ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 11, 1990 By Steve Newton Has AC/DC ever put out a bad record? I doubt it. But their efforts haven’t all been great, either. The band’s latest, the Vancouver-made (and grammatically incorrect) The Razors Edge falls somewhere between the band’s strongest (Powerage, Back in Black) and weakest … Continue reading Album review: AC/DC, The Razors Edge (1990)
Album review: Queensrÿche, Empire (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 4, 1990 By Steve Newton It looks like studio giant Little Mountain Sound might be getting a wee bit of local competition as far as attracting the world’s best bands to this city is concerned. Vancouver Studios was the locale that Seattle hard-rockers Queensryche chose to record their … Continue reading Album review: Queensrÿche, Empire (1990)
Album review: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Ragged Glory (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 27, 1990 By Steve Newton So what if Canuck native Neil Young deserted this fair country for the more lucrative land down south; to reinterpret Ronnie Van Zant: “A northern man don’t need him around, anyhow”. Still, whenever Young saddles up with that beautiful beast called Crazy … Continue reading Album review: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Ragged Glory (1990)
Album review: Roger Waters, The Wall Live in Berlin (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 20, 1990 By Steve Newton With such a hodgepodge of guest artists—acts as varied as Sinead O’Connor and the Scorpions, Bryan Adams and James Galway—it seemed quite likely that Roger Waters’s new live recording of The Wall would turn out as a disjointed, hit-and-miss project. But despite the … Continue reading Album review: Roger Waters, The Wall Live in Berlin (1990)
Album review: Yngwie Malmsteen, Eclipse (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 23, 1990 By Steve Newton When Swedish guitar whiz Yngwie Malmsteen burst onto the hard-rock scene in ’84 with the Rising Force album, he took a lot of people by surprise—and it wasn't just his funny name (pronounced "Ing-vay") that did it. Malmsteen was a classically influenced speed-demon, … Continue reading Album review: Yngwie Malmsteen, Eclipse (1990)
Album review: Bruce Dickinson, Tattooed Millionaire (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 16, 1990 By Steve Newton Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson cut his teeth on ’70s bands like Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, and on his first solo album, the steel-throated vocalist gets a chance to loosen the thrashier chains of Maiden and indulge in some of the … Continue reading Album review: Bruce Dickinson, Tattooed Millionaire (1990)
Album review: Heart, Brigade (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 16, 1990 By Steve Newton I've been an off-and-on admirer of the Wilson sisters for many years now—heck, they used to play teen dances when I was a kid in Chilliwack, and I loved ’em. I loved ’em a lot more than I do now, that's for sure. … Continue reading Album review: Heart, Brigade (1990)
Album review: the Beat Farmers, Loud and Plowed and…Live!! (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 9, 1990 By Steve Newton San Diego's prime providers of rude ’n’ rowdy rock ’n’ roll have finally done it. After years of putting on shows—a lot of them right here in Vancouver—that were so wild they verged on the criminal, the Beat Farmers have released a live … Continue reading Album review: the Beat Farmers, Loud and Plowed and…Live!! (1990)
Album review: Johnny Crash, Neighbourhood Threat (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 19, 1990 By Steve Newton Just last month the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band (or one of ’em, anyway) was locked away in Vancouver's Little Mountain Sound with producer Bruce Fairbairn, putting the finishing touches on its next album. No, I’m not talking about the Stones here. … Continue reading Album review: Johnny Crash, Neighbourhood Threat (1990)
Pandora’s Box conjures vivid memories of Aerosmith in the seventies
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC .12, 1991 By Steve Newton This scribbler’s teenage memories are filled with happy thoughts of Aerosmith, the best thing from Boston since Bobby Orr. There’s the time me and some pals hijacked somebody’s dad’s car and travelled down to Seattle’s Kingdome to join 60,000 other maniacs for a … Continue reading Pandora’s Box conjures vivid memories of Aerosmith in the seventies
The Definitive Lynyrd Skynyrd Collection is a must-have for hardcore Skynyrd fans
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 12, 1991 By Steve Newton I know, I know—you can’t win. Just when you’ve finally replaced all your cherished Lynyrd Skynyrd LPs with half a dozen CDs, along comes a 3-CD box set that covers the entire course of the classic southern rock band’s ill-fated career. Well, don’t … Continue reading The Definitive Lynyrd Skynyrd Collection is a must-have for hardcore Skynyrd fans
Crosby, Stills & Nash box set benefits from some Young
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 12, 1991 By Steve Newton I’ve always thought Crosby, Stills & Nash sounded best with a “Young” tagged on the end, so it was good to find out there are actually 18 CSN&Y tunes among this four-CD set’s massive 67 tracks. But after one run-through of these tunes, … Continue reading Crosby, Stills & Nash box set benefits from some Young
R.I.P. Tom Petty: here’s 10 of the Newt’s fave Petty tunes
By Steve Newton Tom Petty may be gone, but the music he made will live on forever, because that's how music works. Here's 10 of my favourite Petty tunes from 10 different Petty albums. Maybe there's a couple here you like as well. "American Girl" from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976: "I Need to … Continue reading R.I.P. Tom Petty: here’s 10 of the Newt’s fave Petty tunes