NOW PLAYING on the MIGHTY WURLINGTZER
December 2016
1) Big Big Train – 'A Stone's Throw From The Line' (English Electric – Double live album from the Kings Place shows in 2015)
2) FM – 'Indiscreet 30' (Frontiers – The classic first album given a cool post-Millennial reboot)
3) Hand Of Dimes – 'Raise' (Coda Recordings – The glorious return of ex-Kooga men Nev MacDonald and Neil Garland)
4) Metallica – 'Hardwired… To Self-Destruct' (Blackened – A big improvement upon 'Death Magnetic' but it's twice as long as necessary)
5) Dirkchneider – 'Live – Back To The Roots' (AFM – Double live album of Udo's Accept-only set… bloody monster!)
6) Son Of Man – 'Son Of Man' (Esoteric Antenna – Great, hummable songs from a band with obvious Man connections)
7) Diamond Head – 'Lighting To The Nations' (Hear No Evil – Their quintessential debut now comes with a disc of the era's singles)
8) The Quireboys – 'Twisted Love' (Off Yer Rocka – Without doubt, the band's best record in aeons!)
9) Enuff Z'Nuff – 'Clowns Lounge' (Frontiers – A treasure trove of archive material from the late 1980s)
10) White Widdow – 'Silhouette' (AOR Heaven – This'll remind ya how awesome the 1980s used to be)
11) Roth Brock Project – 'Roth Brock project' (Frontiers – Winger/Giant guitarist teams with Strangeways/Giant singer with rather spectacular effect)
12) Comedy Of Errors – 'Spirit' (www.comedyoferrors.org – These Scottish proggers are bloody excellent!)
13) Avenged Sevenfold – 'The Stage' (Capitol – A spectacular prog-flavoured reinvention!)
14) The Black Circles – 'Undone' (www.theblackcirclesuk.com – Modern-sounding blues-rock with a fiery delivery)
15) Alice Cooper – 'Easy Action' (Rhino – Their second album… record fair CD bargain – well worth a quid!)
16) Crowbar – 'The Serpent Only Lies' (SPV – Humongous slabs of doom-rock!)
17) Fair Warning – 'Pimp Your Past' (SPV – 2016 re-workings of material from their first three albums)
18) Pretty Maids – 'Kingmaker' (Frontiers – The Danes still meld precious melody into their metal ingots)
19) Kissin' Dynamite – 'Generation Goodbye' (AFM – Feisty modern rock, with some telling lyrics)
20) Bryan Cole – 'Sands Of Time' (MelodicRock – Includes four Jim Peterik co-writes… rather good!)
21) Mike Zito – 'Make Blues Nor War' (Ruf – This fella is such an underrated guitarist and songwriter)
22) Graham Bonnet – 'The Book' (Frontiers – New solo album, plus bonus disc of career re-recordings)
23) Killer Bee – 'Eye In The Sky' (Target – Rousing hard rock from Holland; feats Paul 'Tonka' Chapman on guitar!)
24) The Answer – 'Solas' (Napalm – A vast improvement over the last flew lacklustre LPs)
25) Apollo – 'Waterdevils' (Escape Music – I never really rated Papathanasioas a singer, but this is pretty good)
November 2016
1) Opeth – 'Sorceress' (Metal Blade – The double gatefold edition… includes two vinyl-only tracks!)
2) Gong – 'Rejoice! I'm Dead' (Madfish – Daevid and Gilli will be proud)
3) Alter Bridge – 'The Last Hero' (Napalm – What a voice! What a band!)
4) Testament – 'Brotherhood Of The Snake' (Nuclear Blast – Thrash-metal doesn't get much better)
5) Detective – 'It Takes One To Know One'/'Live From The Atlantic Studios' (Hear No Evil – Fantastic to own these on CD at last!)
