· STAVROS PAPADOPOULOS - SPIRITS ON THE RISE (GYR187) ·

::T R A C K S::

01. SPIRIT RIDING FREE
02. YOU HAVE MY WORD
03. GROOVIN' HIGH
04. THE CHOSEN ONE
05. AGAINST THE WIND
06. BY YOUR SIDE
07. WONDERFUL THING
08. SET YOU FREE
09. EVERYTHING YOU GOT
10. RIDIN' THE RAILS
11. ON THE RUN
12. CHASING THE DREAM
13. TRUE SALVATION


FORMAT: Audio CD / STANDARD JEWEL CASE
GYR187 - $13.99

Awesome solo disc by this excellent guitarist from Greece featuring 13 songs of retro-classic, blues-based, soul-powered, dynamic hard rock music that lands with supreme excellence.

Stavros Papadopoulos is a modern day Greek guitar hero, songwriter & producer who was born to rock. A prolific, bad-ass, riff:master who is also the leader of these killer guitar rock bands: Revolution Highway, Super Vintage, Shadowplay Project (Rory Gallagher Tribute), Hard Driver, Freerock Saints, Universal Hippies, Children Of Aegean & Stoned Olympus. All worth checking out if you heavily dig outstanding, world-class, heavy guitar rock music. Our good musical brother Stavros is an authentic six string Freedom Machine; a true, legit Grooveyard Rock N' Roll Saviour who is on a mission to Keep the Rock alive.

On his outstanding debut solo disc entitled "Spirits On The Rise", Stavros Papadopoulos has created & produced one of his strongest "musical documents" to date that showcases his excellent songwriting talents & kick-ass guitar playing skills. An essential Grooveyard Records guitar rocker that shines bright and delivers impressive hard rock riffage & sonic mojo that lands with endless amounts of depth, passion & maturity.


MP3 Sample Clips

01. SPIRIT RIDING FREE
02. YOU HAVE MY WORD
03. GROOVIN' HIGH
04. THE CHOSEN ONE
05. AGAINST THE WIND
06. BY YOUR SIDE
07. WONDERFUL THING
08. SET YOU FREE
09. EVERYTHING YOU GOT
10. RIDIN' THE RAILS
11. ON THE RUN
12. CHASING THE DREAM
13. TRUE SALVATION

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WE TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE AS "OLD SCHOOL" MUSIC COLLECTORS
WITH THE PHYSICAL DISCS THAT WE PRODUCE AND RELEASE.
SCORE YOUR COPY @ THE "ADD TO CART" BUTTON ABOVE.


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· reviews ·

A guitarist with a soul who works on various forms of self-expression.

Born in 1974 in Kavala, a port city in the east of Greece, he was first introduced to the guitar at the age of seven when he heard Deep Purple's "Fireball." He started his career as a musician while running Freerock Studio in his hometown. He has released a lot of records and has been playing original music with SUPER VINTAGE, FREEROCK SAINTS, HARD DRIVER, REVOLUTION HIGHWAY, UNIVERSAL HIPPIES, STONED OLYMPUS, KING MOUNTAIN, CHILDREN OF AEGEAN (Greek Stoner Rock with Blues), and SHADOWPLAY PROJECT in which he covers and interprets Rory Gallagher. He has released works under the name of each band/project has released solo albums. Currently, Stavros is too busy recording to play live shows. His musicianship in each release is different, but you can hear the passion and bluesy rock guitar with all their soul every release.

Stavros says of "Spirits On The Rise," "I'm myself in every band, but this album is more me." The bare-knuckle passionate guitar hits your soul, displaying the guitarist's range of styles. It's a good introduction to hard rock, blues and psychedelic music.

Young Guitar (Japan) (June 2022)
 


Greek singer/guitarist/producer/mastering engineer Stavros Papadopoulos is one of the most active persons I know! He releases a never-ending stream of albums by bands like Universal Hippies, King Mountain, Freerock Saints, Super Vintage, Shadowplay Project and now also as solo artist. The common thread for all of Stavros’ bands and projects is the 70s. The riffs, the sound and the style bear clear marks of this glorious decade. So also his new solo album. If you’re into vintage Bad Company with a touch of southern rock, don’t waste any time – check out “Spirits On The Rise”. It’s bluesy, riff oriented with one helluva swagger. On this album, he’s accompanied by bass player John Christopoulos and drummer Chris Lagios, a super tight and steady dou who forms a steady ground for Stavros to strut his riffs on. Even if Stavros is a solid singer, he has added an outstanding instrumental track to the collection. His band Universal Hippies is all instrumental so this track lands quite close to those domains. He’s a really skillful guitarist with a technical yet bluesy and emotional style of playing, and even if his vocals may not reach to the same level (then he would be a reincarnation of Ray Gillen), he’s a highly capable singer. A very solid album, indeed!

