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Upcoming: New releases (CD/DVD/Bluray) 2026
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Upcoming: UK & Ireland Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2025)
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Upcoming: UK & Ireland Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
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Upcoming: European, USA & World Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2025)
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Upcoming: European, USA & World Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
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Latest Album Reviews
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Album review: BEYOND THE BLACK – Break the Silence
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News: Albums of the Month (October-December 2025)
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Album review: MIDNITE CITY- Bite The Bullet
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Album review: CHARLOTTE SMITH & DAVID CLIFTON – The Tree In The Wood
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Album review: JUDIE TZUKE – Now Or Never
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Album review: SPOCK’S BEARD – The Archaeoptimist
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Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: STEVE OVERLAND AND JIM KIRKPATRICK- The Weir, Brentford, Middlesex, 9 December 2025
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Gig review: JOHN OTWAY – Face Bar, Reading, Thursday 11 December 2025
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Gig review: CURVED AIR – The Sub Rooms, Stroud, 20 November 2025
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Gig review: MARTIN BARRE & FRIENDS – Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, 18 November 2025
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Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS
Album review: AXEL RUDI PELL – Ballads V
Steamhammer/SPV [Release date 21.04.17] Axel Rudi Pell has been releasing these ballads collections since 1993 and it was six years since ‘IV’ was released. Always a good mix of previously released material, covers and few new songs, ‘V’ is no … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Axel Rudi Pell, Ballads V, Bonnie Tyler, Ed Sheeran, Hardline, Johnny Gioeli, melodic, review, rock, SPV
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Album review: BITERS – The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be
Earache Records [Release date 19.05.17] The Biters released their debut album ‘Electric Blood’ in 2015 and I was impressed, although the album did tail off with a few filler tunes. Biters are back with album number two and they have … Continue reading
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Tagged 70's rock, album, Biters, glam, hard rock, review, rock, Slade, T.Rex, the Future Ain't What It Used To Be
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Album review: QUINN SULLIVAN – Midnight Highway
Provogue [Release date 24.03.17] Best known as Buddy Guy’s protégé, 17 year old Quinn Sullivan’s third album ‘Midnight Highway’ takes a major step up in carving out his own niche in the crossover blues rock-world He’s got the chops, he’s … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Allman Brothers, blues, Buddy Guy, electro, funk, George Harrison, guitar, Jerry Garcia, Midnight Highway, Quinn Sullivan, review, Tom Hambridge
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Album review: LONELY ROBOT – The Big Dream
Inside Out Music [Release date 28.04.17] After a two year wait we get the second part of the trilogy from Lonely Robot, aka John Mitchell (Frost*/Arena/It Bites). He again plays all instruments bar the drums, played by the ever reliable Craig … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017
Tagged album, Craig Blundell, Frost*, John Mitchell, Kim Seviour, Lonely Robot, melodic, prog, Progressive Rock, review, rock, the Big Dream
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Quick plays: MICHAEL KIWANUKA, THE DAWN BROTHERS
MICHAEL KIWANUKA Love And Hate Since my son and I are “live on Sky” football junkies, my dear lady busies herself with her own TV series and was bowled over by the opening soundtrack to “Big Little Lies” which happens to … Continue reading
Album review: THE MARK LANEGAN BAND – Gargoyle
[Release date 28.04.17] Not being hugely familiar with Mark Lanegan’s previous output, I was able to spin this album with neither pre-conception nor expectation…and pretty impressed I was too. Straddling between the truism that “you can only objectively critique that … Continue reading
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Tagged album, alternative, Gargoyle, Mark Lanegan, review, rock, Screaming Trees, the Mark Lanegan Band
