Monday 28 March 2011

Electric Boys - And Them Boys Done Swang



Genre - Hard Rock / Funk / Psychadelic Rock
Label -Supernova, JVC (Victor Entertainment), Universal

Tracklist:
01. Reeferlord
02. My Heart's Not For Sale
03. Father Popcorn's Magic Oysters
04. Angel In An Armoured Suit
05. Ten Thousand Times Goodbye
06. The House Is Rockin'
07. Welcome To The High Times
08. Sometimes U Gotta Go Look For The Car
09. Put Your Arms Around Me
10. The Day The Gypsies Came To Town
11. Rollin' Down The Road
12. A Mother Of A Love Story
13. Chickalicious (Japanese Bonus Track)
14. Down On Shakin' Street (Japanese Bonus Track)
15. Nowhere To Go But Up (Japanese Bonus Track)

Sweden’s Electric Boys were one of the first and most celebrated purveyors of the short-lived funk metal phenomenon of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Led by charismatic singer and guitarist Conny Bloom and with a splash of beatle-esque pop-psychedelia, the quartet garnered rave reviews and built an impressive following in Europe & America. Their creative juices were also quickly spent, causing the band to disintegrate into obscurity after only three albums. Guess what? They’re back!! By God they’re back with an album stocked full to the brim of future Electric Boys classics on the making. The band is tight and well-oiled, and they do swing! The songs as always are of the highest standard, hey Conny kept himself busy during the bands down time, touring with Ginger (Wildhearts) band SilverGinger5, Gingers solo band, writing recording and touring with Hanoi Rocks as well as producing his own solo material! There's not a bad track on this album, and long term fans of the band should love it! Favorite tracks for me tend to include the rockier tracks like, Reeferlord, The House Is Rockin, My Heart’s Not For Sale, and Welcome To The High Times, although softer tracks like Ten Thousand Times Goodbye, have a special magic all of their own. A great band and a fine comeback album, well worth checking out!

Website - Electric Boys
Rating - 10/10



IRON MAIDEN To Release From Fear To Eternity - The Best Of 1990 - 2010



Genre - Heavy Metal / NWoBHM
Label - EMI

Track listing –
Disc 1:
01 - 'The Wicker Man'
02 - 'Holy Smoke'
03 - 'El Dorado'
04 - 'Paschendale'
05 - 'Different World'
06 - 'Man On The Edge' (Live)
07 - 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'
08 - 'Blood Brothers'
09 - 'Rainmaker'
10 - 'Sign Of The Cross' (Live)
11 - 'Brave New World'
12 - 'Fear Of The Dark' (Live)

Disc 2:
01 - 'Be Quick Or Be Dead'
02 - 'Tailgunner'
03 - 'No More Lies'
04 - 'Coming Home'
05 - 'The Clansman' (Live)
06 - 'For The Greater Good of God'
07 - 'These Colours Don't Run)'
08 - 'Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter'
09 - 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers'
10 - 'Dance Of Death'
11 - 'When The Wild Wind Blows
'
“From Fear To Eternity is a chance for these new fans of the band to explore Iron Maiden's rich history, with the highlights of their last eight studio albums distilled into this handy collection, which follows 2009's compilation of their earlier work, the 1980-1990 Somewhere Back In Time album.”
This a fine track list here on these two discs, and you always no you get quality with Iron Maiden, with many of my favorite tracks from the last eight albums being included, but I do have one gripe. I wish that they would have either of included the original studio versions of the live tracks, which tend to be the ones that originally featured Bruce Dickinson’s short term replacement Blaze Bayley on vocals, or even better still, get Bruce to re-record the vocals for the said tracks, as I find that the sudden appearance of a live track kind of spoils the flow and feel of the cd for me.
But that gripe to one side, and this collection is a great set, and a fine place for new fans to introduce themselves and get acquainted with the last few years of Maiden history, it also had me digging out my Iron Maiden Cds and giving them a good run through!


website - Iron Maiden

rating - 8/10

Terrorvision - Super Delux



Genre - Rock / Pop / Metal / BritRock
Label - Total Vegas Recordings

Track Listing
01. Demolition Song
02. Hold Tight
03. Neighbourhood
04. Pushover
05. This Is Suicide
06. Babylon
07. All the Girls Wanna Dance
08. Friend in Need
09. Rock Radio
10. Shiny Things
11. Run & Hide

After a 10 year absence from the recording studio, Terrorvision return with a new studio album, and I’m glad to say, it’s a true return to form with the band going back to what bought them to the dance in the first place.
This album contains all the pop bounce and northern whit that made albums like How To Make Friends And Influence People and Regular Urban Survivors so great. These guys just haven’t lost their touch.
The energy is still there and so is the song writting quality, and songs like Demolition Song, Pushover, This Is Suicide, All Girls Wanna Dance (a sucessor to Oblivion?), Friend In Need and Babylon are welcome additions to the Terrorvision arsenal.
This is great album and great reminder of days gone by, now all we need is Ginger to get The Wildhearts back together along with a 3 Colours Red and Honeycrack reunion and we can have the 2nd coming of Britrock!
Viva la revolution!

