ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 9, 1988 By Steve Newton Few rock 'n' roll bands can fuse raunchy guitars and menacing vocals and still come up with really beautiful music. But New York's Blue Öyster Cult has done that on more than a dozen albums since 1972. The latest boasts the same hard-hitting, … Continue reading Album review: Blue Öyster Cult, Imaginos (1988)
Jeff Healey on playing a bar-band guitarist in Roadhouse and “marvellous” star Patrick Swayze
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 1, 1988 By Steve Newton Patrick Swayze may be one of the sexiest movie stars around today, but he can't play mean blues guitar. Jeff Healey might not be your typical matinee idol, but he can play mean blues guitar--as anyone at the Town Pump will discover this weekend (July 1 … Continue reading Jeff Healey on playing a bar-band guitarist in Roadhouse and “marvellous” star Patrick Swayze
Killer Dwarfs stand tall and start to shine with Big Deal on CBS/Epic
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 8, 1988 By Steve Newton Long-time Toronto bar-rockers the Killer Dwarfs have finally signed to a major label and released a new album, Big Deal. And now they've got a slick new tour bus, which was parked out back of the Metro last Thursday (June 30), waiting to take them on … Continue reading Killer Dwarfs stand tall and start to shine with Big Deal on CBS/Epic
A little Zeppelin goes a long way at Robert Plant’s Vancouver concert
crappy iPhone photo by the Newt By Steve Newton When I interviewed Robert Plant back in 1993, the first thing he said on the phone from New York City was that he was "pissed off" that Black Sabbath wasn't getting back together. He was joking, though. It was more a comment on how frustrated he … Continue reading A little Zeppelin goes a long way at Robert Plant’s Vancouver concert
Tesla frontman Jeff Keith just sang along to the car radio like everybody else
Everybody sings along to the car radio. Whether you can carry a tune or not, it's pretty hard to hold back if a song like "Back in the USSR" or "Brown Sugar" hits the airwaves while you're cruisin'.
Def Leppard makes a triumphant in-the-round return to Vancouver on the Hysteria tour
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 7, 1988 By Steve Newton Being a rock critic is not all fun and games. "Sure, Steve," you're probably saying, "all those free concerts and backstage brewskies must be real tough." Okay, so there are worse occupations, but like anything else it can get boring. You become pretty … Continue reading Def Leppard makes a triumphant in-the-round return to Vancouver on the Hysteria tour
Album review: Jimmy Page, Outrider (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 26, 1988 By Steve Newton As if Led Zeppelin fans didn't have enough to satisfy them with the recent return to prominence of Robert Plant, now his old guitar-playin' buddy Jimmy Page has gone solo for the first time. The result is the closest recreation of the old … Continue reading Album review: Jimmy Page, Outrider (1988)
AC/DC’s riotous rock riles the savage beast in Vancouver on the Blow Up Your Video World Tour
property of the newt ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 17, 1988 By Steve Newton The would-be gatecrashers throwing rocks and bottles outside B.C. Place last Monday night (June 13) may have thought they were having fun, but if they'd had any sense at all they would have saved those bottles, cashed them in, and collected enough … Continue reading AC/DC’s riotous rock riles the savage beast in Vancouver on the Blow Up Your Video World Tour
Danny Kirwan’s death revives memories of cruising the Chilliwack strip listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Kiln House
By Steve Newton You may have heard that British musician Danny Kirwan passed away on Friday, at the age of 68. Don't feel too bad if his name doesn't sound familiar, but he was a member of Fleetwood Mac between 1968 and 1972. I didn't know his work all that well myself, even though he … Continue reading Danny Kirwan’s death revives memories of cruising the Chilliwack strip listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Kiln House
Album review: Ronnie Montrose, The Speed of Sound (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton On his last album, Mean, guitar hero Ronnie Montrose rekindled the straightforward metal noise that sounded so fine on his early '70s albums with Sammy Hagar. On his new one, he's back on the instrumental rock path a la his 1978 release, Open … Continue reading Album review: Ronnie Montrose, The Speed of Sound (1988)
Album review: Judas Priest, Ram It Down (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton Those of you who thought the Priest may have been mellowing out a little on its last record, Turbo--forget it. With the latest, the band's back to the freewheelin' raunch that made Defenders of the Faith such a dangerous chunk of vinyl. From the Rob Halford … Continue reading Album review: Judas Priest, Ram It Down (1988)
Album review: Leslie West, Theme (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 8, 1988 By Steve Newton You don't hear a lot from Leslie West these days. The under-rated guitarist has sort of faded into the distance since his two '70s bands--Mountain and West, Bruce & Laing--called it quits. But for those who'd like to catch up on what the … Continue reading Album review: Leslie West, Theme (1988)
Buddy Guy soars to guitar heaven with a little help from Jeff Beck and Keith Richards
By Steve Newton Blues icon Buddy Guy--who I've been lucky enough to have interviewed five times--delivered a tasty treat to the world's guitar freaks today. In advance of the June 15 release of his new album, The Blues Is Alive and Well, the 81-year-old picker released a song called "Cognac" that sees him trading wild licks … Continue reading Buddy Guy soars to guitar heaven with a little help from Jeff Beck and Keith Richards