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Album review: ROBERT REED – Sanctuary IV
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Album review: LAURENCE JONES – On My Own
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Album review : FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS – You Were Made For Me, The Complete Recordings, 1963-70
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Album review: PHIL THORNALLEY – Stacked
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Album review: AMY HOPWOOD – Gone to Flowers
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Album review: SEAN TAYLOR – First Light
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Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS
Album review: DIO – The Studio Albums 1996–2004
BMG [Release date 22.09.23] Ronnie James Dio’s eponymous band have quite a legacy, released a long string of solid and well received metal albums, from their formation in 1982 (following Dio’s departure from Black Sabbath) until his death in 2010. … Continue reading
Album review : SHAKE THAT THING ! The Blues In Britain 1963-73
Cherry Red [Release date 22.09.23] Without the blues, there would be no rock’n’roll. That’s the history. This 73 track, 3 CD package is an extensive collection of recordings by British bands and solo artists, all heavily influenced by American Blues. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 1963, 1973, Alex Harvey, Alexis Korner, Bert Jansch, blues, boxset, Britain, Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac, Gene Vincent, Humble Pie, Jethro Tull, John Martyn, John Mayall, John McAuley, Judy Dyble, Leadbelly, Lindsay Buckingham, Long John Baldry, Mungo Jerry, Pete Green, review, Robert Johnson, Rory Gallagher, Savoy Brown, TASTE, Ten Years After, The Animals, The Climax Chicago Blues Band, Trader Horne
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Album review: UNCLE FRANK – Diablo
Last Man Media [Release date 06.10.23] Uncle Frank were formed in 2003 by Fun Lovin’ Criminals’ drummer (and vocalist with Uncle Frank) Frank Benbini and guitarist Naim Cortazzi and ‘Diablo’ is the band’s fourth album. They are joined by Darryl … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Diablo, Fun Lovin' Criminals, funk, pop rock, review, rock, soul, Uncle Frank
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Album review : BONFIRE – MMMXXIII
AFM [Release date : 22.09.23] MMMXXIII is a suite of three albums re-recorded by German Rock giants, Bonfire. The band’s continued popularity and success through the decades confounds critics, of the genre at least, if not the band. That of … Continue reading
Album review: STEVE HACKETT – Foxtrot At Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live In Brighton
David Randall chatted to Steve Hackett in September 2023 as part of the GRTR!@20 promotion when Steve was the September “Grotto of Greatness” inductee. This is an edited version of the radio show that will be broadcast in its entirety … Continue reading
Album review: RENAISSANCE – The Legacy Tour 2022
Symphonic Rock Recordings [Release date 15.08.23] Back in 2015 we saw Renaissance performing at a small venue in North-West England, The Citadel, which remains something of a mecca for prog bands. Since that time they have played several tours in … Continue reading
Album review: ROBIN TROWER Featuring SARI SCHORR – Joyful Sky
Pete Feenstra chatted to Robin Trower for his show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. First broadcast 30 June 2024. Provogue Records [Release date 27.10.23] The Robin Trower and Sari Schorr pairing looks great on paper, while in real time it’s … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged album, blues, Davey Pattison, grooves, guitar, interview, Jack Bruce, James Dewar, Jimi Hendrix, Joyful Sky, Maxie Priest, Peter Green, Procol Harum, review, Robin Trower, rock, Sari Schorr, tone
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Album review : RONNIE ROMERO – Too Many Lies Too Many Masters
Frontiers [release date : 15.09.23] Ronnie Romero’s third “solo” album is delivered by a pretty cool hard rock trio rounded out by guitarist Jose Rubio and drummer, Andy C. The label make a point of telling us that this is … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Andy C, Delta blues, hard rock, Jose Rubio, review, Ronnie Romero
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Album review : SEVENTH WONDER – Become, Waiting In The Wings, Mercy Falls, Great Escape
Frontiers [Release date : 15.09.23] Unsurprisingly, after the commercial and critical success of Seventh Wonder’s most recent album, The Testament, released May 2022, the band’s previous, much lower profile albums have been given a new lease of life. Frontiers Music … Continue reading
Album review: PARDON THE INTERRUPTION – Hot N’ Fresh
ptimusic.com [Release date 14.04.23] It would be easier, some months following release, to pass over this album and regret a missed review opportunity. But not here at GRTR! The truth is that this album may have provided a soundtrack at … Continue reading
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Tagged album, funk, Hot N' Fresh, Pardon The Interruption, pop rock, review
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Album review: HEADCAT – Reissues
Walk The Walk …Talk The Talk, Live In Berlin, Dreamcatcher BMG [Release date 15.09.23] Motorhead did not play rock ’n’ roll, but The Head Cat certainly did. Bassist/vocalist Lemmy’s side project, with drummer Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) and … Continue reading
Album review : JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR – Metal Generation 1985-2017
Cherry Red [release date 08/09/23] It seems like Jack Starr’s bands have been playing gigs and cranking out albums ever since Heavy Metal became a thing. And yet, from his beginnings with Virgin Steele in 1982, to his primary music … Continue reading
Album review: ALBANY DOWN – Born In The Ashes
AD Recordings [Release date: 01.09.23] Back after too long away and with a changed band membership, Paul Turley’s Albany Down hit the racks with a fourth album, ‘Born In The Ashes’. And very fine it is … Continue reading
