5 guys from Chilliwack High’s Class of ’75 rob hall photo By Steve Newton The title track wasn’t always the best song on an album in the ’70s. But when you were standing in the record store, rabidly poring over the brand new LP by your favourite band, that title could get deeply imbedded in … Continue reading The 30 best title tracks of the ’70s, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
By Steve Newton I just watched the Peter Jackson-directed music video for the “new” Beatles song, “Now and Then”, and it nearly chocked me up. The 4 1/2-minute clip is a beautiful, heart-wrenching glimpse into what made the Fab Four so freakin’ fabulous, and it makes you miss the murdered John Lennon and cancer-killed George … Continue reading The Beatles’ “Now and Then” music video is better than the song itself
collage by the newts By Steve Newton I’ve been a hardcore Beatles fan since the age of six. That’s how old I was when they made their North American TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, but I remember it like it was yesterday. And right around that time I purchased my very first record. … Continue reading The Beatles will release their “last song” next week, but what if it sucks?
By Steve Newton I’ve just been watching the TV news, and apparently there’s quite an uproar among Celine Dion fans because she wasn’t included in Rolling Stone‘s new list of “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Well, here’s another uproar for ya: why the hell isn’t Phil Lynott’s name on the list? You know, … Continue reading Rolling Stone shockingly omits Phil Lynott from its Top 200 singers list. And Paul Rodgers too!
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 31, 2002 By Steve Newton If you want to hear simply beautiful—and beautifully simple—pop tunes, look no further than Five Star Motel, the new CD by Toronto singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andy Stochansky. When developing the material for the major-label follow-up to his two indie discs, While You Slept … Continue reading The first album Andy Stochansky ever purchased was The Beatles: 1967-1970
collage by the newts By Steve Newton By now you may have already heard “Now and Then”, the much-publicized song released today that is being billed as “the last Beatles song”. In case you aren’t aware of the tune’s backstory, here’s how it is described on the Beatles’ YouTube channel, which–at the time of this … Continue reading “Now and Then” is a pretty little ditty, but “Get Back” will always be “the last Beatles song” to me
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT ON APRIL 14, 2021 By Steve Newton I was born on April 14, 1957, so the Beatles‘ “When I’m Sixty-Four” is my favourite song today. Listening to that tune really takes me back…to a happier time? Maybe so. Not that I’m doin’ too bad right now, having just gotten … Continue reading When you’re 64, that old Beatles tune really means something
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 10, 1987 By Steve Newton There’s nothing like seeing a band that’s huge in another country close up in a club-size venue. For local fans of Britain’s China Crisis, that opportunity will arise Thursday (April 9) at Club Soda. It will be the pop quintet’s first Vancouver appearance … Continue reading China Crisis found Steely Dan’s Walter Becker a taskmaster on Flaunt the Imperfection
By Steve Newton 1973 sure was a stellar year for guitar-based rock. Maybe the best one ever. Mind you, that opinion has a lot to do with how old I was back in ’73 (which just happened to be the same year that Bob Seger released Back in ’72, the one with “Rosalie” and “Turn … Continue reading 50 years on, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut LP still brings the dynamite in both hands
Geez, even Jimi knew Johnny ruled. By Steve Newton Back in September of 2010 Gibson.com posted what it felt were the 50 greatest guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it. Most conspicuous by his absence is Texas blues-rock legend Johnny Winter. I for one am getting sick and tired of … Continue reading Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it
By Steve Newton Vancouver has been all abuzz lately after the Rolling Stones announced that the only Canadian date on its 2024 North American tour will be a show at the city’s downtown stadium, BC Place, on July 5. Even local politicians got in on the act, with Mayor Ken Sim recording a welcoming message … Continue reading The 10 best rock concerts I ever saw at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 12, 1988 By Steve Newton Die-hard McCartney fans whose record collections aren’t already jammed with his solo and Wings projects may want to consider this two-album set featuring the biggest hits (but not necessarily best songs) of the “cutest” Beatle. When McCartney is in prime songwriting form he can still … Continue reading Album review: Paul McCartney, All the Best (1987)
By Steve Newton Remember when the last track on an album would finish and you’d wish the music would just never end? Me too. “All Right Now” (Fire and Water, Free, 1970) “American Girl” (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976) “Another Star” (Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder, … Continue reading The 70 greatest closing tracks of the ’70s
