Monthly Archives: August 2020

Album review: RORY GALLAGHER – The Best Of

Posted on August 31, 2020 by jason

UMC [Release date 07.10.20] Irish guitarist and vocalist Rory Gallagher is one of THE names in blues guitar; he was considered The Man by both Jimi Hendrix and Joe Bonamassa, no mean feat. Finding fame in the late 60s with … Continue reading →

Album review: VARIOUS – Girls Go Power Pop!

Posted on August 31, 2020 by jason

Big Beat/Ace [Release date 28.08.20] Ace (via their Big Beat imprint) follow 2019’s impressive “Come On Let’s Go” power pop collection with a new 25 tracker. This time, compiler Dave Burke varies the theme by focussing on female-fronted acts. As … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Ace Records, album, Girls Go Power Pop!, Go-Gos, melodic, pop rock, power pop, review, The Bangles, The Runaways, various | Leave a comment

Album review: JOHN NORUM – Total Control, Face The Truth, Another Destination (reissues)

Posted on August 31, 2020 by jason

Rock Candy Records Remasters [Release date 07.08.20] It’s always about timing, isn’t it? John Norum left Europe on the cusp of the band’s breakthrough in 1986. He was legally obliged to fulfil a 3 album contract with the label. These … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, Another Destination, Europe, Face The Truth, Glenn Hughes, guitaritst, hard rock, John Norum, Kelly Keeling, re-issue, review, rock, Rock Candy, Solo, Total Control | Leave a comment

Album review: JEFFERSON STARSHIP – Mother of the Sun

Posted on August 31, 2020 by jason

Golden Robot Records [Release date 21.08.20] Jefferson Starship release new music for the first time in 12 years, although it is only seven songs so not quite an album but maybe longer than an EP?! Jefferson Starship/Starship have been through … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, classic rock, Golden Robot Records, Grace Slick, Jefferson Starship, Mother of the Sun, Paul Kanter, review, rock | Leave a comment

News – KING CRIMSON, NEIL YOUNG, ULTRAVOX (September 2020)

Posted on August 31, 2020 by jason

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Hyde Park, 12 July 2014

King Crimson release a 26-disc set, ‘The Complete 1969 Recordings’, through Panegyric on October 23. It features a brand new Dolby Atmos mix by Steven Wilson of the band’s 1969 debut album ‘In The Court of the Crimson King’, and includes … Continue reading →

Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP | Tagged albums, Broken Teeth, classic rock, country, folk, King Crimson, metal, Neil Young, New releases, news, Nightwish, pop, prog, re-issues, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: HUSTLER – Reloaded

Posted on August 29, 2020 by jason

Black Cat Records [Release date 07.08.20] Many won’t know the name Hustler, however back in the 70’s they released two albums on A&M, supported Queen on that band’s first headline tour and toured with Status Quo in Europe. The band … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Bad Company, classic rock, Hustler, melodic rock, Queen, Reloaded, review, rock, soul | Leave a comment

Album review: ACE FREHLEY – Origins Vol 2

Posted on August 28, 2020 by jason

SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 18.09.20] Original Kiss guitarist Ace releases his ninth studio album and after the success of 2016’s Origins Vol 1 (which hit #23 in the Billboard 200), we get a Volume 2, and again it’s pretty damn good … Continue reading →

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Album review: ROY WOOD AND WIZZARD – Mainstreet/Eddy &The Falcons

Posted on August 28, 2020 by jason

Main Street Cherry Red Records [Release date 28.08.20] Two years later, apparently stifled by the “hit machine” expectations that weighed upon him, Wood wrote, recorded and released “Main Street”. It was his first real attempt to climb off the pop … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged albums, avnat garde, Eddy and The Falcons, ELO, jazz, Mainstreet, melodic, pop, pop rock, re-issue, review, rock, rock 'n' roll, Roy Wood, The Move, Wizzard | Leave a comment

Gig review: THE DARKER MY HORIZON – The Victoria, Swindon, Thursday 27 August 2020

Posted on August 28, 2020 by jason

So it’s Thursday 27 August and the wind down to a long weekend, what better way to get in the mood than to see live music – yes real, live, raw, rock in an amazing venue, the Victoria in Old … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Bryan Adams, Fall From Ruin, gig, hard rock, live, melodic, modern rock, review, rock, Swindon, the Darker My Horizon | Leave a comment

Quick plays: RURA, JOSHUA BURNELL, GYPSY PISTOLEROS

Posted on August 27, 2020 by jason

GYPSY PISTOLEROS - The Greatest Flamenco Glam Sleaze Band Ever!

