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
Category: Album Reviews
Album review: Teenage Head, Endless Party (1984)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 25, 1984 By Steve Newton Endless party indeed! With blistering versions of "Lucy Potato", "Picture My Face" and "Let's Go to Hawaii", this record is almost as essential as the New York Dolls' first album when it comes to wild party sounds. Recorded live on New Year's Eve 1983 at Rockland … Continue reading Album review: Teenage Head, Endless Party (1984)
Album review: Dear Enemy, Ransom Note (1984)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 30, 1984 By Steve Newton Exceptional poppy rock from yet another fine young Australian band, Ransom Note is sure to please those who like the light but snappy sounds of bands like Real Life and Re-Flex, although in my books Dear Enemy outdoes both. Five of the six members of Dear … Continue reading Album review: Dear Enemy, Ransom Note (1984)
Album review: Dan Fogelberg, Windows and Walls (1984)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 30, 1984 By Steve Newton Dan Fogelberg rocking? Is nothing sacred? Well, from the sound of the opening cut on his new album, you might start to wonder. "The Language of Love" is sinfully heavy in comparison to the heartfelt, semi-sentimental ballads Fogelberg is famous for. But rock is more the … Continue reading Album review: Dan Fogelberg, Windows and Walls (1984)
Album review: Murray McLauchlan, Timberline (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCTOBER 7, 1983 By Steve Newton Just like a cold beer after a long jog, it's nice to cool down with an earthy Murray McLauchlan album after hearing Ritchie Blackmore's latest blues bastardizations. And McLauchlan's latest offering, Timberline, is just refreshing enough to do the trick. A superb songwriter with an incredible … Continue reading Album review: Murray McLauchlan, Timberline (1983)
Album review: Jim Dandy’s Black Oak Arkansas, Ready as Hell (1985)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 25, 1985 By Steve Newton Let's get one thing straight: This isn't heavy metal, no matter what the record company calls itself. Heavy Metal Records is a new label--distributed by Quality Records--that seems to be trying to cash in on the fierce attraction that "heavy metal" has among youngsters these days. … Continue reading Album review: Jim Dandy’s Black Oak Arkansas, Ready as Hell (1985)
Album review: Various Artists, Greenpeace (1985)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 1, 1985 By Steve Newton "By purchasing this album, you will be helping to ensure that Greenpeace can continue its campaign to protect the natural world." That's what it says on the back cover of the new Greenpeace benefit album, and that's reason enough to dig into your pockets and help … Continue reading Album review: Various Artists, Greenpeace (1985)
Album review: Phantom, Rocker & Slick (1984)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 15, 1984 By Steve Newton When I first heard this album, two weeks ago, I thought it was good.s I mean really good. But after repeated listenings the LP's initial impact deteriorated a little. The main reason is singer/bassist Lee Rocker's vocals. He did backup vocals in his former band, the … Continue reading Album review: Phantom, Rocker & Slick (1984)
Album review: Kate Bush, Hounds of Love (1985)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 15, 1985 By Steve Newton Hounds of Love, Kate Bush's fifth album (her seventh counting mini-LPs) entered the British charts at No. 1, and from the effect of its lead-off track (and first single) "Running Up That Hill", it's easy to see why. Over a backdrop of pattering drums and keyboards … Continue reading Album review: Kate Bush, Hounds of Love (1985)
Album review: Honeymoon Suite, Honeymoon Suite (1984)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 10, 1984 By Steve Newton If you like the heavy, melodic rock of Def Leppard, but with a more poppy, Loverboy effect, then the debut LP from Eastern Canada's Honeymoon Suite is well worth checking out. Although the album starts off weakly--with the plodding, lackluster "New Girl Now"--things change quickly with … Continue reading Album review: Honeymoon Suite, Honeymoon Suite (1984)
Album review: Jethro Tull: The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 11, 2003 By Steve Newton Despite its title, this is not your typical Christmas recording. There are no “Jingle Bells” or “Frosty the Snowman”, although there is a jazzy instrumental version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. British prog-rock veterans Jethro Tull choose mainly to integrate classic holiday … Continue reading Album review: Jethro Tull: The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)
Album review: Stuttering John, Stuttering John (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 9, 1994 By Steve Newton According to Stuttering John's bio, lead vocalist John Melendez is "known to millions in North America as the fearless interviewer on Howard Stern's mega-popular radio show." I'd never heard of the guy myself, but supposedly his go-for-the-throat interviews have resulted in him being … Continue reading Album review: Stuttering John, Stuttering John (1994)
Album review: Kim Mitchell, Itch (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 26, 1994 By Steve Newton After hearing that Canuck guitar-rock great Kim Mitchell had reunited with longtime lyricist Pye Dubois--and then recorded their new tunes with ace producer Joe Hardy (ZZ Top, Colin James, the Tragically Hip)--I had high hopes for the resulting CD, Itch. Those hopes were … Continue reading Album review: Kim Mitchell, Itch (1994)