie]

Skunk Anansie - Wonderlustre

As a man who is deeply suspicious of 'reunion' albums, it is comforting to come across one which actually displays some hunger. After an almost 15 year hiatus, the darlings of 90s British rock/metal return with a record which is remarkably focussed, considered and powerful, if not instantly loveable. Floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee, opener 'God Loves Only You' - with its eerie verse and crushing chorus - is the perfect combination of beauty and agression which reminds us why we loved this band. Not that 'Wonderlustre' is a retro album - picking up where previous outsing 'Post Orgasmic Chill' left off, this is a much more mature affair displaying closer affinity to alt. rock that the punk/metal/ragga hybrid of their earlier incarnation. On the likes of 'The Sweetest Thing' and 'You Can't Always Do What You Want To' ambient, trippy guitar parts replace powerchors in a soundscape which is more luscious than angry. Rage, then, has been replaced by reflection. On the whole, this is delivered sincerely and works well, even if we might long for some pace to give the disc an added dimension. But in the presence of Skin's vocals, it is hard not to marvel - a voice which could cut through the hardest of hearts, the twisted melancholly of 'Talk Too Much' and 'My Love Will Fall' are delicately beautiful compositions. Perhaps oneday the band will write some world class material for her to wrap her world class pipes around - until then, this is a more than majestic return.

[binnie]

Volbeat - Beyond Hell/ Above Heaven

Deceptively simple anthemic punk/metal from Denmark's finest. This is a LOT of fun and incredibly infectious. It is also one of the rarest things in the modern world of rock 'n' roll: a band that celebrates the joy of living. As much 1950s rockabilly as classic heavy metal, the obvious point of departure here are The Misfits, an influence clear in vocalist Michael Schon Poulson's crooned vocal style. Big riffs, subtle melodies, cool lyrics and an imagery that is very much their own, this is a band with a real sense of purpose. Songs like 'Magic Zone' and 'The Mirror And The Reaper' exhibit ultra-cool B-Movie schidcht, and the toffee sweet hooks of 'Heaven Not Hell' and 'Who They Are' will be in your head for a week. But there is much, much more than style over substance on exhibition here - 'A Better Believer' is the sort of forlorn punk that you just don't hear anymore. They are also keen to celebrate their Danish roots, with songs about Mercyful Fate and boxing champion Mikkel Kessler on display. That this never excludes listeners of non-Danish descent is a testament to the fact that Volbeat tap into that most universal of music exploits: the sheer joy of rock'n'roll. An ill-advised duet with Napalm Death's Barney Greenway aside, this is a great little record. To reach the heights of their idols, Volbeat simply need to mix up the formula a little with some variety.

[binnie]

Deep Purple - Come Taste The Band (Reissue)

A repackaging and re-mastering of Purple's 'lost' record. With Ritchie Blackmore gone, this was a very different band: more refined and certainly not as heavy, 'Come Taste the Band' remains a blinding hard rock record. Less tempestuous, epic, or violent, the emphasis was on hooks, melodies and groove, elements which come together superbly on the funk-rock of 'Gettin' Tighter'. Tommy Bolin made his mark on Purple precisely because he didn't try to fill Blackmore's boots. He played liked he looked: slick and handsome. More tonal than centre-stage, his bluesy, funky style sat well with the direction of Hughes and Lord were moving in, leaving the song's free to showcase Coverdale's melodic croon and ear for melody. The understated rock of 'Comin' Home', 'Lady Luck' and 'I Need Love' could almost be Bad Company tunes and would sit well in any band's back catalogue, whilst the epic lament of 'You Keep On Movin' is a real gem in Purple's arsenal. It doesn't all work, however. 'Dealer', for example, is a mess of genres, and this album is no 'Rocks', or as pivotal to rock history as 'Machine Head' or 'Fireball'. But whilst certainly not the band's best record, it might nevertheless their coolest - more smooth bourbon in sound than the acid freak-out of their peak.

Disc two of this package features the album re-mixed by Kevin Shirely, a measure in keeping with other Purple reissues which have displayed a keeness for tinkering with their canon. It's interesting, but unnecessary. The real success of this reissue is rather to draw attention to the album itself and place it before a wider listenership. What impresses most is Bolin, one of rock's great 'might have beens'. The linear notes draw attention to how tumultuous this period in Purple's career was, and in many respects it's remarkable that they managed to produce any record at all, let alone one as coherent as this. With all the members of the band burned-out or strung-out, that they made music of such vibrant joy is a real testament to their talents.

[78/84 guy]

Bolin was a fantastic player. It is a shame that he isn't as well known as some of the great 70's players like Montrose or Trower. That CD is full of great tunes but Coverdale is just a bad singer. He was alot better on the Whitesnake albums. A great Bolin disc is Live At Ebbet's field 1974. He was in the Games Gang at this time. Alot of killer solos on it. Not a great recording but a must have if you love great guitar playing. Bolin was a big influence on Ed but he will never admit it. VH covered a couple of his tune's.

[binnie]

Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol (Reissue)

Although his tenure in Sabbath is often relegated as the band's wilderness years post Ozzy and Dio, it must be remembered that Tony Martin was the band's second-longest serving singer. His era is consequently deserving of rbeing emembering. His peformance is much maligned by hardcore fans, but we must remember that his was an unenviable task. Following two of rock's most iconic singers and frontmen, the job Martin did here was admirably solid. The bombast of the band's heyday, however, was long, long gone. As would be expected from a record featuring Tony Iommi, there are riffs aplenty, the most notable being those which drive 'Hard Life To Love' and 'Lost Forever'. The title-track, in all its gothic splendor, is also much stronger than this reviewer remembers. Indeed, the problem here is not that the songs are bad - its just that they don't sparkle. There was a distinct lack of chemistry. Indeed, Sabbath at this point was not so much a band as a series of hired hands, with the birth of this album marred by a host of musicians and producers walking. The absence of vibe was exacerbated by the rigid and muddy production which overcooks many of the tunes here and leaves the band sounding like countless other groups of the era.