6) The Outlaws – 'Legacy Live' (SPV – Double in-concert set from the Southern rawk legends)
7) Airbourne – 'Breakin' Outta Hell' (Spinefarm – Still not the all-time classic they threaten, but pretty darned close)
8) John Wesley – 'A Way You'll Never Be…' (Inside Out – He should be much, much better known)
9) Willie & The Bandits – 'Steal' (Jig-Saw Music – High quality, Bonamassa-approved bluesy hard rock)
10) Elf featuring Ronnie James Dio – 'Carolina Country Ball'/'Trying To Burn The Sun' (2016 editions of these pre-Rainbow gems from the 1970s)
11) Gov't Mule – 'Live… With A Little Help From Our Friends, Vol 2' (Retroworld – Never owned this on any format before… how shameful)
12) Royal Republic – 'Weekend Man' (Vertigo – Air-punching, hook-laden garage punk from Sweden… I've got see 'em live!)
13) XTC – 'Skylarking' (The Surround Sound Series – Steven Wilson overhauls their Rundgren-helmed catalogue watermark from 1986)
14) Rhino's Revenge – 'Rhino's Revenge II' (Molano Music – Barring a few duffers this is surprisingly good!)
15) KilliT – 'Shut It Down' (www.killitband.com – Powerful, tune-friendly hard rock-meets-metal… lots of potential here)
16) Hardline – 'Human Nature' (Frontiers – Another sharp, incisive slab of melodic hard rock)
17) Sonata Artica – 'The Ninth Hour' (Nuclear Blast – Their best in many a long year)
18) Jadis – 'No Fear Of Looking Down' (Jadismusic – High quality neo-prog, with melody and muscle)
19) The Donnas – 'Spend The Night' (Hear No Evil – Newly expanded edition of a bubblegum gem from 2002)
20) Massive Wagons – 'Welcome To The World' (Off Yer Rocka – Big, noisy, rowdy, dumb… a whole lot of fun!)
21) Kee Marcello – 'Scaling Up' (Frontiers – Having written him off many moons ago, this was a rather pleasant shock…)
22) Jody Grind – 'One Step On'/'Far Canal' (Esoteric – Hammond-soaked progressive hard rock)
23) Rock Wolves – 'Rock Wolves' (SPV – Some fine moments, but as with everything Herman 'Ze German' does these days, supplemented with plenty of padding)
24) Candlebox – 'Disappearing In Airports' (Pavement Entertainment – Alternative rock with… gasp… some decent chewns!)
25) Tony Lowe & Mark Brzezicki – 'ESP: Invisible Din' (Sunn Creative – Impressive symphonic/progressive sounds)
October 2016
1) Kansas – 'The Prelude Implicit' (Inside Out – This could well be my album of 2016)
2) Tyketto – 'Reach' (Frontiers – And this one ain't fair behind it!)
3) The Cadillac Three – 'Bury Me In My Boots' (Big Machine – Their greatness continues…)
4) Marillion – 'Fuck Everyone And Run (F E A R)' (Inside Out – Incisive, thought-provoking… bloody great!)
5) Mecca – 'III' (Melodic Rock – Well worth the three years it took to complete)
6) King Crimson – 'Radical Action: Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind' (DGM Live – A fantastic four-disc concert document)
7) Overland – 'Contagious' (Escape Music – A welcome fourth solo album from the FM's lead singer)
8) The Western Sizzlers –'1-4-5- Go' (Roar Hide – More kick-ass rock 'n' roll from frontman Kevin Jennings and ex-Georgia Satellites guitarist Rick Richards)
9) The Ruts DC – 'Music Must Destroy' (Sosumi Recordings – The title track is a complete beast!)
10) Seven – 'Shattered' (Escape Music – Slick, insistent melodic hard rock)
11) Blues Pills – 'Lady In Gold' (Nuclear Blast – Better late than never…)
12) Foy Vance – 'The Wild Swan' (Gingerbread Man – Ditto!
13) Volbeat – Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie' (Universal – Ditto again!)
