By Steve Newton I love a lot of Tragically Hip songs, but if you asked me which one was my all-time favourite, I'd have to say "Nautical Disaster", off the 1994 Day for Night album. I adore every second of that tune, like the way it calmly opens up before Rob Baker and Paul Langlois' guitars fabulously … Continue reading “Nautical Disaster” is the greatest Tragically Hip song ever, says Newt
15 minutes on the phone with 25-year-old Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip
By Steve Newton Back in 1989 I did the first of my five interviews with Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip. I know a lot of my fellow Hip fans are hurting right now with the news of his passing, so here's something I hope brings a bit of comfort: 15 minutes of Gord being Gord. … Continue reading 15 minutes on the phone with 25-year-old Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip
Willie Nelson bares his down-home soul on Revolutions of Time box
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton I’ve gotta admit that I’m not a real huge country-music fan. I actually view what’s known as “new country”—that lightweight, vacuous, fabricated piffle churned out by the Nashville music mill these days—with the same jaundiced eye reserved for lowly “gangsta rap”. But there’s … Continue reading Willie Nelson bares his down-home soul on Revolutions of Time box
Dance of the Rainbow Serpent features some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton Unlike the recent Tom Petty box, this three-CD package doesn’t contain enough previously unreleased material to make it a must-have, but it does feature some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar, and you know that can’t be bad. Dance of the Rainbow … Continue reading Dance of the Rainbow Serpent features some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers box set is a must-have for Pettyphiles
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton Some boxed sets are basically just glorified greatest-hits collections, with maybe a handful of remixed or previously unreleased tracks tossed in to lure die-hard fans with bulging pockets, but the 92-track Playback isn’t one of those. While it does contain all the big … Continue reading Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers box set is a must-have for Pettyphiles
Album review: Green Day, Insomniac (1995)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 9, 1995 By Steve Newton On the follow-up to Green Day’s multiplatinum Dookie CD, lead vocalist-guitarist-lyricist Billie Joe tries just a little too hard to be a punk-rock Everyman. Out of Insomniac’s 14 tracks, no fewer than nine include lines that start with I’m. “I’m a snot-nosed … Continue reading Album review: Green Day, Insomniac (1995)
Album review: Deep Purple, Come Hell or High Water (1995)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 24, 1995 By Steve Newton They’ve had plenty of time to rehearse, but Deep Purple still can’t improve on Made in Japan, the live double album that captured the hearts and minds of hard-rock hooligans back in ’73. Still, you won’t hear me complain when the band rips … Continue reading Album review: Deep Purple, Come Hell or High Water (1995)
Album review: Brother Cane, Seeds (1995)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 24, 1995 By Steve Newton The first sign that Brother Cane’s long-awaited second release would be a doozy came when the Alabama quartet used material from Seeds to seriously blow Slash’s Snakepit off the stage at the Commodore a while back. Like fellow southerners Collective Soul, Brother … Continue reading Album review: Brother Cane, Seeds (1995)
Album review: Colin James, Bad Habits (1995)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 3, 1995 By Steve Newton They say that life begins at 40, but for 30-year-old Colin James the Big Three-O might well be the milestone signifying delivery to the good life. With Bad Habits, the fresh-faced rocker has turned into a goatee-sporting practitioner of funky, soulful, seasoned-sounding … Continue reading Album review: Colin James, Bad Habits (1995)
Album review: Neil Young, Mirror Ball (1995)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 6, 1995 By Steve Newton I’ve been a Neil Young fan ever since the Harvest days of the ’70s, when folksy, acoustic-based tunes such as “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man” were the ideal soundtrack to youthful experiments with massive consumption of Old Style in a wood-grained … Continue reading Album review: Neil Young, Mirror Ball (1995)
Wicked Whitesnake blows corny Crue off the stage in Vancouver
chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 23, 1987 By Steve Newton A healthy-sized crowd of 12,000 packed the Pacific Coliseum last Friday (October 16) for a Motley Crue concert, but for a lot of people the main attraction was Whitesnake, the group that has lately taken over from Bon Jovi as the most popular hard … Continue reading Wicked Whitesnake blows corny Crue off the stage in Vancouver
How the hell did Judas Priest get nominated to the Rock Hall before Iron Maiden?
By Steve Newton Earlier today I posted a blog about how incredibly lame the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is for not yet inducting Johnny Winter and Rory Gallagher. But now that I've had a few more hours to seriously consider how bogus the Rock Hall is, I've got another bone to pick with … Continue reading How the hell did Judas Priest get nominated to the Rock Hall before Iron Maiden?
Rock Hall ignores Johnny Winter and Rory Gallagher yet again, proves its head is still lodged firmly up its ass
charles campbell photo By Steve Newton It's been 10 days since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for induction in 2018, choosing a whopping 19 bands and artists this time around. They include, in alphabetical order: Bon Jovi, Kate Bush, the Cars, Depeche Mode, Dire Straits, Eurythmics, J. Geils Band, Judas Priest, LL Cool J, MC5, … Continue reading Rock Hall ignores Johnny Winter and Rory Gallagher yet again, proves its head is still lodged firmly up its ass