Website – Terrorvision Rating - 10/10

Joe Bonamassa - Dust Bowl



Genre - Blues / Rock
Label -

Track listing -

01. Slow Train
02. Dust Bowl
03. Tennessee Plates (featuring John Hiatt and Vince Gill)
04. The Meaning of the Blues
05. Black Lung Heartache
06. You Better Watch Yourself
07. The Last Matador of Bayonne
08. Heartbreaker (feat. Glenn Hughes)
09. No Love on the Street
10. The Whale that Swallowed Jonah
11. Sweet Rowena (feat. Vince Gill)
12. Prisoner



Joe Bonamassa is an American blues guitarist who regularly wins awards in guitar magazines and has been praised by BB King, and lead guitarist for the Super group of 2010, Black Country Communion. But beyond all of this, Joe is an established solo artist in his own right, with Dust Bowl being his 12th solo album to date.
There is just simply no questioning this man’s talent, his guitar cries, sings and wails, the emotion it purveys is phenomenal!
Joe is also one hell of a song writer too! This album is filled with modern day blues classics, from the opener, Slow Train to title track Dust Bowl, upon which Joe shoes a enough restraint to really build an atmosphere when the licks he plays. Another excellent song, which I find myself listening to over and over again is The Meaning of The Blues, a truly great song!
This is also full of surprises too, with Black Lung Heartache having a southern almost Celtic folk feel to it in place.
Joes Black Country Communion cohort, Glenn Hughes, puts in a brief appearance on Heartbreaker, another excellent song added to Joe’s cannon.
This album is probably THE blues rock album of 2011, it really is that good, and you really should check it out!

website - Joe Bonamassa
Rating 10/10

Friday 25 March 2011

Queen - Deep Cuts Volume 1 [1973-1976]




Genre - Classic Rock / Hard rock / Glam / Pop
Label - Island records

Tracklist:
01 – Ogre Battle
02 – Stone Cold Crazy
03 – My Fairy King
04 – I’m In Love With My Car
05 – Keep Yourself Alive
06 – Long Away
07 – The Millionaire Waltz
08 – ’39
09 – Tenement Funster
10 – Flick Of The Wrist
11 – Lily Of The Valley
12 – Good Company
13 – The March Of The Black Queen
14 – In The Lap Of The Gods…Revisited

"Queen release the album'Deep Cuts Volume One 1973-1976'on March 14th 2011, a bespoke collection of hidden gems from the band's first five albums, specially chosen by Roger Taylor and Brian May in consultation with life-long fan, Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters.

'Deep Cuts Volume One' is designed as a companion piece to the first five Queen albums which are being re-issued by Island Records on March 14th as part of the bands 40th anniversary celebrations.

Designed to dig a little deeper than their multi-million selling 'Greatest Hits' compilations ('Greatest Hits', by the way, is officially the biggest selling British album of all time with sales of an incredible 5.7 million copies so far in the UK alone), 'Deep Cuts Volume One 1973-1976' showcases a less well-known side of the early Queen story and reveals some brilliant tracks to listeners looking to delve into the band's founding years' work for the first time.The first five Queen albums – Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races - are a testament not only to the band's skills as songwriters and musicians, but also to their determination to push the creative and technological envelopes to their absolute limits.

Challenging the traditional practises of the studios of the time, pioneering new methods of recording and refusing to use synthesisers, the band's unique sound was born out of their incredible individual talents and ingenuity. Breaking the mould with multiple vocal harmonies, multi-layered guitar harmonies, cross rhythms and multiple repeats, Queen would layer so many tracks onto recording tape as to render it literally translucent, their 15 hour studio sessions now the stuff of legend within the studio community.

For Queen, the studio was a place of boundless possibilities. From the raw energy and heavy rock of Queen I to the polished splendour of A Day At The Races, they continued to challenge and innovate. Listening to 'Deep Cuts' in the 21st century, you can hear how Queen revolutionised both rock music itself and the way rock music was made.

The booklet notes for 'Deeper Cuts' were especially commissioned by Roger Taylor and Brian May from comedy actor and writer Rhys Thomas, an unlikely but unquestionable Queen fan and expert. Thomas publicly showed his vast knowledge of the band appearing on the New Year special edition of Celebrity Mastermind where, answering questions of the subject of his favourite band, Queen, he achieved the distinction of scoring the highest number of correct answers in the history of the television series."