14) Angels Or Kings – 'Go Ask The Moon' (AOR Heaven – Classy sophomore effort from the reunited Mancunian veterans)
15) Various Artists – 'I'm A Freak Baby… A Journey Through The British Heavy Psych And Undeground Scene 1968-72' (Grapefruit – An absorbing triple-disc set)
16) Hardline – 'Human Nature' (Frontiers – Bright, punchy and joyful hard rock)
17) Seven Hard Years – 'Stories We Tell' (Lions Pride Music – Alan Kelly, the ex-Shy drummer, and cohorts, return in stirring form)
18) Stick Men – 'Prog Noir' (MSN – Fascinating, insidious and at times a bit on the creepy side)
19) Madame Mayhem – 'Now You Know' (Headball – Female-fronted rock, produced by Billy Sheehan and with special guests galore)
20) Steven Tyler – 'We're All Somebody From Somewhere' (Dot – A coupla nice moments, the rest is pretty forgettable)
September 2016
1) Uriah Heep – '…Very 'Eavy …Very 'Umble'/'Salisbury' (BMG – The new double-disc editions)
2) Uriah Heep – 'Your Turn To Remember: The Definitive Anthology 1970-1990' (BMG – Does what it says on the tin)
3) Uriah Heep – 'The Classic Rock Years' (The Store For Music – Six-disc boxed set)
4) Mitch Malloy – 'Making Noise' (www.mitchmalloy.com – A quite remarkable melodic hard rock record)
5) Silverhead – 'Silverhead'/'16 And Savaged'/'Live At The Rainbow Theatre London' (Purple – Newly expanded editions of the cult classics from the 1970s)
6) Tygers Of Pan Tang – 'Tygers Of Pan Tang' (Mighty Music – Wow… the Tygers' most consistent record in many a long year!)
7) Hawklords – 'Fusion' (Shellshock – Tasty space-rock… with guest appearance from Kim McAuliffe)
8) Laurence Jones – 'Take Me High' (Ruf – He just keeps on getting better and better)
9) Tilt – 'Hinterland' (Tilt Music – Intelligent, hypnotic pop-rock dressed up in a prog overcoat)
10) Karmakanic – 'Dot' (Inside Out – Ditto!)
11) The Dead Daisies – 'Make Some Noise' (SPV – Bluesy hard rock from band with Crüe, GN'R, Whitesnake pedigree)
12) Palace – 'Master Of The Universe' (Frontiers – A wonderful name for an equally wonderful AOR group)
13) Devon Allman – 'Ride Or Die' (Ruf – Superb blues-rock)
14) Cairo – 'Say' (www.cairorocks.com – Exquisite female-fronted prog courtesy of ex-Touchstone member Rob Cottingham)
15) The Virginmarys – 'Divides' (Spinefarm – Hummable punk-rock from Macclesfield's finest)
16) Spike & Tyla's Hot Knives – 'The Sinister Indecisions Of Frankie Gray And Jimmy Pallas' (King Outlaw – It begins with a song called 'The Curse Of The Day Drinker'… 'nuff said)
17) Johnny Winter – 'I'm A Blues Man' (Talking Elephant – Re-issue of album from 2004)
18) Pain Of Salvation – 'Remedy Lane Re:Visited' (Inside Out – The prog-metal gem from 2002 given a new twist)
19) Vicious Rumors – 'Concussion Protocol' (SPV – By their usual high standards, it felt a bit patchy to me)
20) Renaissance – 'Live At Fillmore West' (Angel Air – Archive release from Jim McCarty's personal collection)
21) Shotgun Revolution – 'All This Could Be Yours' (Target – Punchy, fuzz-toned yet hummable hard rock)
22) Jericho Summer – 'Night Train' (Devil's Blade – Southern country rock with cameos from Albert Lee, Richard Fortus and more)
23) House Of Shakira – 'Sour Grapes' (Melodic Rock – Exuberant, light-waving melodic hard rock)
24) Elektradrive – 'Over The Space – 30th Anniversary Edition' (Escape Music – Metal-meets-AOR fusion… I missed it first time around)
25) Mutter Slater Band – 'The Champ' (Angel Air – Raw, heartfelt and bluesy fare from the ex-member of Stackridge)
August 2016
1) Cheap Trick – 'Bang Boom Crazy… Hello' (Big Machine – Better late than never! This is great!)
