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Yearly Archives: 2017
Album review: ORDEN OGAN – Gunmen
AFM Records [Release date 07.07.17] Orden Ogan are back with their new studio album ‘Gunmen’ which follows hot on the heels of last year’s ‘The Book of Ogan’ compilation. They have already released a well received western themed video on … Continue reading
Album review: JOHNNY LIMA – Johnny Lima/Made In California
MelodicRock Records [Release date 01.03.17] These two albums by Johnny Lima – his self-titled debut from 1996 and 2003′s ‘Made In California’ – have been made available again by MelodicRock Records and not before time I say! Johnny Lima’s debut … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged albums, Bon Jovi, Johnny Lima, melodic rock, MelodicRock Records, Motley Crue, reissues, review, rock
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Quick plays: ABACU5, DANIEL TRIGGER, IVORY TOWER PROJECT
ABACU5 A Long Way To Begin [Release date 25.04.17] Abacu5 is a four-piece band from Dallas, Texas consisting of Randy White (vocals), Samuel Holder (guitar), Adam Manning (bass/vocals) and Eric Petrinowitsch (drums/vocals). Abacu5 have a great ear for a melody and hook … Continue reading
Gig review: ROCK GODDESS – The Borderline, London, June 23 2017
The time is definitely right for a NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) revival and it is great to see a good number of bands from that late 70s/early 80s era recording and touring once again, even ones that … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017
Tagged Borderline, gig, Jody Turner, Julie Turner, London June 23 2017, metal, NWOBHM, review, rock, Rock Goddess, Tracey Lamb
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Album review: TREAT – The Road More or Less Traveled
Release Date 21.04.17 On paper the release of Treat’s live set at the 2016 Frontiers Rock Festival in Italy is was a release I was looking forward to. Not only were Treat- alongside bands like Fate and Skagarack- one of … Continue reading
Gig review: SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE ASBURY JUKES- The Forum, London, 22 June 2017
If Bruce Springsteen and later Jon Bon Jovi took the sound of New Jersey into the stadium-filling mainstream, both worshipped at the altar of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, who may never have reached the same commercial heights, but … Continue reading
Album review: BRENT HUTCHINSON BAND – Smoke And Mirrors
Self release [Release date: 01.04.17] There’s nothing deceptive about ‘Smoke And Mirrors’ or the expressive inner voice at the core of both the lyrics and melodies of 11 well written songs. The Brent Hutchinson Band impressively avoid obvious clichés with … Continue reading
Album review: VOODOO SIX – Make Way For The King
Cadiz Music [Release date 08.09.17] It seems an age since we caught up with Voodoo Six at a gig in Crewe in 2008. At that time their vocalist was Henry Rundell and current album ‘First Hit For Free’ a reworking … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, heavy rock, Make Way For The King, review, rock, Tony Newton, Voodoo Six
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Gig review: DAN BAIRD’S HOMEMADE SIN – Boom Boom Club, Sutton, 19 June 2017
And they call it rock and roll! Charlie Watts once said something along the lines that rock & roll was 95% hanging around. Last night Dan Baird’s Homemade Sin didn’t have the benefit of being able to test that theory. … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 19 June 2017, blues, Boom Boom Club, Chris Robinson King, Dan Baird's Homemade Sin, Georgia Satellites, gig, review, rock, Sutton, Warner E Hodges
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Gig review: STONE FREE FESTIVAL, London, 17 June 2017
For the second successive year the Stone Free festival took over the whole of the 02 complex for the day: targeted at a discerning classic rock audience not wishing to slum it in a muddy field, and drawing inspiration from … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 17 June 2017, album, Arthur Brown, Blue Oyster Cult, festival, glam, Gun, heavy rock, London, O2 Indigo, review, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, rock, Stone Free Festival, Sweet, THE ANSWER
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Album review: THE FILL INS – The Time Is Now
Hallelujah brothers and sisters! The Fill Ins are back!!! Charlotte NC’s fantastic rock and roll combo have been slugging it out in the studio, hammering out a brand new album and it is finally approaching its release date, and as … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, review, rock, The Fill-In's, The Time Is Now
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Album review: EXIST – So True, So Bound
Prosthetic Records [Release date 09.06.17] I’ve made it no secret my undying love for all things Chuck Schuldiner (Death, Control Denied…not so much Voodookult) and even the band Cynic formed by former members of Death ranks as some of my … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Exist, metal, progressive metal, review, So Bound, So True
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Album review: MASTERPLAN – PumpKings
AFM Records [Release date 28.07.17] Masterplan is one of those bands that as soon as someone mentions the name you automatically think, “What a great band!” At least I do. Since their inception in 2003, they’ve consistently released some killer … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Helloween, MASTERPLAN, power metal, PumpKings, review, Roland Grapow
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Album review: DIRKSCHNEIDER – Live – Back To The Roots – Accepted!