The track listing is amazing, and this album is a great way for a fan to see if they want to invest in the rereleases of the bands first five albums, but to me its stands as a great compilation of the bands formative years!

website - Queen
Rating - 10/10

Queen - A Day At The Races (2011 Remaster)


Genre - Classic Rock / Hard Rock / Glam / Pop
Label - Island Records
Tracklist:
01 – Tie Your Mother Down
02 – You Take My Breath Away
03 – Long Away
04 – The Millionaire Waltz
05 – You And I
06 – Somebody To Love
07 – White Man
08 – Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
09 – Drowse
10 – Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)

Bonus CD:
01 – Tie Your Mother Down (Backing Track Mix 2011)
02 – Somebody To Love (Live At Milton Keynes Bowl, June 1982)
03 – You Take My Breath Away (Live In Hyde Park, September 1976)
04 – Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (Top Of The Pops, July 1977) (Mono)
05 – Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (HD Mix)

A Day At The Races was originally intended to be released together with A Night At The Opera as a double album, but the band decided to release them as two separate albums, and in my opinion A Day At The Races is often overlooked by many rock fans despite containing some real gems like Tie Your Mother Down, Somebody To Love, the sublime You Take My Breath Away, which see’s Freddie Mercury in absolutely great form vocally, Long Away and Teo Torriatte, some of Queens finest songs.
Again the re-mastering is excellent.
The bonus disc offers up some interesting tracks but I would have loved to have seen some demos included here.

A great album

Website - Queen
Rating - 9/10

Queen - A Night at The Opera (2011 Remaster)



Genre - Classic Rock / Hard Rock / Pop / Glam
Label - Island Records

Tracklist:
01 – Death On Two Legs
02 – Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon
03 – I’m In Love With My Car
04 – You’re My Best Friend
05 – ’39
06 – Sweet Lady
07 – Seaside Rendezvous
08 – The Prophet’s Song
09 – Love Of My Life
10 – Good Company
11 – Bohemian Rhapsody
12 – God Save The Queen

Bonus CD:
01 – Keep Yourself Alive (Long-Lost Retake, June 75)
02 – Bohemian Rhapsody (Operatic Section A cappella Mix 2011)
03 – You’re My Best Friend (Backing Track Mix 2011)
04 – I’m In Love With My car (Guitar & Vocal Mix 2011)
05 – ’39 (Live at Earls Court, June 77)
06 – Love Of My Life (South American Live Single June 79)

A Night At The Opera, Queens Tour d’ Force, featuring the venomous Death On Two Legs, Rocking I’m In Love With My Car, the pop classic You’re My Best Friend, the epic Prophets Song, The mighty operatic Bohemian Rhapsody to name but a few. What an album, a true masterpiece!
Again the re-mastering adds new life and dimensions to these classic tracks making hearing them again a purely pleasurable experience.
The bonus tracks are different, but not amazing, but still add a little to the sheer might of this awesome album!
Every self respecting rock and pop fan should own this album, it’s the album that made Queen household names around the globe with Bohemian Rhapsody breaking chart records everywhere!
You need to own this album, simplez!

Website - Queen
Rating - 10/10

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (2011 Remaster)




Genre - Classic Rock / Hard Rock / Glam / Pop
Label - Island Records

Tracklist:
01 – Brighton Rock
02 – Killer Queen
03 – Tenement Funster
04 – Flick of the Wrist
05 – Lily of the Valley
06 – Now I’m Here
07 – In the Lap of the Gods
08 – Stone Cold Crazy
09 – Dear Friends
10 – Misfire
11 – Bring Back That Leroy Brown
12 – She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stilettos)
13 – In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited

Bonus CD:
01 – Now I’m Here (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, December 1975)
02 – Flick of the Wrist (BBC Session, October 1974)
03 – Tenement Funster (BBC Session, October 1974)
04 – Bring Back That Leroy Brown (A Cappella Mix 2011)
05 – In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited (Live At Wembley Stadium, July 1986)

Sheer Heart Attack gave Queen their first commercial chart success in the form of a brilliant little song about a high class hooker in Killer Queen. Sheer Heart Attack really does contain some gems, from the rocking likes of Brighton Rock, Now I’m Here and Stone Cold Crazy, to the pop genius of Killer Queen and Misfire, to the quirky but brilliant Tenement Funster, Flick Of The Wrist, Lap Of The Gods and Bring Back that Leroy Brown, in fact a great all round album!
Again the re-mastering really adds a new lease of life to these classics, enabling even hardened life loving Queen Fans like myself to hear things that they had never heard before within the tracks!
The bonus disc contains a few BBC session tracks from the era, could have possibly have included the stand alone versions of Flick Of The Wrist, Lily Of The Valley and Tenement Funster, and a few demos that are known to exist, but maybe they’ll be on the Anthology.
A great album

