ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 11, 1987 By Steve Newton Remember that neat movie from 1970, The Magic Christian, which starred Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr and was a cutting farce on the lengths people would go to to get money? And remember that film's nifty theme song, "Come and Get It", which sounded like the Beatles but … Continue reading Badfinger’s Joey Molland on working with the Beatles and dealing with the fallout of suicide
Newt’s Rock Hall inducts Motörhead, T. Rex, Free, the MC5, Humble Pie, and the J. Geils Band
By Steve Newton In yesterday's blog denouncing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's continued refusal to induct Link Wray, I mentioned that today I planned to induct six acts into Newt's Rock Hall, to keep up with the Joneses (a.k.a. that other, crappier Hall in Cleveland). And since I don't like to disappoint people, … Continue reading Newt’s Rock Hall inducts Motörhead, T. Rex, Free, the MC5, Humble Pie, and the J. Geils Band
Link Wray loses to Bon Jovi as the Rock Hall’s uncanny ineptness soars
By Steve Newton If you're a fan of real rock 'n' roll you've probably already heard the bad news: Link Wray has been snubbed yet again by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And to put the poo-flavoured icing on the cake, Bon Jovi got in instead. Yeah, that's right. The eighties hair-metal band was … Continue reading Link Wray loses to Bon Jovi as the Rock Hall’s uncanny ineptness soars
Pseudo Echo rock and rolls all night and turns Vancouver into Funkytown
chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 18, 1987 By Steve Newton Like most Aussie rock 'n' roll bands, Pseudo Echo shuns the fancy costume/big hairdo approach on which many British and American acts rely. Like their countrymen AC/DC, Angel City, and Midnight Oil, Pseudo Echo lets its own particular brand of music do the talkin'--and leaves the … Continue reading Pseudo Echo rock and rolls all night and turns Vancouver into Funkytown
David Gilmour shines like crazy as Pink Floyd blows Vancouver away on its A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 18, 1987 By Steve Newton Seeing Pink Floyd live is a luxury that every rock fan should allow him or herself at least once. Yours truly took advantage of the opportunity to do just that last Thursday (December 10), along with about 44,000 other lucky dogs at B.C. Place. It was my first Floydian experience, and … Continue reading David Gilmour shines like crazy as Pink Floyd blows Vancouver away on its A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour
Album review: Jimi Hendrix, Axis Outtakes (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 4, 2003 By Steve Newton With all the worthwhile Jimi Hendrix CDs being issued these days by Experience Hendrix, the Hendrix-family company based out of Seattle, there isn’t much need for this collection of outtakes and alternate mixes from the 1967 sessions that spawned the second JHE LP, … Continue reading Album review: Jimi Hendrix, Axis Outtakes (2003)
Album review: ZZ Top, Mescalero (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 13, 2003 By Steve Newton It’s hard to believe that the same three guys who gave the world Tres Hombres are content to dump 16 tracks of crap on unsuspecting fans who might think the “Lil Old Band from Texas” still has a reason to be around. Guitarist … Continue reading Album review: ZZ Top, Mescalero (2003)
Album review: Nickelback, The Long Road (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton The Long Road, the highly anticipated follow-up to Nickelback’s hugely successful Silver Side Up, wasn’t worth getting excited about. It starts off okay with the riotous “Flat on the Floor”, but by the second tune, “Do This Anymore”, it’s clear the Alberta-raised, Vancouver-based … Continue reading Album review: Nickelback, The Long Road (2003)
Album review: Joe Jackson Band, Volume 4 (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 27, 2003 By Steve Newton When I recall my late-’70s/early-’80s fondness for Brit pop-punk Joe Jackson, I drift back to days spent in a rundown party pad at the foot of a dead-end street in Chilliwack. For some reason, I remember myself one spring afternoon mowing the lawn … Continue reading Album review: Joe Jackson Band, Volume 4 (2003)
Album review: Led Zeppelin, How the West Was Won (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 5, 2003 By Steve Newton Back in June of 1972, when these live recordings were made at the L.A. Forum and Long Beach Arena, I wasn’t a big Led Zeppelin fan. I was too busy reaming my ears with then-new LPs like Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4, Deep Purple’s … Continue reading Album review: Led Zeppelin, How the West Was Won (2003)
American Dog guitarist Steve Theado bounces back from highway hell
The rock ’n’ roll life has its share of bumps along the road, like the rough ride that American Dog guitarist Steve Theado took last year.
Album review: Yardbirds, Birdland (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 8, 2003 By Steve Newton You might think, since the current version of the Yardbirds includes only two founding members of the pioneering ’60s Brit-rock act—rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty—that the latest installment is just trying to cash in on the group’s famous name. One … Continue reading Album review: Yardbirds, Birdland (2003)
Album review: Jimmy Thackery, Guitar (2003)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 20, 2003 By Steve Newton Last year American blues-rock guitar ace Jimmy Thackery released a wonderfully overdue tribute to relatively unknown music great Eddie Hinton. Now he tips the hat to a few other six-string stalwarts with Guitar, collecting nine instrumental tracks from his own Blind Pig back … Continue reading Album review: Jimmy Thackery, Guitar (2003)