2) Sixx:A.M. – 'Prayers For The Damned' (Eleven Seven – Fabulously contagious modern rock from Nikki Sixx et al)
3) The Neal Morse Band – 'Alive Again' (Metal Blade – 2 x CD/1 DVD set package from a killer show in Holland)
4) Gregg Allman – 'No Stranger To The Dark: The Best Of' (Retro World – The man's a bloody genius!)
5) Kiama – 'Sign Of IV' (Tigermoth Productions – Brilliant melodic prog-rock)
6) David Cross Band – 'Sign Of The Crow' (Noisy Records – King Crimson associated… tasty!)
7) The Pineapple Thief – 'Your Wilderness' (Kscope – Their best in a while)
8) Coheed And Cambria – 'The Colour Before The Sun' (300 Entertainment – Better late than never!)
9) Leslie West – 'Mountain' (Repertoire – Re-mastered gem from 1969, never owned it on CD)
10) Denner/Sherman – 'Masters Of Metal' (Metal Blade – The Mercyful Fate duo serves up a banquet of steaming riffs)
11) Jerusalem – 'Cooler Than Antarctica' (Angel Air – Prog-rock with a crisp, bluesy touch… rather good)
12) Dare – 'Sacred Ground' (Legend – Not the return to AOR-dom that I'd hoped for, but classy nonetheless…)
13) Fates Warning – 'Theories Of Flight' (Inside Out – Cultured, tuneful prog-metal)
14) The Amorettes – 'White Hot Heat' (Off Yer Rocka – Sophomore effort produced by Mr Morley… a big improvement song-wise!)
15) Gojira – 'Magma' (Roadrunner – The Frenchmen's most accessible record yet)
16) Virgin Steele – 'The House Of Atreus, Act I & Act II' (SPV – Three discs… staggeringly overblown)
17) The Stranglers – 'The Collection 1977-1982' (Liberty – Record & Tape Exchange gem… I've never owned these songs on CD before!)
18) Circa – 'Valley Of The Windmill' (Frontiers – A tasty fusion of prog and melody from Billy Sherwood and Tony Kaye)
19) The Snakes – 'Once Bitten…' (Talking Elephant – New edition of album from 1998;
Moody and Marsden with Jørn Lande doing his best Cov impression)
20) Vargas Blues Band – 'Hard Time Blues' (Santo Grial Records – Assured blues-rock, with high quality vox from Paul Shortino)
21) Albert Castiglia – 'Big Dog' (Ruf – Fiery blues… I can't stop playing it!)
22) Shiraz Lane – 'For Crying Out Loud' (Frontiers – High-pitched, turbo-charged sleaze rock)
23) Neal Hoffmann – 'Untrained Heart' (Amphibic – Soothing singer/songwriter fare)
24) Culver Kingz – 'This Time' (Escape Music – The namesake of the Michael Thompson Band returns in new West Coast guise)
25) Cain Rising – 'Cain Rising' (That'll Do Records – Hummable Americana from London via Scotland)
26) Multi Story – 'Crimson Stone' (Festival Music – The veteran Welsh proggers return… occasionally insipid though largely enjoyable)
27) Witham – 'The Unforgiving Road' (Frontiers – Melodic Norwegian progressive-metal)
28) Snips – 'La Rocca!' (Angel Air – Lost gem from 1979, with Chris Spedding and Bill nelson)
29) Alcatrazz – 'Disturbing The Peace'/'Dangerous Games' (Hear No Evil – newly expanded editions)
30) Jørn Lande – 'Heavy Rock Radio' (Frontiers – Covers set… one of the funniest records I've heard in a while)
July 2016
1) Yes – 'Fragile – Definitive Edition' (Panegyric – The expanded version, complete with Steven Wilson remix)
2) Vega – 'Who We Are' (Frontiers – Magnificent pop-rock)
3) Punky Meadows – 'Fallen Angel' (Escape Music – A welcome return for Angel's God-like former guitarist!)
4) Rush – 'Hemispheres' (Mercury – For no particular reason except it's still my favourite of their albums)
5) Scorpion Child – 'Acid Roulette' (Nuclear Blast – Fascinating concept piece from the US psych-rockers)
6) Ted Poley – 'Beyond The Fade' (Frontiers – Possibly a little ballad-heavy, but contains some terrific chewns)
7) Anderson/Stolt – 'Invention Of Knowledge' (Inside Out – Four epic pieces from the former Yes singer with Flower Kings' guitarist!)