Its a real shame, because the second disc of this reissue, featuring the sessions done with Ray Gillen (late singer for Badlands), demonstrates what might have been. Its inclusion serves to highlight the failings of the final product. Not only did Martin copy Gillen's vocal lines very closely, he didn't posses the range, soulfullness or warmth of the latter's pipes. With Gillen at the helm, the songs feel losser, freer and more '70s in its vibe than the final cuts allowed. This reissue, then, exists not so much to highlight the strength of Sabbath's post-Dio era but to underline what might have been. It is a worthy addition to any collection.

[binnie]

Bolin was a fantastic player. It is a shame that he isn't as well known as some of the great 70's players like Montrose or Trower. That CD is full of great tunes but Coverdale is just a bad singer. He was alot better on the Whitesnake albums. A great Bolin disc is Live At Ebbet's field 1974. He was in the Games Gang at this time. Alot of killer solos on it. Not a great recording but a must have if you love great guitar playing. Bolin was a big influence on Ed but he will never admit it. VH covered a couple of his tune's.

Agreed with the comments about Bolin. His playing is infectious.

Not too sure I'd say Coverdale was a bad singer - he's a piss-poor lyricist, for sure, and much of his material is cliche ridden. But I think the records he did with Purple and the first few Whitesnake records have some great singing on them. Soulful and husky. He's no Paul Rogers, but who is?

I mean, we'd all take 'Rocks' 'Machine Head' or 'Fireball' over a Coverdale record, but that doesn't mean his era isn't worth anything.

[binnie]

Motorhead - The World Is Yours

Often dismissed for making records that 'all sound the same', it is often forgotten that developing a sound that is recognizeable within four bars is a towering achievement in itself. In Motorhead's case, however, the charge of repetition is hopelessly inaccurate. Anyone who has actually listened to any of the albums they've made this decade would be hard pushed to write them off as clones of their '80s records. Much heavier and crunchier since hiring producer Cameron Webb to work on 2004's 'Inferno', the band have been on a hell of a run, making records that really deserve to be listened too.

On tunes like 'Brotherhood of Man', with its 'Orgasmatron'-esque hulk of a riff, we are reminded that this is a band which is heavy, but not metal; visceral, but not vicious. It's rock'n'roll for sure, but gargantuan in its size, the bastard offspring of King Kong and Godzilla. 'Born to Lose' and 'Waiting For The Snake' both revolve around monster riffs which roll over the songs. 'I Know How To Die' spits a venonmous blues riff and hooky chorus, whilst 'Outlaw' and 'Devils In My Head' underscore the fact that Lemmy and co. have a knack for harnessing other-worldly heaviness to pop sensibilities. Featuring Lemmy's best set of lyrics for years, this album is also Motorhead at their most focussed. Just 10 songs in 39 minutes and no balladry, this is a purer and more condensced affair than 'Kiss of Death' or 'Motorizer', amplifying the low, dirty rumble driving the production of the latter to new heights. It all comes to together perfectly on album closer 'Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye', a tune which encapsulates Motorhead's ethos: combining humour, venom and piss 'n' vinegar in equal measure, it is at once world weary and life affirming.

This is Motorhead's 20th studio album. 35 years in, they're still hungry and focussed. No frills, no pretence, no self-indulgence, there is still plenty of fire in this band's belly. They've been on a hell of a run, never really looking back since 'Bastards' (1993) - 'The World Is Yours' is another addition to a canon of material equally as deserving of your attention as 'The Ace Of Spades'. Fuck your neighbours; fuck your ears: play it loud.

[binnie]

The Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down.

11 songs: 33 minutes. There's no bullshit here, just pure unadulterated Rock 'n' Roll. Imagine Little Richard and Chuck Berry fed through Johnny Thunder's amp. The result is a joyful menace, a snarling mess of a record ripped right off the studio floor. Pianos bang, guitars screech, and drums pulsate - this is the juice of pure abandon. Fuck all the pretenders, this might very well be THE BEST ROCK 'N' ROLL BAND ON THE PLANET! 'Dishonest John' and 'Foghorn' are finely crafted songs with ragged edges; whilst 'Premeditated' and the title track are chainsaw blues. Get in now before the whole world jumps aboard.

[chefcraig]

Agreed with the comments about Bolin. His playing is infectious.

Not too sure I'd say Coverdale was a bad singer - he's a piss-poor lyricist, for sure, and much of his material is cliche ridden. But I think the records he did with Purple and the first few Whitesnake records have some great singing on them. Soulful and husky. He's no Paul Rogers, but who is?

I mean, we'd all take 'Rocks' 'Machine Head' or 'Fireball' over a Coverdale record, but that doesn't mean his era isn't worth anything.

I think ya mean In Rock there, bin. Believe it or not, when Gillan first left, the band asked Paul Rogers to sing for Purple, but he declined.

I agree with the assessment of Coverdale. His singing on those three DP albums was quite good, but the lyrics were downright boneheaded and cliche-filled in places. Glenn Hughes' singing on those records was outstanding ("This Time Around", "Gettin' Tighter"), and his voice paired with Coverdale's (as on "Sail Away" from Burn or "Lady Double Dealer" from Stormbringer) was really cool. Too bad he usually resorted to yelping and screaming onstage.