Janne Stark / Stark Music Reviews (January 2021)
 


It was only a matter of time — you can’t keep a good guitar-slinger down. Especially if he’s one of the best. Stravos Papadopoulos has finally gone and done it — we finally have a solo disc by this super-excellent guitarist from Greece, featuring 13 original songs. Yes, yes, he’s fronted a number of projects, such as Revolution Highway, Super Vintage, Shadowplay Project (Rory Gallagher Tribute), Hard Driver, Freerock Saints, Universal Hippies, Children Of Aegean & Stoned Olympus. And I’m a fan of all of them. But in some way, this disc is most representative of who he is. It’s all him. He’s got the dynamite rhythm section of John Christopoulos on bass and Chris Lagios on drums and his energy and guitar prowess is front and center here. Let’s just say this: There are two songs on this CD, ‘Wonderful Thing’ and ‘Everything You Got.’ Well, in this CD, Stravos gives us both — listen closely and see just how wonderful it is, and just what it means when someone gives you everything he’s got. Musical Spirits are definitely on the Rise with this excellent disc.

Steven J. Rosen / Author + Journalist (January 2020)
 


Stavros Papadopoulos is a musical phenomenon. Since signing to Grooveyard Records in 2015 the label has released 15 discs of his music under various band names of which Super Vintage, Revolution Highway and Freerock Saints are perhaps the best known. His music spans the spectrum from Super Vintage’s brand of Southern Rock to the Purplesque heavy groove of Revolution Highway. Other of his musical endeavours fall outside the spectrum of mainstream variants of rock, instrumental explorations and experiments guided by a feel for what is yet to be discovered. Of his expeditions on these ground, where no man has gone before, the highly original and innovative Universal Hippies is the best known but more recent releases are Stoned Olympus and Children of Aegean where Stavros’s fellow Super Vintage guitar man, Panagiotis Zabourlis, joins him on his journeys. This astounding output of music of seamless brilliance in only five years would bleed any average person dry but, implausibly as it sounds, Stavros’s flame of creativity has never burnt brighter than now; in 2019 alone he astonishingly released no less than five albums! The year is not only his most productive but also artistically his best. I have already reviewed Shadowplay Project, Stavros’s tribute to Rory Gallagher, where Rory’s brilliance shines once again through Stavros’s guitar, and forthcoming are my reviews for Stoned Olympus, Children of Aegean and the latest Universal Hippies album. Here my attention is on the fifth of his 2019 albums, "Spirits On The Rise".

For those familiar with Stavros’s work and music there are few surprises here, except perhaps that he finally releases and album under his own name. His masterful handling of the guitar is heard here and a string of 13 brilliantly written and performed songs stream effortlessly through. On "Spirits..." Stavros is accompanied by long-time companions, Chris Lagios (drums) and Chris Christopoulos (bass), a rhythm section that knows his every move and solidly back every single note of his guitar and vocals. Freedom from the constraints of any of the musical styles, which his bands would impose on him, allows Stavros to wander about and freely seek out his own path and write music guided by his heart. This gives this album a vibe and depth not heard on any of his previous albums. What makes "Spirits..." different from earlier outputs is not necessarily the music heard here – after a run of fifteen albums we should be getting familiar with his musical style and character – but that it has an aura of tranquillity, evenness or a sense of balance. This may be an odd way to describe music that races on and rocks hard as anything. But then, here is an artist writing and performing under no pressure, with nothing left to prove, no need to impress; an artist at peace with himself and free to create at his own leisure and pace. There is also something else to be said about the songs on this album, indeed all of Stavros’s compositions, something that has taken me a little while to figure out. The music never tires, never becomes annoying or even slightly boring as often is the case when played once too often. The accomplished songwriter he is, Stavros has the sensitivity and feel, often wanting in musicians of a lesser god, that keeps his songs whole, preserves their integrity and keeps them in balance. Every part, verse, chorus and bridge, falls in place, carried by impeccable arrangements and flawless performance. To preserve a song’s integrity like that is a gift. None of his songs, whether on "Spirits..." or any other of his albums, are written in desperate pursuit of fame and adulation that so often inflict damage upon what might otherwise have been good compositions, in particular when ill-fitting choruses are made to be crowd-pleasing “hooks” or annoying sing-a-longs for the petty purpose of working up the audience. Avoiding such vanities, Stavros stays true to his music, his art and mission; to bring to his music sincerity and very genuine listening experience. That is, in essence, what makes "Spirits On The Rise" such a brilliant album, a musical quest of five star quality.

Thor Indridason / Guitar Rock Appreciation Society (United Kingdom) (February 2020)
 


Stavros Papadopolous has been on an amazing roll with a creative output that I can't think of anyone else matching. In the last approx 4-5 years he has put out 3 Super Vintage albums, 2 Freerock Saints, Hard Driver, Revolution Highway and 3 Universal Hippies Albums. His creative output of songwriting never seems to have an end. And it's all excellent! Now he puts out a solo album. Well as you would expect it does not disappoint. Sound wise I say it leans close to his Super Vintage music. So if you are a fan you can't go wrong. If you came upon this first then know this is a high quality rock album. You could classify it as blues rock but with more of a classic rock feel. Stavros is an excellent guitarist and his vocals are more earthy than slick. Again on this album, the songwriting is outstanding as these are the types of songs you won't get tired of playing over and over. So in summary you won't go wrong picking this up if you like a real rock album in the classic rock of the 70’s vein.

Gary Milligan / Amazon Review (January 2020)
 




 


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