8) Vardis – 'Red Eye' (SPV – Their fifth album… after a 30-year hiatus! It has some shocks, too…)
9) Royal Southern Brotherhood – 'The Royal Gospel' (Ruf – Another slab of fiery, groovy blues-rock)
10) Phantom 5 – 'Phantom 5' (Frontiers – Recommended to fans of Bonfire!)
11) First Signal – 'One Step Over The Line' (Frontiers - Harem Scarem frontman Harry Hess returns in alternate guise)
12) Tempt – 'Runaway' (Rock Candy – Derek Oliver's latest discovery… old-school AOR from New York)
13) Rival Sons – 'Hollow Bones' (Earache – To these ears their best yet…)
14) Ayreon – 'The Theater Equation' (Inside Out – Lavish audio-visual documentation of the stage show of 'The Human Equation')
15) Chris Ousey – 'Dream Machine' (Escape Music –Terrific blues-laden hard rock)
16) Josh & Co Ltd – 'Transylvania Part 1, The Count Demands It' (Mostly Autumn – Fiendish storytelling from Bryan Josh and friends)
17) Girlschool – 'Nightmare At Maple Cross'/'Take A Bite' (Hear No Evil – Newly re-issued, a pair of underrated albums from late 1980s)
18) Vektor – 'Terminal Redux' (Earache – Conceptual thrash-metal with a dash of prog, a la Voivod)
19) Rob Moratti – 'Transcendent' (Escape Music – High quality AOR in a register that can only be described as 'stratospheric'!)
20) Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown – 'The Wayside EP' (Spinefarm – Kick-ass bluesy rawk from Nashville)
21) Sunstorm – 'Edge Of Tomorrow' (Frontiers – Featuring the unmistakable voice of Joe Lynn Turner)
22) Departed – 'Departed' (Six rather good new tracks from band featuring ex-Treatment guitarist ben Brookland)
23) Bun E Carlos – 'Greetings From Bunuzeula' (SPV - A solo set of covers from the former Cheap Trick drummer)
24) Apocalyptica – 'Plays Metallica By Four Cellos – 20th Anniversary Edition' (Odyssey – Now with three bonus tracks)
25) The Last Vegas – 'Eat Me' (AFM – Dreadful artwork, thankfully the music's a big improvement)
June 2016
1) Big Big Train – 'Folklore'/'Stone & Steel' (English Electric Recordings – Brand new studio and live releases… both are magnificent)
2) Frost* – 'Falling Satellites' (Inside Out – Back after eight years and in outstanding form)
3) Hawkwind – 'The Machine Sleeps' (Cherry Red – Their best in quite a while)
4) Status Quo – 'Rockin' All Over The World – John Eden Remix' (Universal – Record Store Day special vinyl edition… a vast improvement!)
5) Rose Tattoo – 'Rose Tattoo'/'Assault & Battery'/'Scarred For Life' (Repertoire – Newly re-mastered and with bonus tracks)
6) Jethro Tull – 'Aqualung – 40th Anniversary Edition' (Chrysalis – The bells and whistles edition, includes Steven Wilson stereo remix)
7) Lee Abraham – 'The Seasons Turn' (F2 – Hypnotically classy neo-prog)
8) Bad Company – 'Live 1977 and 1979' (Swan Song – Two discs of the classic line-up recorded in Houston and London)
9) Rainbow – 'Monsters Of Rock Live At Donington 1980' (Eagle – On CD and DVD at last!)
10) Megadeth – 'Dystopia' (T-Boy – Better late than never, this is great!)
11) Anthrax – 'For All Kings' (Nuclear Blast – Ditto!)
12) Dan Reed Network – 'Fight Another Day' (Frontiers – Not as tuneful or energetic as I'd hoped, but it's a grower…)
13) Robin Trower – 'Where Are You Going To' (Manhaton – Ol' Fishface is back! And how…)
14) Purson – 'Desire's Magic Theatre' (Spinefarm – A captivating mix of prog, psychedelic, folk, gothic and classic rock)
15) Skyclad – 'A Bellyfull Of Emptiness: The Very Best Of The Noise Years 1991-1995' (Noise – Double-disc anthology… so great to hear these songs again!)
16) Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock – 'On A Mission: Live In Madrid' (Inakustic – Double-disc audio and visual sets from November 2015)
17) Rick Wakeman – 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth – Deluxe Edition' (Universal – The first time I've owned this one on CD!)
18) Circus Maximus – 'Havoc' (Frontiers – Prog-metal with a tuneful edge)
19) Robin George & Dangerous Music – Painful Kiss' (Angel Air – There are some really good songs here…)
20) Tigertailz – 'Blast' (TT Records – A bit hit 'n' miss, but those highs outweigh the lows)
21) Royal Hunt – 'Cargo' (Frontiers – Two in-concert discs of melodic, progressive metal)
22) The White Buffalo – 'Love And The Death Of Damnation' (Earache – Rootsy rock; laid back and rather agreeable)
23) Greg Lake & Geoff Downes – 'Ride The Tiger' (Manticore – Unreleased collaborative recordings from late 1989/early 1990)
24) Headless – 'Melt The Ice Away' (Target – Melodic prog-metal with vox from Göran Edman)
25) Chis Holmes – 'CPH' (Target – Okay, I admit… I kept this one purely for comedic value!)
May 2016
1) Status Quo – 'On The Level'/'If You Can't Stand The Heat...'/'Whatever You Want' (Universal – Deluxe double-disc re-mastered editions, with sleeve essays from yours truly)
2) Human Zoo – 'My Own God' (Fastball – So full of joie de vivre that it could pass for vintage-era Gotthard)
3) The Enid – 'Dust' (Operation Seraphim – An extremely dignified exit for Robert John Godfrey)
4) Treat – 'Ghost Of Graceland' (Frontiers – Treat by name, treat by nature)
5) Haken – 'Affinity' (Inside Out – Progressive metal with a colourful 1980s twist)
6) The Defiants – 'The Degfiants' (Frontiers – Paul Laine, Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello reunite… essential for fans of Danger Danger)
7) Ace Frehley – 'Origins, Vol 1' (SPV – A surprisingly good set of covers from the Spaceman)
8) Airrace – 'Live At Milton Keynes Woughton Centre 31.7.09 – Private recording… please don't ask!)
9) Fierce Heart – 'Fierce Heart' (AOR Blvd – Expanded revamp of their one and only album from the mid-'80s)
10) Lita Ford – 'Time Capsule' (SPV – The former Runaway opens her archives and invites along some friends)
11) Vôdûn – 'Possession' (Riff Rock Records – Stampeding, heavy stoner-psych-metal with voodoo-tinged female vocals)
12) Tainted Nation – 'On The Outside' (Pride & Joy Music – Gutsy, surreptitiously tuneful modern hard rock/metal)
13) Rebecca Downes – 'Believe' (Mad Hat – The Black Country songstress delivers blues-rock with an occasional Southern twang)
14) Ben Poole – 'Time Has Come' (Manhaton – Sinewy, often melodic blues-rock from a young guitarist praised by Jeff Beck and Gary Moore)
15) Nitroville – 'Cheating The Hangman' (Target – Balls-out, female fronted rock… if that's not a contradiction!)
16) Mob Rules – 'Tales From Beyond' (SPV – Grandiose, melodic, Teutonic power-metaaaaaaaaaal!)
17) Layla Zoe – 'Breaking Free' (Ruf – Soulful, blues-laden rock… the title cut is excellent)
18) Lucer – 'Bring Me Good News' (Target – Breezy pop-rock from Mike Tramp's former backing band)
19) Jane Lee Hooker – 'No B!' (Ruf – Spirited bluesy hard rock from an all-girl five-piece)
20) Ian Parry's Rock Emporium – 'Society Of Friends' (Escape Music – Slightly ploddy melodic hard rock)
April 2016
1) Boston – 'Boston'/'Don't Look Back' (Legacy – 2008 re-mastered editions, with notes from Tom… never owned 'em before on CD)
2) Zakk Wylde – 'Book Of Shadows II' (Spinefarm – At last… Wylde reveals more of the mellower side of his oeuvre)
3) Diamond Head – 'Diamond Head' (Diamond-Head.net – Their finest work in a very long time indeed)
4) Southern Empire – 'Southern Empire' (Giant Electric Pea – Where neo-prog meets AOR!)