RURA Live at the Old Fruitmarket [Release date 11.09.20] Rura releases this live album to celebrate the band’s tenth anniversary, recorded in February this year at the Celtic Connections festival, just before live shows stopped due to the pandemic. Their … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Flowers Where Horses Sleep, folk, Gypsy Lee Pistolero, Gypsy Pistoleros, Joshua Burnell, live, melodic, pop, progressive, punk, Quick Plays, review, rock, Rura, singer songwriter, sleaze | Leave a comment

Album review: MAD MAX – Stormchild Rising

Posted on August 27, 2020 by jason

SPV Records [Release date 21.08.20] The undoubted star of Mad Max’s umpteenth album is Michael Voss’s guitar. It provides blistering solos and fine textural detail, often in the space of a single track. That’s nothing new, but it might be … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, hard rock, Mad Max, melodic, Michael Voss, review, rock, SPV, Stormchild Warning | Leave a comment

Album review: TRISHULA – Time Waits For No Man

Posted on August 26, 2020 by jason

AOR Heaven [Release date 25.09.20] British melodic rock band Trishula is the brainchild of guitarist Neil Fraser (Rage Of Angels, Ten), accompanied by vocalist Jason Morgan. This is album number two, hot on the heels of last year’s very enjoyable … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions | Tagged album, DEMON, hard rock, interview, Jason Morgan, Magnum, melodic rock, Neil Fraser, review, Rick Benton, rock, TEN, Time Waits For No Man, Trishula | Leave a comment

Album review: JOEY MOLLAND – Be True To Yourself

Posted on August 26, 2020 by jason

Omnivore Recordings [Release date 16.10.20] As the sole surviving member of the classic line-up of Badfinger, Joey Molland’s pedigree in power pop circles is second to none. Over the years he has regularly produced solo albums, notably “After The Pearl” … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Badfinger, Be True To Yourself, Chicago, Joey Molland, Julian Lennon, melodic, Micky Dolenz, pop rock, power pop, review, Ringo Starr | Leave a comment

Album review: CONNOR BRACKEN AND THE MOTHER LEEDS BAND – Nightbird Motel

Posted on August 26, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

[Release date 25.09.20] Based in Astbury Park, New Jersey, Connor Brand (lead guitar and vocals) has a whiff of a look of a young Springsteen. But hometown aside, that’s about where the similarities end – MLB being a blues rock … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alternative rock, Connor Bracken And The Mother Leeds Band, indie, Nightbird Motel, R&B, review | Leave a comment

Album review: TIGER MOTH TALES – Still Alive (CD/DVD)

Posted on August 26, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

White Knight Records [Release date 01.08.20] Not even lockdown can subdue Peter Jones. It seems only 5 minutes since he released A Visit To Zoetermeer, making Still Alive his second CD/DVD release in 3 months, but he also popped up … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, DVD REVIEWS | Tagged album, DVD, Peter Jones, prog, Progressive Rock, review, Still Alive, Tiger Moth Tales | Leave a comment

Album review: SHANNON LaBRIE – Building

Posted on August 26, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Moraine Records [Release date 25.09.20] Since when did just 7 songs make an ‘album’? And it’s not as if we’re talking prog – this is Americana. And just 27 minutes of it. But then we live in strange times. And … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Building, review, rock, roots, Shannon LaBrie, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: FORTUNE- The Gun’s Still Smoking Live (CD/DVD)

Posted on August 24, 2020 by andynathan

Frontiers Records (Release Date 07.08.20) One of the most heart-warming and unexpected comebacks of the last few years has been that of cult eighties AOR sters Fortune. It’s fair to say their comeback in 2016 at Rockingham Festival stole the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, DVD REVIEWS | Tagged album, AOR, Fortune. live album, Larry Greene, Mark Nilan, melodic rock, Richard Fortune, Ricky Rat | Leave a comment

