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Bret Adams
Simon McBride
Purple’s Picker
Though he replaced Steve Morse two years ago, Belfast native Simon McBride is still Deep Purple’s “new” guitarist. The band’s latest album, =1, is his first with the hard-rock legends. Did songwriting for =1 work differently when you joined? The format was pretty much the same as when they worked with Steve. We had three…
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Bret Adams
Paul Benjaman Band
My Bad Side Wants a Good Time
Raw, primal simplicity. A laid-back rock beat that’s rooted in country and blues. That’s what vocalist/guitarist Benjaman delivers here, a variant of the Tulsa Sound pioneered by J.J. Cale and Leon Russell. In fact, some of these songs were recorded in Tulsa’s restored The Church Studio, which housed Shelter Records, once owned by Russell. Blessed…
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Bret Adams
Ross Valory
Maiden Voyage
After 50-plus years as a professional musician, bassist Ross Valory has released his first solo album, All of the Above. The San Francisco native is best-known as an original member of Journey, performing on a stream of beloved albums and hit singles. He also enjoyed early-’90s success with The Storm. On this mostly-instrumental album, Valory…
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Bret Adams
Ross Valory
All of the Above
Many fans of Journey’s pop-rock may not realize their first three albums were experimental, with jazz-fusion and progressive-rock tendencies. Bassist Ross Valory was there from the start. Fifty years later, his first solo album brings eight instrumentals (among its nine tracks) that offer a reminder of those adventurous early days. “Wild Kingdom” is spirited jungle…
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Bret Adams
Blue Öyster Cult
Ghost Stories
Two facets make this album from the “thinking man’s hard-rock band” newsworthy. First, all but one of its dozen songs are from studio and rehearsal tapes recorded between 1978 and ’83, nine featuring the original lineup of vocalist/lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Eric Bloom, late keyboardist/guitarist Allen Lanier, bassist Joe Bouchard, and…
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Bret Adams
Buck Dharma
Tales Lost and Found
It’s not often that a band releases a full album recorded 40-plus years earlier. But 11 of the 12 cuts on Blue Öyster Cult’s new Ghost Stories are studio or rehearsal recordings made from 1978 to ’83, and it’s being touted as the band’s last album. Vocalist/lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser told Vintage Guitar…
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Bret Adams
Roger Glover
Time Machine
Deep Purple’s 1972 album, Machine Head, is one of rock’s totemic monsters, especially its best-known track, “Smoke on the Water,” and its guitar riff. The new Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition box set includes the remastered original album, new mixes by Dweezil Zappa, and archival and previously unreleased live material. Bassist Roger Glover reminisced with…
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Bret Adams
Ace Frehley
10,000 Volts
Kiss’ original guitarist didn’t appear at the band’s final concert, crushing the rock-and-roll dreams of diehard fans. But, his latest album will have them once again pumping their fists. After releasing two Origins cover albums in 2016 and ’20, here, Frehley returns to originals, co-writing most songs with Trixter guitarist Steve Brown, who also plays…
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Bret Adams
Pop ’N Hiss: UFO’s Lights Out
Shining Bright
Most critics and fans agree that the finest studio album by British hard-rockers UFO was 1977’s Lights Out. The group’s sixth studio effort is renowned as a cohesive yet varied set highlighted by the full-out strut of the title track along with catchy mid-tempo rockers like “Too Hot to Handle” and “Gettin’ Ready” perched alongside…
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Bret Adams
Ace Frehley
Shock Waves
As an original member of rock titans Kiss, “Space Ace” Frehley inspired countless budding musicians. His new album, 10,000 Volts, is his first set of original material in six years, following two Origins cover albums. Trixter guitarist Steve Brown co-wrote most of 10,000 Volts with Frehley, and the partnership will likely continue. With writer Ken…
