ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 17, 1994 By Steve Newton If the Eagles charged for CDs the same way they do for concert tickets, this little single-disc item would go for $30 or so, which would be an amazing rip-off, considering it includes only four new tunes. The brunt of the album is … Continue reading Album review: The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over (1994)
Album review: The Black Crowes, Amorica (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 10, 1994 By Steve Newton You know there are too many crows in the backyard when premier music-trade mag Billboard, in its October 15 issue, runs a promo shot of the Black Crowes and mistakenly calls it a picture of Counting Crows. Although both bands are similar in that they rely … Continue reading Album review: The Black Crowes, Amorica (1994)
Album review: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Endangered Species (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 13, 1994 By Steve Newton It’ll be 17 years this month since Lynyrd Skynyrd’s chartered plane went down in the Mississippi woods, killing—among others—vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines. Ten years after the crash, the group’s survivors decided to honour the music of the lost rockers … Continue reading Album review: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Endangered Species (1994)
Album review: BBM, Around the Next Dream (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 29, 1994 By Steve Newton Not many rock guitarists could step into Eric Clapton’s shoes—especially the sizeable ones he’s wearing right now, following the release of his stunning blues album, From the Cradle. But when Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker picked Gary Moore to become the M … Continue reading Album review: BBM, Around the Next Dream (1994)
Album review: The Tragically Hip, Day for Night (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 29, 1994 By Steve Newton Having gotten kinda used to the Hip starting off its CDs with hard-rocking tunes like “Blow at High Dough” and “Little Bones”, I was somewhat taken aback by Day for Night’s sombre leadoff track, “Grace, Too”. I was happy to hear that the pride of Kingston, … Continue reading Album review: The Tragically Hip, Day for Night (1994)
Album review: Phantom Blue, Built to Perform (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 28, 1994 By Steve Newton With their snug-fitting cut-offs, tight tops, and knee-high boots, the young women in Phantom Blue could easily be misconstrued as boy-toy metal-Madonnas first and serious rock musicians second, but from the sound of their questionably titled CD, Built to Perform, they have … Continue reading Album review: Phantom Blue, Built to Perform (1994)
Album review: ZZ Top, Antenna (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 17, 1994 By Steve Newton Twenty years or so ago, I impulsively laid down $2.50 for a used copy of ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres LP, which sounded like hard-rock heaven on my $175 Phillips stereo system. Back then I viewed ZZ Top as a great new heavy-metal … Continue reading Album review: ZZ Top, Antenna (1994)
Album review: Pearl Jam, Vs. (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton Although I became a fan of Pearl Jam the first time I heard its debut album, Ten, I must admit that I haven’t played that disc a lot since scoring a review copy back in ’91. Shortly after its release I saw … Continue reading Album review: Pearl Jam, Vs. (1993)
Album review: Guns N’ Roses, The Spaghetti Incident (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton As Guns N’ Roses would likely proclaim themselves, The Spaghetti Incident KICKS F***IN’ ASS! It’s the band’s rockingest album ever, although when you’re out to deliver raunchy covers of tunes by the New York Dolls (“Human Being”), Iggy Pop (“Raw Power”), and … Continue reading Album review: Guns N’ Roses, The Spaghetti Incident (1993)
Album review: John Hiatt, Perfectly Good Guitar (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 14, 1993 By Steve Newton When I first heard the title of John Hiatt’s new album, Perfectly Good Guitar, I thought for a second that maybe it was an immodest reference to the guitar-playing skills of Hiatt himself. I should have known better, of course, since Hiatt … Continue reading Album review: John Hiatt, Perfectly Good Guitar (1993)
That time I asked Dickey Betts why the Allmans weren’t playing “Ramblin’ Man” live in ’92
kirk west photo By Steve Newton As I've said before on my other posts about Dickey Betts, I just like hearing the dude's voice. If you do too, here's another audio excerpt from my interview with the guitar legend from July of 1992, which--for those who struggle with the math--was over a quarter-century ago. At … Continue reading That time I asked Dickey Betts why the Allmans weren’t playing “Ramblin’ Man” live in ’92
Album review: Rod Stewart, Unplugged…and Seated (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 17, 1993 By Steve Newton I always thought that the opening riff of Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla” was one of the most simple and beautiful things in rock ’n’ roll, so I wasn’t too thrilled when I first heard Clapton’s lounge-style, Unplugged version of the song, … Continue reading Album review: Rod Stewart, Unplugged…and Seated (1993)
Album review: John Mayall, Wake Up Call (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 3, 1993 By Steve Newton Blues legend Mayall lays down 12 bare-bones blues-rock tunes on Wake Up Call, his third good album in a row after Chicago Line and A Sense of Place. Fans of wailing harp and biting guitar won’t be disappointed by the sounds coming … Continue reading Album review: John Mayall, Wake Up Call (1993)