Album review: ELIAS T. HOTH – Metastatic Syndrome

Posted on August 23, 2020 by petefeenstra

CD Baby [Release date 15.09.20] Elias T. Hoth’s ‘Metastatic Syndrome’ is full of all the road-tested elements with which he’s made his name in the last few years. There’s the unsettling title to start with, then there’s the balanced mix … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, ballads, boogie, Chuck Leavell, Deep Purple, Doll By Doll, Elias T. Hoth, Jacky Leven, John Lennon, Metastatic Syndrome, Nina Lanaghan, review Martin Luther King, rock, Status Quo, The Allman Brothers | Leave a comment

Album review: ADAM SWEET – Sink Or Swim

Posted on August 23, 2020 by petefeenstra

Adam Sweet Music [Release date 11.09.20] Although credited as an Adam Sweet solo album, the conceptually titled ‘Sink or Swim’ is very much a band effort. Singer songwriter Adam Sweet has taken a step up by working with an A-team … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged ADAM SWEET, album, Americana, blues, funk, Garry Kroll, Ian Jennings, Jackson Brown, Josiah J. Manning, Kris Barras, review, rock, roots, Sink Or Swim, Steve Black, Storyville | Leave a comment

Album review: VICIOUS RUMORS – Celebration Decay

Posted on August 22, 2020 by jason

SPV Records [Release date 21.08.20] Vicious Rumors found a home at Germany’s SPV Records four albums ago. In fact, Europe’s always offered a warm welcome to the band, right from the start, back in 1985. Now, everything has changed. But … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged album, Celebration Decay, Geoff Thorpe, metal, power metal, review, SPV, Vicious Rumors | Leave a comment

Book review: The Development Of Large Rock Sound Systems – Chris Hewitt

Posted on August 22, 2020 by petefeenstra

A Dandelion Records Book [Publication date 14.08.20] ‘The Development Of Large Rock Sound Systems’ is a book with no beginning and no end, but it has plenty of substance in the middle. Much like the other 7 books from the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS | Tagged Adrian Maben, Alan Styles, Arthur Brown, Carey Chenoweth, Cat Stevens, Charlie Watkins, Chris Hewitt, Colosseum, David Martin, Dinky Dawson, Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac, Hawkwind, Isle of Wight, Jim Marshall, Jimi Hendrix, John Hiseman, John Thompson, Johnny Winter, Led Zeppelin, Peter Watts, Pink Floyd, Pompeii, Rod Stewart, Roger Chapman, The Development Of Large Rock Sound Systems, The Faces, The Pink Fairies, The Rolling Stones, THE WHO, Tim Boyle, Weeley festival, WEM | Leave a comment

Album review: ONSLAUGHT – Generation Antichrist

Posted on August 21, 2020 by jason

AFM Records [Release date 07.08.20] When, on the 29th of April this year, the British Thrash metallers Onslaught announced that singer Sy Keeler had decided to once more part ways with the band, I felt pretty sad indeed. The band … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged AFM Records, album, David Garnett, Generation Antichrist, metal, Nige Rockett, onslaught, review, thrash metal | Leave a comment

Album review: KATRINA – Hearts, Loves & Babys

Posted on August 21, 2020 by jason

KATRINA & THE WAVES – Hearts, Loves & Babys

Independent [Release date 28.08.20] Now a solo artist, Katrina, ex of The Waves, will always be known for her monster, worldwide hit, ‘Walking On Sunshine’. It can be an albatross as much as it can be a permanent passport to … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, country pop, Darren Loveday, Hearts Loves & Babys, Katrina, Katrina & the Waves, Kimberly Rew, melodic, pop, pop rock, review | Leave a comment

Album review: DEE SNIDER – For The Love Of Metal Live!

Posted on August 18, 2020 by david.wilson

Napalm Records [Release date 31.07.20] To front a rock band takes a few special ingredients. The candidate should be larger than life, outspoken, overblown, like the sound of their own voice, have massive self-confidence and not give a flying f**k for … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AC/DC, album, CD, Dee Snider, For The Love Of Metal Live!, Gene Simmonds, Highway To Hell, live, metal, Napalm Records, rock, Twisted Sister, Under The Blade, We're Not Gonna Take It | Leave a comment

Album review: LEE ABRAHAM – Harmony/Synchronicity

Posted on August 18, 2020 by jason

F2 Music/Festival Music [Release date 04.09.20] ‘Harmony/Synchronicity’ was written and recorded during an intense 8 week period between April and early June 2020, and follows less than a year after Lee’s highly recommended ‘Comatose’ album. Lee is joined Gerald Mulligan … Continue reading →