Website – Queen
Rating - 9/10

Queen - Queen II (2011 Remaster)




Genre - Classic Rock / Hard Rock / Pop / Glam
Label - Island Records

Tracklist:
01 – Procession
02 – Father to Son
03 – White Queen (As it Began)
04 – Some Day One Day
05 – The Loser in The End
06 – Ogre Battle
07 – The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke
08 – Nevermore
09 – The March of The Black Queen
10 – Funny How Love Is
11 – Seven Seas of Rhye

Bonus CD:
01 – See What a Fool I’ve Been (BBC Session, July 1973 – Remix 2011)
02 – White Queen (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, December 1975)
03 – Seven Seas of Rhye (Instrumental Mix 2011)
04 – Nevermore (BBC Session, April 1974)
05 – See What a Fool I’ve Been (B-Side Version, February 1974)

Queen II is quite possibly Queen's best ever album, simple!
Here it sounds even better with the likes of Ogre Battle, Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, Nevermore, March Of The Black Queen, White Queen and Father To Son really coming to life under the excellent 2011 re-mastering treatment that they have received.

The bonus disc here features a few real gems, Nevermore (BBC Session), See What A Fool I've Been, (BBC Session and its camper B-side version), but If I’m honest I'm sure they could have included a little more, at the very least the rest of the BBC session or some of the unfinished demos that they have in their archives. Oh well here’s to waiting for the anthology.

A great album and if you're unfamiliar with the Queen of this era, then this album is a great way to introduce yourself.

Website - Queen
Rating - 9/10

Queen - Queen 2011 Remaster


Genre - Rock / Hard Rock / Glam / Classic Rock
Label - Island Records

Tracklist:
01 – Keep Yourself Alive
02 – Doing Alright
03 – Great King Rat
04 – My Fairy King
05 – Liar
06 – The Night Comes Down
07 – Modern Times Rock’n'Roll
08 – Son and Daughter
09 – Jesus
10 – Seven Seas of Rhye…

Bonus CD:
01 – Keep Yourself Alive (De Lane Lea Demo, December 1971)
02 – The Night Comes Down (De Lane Lea Demo, December 1971)
03 – Great King Rat (De Lane Lea Demo, December 1971)
04 – Jesus (De Lane Lea Demo, December 1971)
05 – Liar (De Lane Lea Demo, December 1971)
06 – Mad The Swine (June 1972)

Queens mighty debut album gets the 2011 re-mastering treatment and yet another rerelease here, but to be honest I think they've done a great job. The new re-mastering leaves every note crystal clear, and really shows the original albums tracks in all their glory. Queen features some of my favorite Queen tracks, Liar, Great King Rat, Jesus, Son & Daughter to name but a few, and they sound even better now. For the uninitiated, Queens sound at this time had more in common with the power and pomp of the likes of Led Zepplin than the pop majesties that they later became known for, and the amazing thing is that despite the many sounds you here on this album they famously never used synphs!
The bonus disc is a little disappointing to be honest, yes it does include the often bootlegged but never officially released famous De Lane Lea Demo's, taken directly from Brian Mays own Acetate copy, and Mad The Swine, an outtake that first saw the light of day back in 1991 on the Hollywood records rerelease of this album, but I was hoping that a few other famous gems would get to see an official release like Silver Salmon, Polar Bear (Queens 1972 reworking of the Smile track), and the infamous Hangman, which also exists on acetate. They could have also included the relevant tracks recorded for BBC sessions.
On a whole though it’s still a great release and brings warm fond memories flooding back, and as for the missing demos. Well maybe we'll see them when they release the Anthology set they promised back in 2000 when they released the Freddie Mercury Box Set!

website - Queen
Rating - 9/10

Monday 21 March 2011

Eureka Machines - Champion The Underdog



Genre - Rock / Pop / Punk / Powerpop
Label - Wraith Records

Track listing -

01 - Champion The Underdog
02 - These Are The People Who Live In My House
03 - (I'm) Wasting My Time (Yet Again)
04 - Magnets
05 - Godot's Arrived
06 - Professional Crastinator
07 - Everything's Fine
08 - The Best Night Of My Life
09 -Beginning Of The End Of The World
10 - Zero Hero
11 - A Ballad To Finish

Chris Catalyst and the Guys of Eureka Machines Return with the follow up to 2008’s amazing debut, Do Or Die, with Champion The Under Dog.
Once again the lads have managed to attain power pop perfection, there just simply isn’t a bad track anywhere in sight on this cd.
Produced by Chris and Jase Edwards (Wolfsbane), and filled to the brim with eleven littler gems and sure to be future rock classics.
This album has it all, from the pure pop of These Are The People Who Live In My House, to the heart tugging ballad, A Ballad To Finish. Throw in there some nice pop / punk / rockers like Magnets and Professional Crastinator and you have a fantastic album,
You really can hear the bands influences here too, especially the Ginger / Wildhearts / Honeycrack / Willie Dowling / Queen (especially in the vocal harmonies), and this makes the songs seem even stronger.
If there is any justice in the world then this band would be huge, and here’s to hoping for that to happen!

