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Author Archives: brianmc
Album review: NEW ENGLAND – s/t (remaster)
Rock Candy Records [release date : 12.05.23] New England relied not on fate or fashion, but on good old fashioned songwriting and hard work, treading the boards, making their name. Led by the talented John Fannon, and owing a lot … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Beatles, Cheap Trick, ELO, Foreigner, Jimmy Waldo, John Fannon, Journey, Mike Stone, Queen, Raspberries, remaster, review, Sweet, Wizzard
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Album review : V/A Let’s Stomp (Merseybeat 1962-1969) 3 CD set
Cherry Red [Release date: 26.05.23] Heavily influenced by US Blues and Rock, Merseybeat was a sixties pop music phenomenon, originating in Liverpool, that swept all before it. First the UK, then Europe, ultimately invading the USA and the ROTW. Across … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS
Tagged albums, Beatles, Billy J Kramer, Cilla Black, Doc Pomus, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Jackie DeShannon, Joe Meek, Lennon & McCartney, Let's Stomp (Merseybeat 1962-1969), Liverpool, Merseybeat, Mojos, Mort Shuman, pop, review, rock, Shel Talmy, Swinging Blue Jeans, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Searchers, The Sixties, US Blues
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Album review: THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT – The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Blu-Ray Edition)
Esoteric Recordings/Cherry Red [Release date; 26.05.23] The Turn Of A Friendly Card (1980) was Alan Parsons’ fifth long player, and if you will, a concept album. Parsons and Eric Woolfson, one a producer/songwriter and the other a songwriter/studio engineer, enjoyed … Continue reading
Album review : HANOI ROCKS – The Days We Spent Underground (1981-84)
Esoteric Records/Cherry Red [Release date: 26.05.23] CD1 Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks (1981) CD2 Oriental Beat (1982) CD3 Destruction Blues (1982) CD4 Back To Mystery City (1983) CD5 All Those Wasted Years (1984) In the 4 short years from … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Andy McCoy, Bowie, boxset, Buzzcocks, Dale Griffin, glam rock, Gyp Casina, Hanoi Rocks, Kerrang!, LA Rock, Michael Monroe, Mott, Nasty Suicide, Overend Watts, punk, Sam Yaffa, Sounds, The Days We Spent Underground (1981-84), Undertones
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Album review : HOUSE OF SHAKIRA – XIT
Frontiers [Release date: 19.05.23] Those melodic rock fans who mainline the uncut version of the brand might not have time for artists who add their own distinctive musical seasoning. But they might just find that this shiny new album from … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Eagles, Frontiers, funk, Glenn Frey, House Of Shakira, melodic rock, New Wave, review, Valensia, Valentine, XIT
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Album review : MICHAEL THOMPSON BAND – The Love Goes On
Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] Michael Thompson may be one of the most gifted, sought after rock guitarists in the business – his pedigree must run to several volumes – but the Michael Thompson Band, known as MTB, will forever be … Continue reading
Album review: SCREAMACHINE – Church Of The Scream
Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] While not immediately lovable, Italy’s Metal monsters, Screamachine’s second album, Church Of The Scream inexorably works its way under your skin. And remains there. So, get your headphones on and say a prayer. They band hit … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Accept, album, Alice Cooper, Church Of The Scream, Edoardo Taddei, KROKUS, Motley Crue, Paulo Campitelli, review, Savatage, Screamachine, speed metal, Valerio Carrichio
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Album review : HEAVEN’S EDGE – Get It Right
Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] Allmusic describes Heaven’s Edge as “an obscure Glam Metal band from the early nineties”. It’s a reasonable observation on the basis of one (self titled) album released in 1990 (just about clinging on to the glam … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, David Rath, Get It Right, glam rock, Heaven's Edge, Jared Gulino, Mark Evans, melodic rock, Motley Crue, MTV, Poison, Ratt, Reggie Wu, review, Steve Parry
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Album review : KING’S X – In The New Age, The Atlantic Recordings 1988-95 (6 CD boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date 28.04.23] Anyone who got truly tuned into King’s X will be familiar with words like “memorable”, “original”, “intoxicating”. These and other such qualifiers being liberally used in reviews of the band’s albums down through the years. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Arnold Lanni, boxset, Brendan O'Brien, Cherry Red, Dug Pinnick, Frozen Ghost, In The New Age, Jerry Gaskill, King's X, Our Lady Peace, Progressive Rock, Revolver, Sam Taylor, Sheriff, The Atlantic Recordings 1988-95, The Beatles
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Album review : TRAPEZE – Midnight Flyers (The Complete Recordings Vol 2) 5 CD boxset
Cherry Red [Release date 28.04.23] CD1 – Hot Wire (1974) & Trapeze (1976) CD2 – Hold On (1979) CD3 – Live At The Boat Club, Nottingham (1975) CD4 – Live In Arlington, Texas, (1976) CD5 – Live In Fort Worth, … Continue reading
Album review: ELVENKING – Reader Of The Runes (part 2), Rapture
AFM Records [Release date 28.04.23] Heavy metal pirates, Elvenking, set sail again, boldly going where few bands dare to go. It’s no exaggeration to claim that this album is a unique heavy metal experience. Operatic, symphonic, folky, very lyrical, not … Continue reading
Album review : ONE DESIRE – Live With The Shadow Orchestra