5) Wolfmother – 'Victorious' (Universal – I don't own all of their records, but this is the best of theirs in my collection)
6) The Dowling Poole – 'One Hyde Park' (369 Music – More brilliantly, colourfully eclectic stuff from Willie and John)
7) Knifeworld – 'Bottled Out Of Eden' (Inside Out – Different band… same description as above!)
8) Jump – 'Over The Top' (Den-Tel – Clever storytelling set to a great musical backdrop)
9) Kansas – 'Always Never The Same' (Story Of Music – Digipack re-issue of their 1998 album with the London Symphony Orchestra)
10) The Zombies – 'Odessy & Oracle – 40th Anniversary Edition' (Repertoire – A true work of art)
11) Colour Of Noise – 'Colour Of Noise' (Colour Of Noise – High intensity, kick-ass rawkenrawlllll!)
12) Gin Lady – 'Call The Nation' (Bilocation – Authentic-sounding retro-rock with strong vocals and tasteful guitar playing)
13) Peter Frampton – 'Frampton Comes Alive!' (A&M – Impulse purchase at Fopp Records, nice to have it on CD at last)
14) Badfinger – 'Timeless… The Musical Legacy' (Apple – Ditto, this is also rather good)
15) AOR – 'LA Darkness' (Escape Music – Monsieur Slama pillages his address book again)
16) Graham Bonnet – 'Line-Up' (Hear No Evil – Re-mastered re-issue of this cult classic from 1981… with cameo from Rick Parfitt)
17) Deckchair Poets – 'Searchin' For A Lemon Squeezer' (Angel Air – Whimsical, sometimes amusing pop-rock)
18) Danger Zone – 'Closer To Heaven' (Pride & Joy Music – Bright, shiny, highly proficient AOR from Italia)
19) Maryscreek – 'Infinity' (Escape Music – Modern-flavoured melodic metal… just a wee bit too leaden for my personal taste)
20) Red Jasper – '777' (Angel Air – A Seventh album from the enduring UK proggers)
March 2016
1) Dream Theater – 'The Astonishing' (Roadrunner – What a no-brainer, the title says it all…)
2) Magnum – 'Sacred Blood 'Divine' Lies' (SPV – That enviable run of form isn't stopping yet)
3) Jeff Lynne's ELO – 'Alone In The Universe' (Big Trilby/Sony – I got a finished copy at last… better late than never!)
4) Nightwish – 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' (Nuclear Blast – Ditto!)
5) The Temperance Movement – 'White Bear' (Earache – Ditto again!)
6) Blind Guardian – 'Beyond The Red Mirror' (Nuclear Blast – Ditto again again!)
7) Primal Fear – 'Rulebreaker' (Frontiers – A monster of a melodic metal album)
8) Monster Truck – 'Sittin' Heavy' (Mascot – Groovy, fuzz-toned hard rock to die for)
9) Headspace – 'All That You Fear Is Gone' (Inside Out – Heavy, thoughtful progressive rock)
10) The Treatment – Generation Me' (Frontiers – Thought they were done when Matt left but the new frontguy is superb)
11) The Zombies – 'Still Got That Hunger' (Cherry Red – Colin Blunstone has still got that voice!)
12) Anvil – 'Anvil Is Anvil' (SPV – I *really* like the double-gatefold edition… it's on clear vinyl, too!)
13) Stevie Nimmo – 'Sky Won't Fall' (Manhaton – The Scottish blues-rocker's second solo release, quality stuff!)
