ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 8, 2005 By Steve Newton Ozzy Osbourne could easily have gotten away with compiling a bunch of album tracks, tossing in a live concert DVD, and calling it the Prince of Darkness box set. But the pioneering bat-biter evidently wanted to give his hordes of fans something special. His idea … Continue reading Ozzy Osbourne box the perfect primer for his post-Sabbath period
Category: sound and vision
Cream live reunion DVD wasn’t worth hounding Clapton for
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 13, 2005 By Steve Newton In the interview portion of the new Cream DVD, Royal Albert Hall London 05, Eric Clapton explains how he's been dogged for the last 30 years by queries about whether the British power trio-which also included bassist-vocalist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker-would ever re-form. … Continue reading Cream live reunion DVD wasn’t worth hounding Clapton for
Ballsy blues-metal of AC/DC’s Family Jewels riles the budgie
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 26, 2005 By Steve Newton Some AC/DC fans feel that the band never recovered from the death of original vocalist Bon Scott; others argue that the Aussie earbusters hit their peak when Brian Johnson took over the mike on Back in Black. No matter which side you're on, if you're an … Continue reading Ballsy blues-metal of AC/DC’s Family Jewels riles the budgie
100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong….or can they?
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton I remember once seeing a poster that was just a picture of a turd and a sentence that read something like Eat Shit: 100,000,000 Flies Can't Be Wrong. That's what came to mind when I first laid eyes on the new, five-disc Bon Jovi boxed … Continue reading 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong….or can they?
Judas Priest’s Metalogy box set comes wrapped in metal studs
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton Back in '82 when I first started writing for the Straight, I instantly became the paper's on-call heavy-metal dude. Nobody else seemed to want the job--certainly not Alexander Varty, the main music critic at the time. So I happily took on the role, because it meant … Continue reading Judas Priest’s Metalogy box set comes wrapped in metal studs
Consider yourself warned about Sabbath’s Black Box
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton Now here's the ultimate stocking stuffer for that die-hard metal freak on your Christmas list. It's gonna cost you a fair chunk of cash--I just saw the Black Box going for $124 at A&B Sound--but little Timmy will be gaining invaluable insights into the roots of heavy … Continue reading Consider yourself warned about Sabbath’s Black Box
The only thing missing from Faces box set is a big honkin’ bottle of JD
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton Believe it or not, Rod Stewart used to rock. You wouldn't know it from those snoozy Great American Song Book volumes he's released in the last few years, but at one point the gravelly-voiced crooner fronted the world's greatest party band: the Faces. That group was only … Continue reading The only thing missing from Faces box set is a big honkin’ bottle of JD
The riff returns with first batch of deluxe Led Zeppelin box sets
By Steve Newton If you're a Led Zeppelin fan--and who isn't, apart from those indie geeks at Pitchfork--you should mark June 3 on your calendar and start putting away some spendin' money. That's when the mighty Zep will release super-deluxe boxed sets of its first three albums--1969's Led Zeppelin, 1969's Led Zeppelin II, and 1970's Led Zeppelin III. Each … Continue reading The riff returns with first batch of deluxe Led Zeppelin box sets
Bottle Rockets reissue displays Brian Henneman’s observational eye
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 19, 2013 By Steve Newton Nineteen-ninety-four might not have been the greatest year for fans of rootsy, meat 'n' potatoes guitar-rock. Hootie and the Blowfish released their diamond-selling (10-million copies plus) Cracked Rear View album. The Barenaked Ladies were going platinum. And Yanni unleashed Live at the Acropolis. But if you were lucky enough … Continue reading Bottle Rockets reissue displays Brian Henneman’s observational eye
Rory Gallagher crime-noir interests spawn Kickback City
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 17, 2013 By Steve Newton Guess I shoulda known, from song titles like "Kickback City" and "Loanshark Blues"—not to mention "Continental Op"—that Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher had a passion for the crime-noir genre. For anyone else who might have missed out on that angle, Eagle Rock Entertainment is going to set … Continue reading Rory Gallagher crime-noir interests spawn Kickback City
35th anniversary Halloween Blu-ray brings classic horror back in HD
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 26, 2013 By Steve Newton The last Halloween movie to be released—Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 in 2009—was one nasty, gruesome bit of business. But unlike John Carpenter's 1978 original, it wasn't particularly scary. "Relentlessly disturbing though it is, the movie is not particularly frightening," opined one of the world's most esteemed and insightful horror-movie … Continue reading 35th anniversary Halloween Blu-ray brings classic horror back in HD
Black Sabbath to release live Blu-ray on which Ozzy’s vocals might not suck
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 3, 2013 By Steve Newton As anyone who went to see Black Sabbath in Vancouver six weeks ago knows, Ozzy Osbourne's vocals were hurtin' pretty bad. It really helped if you focused on the wicked performances of the other three players in the band, especially legendary riffmasterTony Iommi. But just today Sabbath posted … Continue reading Black Sabbath to release live Blu-ray on which Ozzy’s vocals might not suck
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s soul shines on Texas Flood Legacy Edition
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 28, 2013 By Steve Newton I consider myself extremely lucky when it comes to Stevie Ray Vaughan. He's one of my all-time fave guitarists--right up there with Rory Gallagher and Jeff Beck--and I was fortunate enough to see him play live several times before his tragic death on August 27, 1990, at the age … Continue reading Stevie Ray Vaughan’s soul shines on Texas Flood Legacy Edition