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Yearly Archives: 2014
Album review: THE ROCKET DOLLS – Eyes
www.facebook.com/therocketdolls [Released 28.07.14] The Rocket Dolls hail from Brighton and consist of vocalist and guitarist Nikki Smash, Benji Knopfler (son of a fairly famous guitarist!) on drums and bassist Tommy K. I reviewed their EP way back in 2009 and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album review, Eyes, post grunge, the Rocket Dolls
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Gig review: ARTHUR BROWN – Robin 2, Bilston, 17 April 2014
‘I Am The God of Hellfire and I Bring You Fire’, the unmistakable line that has beguiled listeners since it first appeared on the album ‘The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’ back at the height of the psychedelic era and … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Arthur Brown, Bilston, gig, Lifecycle, psychedelic, review, Robin 2, rock, Roz Bruce Infusion
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Gig review: THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT – Manchester Academy, 23 April 2014
What? You haven’t heard of the The Temperance Movement? Have you had your head under a stone for the past few years? TTM have been taking the music scene by storm and selling out pretty much every venue they play. … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 23 April 2014, Brothers And Bones, gig, Manchester Academy, review, rock, The Temperance Movement
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Rising Stars interview: AMY SIMPSON
Amy Simpson is only seventeen yet she has just released the excellent EP ‘Fairytales, Stories & Myths’ and The Huffington Post tipped her as one of their’Ten Artists to Watch’… 1. What have you got planned for the next few … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/Rising Stars
Tagged Amy Simspon, EP, Fiary Tales Stories and Myths, interview, Katy Perry, osngwriter, pop, Rising Stars, singer
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Single review: PAUL MENEL & THE ESSENTIALS – Spirit Of ’66
www.facebook.com/paulmenel Former IQ singer Paul Menel returns with a timely release, a song for England supporters ahead of this year’s World Cup in Brazil. Starting with a Queen approved drum beat the song has a good sing-a-long chorus that you … Continue reading
Album Review: VAMPIRE – Vampire
Century Media – Out Now. As someone who has been actively supporting extreme Metal bands for the last thirty or so years, I am both pleased and proud to find genres such as Thrash, Death and Black Metal in such … Continue reading
Gig review: COCO MONTOYA – Beaverwood Club, Chislehurst, 22 May 2014
There are great blues players and then there is Coco Montoya. He’s a purveyor of a historic blues lineage that stretches back to his formative years with Albert Collins, but he transforms it into his own exciting blues hybrid, … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Albert Collins, Albert King, blues, Brant Leeper, Coco Montoya, funk, gig review, guitar, Laurence Jones, Nate Brown, Renee Beevers, soul, Walter Trout
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Album review: CHRIS BRAIDE – Fifty Dollar Planets And Twenty Cent Stars
Cherry Red Records [Release date 05.05.14] Towards the end of 2012 Chris Braide and Geoff Downes released an album that may forever be termed “one that got away”. DBA’s ‘Pictures Of You’ was arguably one of the best albums of … Continue reading
Album Review: NIGHT RANGER – High Road
Frontiers Records [Release date 06.06.14] It’s encouraging to see Night Ranger try and break out of the nostalgia circuit and proving their enduring relevance with new product, this album coming three years after a return to form in Somewhere In … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Brad Gillis, High Road, Kelly Keagy, melodic rock, Night Ranger, review
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Album Review: HALO BLIND – Occupying Forces
Nautical Records [Release Date: 04.03.14] We’ve been waiting for Halo Blind. At long last, a British progressive rock band has put out an album to rival the fabulous stuff coming out of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia right now. And … Continue reading
Album review: CURVED AIR – North Star
Curved Air Records [Release date 17.03.14] Another heritage band who for the past years have been re-acquainting audiences with their brand of quirky progressive art-rock. Sonja Kristina still retains her intriguing allure and the band is now bolstered by one-time … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Curved Air, Kirby, North Star, prog, Progressive Rock, review, Sonja Kristina
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Album review : U.D.O. – Steelhammer Live From Moscow
AFM Records [Release date 23.05.14] I’m not really a fan of live albums and these days they are a dime a dozen with certain bands releasing what seems like endless streams of them. So what does Mr Udo Dirkschneider have … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, heavy metal, heavy rock, review, Steelhammer Live From Moscow, U.D.O, Udo Dirkschneider
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Album review: FOCUS – Golden Oldies
In And Out Of Focus Records [Release date 14.04.14] They say rock is dead, the endless process of reinvention now limited, and the pioneers now ageing. There is no doubt that a great chasm will open within the next 10 … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, compilation, Focus, Golden Oldies, Pierre van der Linden, prog, progressive, re-recording, review, rock, Thijs van Leer
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Album Review: KISS – Kiss 40