14) Spiritual Beggars – 'Sunrise To Sundown' (Inside Out – Typically hairy, rhythmic hard rock, but I'm still not sold on the singer)
15) Resurrection Kings – Resurrection Kings' (Frontiers – Fiery, not too-widdly hard rock from Craig Goldy and chums)
February 2016
1) Status Quo – 'Accept No Substitute! The Definitive Hits' (Universal – Triple-disc career-spanning anthology… some fillers, but boy did they write their share of classics!)
2) Thunder – 'All You Can Eat' (Ear Music – "A veritable feast of Thunder-ness", they say. They're quite right!)
3) Def Leppard – 'Live At Wembley Arena 18.12.15' (Private recording… no requests please)
4) Rage Of Angels – 'The Devil's New Tricks' (Escape Music – Ged Rylands is back, with Rob Moratti on vocals)
5) Nordic Union – 'Nordic Union' (Frontiers – An impressive new alliance from Erik Mårtensson and Ronnie Atkins)
6) The Mute Gods – 'Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me' (Inside Out –Intelligent, stately pop-prog from Nick Beggs and company)
7) Swallow The Sun – 'Songs From The North I, II & III' (Century Media – Three new full-length albums in one!)
8) Damian Wilson & Adam Wakeman – 'Weir Keeper's Tale' (Blacklake – This is absolutely beautiful…)
9) Galahad – 'When Worlds Collide' (Avalon – 30th anniversary double-disc retrospective)
10) Rick Springfield – 'Rocket Science' (Frontiers – Great… except for the country bits)
11) Queensrÿche – 'Condition Hüman' (Century Media – I've got a finished copy at last… better late than never!)
12) Trivium – 'Silence In The Snow' (Roadrunner – Ditto)
13) Alkatrazz – 'Live Sentence' (Hear No Evil – Expanded edition with bonus DVD)
14) Darrell Bath – 'Roll Up' (Livewire/Cargo – I like this guy, he's a kick-ass rock 'n' roller!)
15) Tygers Of Pan Tang – 'Noises From The Cathouse' (Angel Air – Their 2003 album, now with bonus tracks)
January 2016
1) Avantasia – 'Ghostlights' (Nuclear Blast – Herr Sammet's latest slice of rock opera brilliance)
2) Stellar Revival – 'Love, Lust And Bad Company' (Lions Pride Music – This is fantastic; shades of Hinder, Shinedown, Nickelback and a pinch of Black Stone Cherry)
3) Uriah Heep – 'Totally Driven' (Uriah Heep Records – Released in 2002 as 'Remasters: The Official Anthology' and long since out of print)
4) Magnus Karlsson's Freefall – 'Kingdom Of Rock' (Frontiers – All hail the missing link between heavy metal and melodic hard rock… fabulous!)
5) The Radio Sun – 'Heaven Or Heartbreak' (Melodic Rock – More quality from the Paul Laine-mentored Aussies)
6) Ragdoll – 'Rewound' (Lions Pride Music – Yet more Antipodeans… and another slab of quality AOR)
7) Slim Chance – 'On The Move' (Fishpool – Reworkings, new songs and a few surprises! I really liked it…)
8) The Mute Gods – 'Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me' (Inside Out – Nick Beggs, Roger King and Marco Minnemann pool forces to cool effect)
9) Axel Rudi Pell – 'Game Of Sins' (SPV – Yet more fiery, melodic hard rock with great vocals from Johnny Gioelli)
10) Skunk Anansie – 'Anarchytecture' (Spinefarm – I've always loved Skin's voice…)
11) The Gift – 'Land Of Shadows' (Bad Elephant Music – Weighty neo-prog, coloured by some delicious changes of mood)
12) Jac Dalton – 'Powerkeg' (jackdalton.com – Melodic hard rock with an engaging '80s slant)
13) Lugnet – 'Lugnet' (Pride & Joy Music – Just the type of chest-beating, '70s-influenced hard rock that I dig!)
14) Stone Machine – '10 Stones' (Lions Pride – Earthily simple retro-rawwwkkkk)
15) Electric Guitars – 'String Fever' (Target – Bruising, fuzz-laden hard rock… with the amps turned up to 11)
The discs on the MIGHTY WURLINGTZER will be changed every month.
If there are any albums you think should be included
on next month's playlist, please let us know!