ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 21, 1991 By Steve Newton Stevie Ray Vaughan fans who thought they were getting a treat when his posthumously released Vaughan Brothers album came out have more reason to smile with the release of 10 more studio tracks by the cherished blues-rocker. But while The Sky is Crying … Continue reading Album review: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, The Sky Is Crying (1991)
Album review: John Mellencamp, Whenever We Wanted (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 14, 1991 By Steve Newton First it was Johnny Cougar, then John Cougar, then John Cougar Mellencamp, and now John Mellencamp. On his next album he’ll probably just be John. But that’s okay, ’cause names aren’t important when your music’s as brilliant as it is on Whenever … Continue reading Album review: John Mellencamp, Whenever We Wanted (1991)
Album review: Richie Sambora, Stranger in This Town (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 17, 1991 By Steve Newton Who would have thought that Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora—the only member of that band cuter than BJ himself—would have what it takes to deliver an album as mature and diverse as Stranger in This Town? Aided by primo bassist/Stick-man Tony Levin and … Continue reading Album review: Richie Sambora, Stranger in This Town (1991)
Album review: The Four Horsemen, Nobody Said It Was Easy (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 26, 1991 By Steve Newton It can be a long wait between AC/DC albums, so easily-pleased fans of gritty, bastardized blues might cotton to the latest release from a new band featuring former D.O.A. drummer Ken “Dimwit” Montgomery. The Four Horsemen’s Nobody Said It Was Easy offers … Continue reading Album review: The Four Horsemen, Nobody Said It Was Easy (1991)
Album review: Dire Straits, On Every Street (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 19, 1991 By Steve Newton What the hell happened to Dire Straits over the years? When the band’s debut album came out in ’78, you were hard-pressed to find one song on it that wasn’t a gem. Thirteen years later, it’s the exact opposite: you’ve gotta search … Continue reading Album review: Dire Straits, On Every Street (1991)
Album review: Guns N’ Roses, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 19, 1991 By Steve Newton It’s hard to believe that just three years ago Guns N’ Roses couldn’t get a rise out of a Vancouver crowd. The band opened for Iron Maiden at the Coliseum on May 30, 1988, and was so ticked off at the lame reaction … Continue reading Album review: Guns N’ Roses, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991)
Album review: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Into the Great Wide Open (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 8, 1991 By Steve Newton It’s awful hard for me to pick out the best tunes on the latest release by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, ’cause I pretty well love ’em all. A masterful pop craftsman who lives by the KISS credo (Keep It Simple, Stupid), … Continue reading Album review: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Into the Great Wide Open (1991)
Album review: Contraband, Contraband (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 6, 1991 By Steve Newton Ian Hunter must be feeling pretty comfy these days. First off, Great White made him a pile of royalty bucks with its hit version of his 1975 barrelhouse-boogie “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”. Now Contraband—a new conglomeration of members from the Michael Schenker … Continue reading Album review: Contraband, Contraband (1991)
Album review: The Law, The Law (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 2, 1991 By Steve Newton After having had to sit through Bad (Sad?) Company’s recent Vancouver concert—and its empty, money-grubbing versions of that band’s greatest hits—the release of the Law’s self-titled debut album came like manna from heaven. Original Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers has formed a new … Continue reading Album review: The Law, The Law (1991)
Album review: Deep Purple, Slaves and Masters (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 3, 1991 By Steve Newton So Ian Gillan has left Deep Purple again, this time to be replaced by Joe Lynn Turner instead of David Coverdale. Well, that idea has its possibilities: Turner and Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore made some fine rock ’n’ roll together in the … Continue reading Album review: Deep Purple, Slaves and Masters (1990)
Album review: Goddo, 12 Gauge Goddo (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 3, 1991 By Steve Newton I still remember driving into town from Chilliwack to see Goddo at the Body Shop way back in ’78 or some godforsaken year. What made the show so memorable for me wasn’t just the great power-rock this Canadian trio delivered, but the fact … Continue reading Album review: Goddo, 12 Gauge Goddo (1990)
Album review: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Savvy Show Stoppers (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 13, 1990 By Steve Newton With winter here for a while, there’s no better way to recreate the joy of carefree summer cruisin’ than throwing some surf music on the ol’ turntable. The ol’ CD player, I mean. Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet are Canada’s foremost … Continue reading Album review: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Savvy Show Stoppers (1990)
Album review: Dread Zeppelin, Un-Led-Ed (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 6, 1990 By Steve Newton You gotta wonder how a band like Dread Zeppelin ever came into being. Did a down-on-his-luck Elvis impersonator drowning his sorrows in a bar knock into a zonked-out reggae fiend, who then spilled his beer on a guitarist who idolizes Jimmy Page? And … Continue reading Album review: Dread Zeppelin, Un-Led-Ed (1990)