Frontiers [release date 21.04.23] Rising Finnish band, One Desire return with a live album. What is it with rock/ metal bands and orchestras? The ambition to match up the two has been realised regularly ever since most of us can … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, classical, Deep Purple, live, Metallica, Nightwish, Procol Harum, review, Scorpions, Vassa orchestra Finland
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Album review: MECCA – Everlasting
Frontiers [release date 21.03.23] First Mecca album to be released in Europe since the Brexit Referendum. And the suitably titled opener, ‘And Now The Magic is Gone’ turns out to be the album’s big moment. Everlasting is not quite as … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Alias, AOR, Frontiers, Joe Vana, Marcie Free, melodic rock, review, Signal, Stefano Lionetti, Tommy Denander, Toto, Unruly Child, Vivien Lalu
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Album review : BIOHAZARD – Urban Discipline and No Holds Barred, Live In Europe (2 CD Deluxe Digipack)
Cherry Red [release date: 14.03.23] New York band Biohazard are credited with fusing hardcore metal, punk and hip hop. Five years after formation they signed with Roadrunner Records and released their groundbreaking album, Urban Discipline. Urban Discipline (1992) This influential … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged 2 CD Digipack, album, Deluxe, Fishbone, hip hop, Kyuss, metal, New York Times, punk, review
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Album review: MAGNUS KARLSSON’S FREEFALL – Hunt The Flame
Frontiers [Release date: 14.04.23] Fourth Freefall album from rock’n’roll workaholic, Magnus Karlsson. For this, Freefall’s fourth album, Karlsson’s rounded up 11 singers, all of whom offer something different, and we get a few tracks that show every sign that he … Continue reading
Album review : ARCHON ANGEL – II
Frontiers [Release date 14.04.23] On his second album now fronting Archon Angel, Zak Stevens probably couldn’t tell you how many albums he’s appeared on. We’ll help him out: Since 1993, five as Savatage’s frontman, five up front with The TSO … Continue reading
Album review: KILLER – Hellfire (And The Best of Killer) 2 CD Edition
Cherry Red/HNE [Release date: 21.03.23] Belgium: 1980 : 3 respected, experienced, died in the wool rock musicians split with their long time bands, and get together to share a different musical destiny. Paul “Shorty” Van Camp, “Fat Leo” and “Spooky” … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Belgium, Cherry Red, heavy metal, Hellfire (And The Best of Killer), HNE, Iron Maiden, Killer, Mausoleum, Metallica, Motorhead, review, Saxon, Shorty Van Camp, Spooky
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Album review: WARFARE – The Lemmy Sessions (3 CD Boxset)
Cherry Red/HNE [Release date : 24.03.23] Late on in the last century’s timeline, around 1990, Co. Durham’s one and only anarchic metal band, Warfare, were outselling stablemates, Venom and Raven. On stage and off stage they were living up to … Continue reading
Album review: FOGHAT – Road Fever – The Complete Bearsville Recordings 1972-75 (6 CD boxset)
Cherry Red/HNE [Release date 24.03.23] Britband Foghat clocked up a considerable number of tour miles after relocating to the USA in 1970, road testing their material, looking to kickstart their career. It worked a treat. It’s on the road that … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Bearsville, blues, boogie, boxset, Cherry Red, Dave Peverett, Foghat, Nick Jameson, review, Rod Price, Roger Earl
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Album review : CROSS COUNTRY DRIVER – The New Truth
Frontiers [Release date: 17.03.23] Rob (Riverdogs) Lamothe’s new bluesy, country, earthy rock music band is called Cross Country Driver. It consists of only him, his son Zander on drums, and old friend James Harper on guitar. An impressive guest list, … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Dug Pinnick, Greg Chaisson, Jimmy Wallace, Mike Mangini, review, Rob Lamothe, rock, Zander Lamothe
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Album review : TRANSWORLD IDENTITY – Seven Worlds
Frontiers [Release date 17.3.23] Transworld Identity is a breath of fresh air. Vocalist Mila Bosa previously fronted a hard rock covers band, inevitably moving onto original material with her own band, T-ID. Hard to tell just how long they’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Abba, album, AOR, Frontiers, Hanoi Rocks, melodic rock, Mila Bosa, Nightwish, pop, review, Ryan Roxie
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Album review : GUNTER WERNO – Anima One
Frontiers [Release date: 10.03.23] Like last month’s All My Shadows, Gunter Werno’s Anima One is yet another offshoot grown from the fertile ground that bred Prog Metal giants, Vanden Plas. While All My Shadows saw VP’s prime movers, Stephan Lill … Continue reading
Album review: THE BANISHMENT – Machine And Bone
Frontiers [Release date 10.03.23] From Dokken and Lynch Mob to End Machine, KXM and more, George Lynch has been on quite some rock’n’roll journey. And is still. He and his new world bandmates, Producer/Mixer/Writer, Joe Haze and vocalist, Devix AKA … Continue reading
Album review : DEMONS DOWN – I Stand
Frontiers [Release date: 10.03.23] Here’s an interesting band. Demons Down combine the legacy Melodic Rock of House Of Lords (and others) … Jimi Bell, Ken Mary and Chuck Wright, with today’s rising stars in the shape of Chilean vocalist, James … Continue reading
Album review: KEN HENSLEY – Past And Present (Songs In Time Anthology, 1972-2021, 6 CD set)
Cherry Red [Release date: 27.02.23] The late Ken Hensley had been steadily accumulating cultural stock since 1970. His ability to write poetic, melodic rock’n’roll is well known in the music industry worldwide. His reputation grew exponentially as he converted that … Continue reading