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Tagged Albany Down, band, blues, Born in the Ashes, hard rock, review, rock
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Album review: LAURENCE JONES – Bad Luck & The Blues
Pete Feenstra chatted to Laurence Jones for his show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. First broadcast 17 September 2023. Marshall Records [Release date 25.08.23] ‘Bad Luck & The Blues’ is Laurence Jones’s ninth release in all and it’s a cracking hard … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged album, Ash Sheehan, Bad Luck & The Blues, Chris Sheldon, Deep Purple, funk, Gary Moore, grunge, guitar, interview, Jack Timmis, Jimi Hendrix, Laurence Jones, power trio, radio, review, Robin Trower, rock
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Album review: TEMPT – Tempt
Better Noise Music [Release date 25.08.23] Tempt’s website states they are “rock music for the modern age.” To date they have supported the likes of Bon Jovi, Shinedown and Iron Maiden, plus released a number of well received covers and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, debut, Def Leppard, hard rock, melodic rock, modern rock, review, rock, Tempt
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Album review: SAM MILLAR – More Cheese Please
Bandcamp [Release date 01.09.23] Sam Millar is the epitome of an artist determined to get their music out there despite setbacks. Previously a member of the highly touted Big Foot, who split just as they were about to reap the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 80's rock, album, AOR, Big Foot, melodic rock, More Cheese Please, review, rock, Sam Millar, Sass Bandits
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Album review: DBA – Celestial Songs
Cherry Red Records [Release date : 08.09.23] Right from the Downes Braide Association’s (DBA) first album (this is their fifth), the duo sounded like they’d been round the block a few times. Like they’d done things we couldn’t, seen things … Continue reading
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Album review: TRANCEND – Lilac
www.trancend.band [Release date 07.08.23] No matter what you might say, some good things did come out of Lockdown. And whilst you scratch your head let me give you one positive: Trancend. The musicians behind this album (the three Maurus brothers) … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, art rock, Lilac, prog, Progressive Rock, review, TrancEnd, trip hop
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Album review: HANFORD FLYOVER – Source
Fruits de Mer Records [Release date 11.10.23] We first came across Hanford Flyover on a sampler from the Fruits de Mer label who specialise in psych, prog and anything slightly leftfield. Much of the label output harks back to the … Continue reading
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Tagged album, electronica, folk, Hanford Flyover, prog, Progressive Rock, psych, psychedelic, review, Source
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Album review: IAN SHAW – Greek Street Friday
Silent Wish [Release date 20.10.23] With previous album titles such as ‘In A New York Minute’, ‘Soho Stories, ‘A Ghost In Every Bar’ and the new ‘Greek Street Friday’ it’s tempting to regard vocalist Ian Shaw’s oeuvre as akin to … Continue reading
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Tagged album, funk, Greek Street Friday, Guy Bellamy, Ian Shaw, Jamie Safir, jazz, Mark Murphy, Randy Newman, review, Rickie Lee Jones, singer, songwriter, soul, Steely Dan, vocal
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Album review : DEACON BLUE – All The Old 45s, The Very Best Of Deacon Blue
Cooking Vinyl [Release date : 01.09.23] 1987, and the critics said they wouldn’t last, and here we are, 36 years later, and Deacon Blue are releasing… wait for it… a 41 track, double CD album titled All The Old 45s … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 2CDs, album, blues, Dougie Vipond, Glasgow, Hits, James Prime, Lorraine McIntosh, pop, review, Ricky Ross, rock
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Album review: NINEBARROW – The Colour of Night
Website [Release date 01.09.23] Ninebarrow, Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere, are at the forefront of folk artists building their own musical community. In this case Ninebarrow have the ‘Barrow Bods’, which helps them spread the word about their marvellous music, along with … Continue reading
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Tagged album, folk, Jay LaBouchardiere, Jon Whitley, melodic, Ninebarrow, review, The Colour of Night, traditional
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Album review: SKINDRED – Smile
Earache Records [Release date 04.11.23] This reviewer knew Skindred by name but never really listened to them (more fool me!) until hearing ‘Gimme That Boom’ on a new arrivals playlist on a streaming service. Then off down to HMV to … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Benji Webbe, melodic, metal, pop rock, punk, ragga metal, rap, review, Skindred, Smile
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Album review : OLIVER / DAWSON SAXON – Screaming Eagles – The Complete Works (6 CD boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date: 25.08.23] CD1 : Motorbiker (studio album 2012) CD2 : ReLanded (Live 2000) CD3 : It’s Alive Pt 1 (2003) CD4 : It’s Alive pt2 (2003) CD5 : Victim You (Son Of A Bitch, pre OD studio … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged 6 CD boxset, album, Bill Byford, boxset, Graham Oliver, heavy metal, NWOBHM, old school metal, Oliver Dawson Saxon, review, Screaming Eagles - The Complete Works, Steve Dawson
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Album review: PROMETHIUM – Bleeding The Ghost
Load 4 Records [Release date 15.09.23] Post-pandemic has seen a lot of bands undergo line-up changes, and in some cases calling it a day, as musicians re-evaluate what they want to do and achieve musically. Promethium are one such band … Continue reading
