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Gig review: CARDINAL BLACK – Sub 89, Reading, 15 November 2024
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Gig review: SUZI QUATRO – London Palladium, 13 November 2024
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Gig review: HRH XVII, Great Yarmouth, 7-9 November 2024
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Gig review: WHEN RIVERS MEET, CHANTEL MCGREGOR, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES – Dingwalls, London, 7 November 2024
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Gig review: DEEP PURPLE – 02 Arena, London, 6 November 2024
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Gig review: ELLES BAILEY- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2 November 2024
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Tag Archives: AOR
Album review: FM – Tough It Out Live
Frontiers Records (Release date 09.04.21) It already seems a long time ago but one of the gig highlights of the winter before the pandemic struck was the Big-Three-O tour in which FM, together with Dan Reed Network and Gun, celebrated … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, FM, live album, melodic rock, Steve Overland, Tough It Out
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News: Albums of the Month (January 2021 – March 2021)
THUNDER All the Right Noises (BMG) Thunder fans will love this album as it touches all the band’s key strengths – memorable songs, party rockers, ballads, lyrics to make you think and above all, well-crafted hard rock tunes. An Album … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, Albums of the Month, ALL POSTS, NEWS
Tagged albums, Anneke van Giersbergen. Troy Redfern, AOR, Ben Randall, blues rock, February 2021, guitar, hard rock, instrumental, January 2021, March 2021, Progressive Rock, review, Scardust, singer songwriter, Thunder, Touch
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Album review: GARY HUGHES – Decades
Frontiers Records [Release Date 12.03.21] With Gary Hughes having just released his first solo album in a long while, the simultaneous release of this generous 29 track double compilation is very timely as an opportunity to discover (or rediscover) the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, compilation, Gary Hughes, melodic rock, TEN
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Album review: CHEZ KANE
Frontiers Records [Release Date 12.03.21] Chez Kane is one of three sisters fronting Kane’d, who have gained a reputation pre-pandemic as an enjoyable live act. This is her debut solo album, though equal uncredited billing goes to Danny Rexon, lead … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Chez Kane, Crazy Lixx, Danny Rexon, melodic rock
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Album review: RONNIE ATKINS – One Shot
Frontiers Records [release date 12.03.21] Ronnie Atkins, founding member of Denmark’s Pretty Maids, bows out with his one and only solo album, One Shot. Ronnie has recently been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer. So the album title is … Continue reading
Album review: TOUCH – Tomorrow Never Comes
Escape Music [Release Date 26.03.21] Here’s a reunion few ever expected to see. Touch are most famous to the wider world as the band that opened the first ever Monsters of Rock at Download in 1980. Many years later I … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Craig Brooks, Doug Howard, Glenn Kitchart, Mark Mangold, melodic rock, pomp rock, Touch
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Album review: STEPHEN CRANE- Kicks
AOR Heaven (Release Date 26.03.21) The rock world is littered with hard luck stories of people failed by the record industry. One such is Stephen Crane. Already a seasoned figure on the Texas music scene, he was signed to MCA … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Jai Winding, Kicks, melodic rock, Richard Page, Stephen Crane, Steve Lukather, Tom Kelly
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Album review: PARIS- 50/50
AOR Heaven (Release Date 26.03.21) France is hardly a hotbed of melodic rock but Paris, essentially the duo of Frederic Dechevanne and Sebastien Montet with some guest musicians, have now released three albums. They follow in a distinguished line of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged AOR, Frederic Dechevanne, melodic rock, Paris, Sebastien Montet
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Album review: WINDING ROAD- s/t
AOR Heaven [Release Date 26.03.21] The thriving Scandinavian melodic rock scene is not just one for young bucks. Winding Road are a new band in which three musicians with a long list of credits in their native Sweden have come … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Jonas Tyskhagen, Magnus Akerlund, melodic rock, Winding Road
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Book review: ROY WOOD, KANSAS (On Track…)
Sonic Bond Publishing Roy Wood: The Move, ELO & Wizzard by James R Turner The ‘On Track…’ series gets to one of my musical heroes, Roy Wood. An interesting musician to cover, as although he still tours, Roy Wood has … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
Tagged AOR, book, classic rock, ELO, glam rock, Jeff Lynne, Kansas, Kerry Livgren, melodic rock, On Track, pomp rock, prog rock, review, rock 'n' roll, Roy Wood, Steve Wlash, The Move, Wizzard
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Album review: WILDLIFE – Burning (reissue/remaster)
Rock Candy Records [Release date 12.02.21] FM and Steve Overland have bona fide legendary status in the annals of UK Rock’n’Roll. It began with Wildlife in the late seventies. Overland and the Jupp brothers, Chris and Pete, were the core … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged AOR, Burning, ELO, Eric Troyer, FM, Rock Candy Records, Rupert Hine, Steve Overland, Wildlife