Very highly recommended,check it out when its released on May 2nd!!

Catch the guys live on tour at one of the following dates –

Champion The Underdog tour:

Thursday 5 May 2011 - The Bittersuite, Preston
Friday 6 May 2011 - Retro Bar, Manchester
Saturday 7 May 2011 - The Belle Vue, Blackpool
Sunday 8 May 2011 - The Leopard, Doncaster
Wednesday 11 May 2011 - The Thunderbolt, Bristol (TBC)
Thursday 12 May 2011 - The Borderline, London (with The Dead Identities and Tecnoctitlan)
Friday 13 May 2011 - Wight Rock Bar, Isle of Wight
Saturday 14 May 2011 - The Mill Inn, Deal, Dover
Wednesday 18 May 2011 - Academy 2, Sheffield
Thursday 19 May 2011 - Stereo, York
Friday 20 May 2011 - The Lamp, Hull
Saturday 21 May 2011 - The Marrs Bar, Worcester
Sunday 22 May 2011 - The Asylum, Birmingham
Thursday 26 May 2011 - Black Flag, Wakefield (with UK Subs)
Friday 27 May 2011 - The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (with The Scaramanga Six, Black Moth and Circles)
Saturday 28 May 2011 - The Parish, Huddersfield (with The Scaramanga Six)
Sunday 29 May 2011 - The Maze, Nottingham
Thursday 2 June 2011 - The Hyem, Newcastle (with Supercharger
Friday 3 June 2011 - The Railway, Bolton
Saturday 4 June 2011 - Puzzle Hall, Sowerby Bridge
Sunday 5 June 2011 - BBC Introducing Raw Talent radio session
Saturday 2 July 2011 - Bladefest, Fleckney (with Goldblade)


website - Eureka Machines
Rating - 10/10

Michael Monroe – “Sensory Overdrive”




Genre - Hard Rock / Sleaze / Glam / Punk
Label - Spinefarm Records

Track listing -

01. Trick Of The Wrist
02. '78
03. Got Blood
04. Superpowered Superfly
05. Modern Day Miracle
06. Bombs Away
07. All You Need
08. Later Won't Wait
09. Gone Baby Gone
10. Center Of Your Heart
11. Debauchery As A Fine Art (featuring Lemmy)
12. Another Night In The Sun [bonus track]
13. You're Next [bonus track]


Pure Rock 'n' Roll with (punk) attitude! This album is awesome.
When Michael Monroe released the live album last year, Another Night In The Sun, I hoped that we would be in for something special, especially with a lineup featuring Ginger, Sami Yaffa, Steve Conte, Karl Rockfist and of course Mr. Monroe on lead vocals, and boy, this album doesn’t disappoint!
The sound comes across as a mix of later day Hanoi Rocks, Michael’s solo stuff and a little Demolition 23, all with a great pristine production, oh and of course some cracking songs!
Now let’s just say this and get this out of the way, Ginger has hi stamp throughout all of these songs, and must have been heavily involved in the songwriting, and thank god!
Later Won’t Wait could be a Ginger solo or even a Wildhearts track, the riff is just so familiar, and Uk bonus track, Another Night In The Sun, could have stepped right off of Warrior Souls Space Age Playboys album, great riff, great song.
This album is a contender for album of 2011, all the songs are great, the musicianship awesome (although could you expect anything less from this line up!), and well, it’s just a bloody fantastic album, simplez!
At the moment my favorite tracks include, Later Won’t Wait, Bombs Away, 78, Trick Of The Wrist, Modern Day Miracle, You're Next and Debauchery As A Fine Art, a song that is co written with Lemmy, and appeared in an earlier form as Motorheaded For A Fall on last year’s live album, Another Night In The Sun.
This is a great rock n roll album, go get a copy now, you won’t regret it!

Website - Michael MonroeRating - 10/10

Thursday 17 March 2011

Voodoo Johnson Announce April Tour

Eureka Machines announce new album details and tour!