Mercury Records [Release date 26.05.14] Does the world need another Kiss compilation album? There are many already on the market and any self-respecting rock fan will no doubt have a copy of one tucked somewhere in their collection. So what … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Ace Frehley, album, Alive, compilation, Gene Simmons, Kiss, Kiss 40, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, review, rock, Sonic Boom, The Elder, Unmasked, unplugged
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Album review: POOBAH – U.S. Rock
Ripple Records [Release date 10.02.14] This album was originally released back in 1976 during the peak of Poobah’s career and has now been lovingly re-mastered and reissued by Ripple Records. Poobah were formed by guitarist Jim Gustafson back in 1972 … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, Alice Cooper, Cream, Jim Gustafson, Judas Priest, Ohio, Poobah, remaster, review, Ripple Records, rock, U.S Rock, Youngstown
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Gig review: JEFF BECK – Birmingham Symphony Hall, 20 May 2014
In my research recently for an interview with Steve Lukather I came across a 1986 video of him performing at a Japanese festival with Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck. Luke is arguably the least recognisable now, the poodle perm long … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 20 May 2014, Birmingham, fusion, gig, guitar, guitarist, Jeff Beck, Nicolas Meier, review, Rhonda Smith, rock, Symphony Hall
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Album review: FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – No Place For Disgrace 2014
Metal Blade – Out Now. For better or worse, Flotsam And Jetsam will always be known as the band where ex-Metallica bassist learned his skills and that is perhaps the reason why “Doomsday For The Deceiver” (1986), the band’s debut … Continue reading
Album review : 21OCTAYNE – Into The Open
AFM Records [Release date 23.05.14] This is a little different from AFM’s usual output of Teutonic metal and the change is refreshing to these ears. 21Octayne has been put together by current Axxis guitarist Marco Wriedt to create a band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 21Octayne, album, Alex Landenburg, Andrew Lauer, Hagen Grohe, Into The Open, Marco Wriedt, modern rock, review
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Album review: DIESEL – Into The Fire
Escape Music [Release date 23.05.14] www.escape-music.com This is an interesting one, as it sees the return of Robert Hart, formerly of Bad Company, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and the excellent Distance album working with FM’s guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick. Drummer Jimmy … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Bad Company, DIESEL, FM, Into The Fire, Jim Fitzpatrick, Jimmy Copley, review, Robert Hart, Steve Overland
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Album review: DOME DWELLERS – Maybe I Should Have Some Pride
MondoTunes [Release date 15.01.14] Dome Dwellers are an indie rock trio from Denton,Texas, with art rock elements and free form pretensions. The band is very much the sum of its idiosyncratic parts, as all three players spiral into different directions … Continue reading
Album Review: SWEET – Level Headed Tour Rehearsals 1977
Angel Air [Release date 2.06.14] Angel Air always find a niche and an angle. They’ve done it again here by unearthing an album that captures Sweet rehearsing for one of their most important tours. As the well-researched and extensive liner … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Andy Scott, Brian Connolly, Level Headed Tour Rehearsals 1977, review, Sweet
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Album review: ATOM STRANGE – The Lost Cosmonauts
RayGun Records [Release date 01.10.13] Welcome to Atom Strange’s world of ‘Hi-Fi Sci-Fi’ where ‘substance, groove, depth and style’ prevail in multi genre format that is rooted in hard rock but pulls towards AOR, metal, prog … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Atom Strange, Axl Rose, grunge, Guns 'N' Roses, metal, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, review, Rick Dunn, rock, space rock, The Lost Cosmonauts, Vinnie LaRocca
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Album review: WAMI – Kill The King
Metal Mind Records [Released 13.05.14] Who is WAMI? Well they are a new band built around young Polish guitarist Iggy Gwadera from Anti Tank Nun (what a legendary band name!), after Marco Mendoza was impressed seeing him perform as a … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dio, Doogie White, heavy rock, Izzy Gwadera, Marco Mendoza, Rainbow, review, Vinny Appice, WAMI, Whitesnake
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Album review : JOHN MAYALL AND THE BLUESBREAKERS – Reissues
Eagle Rock [Release date 17.03.14] With a near 60 album discography, you probably don’t worry too much about the ebbs and flows of commercial success. Suffice it to say that John Mayall remains the most consistently enduring figure in the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged Albert Ammons, album, blues, Buddy Whittington, Dave Morris Jr, Eric Steckel, Freddie King, In The Palace Of The King, Joe Yuele, John Mayall, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Maggie Mayall, review, Road Dogs, Robben Ford, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stories, Tom Canning, Walter Trout
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Album review : GADI CAPLAN – Look Back Step Forward
Musea Paralèlle [Release date 09.07.13] Israeli born, Brooklyn domiciled and trained at the Berklee College of Music, Gadi Caplan is an electric/acoustic guitarist and composer who refuses to be restricted by one style of music. As a result, ‘Look back … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Colosseum, Duncan Wickel, fusion, Gadi Caplan, Genesis, George Harrison, Gong, Jack Bruce, jazz, Look Back, Man, Moses Eder, Oded Weinstock, prog, review, rock, Soft Machine, Step Forward
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