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Feature: Collectible Collections – MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND – 40th Anniversary Box Set
Pete Feenstra chatted to Manfred Mann for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio with tracks from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. First broadcast 23 February 2021. Creature Music (2011) The rather large parcel dropped off at GRTR! Towers was like Christmas come … Continue reading
Album review: JOSEPH WILLIAMS – Denizen Tenant
The Players Club/Mascot Records [Release date 26.02.21] Toto’s Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams both release solo albums on the same date and label, with both artists including a few cover versions on their respective albums. Joining Joseph Williams on his … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, David Paich, Denizen Tenant, Joseph Williams, melodic, review, Steve Lukather, Toto, West Coast
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Album review: WORLD GOES ROUND – S/T
Viper Records [Release date 22.01.21] It was 30 years ago today that World Goes Round recorded their one and only album (Ed: we might be a year or two out). This supremely talented array of artists, whose names (almost) always … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, album review, AOR, melodic, melodic pop rock, pop, pop rock, review, self-titled, World Goes Round
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Album review: BITE THE BULLET – Black & White
Escape Music [Release date 27.11.20] Bite The Bullet were originally formed in 1986 by singer songwriter Mick Benton and drummer Graham Cowling (who are also the only two musicians on this album) and they released their debut album in 1989. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Bite The Bullet, Black & White, Escape Music, melodic rock, Mr Mister, pop rock, review, The Outfield
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Album review: CREYE – II
Frontiers [Release date 22.01.21] Second album from Creye, a Swedish band founded by Andreas Gullstrand, now fronted by new vocalist, August Rauer. Sweden has been the lightning rod for AOR and melodic rock since the eighties, delivering up aspiring band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Andreas Gullstrand, AOR, August Rauer, Creye, Frontiers, II, melodic rock, review
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Album review: ANDY SUSEMIHL – Alienation
SM Noise [Release date 21.01.21] Andy Susemihl’s last album ‘Elevation’ was my “Best of 2018″ – perhaps it should have been called “revelation” such was the surprise at a seasoned pro – and a relatively unknown one albeit with an … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alienation, Andy Susemihl, AOR, guitar, guitarist, melodic rock, review, U.D.O. Sinner
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Album review: PALACE- Rock And Roll Radio
Frontiers Records [Release date 04.12.20] Michael Palace, a man with multiple performing and writing credits to his name, is now onto the third album from his own project. 2016’s ‘Master of the Universe’ was mainstream melodic hard rock, but is … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, melodic rock, Michael Palace, Palace, review
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Album review: EAST TEMPLE AVENUE – Both Sides of Midnight
AOR Heaven (Release Date 27.11.20) East Temple Avenue sees Australian songwriter Darren Phillips, whose project under his own name featured a star studded cast, join forces for a whole album with Robbie Le Blanc, the Blanc Faces singer whose combination … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Darren Phillips, melodic rock, Philip Lindstrand, Robbie Le Blanc
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Album review: UNRULY CHILD – Our Glass House
Frontiers [Release date 04.12.20] When Unruly Child arrived in 1992, Melodic Rock bands were crashing and burning all around them. AOR had been shot down in flames by the bands of the Pacific North West. Low altitude, below the radar … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Frontiers, Marcie Free, melodic rock, Our Glass House, prog rock, review, Unruly Child
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Album review: ART OF ILLUSION – X Marks The Spot
AOR Heaven [Release date 29.01.21] This is the debut album by Art Of Illusion, a duo consisting of composer and producer Anders Rydholm (Grand Illusion) and singer Lars Säfsund (Work Of Art) – see what they did there with the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Anders Rydholm, AOR, Art Of Ilusion, Grand Illusion, Lars Safsund, melodic rock, pomp rock, review, Work Of Art, X Marks The Spot
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Album review: DAN REED – Liftoff
Zero One Entertainment [Release date 04.12.20] At the end of a horrific year for humanity, and also for music, Dan Reed’s latest solo album arrives to provide the perfect antidote. Dan’s solo works since the “comeback” – ‘Coming Up For … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Dan Reed, Dan Reed Network, Liftoff, melodic rock, review, singer, songwriter
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Album review: PHENOMENA – Still The Night
Cherry Red [Release date 27.11.20] Tom and Mel Galley put Phenomena together in 1984. Glenn Hughes, Don Airey, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray had been enlisted…Whitesnake versus Deep Purple, a metalised marriage made in hard rock heaven. The following year they … Continue reading