Those poptastic rascals, The Eureka Machines have announced details of their new album and tour dates. So here in their own words are those details:
Well, it's about time we told you our plans for the rest of the year. We're putting out our new album, which we call Champion The Underdog, on May 2nd. It will be out through Wrath Records again, and it is the best thing that any of us have ever done. It will be preceded by a new single, another snappily monikered tune called (I'm) Wasting My Time (Yet Again). You may recognise it from the gigs as The One With The Uptown Girl Bit. We're filming a video for it at the moment and it's suitably amusing.

The tracklisting for the record is thus:

Champion The Underdog
These Are The People Who Live In My House
(I'm) Wasting My Time (Yet Again)
Magnets
Godot's Arrived
Professional Crastinator
Everything's Fine
The Best Night Of My Life
Beginning Of The End Of The World
Zero Hero
A Ballad To Finish

It was produced by Jase Edwards and Chris Catalyst and made across about six different studios at various times across the land. The cover artwork was shot by evil genius Tom Martin. Please, if it's the last thing you ever do for us, tell your friends, get people excited, spread the word, it would be a terrible shame if the past eighteen months of our hard labour was to disappear unnoticed.

We're doing some gigs so you can come and see us and maybe buy it and all that. Of course, it'll be available online before that, so keep checking back. The dates confirmed so far are:

Champion The Underdog tour:

Thursday 5 May 2011 - The Bittersuite, Preston
Friday 6 May 2011 - Retro Bar, Manchester
Saturday 7 May 2011 - The Belle Vue, Blackpool
Sunday 8 May 2011 - The Leopard, Doncaster
Wednesday 11 May 2011 - The Thunderbolt, Bristol (TBC)
Thursday 12 May 2011 - The Borderline, London (with The Dead Identities and Tecnoctitlan)
Friday 13 May 2011 - Wight Rock Bar, Isle of Wight
Saturday 14 May 2011 - The Mill Inn, Deal, Dover
Wednesday 18 May 2011 - Academy 2, Sheffield
Thursday 19 May 2011 - Stereo, York
Friday 20 May 2011 - The Lamp, Hull
Saturday 21 May 2011 - The Marrs Bar, Worcester
Sunday 22 May 2011 - The Asylum, Birmingham
Thursday 26 May 2011 - Black Flag, Wakefield (with UK Subs)
Friday 27 May 2011 - The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (with The Scaramanga Six, Black Moth and Circles)
Saturday 28 May 2011 - The Parish, Huddersfield (with The Scaramanga Six)
Sunday 29 May 2011 - The Maze, Nottingham
Thursday 2 June 2011 - The Hyem, Newcastle (with Supercharger
Friday 3 June 2011 - The Railway, Bolton
Saturday 4 June 2011 - Puzzle Hall, Sowerby Bridge
Sunday 5 June 2011 - BBC Introducing Raw Talent radio session
Saturday 2 July 2011 - Bladefest, Fleckney (with Goldblade)

Sunday 13 March 2011

Whitesnake - Forevermore




Genre - Classic Rock / Hard Rock / Cock Rock / Bluesy Rock
Label - Frontiers Records

Track Listing -
01. Steal Your Heart Away
02. All Out Of Luck
03. Love Will Set You Free
04. Easier Said Than Done
05. Tell Me How
06. I Need You (Shine A Light)
07. One Of These Days
08. Love And Treat Me Right
09. Dogs In The Street
10. Fare Thee Well
11. Whipping Boy Blues
12. My Evil Ways
13. Forevermore
14. Whipping Boy Blues (Swamp Mix)

Forevermore pucks up exactly where Good To Be Bad left off, whilst not quite as heavy, and slightly more melodic. The album finds messiah Coverdale in fine voice, sure his voice hasn't quite got the power it had in his heyday of the 80’s but Mr Coverdale knows how to work within his limitations and deliver a powerful soul lifting performance.
I’ve got to be honest, Forevermore could be the strongest album Mr Coverdale has put his name to in years. There’s not a weak track here, and there’s enough variety to satisfy the fns of all eras of Whitesnake’s illustrious past.
With Good To Be Bad, Whitesnake rediscovered their blues based rock roots, something that continues here on Forevermore.
The line up changes have continues, unfortunately, but importantly the guitarist line-up has remained unchanged, with Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach forming a formidable partnership, whose riff’s and solos, really drive this album along and bring it to life!
David Coverdale has really pulled out all the stops on this one. A great album from a legend!
Possibly one of the albums of 2011!