AFM Records [Release date 04.08.17] When I reviewed Dirkschneider’s album Live Back To the Roots back in October I was looking forward to seeing him live the following January (earlier this year, clearly.) Sadly, I didn’t make it to the … Continue reading
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Tagged Accdept, album, Dirkschneider, Live - Back To The Roots - Accepted!, review, UDO
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Album review: ZZ TOP – Cinco: The First Five LPs
Warners [Release date 09.06.17] One of the greatest blues rock and boogie exponents, this Texan trio have become as famous for their beards (except for the drummer called Beard – now THAT’s irony) as for their music. 70s tracks like … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged blues, boogie, Cinco: The First Five LPs, Fandango, First Album, R&B, reissue, Rio Grande Mud, rock, Tejas, Tres Hombe, ZZ Top
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Album review: THE MAGPIE SALUTE – s/t
[Release date 09.06.17] The long-awaited release of The Magpie Salute’s self-titled debut album is like meeting an old flame after many years – you wonder how she’s stood the test of time, if she still has it….and then she walks … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017
Tagged album, review, the Magpie Salute
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Quick plays: EZOO, KAI HANSEN & FRIENDS
EZOO Feeding the Beast earMUSIC [Release date 02.06.17] Graham Bonnet has been very busy of late with his own Graham Bonnet Band releasing a studio and live album and now this, Ezoo which features guitarist Dario Mollo (Voodoo Hill/Tony Martin). … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays
Tagged album, Dario Mollo, Ezoo, Gamma Ray, Graham Bonnet, Helloween, Kai Hansen, Rainbow, review
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Gig review: THE STONE ROSES – Wembley Stadium, 17 June 2017
For a band that have still only managed to release two albums (and one of those pretty underwhelming), whose singer is hardly renowned for having the strongest vocals in the world, and whose members spent the majority of the past … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017
Tagged 17 June 2017, gig, Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani, Oasis, Reni, review, the Stone Roses, Wembley Stadium
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Album review: CAPTAIN BEYOND – Lost And Found 1972–1973
Cleopatra [Release date 02.06.17] Somewhat of a trans-Atlantic supergroup in their day, Captain Beyond formed in 1971 and originally featured guitarist Larry Rhino Reinhardt and bassist Lee Dorman (both of Iron Butterfly), original Deep Purple vocalist Rod Evans (wanting to … Continue reading
Album review: RIOT – Reissues
Metal Blade [Release date 30.06.17] Riot are a US heavy metal band that formed in the mid 70s and came to the fore in the late 70s and early 80s, before moving into a more power metal direction. The band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, Bobby Jarzombek, Mark Reale, megal, Metal Blade, reissues, review, Riot, rock
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Album review: DIAMOND HEAD – Death and Progress/Evil Live
Dissonance [Release date 23.06.17] Diamond Head were at the forefront of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, and were influential on many, most notably Metallica, who covered several Diamond Head tracks, most famously Am I Evil. Formed in the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, Brian Tatler, Death and Progress, Diamon Head, Dissonance, Evil Live, metal, NWOBHM, reissues, review
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Interview: GRAVE DIGGER (Chris Boltendahl)
In my capacity as a music journalist, I have had the chance of meeting up and chatting with Grave Digger’s frontman Christ Boltendahl many times over the years and there’s never been a single occasion where I have found the … Continue reading
Album review: SIMPLE MINDS – Acoustic In Concert
Eagle [Release date 16.06.17] CD/DVD Well, if Status Quo can do it, why not Simple Minds? The Scottish band’s eighties heyday was always predicated on big, anthemic, arrangements and in this BBC Radio 2 gig we get trimmed down versions … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Acoustic In Concert, album, BBC, Charlie Burchill, Hackney Empire, Jim Kerr, live, pop, review, rock, Simple Minds
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Album review: STANLEY CLARKE, NORMAN CONNORS, HARVEY MASON (Jazz Funk compilations)
Cherry Red Records/imprints The mid to late 1970s was a golden age for disco/jazz-funk. Bands like Earth, Wind & Fire were ascendant in the charts whilst our more home-grown Level 42 picked up the baton for the burgeoning Brit Funk … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Arista, Buddah, collection, compilation, funk, Harvey Mason, jazz funk, jazz fusion, Norman Connors, R&B, review, Sho Nuff Groovin' You The Arista Records Anthology (1975-1981), Stanley Clarke, The Definitive Collection, Valentine Love The Buddah/Arista Anthology
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Album review: SELWYN BIRCHWOOD – Pick Your Poison
Alligator [Release date: 19.05.17] Mentored by Sonny Rhodes and now some 7 years into his own solo career, Selwyn Birchwood’s second album ‘Pick Your Poison’ is a celebration of everything that makes him a unique presence on a blues circuit … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alligator, blues, Courtney “Big Love” Girlie, funk, gospel, guitar, Huff Wright, Pick Your Poison, Regi Oliver, review, Selwyn Birchwood, Sonny Rhodes, soul
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