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Album review: ONE DESIRE- s/t
Frontiers Records [Release Date 24.03.17] The latest in a seemingly endless line of melodic rock talent from Scandinavia, a real buzz is building around One Desire, a new name but boasting former Sturm and Drang singer and guitarist Andre Linman. … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Andre Linman, Erik Martensson, melodic rock, One Desire, review
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Album review: KINKY WIZZARDS – Quirky Musings
White Knight Records [Release date 31.03.17] In recent years we’ve enjoyed several artists or bands who have purveyed an infectious brand of instrumental-based prog rock, inspired by jazz fusion or just plain inspired. Amongst them the likes of Norway’s Pymlico … Continue reading
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Tagged album, funk, fusion, instrumental, Jazz rock, Kinky Wizzards, Quirky Musings, review
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Album review: MIKE + THE MECHANICS – Let Me Fly
BMG [Release date 07.04.17] When Mike + The Mechanics played live recently – ostensibly to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Word Of Mouth – it was clearly evident they were also promoting a new album; taking pre-release orders in the … Continue reading
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Album review: DEBORAH BONHAM – Reissues (Looking Back At The Moon/Spirit)
Deborah Bonham chatted to David Randall in March 2015, discussing her career and with tracks from several albums. Plus she chose some of the tracks that have influenced her over the years. Sound Discs [Release date 28.04.17] When I chatted … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
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Album review: ECLIPSE- Monumentum
Frontiers [Release Date 24.03.17] He may be the most prolific, in demand writer and producer on the melodic rock scene, but no-one could accuse Erik Martensson of neglecting his day job as lead singer and guitarist with Eclipse. Two years … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017
Tagged album, Eclipse, Erik Martensson, Magnus Henriksson, melodic rock, Monumentum, review
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Album review: WILKO JOHNSON – I Keep it to Myself – The Best Of Wilko Johnson
Chess [Release date: 10.03.17] A new Wilko Johnson best of. What’s not to like? Well, despite the strength of the material, even a die-hard fan such as myself might legitimately ask whether this new collection adds anything significant to the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS
Tagged album, best of, Dr Feelgood, Dylan Howe, Keep it to Myself, Norman Watt-Roy, review, Wilko Johnson
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Album review: JESSICA LEE MORGAN – Around The Block
[Release date 16.06.17] Another ‘next generation’ release – this time from the daughter of Mary Hopkin and Tony Visconti. I’ve yet to be convinced of the merits of following in the family footsteps’, although it has to be said Lisa … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Around The Block, Bowie, Holy Holy, Jessica Lee Morgan, Mary Hopkin, review, rocvk, singer, songwriter, Tony Visconti
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Album review: MAGENTA – We Are Legend
In June 2012 Rob Reed chatted with David Randall for his weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio when the current Magenta album was ‘Chameleon’. He was also poised to release the major project ‘Kompendium’. They covered Magenta, the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview, The Best of 2017
Tagged album, interview, Magenta, prog, Progressive Rock, review, Rob Reed, We Are Legend
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Album review: LITTLE RIVER BAND – The Big Box (6 Disc incl DVD)
The Store For Music [Release date 28.04.17] The only problem with this welcome 5-CD/DVD boxed set is repetition. In more recent years Little River Band have seemingly sought to reinvent their past with not a lot of new material. (Some … Continue reading
Album review: ROBBY KRIEGER – In Session
Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra [Release date 24.02.17] Like the Cleopatra release before it by Joe Lynn Turner “In Session” collects together some of Robby Krieger’s session work over the years. The Doors guitarist was always a master of restraint in terms of … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Billy Sherwood, Geoff Downes, guitar, guitaris, In Session, Jackson Browne, John Wetton, Nik Turner, review, Robby Krieger, rock, Rod Argent, THE DOORS, Tommy Shaw, Tony Kaye
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Album review: BLUES IMAGE feat. MIKE PINERA – Timeless
Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra [Release date 31.03.17) Perhaps best known for his stint in Blues Image, Mike Pinera was also for a time a member of seminal heavy metallers Iron Butterfly. Unsurprisingly, a version of the classic ‘In A Gadda Da Vida’ … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Blues Image, Duane Hitchings, hard rock, Iron Butterfly, Jonathan Cain, melodic, Mike Pinera, Pat Travers, review, Timeless
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Album review: AS LIONS – Selfish Age
Better Noise [Release date 20.01.17] We first heard As Lions when they released a four track EP featuring tracks from their forthcoming debut album. Immediately, as with the opener here ‘Aftermath’, you knew this was something special. Strong on melody, … Continue reading
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Tagged album, alternative, As Lions, Austin Dickinson, electro, pop, review, Rise To Remain, rock, Selfish Age
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Album review: PAUL MENEL AND THE ESSENTIALS – Spare Parts For Broken Hearts
www.paulmenelessentials.co.uk [Release date 14.02.17] Paul Menel will be known to many prog rock fans as the lead singer with IQ between 1985 and 1990. However, since then and on this album in particular, he takes a few prog leanings and … Continue reading
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Tagged album, IQ, Paul Menel, Paul Menel and the Essentials, pop, prog, review, rock, Spare Parts For Broken Hearts
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Album review: PROCOL HARUM – Novum
Eagle Records [Release date 21.04.17] What do you think of when you hear the words “Procol Harum”? “Whiter Shade Of Pale”? Symphonic rock, maybe? Robin Trower was in an early incarnation? Perhaps this demonstrates the band’s eclectism over 50 years … Continue reading
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Tagged album, blues, Gary Brooker, Geoff Whitehorn, jazz, Novum, Procol Harum, progressive, review, rock
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Album review: HOUSE OF LORDS – Saint Of The Lost Souls
Frontiers [Release date 24.03.17] House Of Lords return with their eleventh studio album and a new bassist, Chris Tristram, who replaces the departing Chris McCarvill, who has been in the band since 2005. The other thing to note is that … Continue reading
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Tagged album, hard rock, House of Lords, James Christian, melodic, melodic rock, review, Robin Beck, rock, Saint Of The Lost Souls
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Album review: NIGHT RANGER – Don’t Let Up
Frontiers [Release date 24.03.17] Night Ranger, unlike many of their fellow 80′s melodic hard rock bands, have been consistently releasing new music and of a high quality. In fact for me they are one of the few bands who I … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Brad Gillis, Don't Let Up, Frontiers, Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy, melodic, Night Ranger, review, rock
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Album review: C-SIDES – We Are Now
White Knight Records [Release date: 14.03.17] Back in the day there was a TV comedy series called ‘Never Mind The Quality, Feel The Width’ and it’s a maxim that applies to so much of what passes for progressive rock these … Continue reading
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Tagged album, C-Sides, Magenta, Progressive Rock, review, Rob Reed, We Are Now
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Album review: COLIN HARPER – Titanium Flag (Remastered & Expanded Edition)
Market Square Records [Release date 24.04.17] The sad thing about this album is that most punters will be drawn in primarily by Track 3 which features legendary Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman. In fairness, back in 2010 when this was released … Continue reading
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Tagged acoustic, album, ambient, Andy Roberts, Colin Harper, Cormac O'Kane, Focus, folk, instrumental, Jan Akkerman, jazz, Liverpool Scene, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Phil Shiva Jones, Premik Russell Tubbs, Quintessence, review, Titanium Flag
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Album review: ALBERT HAMMOND – In Symphony
BMG Rights Management [Release date 16.06.17] Albert Hammond’s ‘In Symphony’ is an impressive reminder of the durability of orchestral pop. It’s a glance back to the late 60′s, when seamlessly orchestrated melodic pop was given precedence by the likes of … Continue reading
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Tagged Albert Hammond, album, Boston Pops Orchestra, Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach, George Martin, Henry Mancini, In Symphony, John Barry, London Voice Choir, Lounge Music, Manuel Ponce, orchestra, Ork-Pop, review, Richard Harris, Rob Mathes, Scott Walker, singr, songwriter, The London Session Orchestra, The Trinity School Boys Choir
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