Website - Whitesnake
Rating 10/10

Falling Red - Hasta La Victoria Siempre



Genre - Hard Rock / Sleaze Rock / Punk / Glam
Label - Rocksector Records

Track listing -

01 - Come On Down
02 - My Little Vice
03 - The Last Kiss Goodbye
04 - Aint Down With The Rock (2011)


Hasta La Victoria Siempre is a new four track Ep for British Superstars in the making Falling Red.
Falling Red put the world to rights with the release of the phenomenal debut album last year, Shake The Faith, really putting British Glam and Sleaze rock back on the map with the album being credited as the most relevant album since Guns N Roses released Appetite For Destruction.
This Ep is a follow up release, to plus their new UK tour with label mates Velvet Star, and the European Tour with Hardcore Superstar.
The EP opens with a rabble rousing anthem in Come On Down, quickly followed by the sleazy little number, My Little Vice.
They follow these up with the power ballad, The Last Kiss Goodbye, a song Bon Jovi / Poison or Guns N Roses would kill for. It’s a great commercial song, with real heart, love it!
Rounding up this little Ep is Aint Down With The Rock, a song that has become a kind of anthem among Falling Red fans, a great calling card.
These guys obviously love what they do, and they do it very well!

A great little Ep very, very highly recommended!





Falling Red Tour Dates:
March 26 - ReSession, Workington (warm up show)
April 1 - The Brickyard, Carlisle (EP launch)
April 2 - Wildside, Nottingham
April 3 - Yardbirds, Grimsby
April 4 - Satan's Hollow, Manchester
April 5 - Snooty Fox, Wakefield
April 6 - The Dome, London
April 7 - Stereo, York
April 8 - Hyem, Newcastle
April 10 - Classic Grand, Glasgow
April 29 - Czech Republic (to be confirmed)
April 30 - Czech Republic (to be confirmed)
May 6 - Gasworks, Bradford
May 7 - O2 Academy, Newcastle
June 4 - Airfest, Chepstow

Website - Falling Red
Rating - 10/10

Velvet Star - In The Face Of Vanity



Genre - Classic Rock / Hard Rock / Punk rock
Label - Rocksector Records

Track listing -

01 - Revolver
02 - Rockstar/Superstar
03 - One Of Us
04 - Zero
05 - Easy
06 - Ego
07 - Give In To Me
08 - It Ain't Over
09 - Something About You
10 - 15 Minutes

British rockers Velvet Star unleash their debut on us in the form of In The Face Of Vanity, and what a strong album it is. Here is yet more proof that the UK has a vibrant and relevant music scene, with the likes of Velvet Star, Falling Red, Fury On, Voodoo Johnson, Eureka Machines, Jackdaw4, The Treatment, Fury UK, Super-Charger etc, things are really looking good for British music.
As I said this is a really strong debut album, filled with solid songs, and just the right mix of punk into the classic rock to give the band a contemporary sound. Stand out tracks include Revolver, Rockstar / Superstar, One Of Us, It Aint Over and 15 Minutes, but to be honest they’re all great.
Catch these guys live around the UK on tour with their label mates Falling red during April / May

Well worth checking out!

Website - Velvet Star
Rating - 9/10

Voodoo Circle - Broken Heart Syndrome



Genre - Classic Rock / Blues Rock / Hard Rock
Label - AFM Records

Track Listing -
01. No Solution Blues
02. King Of Your Dreams
03. Devil’s Daughter
04. This Could Be Paradise
05. Broken Heart Syndrome
06. When Destiny Calls
07. Blind Man
08. Heal My Pain
09. The Heaven’s Are Burnging
10. Don’t Take My Heart
11. I’m In Heaven
12. Wings Of Fury

By God this is great album!
Opener and title track, No Solution Blues, really sets the standard, quickly followed by the Kashmir esque King Of Dreams, which co incidentally features some guitar work that the master in black, one Richie Blackmore, would be proud of, and it’s a great song to boot!
Devils Daughter has a soulful blues feel to it, a true atmospheric master piece, again a great song!
Vocalist David Readman sounds like he could step into the shoes of any classic rock band’s lead singer, he has a Coverdale / Lande esque voice, yet its distinctive in its own way, never sounding like he's trying to mimic the greats.
All 12 songs her are of the highest quality, and performed to perfection!
If you’re a fan of classic rock with a bluesy edge, ala the likes of Dokken, Rainbow and Whitesnake, then you are sure to love this cd!

Very highly recommended!

Website - Voodoo CircleRating - 10/10

The Martinets - Comeback Tour



Genre - Pop / Punk / Rock / Indie
Label - Tornado Ride Recoreds

Tracklist:

01.COMEBACK TOUR
02.BACK TO NOWHERE
03.SHAKE IT LIKE A MAN
04.TELL YOUR FRIENDS
05.SHE’S A WHIRLPOOL
06.CAN’T…LET…GO
07.LEARNING ANNEX
08.I STAND CORRECTED
09.PAST PERFECT
10.SWEET LIFE
11.TAKING A LONG TIME
12.TOO MUCH
13.YOUR WAR
14.SO ROMANTIC
15.TOO PROUD TO CRAWL
16.WE GOT POSSESSION
17.HIDDEN BONUS TRACK

The Martinets return with their rd album in the form of Comeback Tour.
With a lineup of veterans including, Eamonn Bowles: vocals, guitars, Daniel Rey: guitars, Dave Rick: bass, Roger Murdock: drums, you'd expect a solid and strong record. Sound wise The Martinets have their roots firmly planted in the New York Club scene sound from the late 70's, Think New York Dolls, The Ramones, and Dead Kennedys etc. In fact Daniel Rey provides a strong link with the Ramones, having written and produced for them towards the end of their recording career, on albums such as Brain Drain, Mono Bizaro and Adios Amigos’.
The Martinets surly don’t offer up anything new, but what they do do, they do well. The songs come in short blasts, many below 3 minutes in length, and always come in high quality. (Plus great value for money with 17 tracks here!)
A good solid album very much in the same vein as later day Ramones, highly recommended.

Website - The Martinetsrating - 8/10

Lester And The Landslide Ladies - Estranged In Ladyland



Genre - Pop / Punk / Rock
Label - Tornado Ride Records

Track Listing -

01. Eat It Up
02. A Drug I Can’ t Deny
03. From The Start
04. Margarida
05. Nothing Left To Borrow
06. Answering Machine
07. Estranged In Ladyland
08. Who Do You Think You Are
09. Dead And Gone
10. Me, Myself And I
11. 1 2 3 Arriba
12. Fraulinen Broderline
13. Bleeding In Style
14. For The Ramones

Described as being lost somewhere between Kiss and The Ramones, Lester And The Landslide Ladies deliver a high quality pop / punk rock that warms the soul.
These degenerates offer up a great dose of love, hate, pain, blood, power! For fans of The Ramones, D.A.D., Kiss, AC/DC, Hanoi Rocks, Bowie, Cult, N.Y. Dolls.
A great little album, thoroughly enjoyable!

website - Lester And The Landslide LadiesRating - 8/10

Reverend Backflash - Who's The Man!



Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock / Sleaze
Label - Torando Ride Records

Track Listing -
01. Another part of town
02. Hard to put the thumb on it
03. Hit it home
04. D.y.l.w.y.s.
05. Say hello
06. Slave to the beatmachine
07. Dead to the world
08. Touched by the underground
09. Bad news alley
10. Too much
11. Fuck with me
12. Who’s the man?!

Formed in 2003 by four boys from the northern outskirts of Vienna, Reverend Backflash delivers a sleazy hard / classic rock sound that is almost instantly likable. Not often that happens!
With a sound that comes across as similar to Guns n Roses, LA Guns, Kitty Hudson, Cowboy Prostitutes, Hardcore Superstar, with a little punk element thrown in there to give them a contemporary edge.
The songs are really strong, with opener 'Another Part Of Town' setting the picture rather well. This is a strong release for a debut cd! (The band have only released a couple of Eps previously)
The band are solid, obviously very talented musicians, and the vocals have that perfect raspy feel to them, perfect for this kind of music.
Highlight tracks include, Another Part Of Town, Bad News Alley, xxxx With Me, and Touched By The Underground.
Great songs from start to finish, a great debut album.
Highly recommended!

Website - Reverend Backlashrating - 9/10

Monday 7 March 2011

Ginger Acoustic Dates April/May 2011



In addition to the recently announced Birthday Bash (Tickets available now), we can now reveal that Ginger will be heading out on an Acoustic tour in April and May.

This time ’round, Ginger will be accompanied by Jase Edwards and ‘Random’ Jon Poole which is likely to result in an evening’s entertainment you won’t forget in a hurry. Special guests each night will be Willie Dowling & John Steel from the wonderful Jackdaw4.

The dates are:

• Thu 28th Apr – Sheffield, Corporation
• Fri 29th Apr – Tunbridge Wells, Forum
• Sat 30th Apr – London, Borderline
• Sun 01st May – York, Fibbers
• Mon 02nd May – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
• Tue 03rd May – Ashton Under Lyme, The Witchwood
• Wed 04th May – Glasgow, Apollo 23
• Thu 05th May – Reading, Sub 89
• Fri 06th May – Leicester, Sub 91
• Sat 07th May – Southampton, Talking Heads
• Sun 08th May – Birmingham, HMV Institute

You can find event pages for each gig on Ginger’s Facebook.
Tickets for all shows are £10, except London which is £12.50, and are on sale now from the usual outlets.