ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 27, 1993 By Steve Newton There’s a tune on this Shadowy Men release called “We’re Not a Fucking Surf Band”, but I dunno—the Shadowy Men still sound like a surf band to me, and that’s a good thing. There’s nothing cooler than the sound of a trebly, reverb-laden … Continue reading Album review: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Sport Fishin’ (1993)
Album review: Aerosmith, Get a Grip (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 6, 1993 By Steve Newton When I first heard Aerosmith’s “comeback” releases—1987’s Permanent Vacation and 1989’s Pump—I thought they were mighty fine. In the intervening years, however, I found myself playing those discs less and less, tending instead to dig around in my vinyl collection for earlier … Continue reading Album review: Aerosmith, Get a Grip (1993)
Album review: Glen Stace, Road to Damascus (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 15, 1992 By Steve Newton Glen Stace’s debut album, Buddha Hotel, was one of my favourite Canadian albums of ’91. A guitar-driven collection of rough-edged tunes with an infectious pop sensibility, it showed the Saskatoon-bred singer/multi-instrumentalist to be an artist to watch for. His classy follow-up, Road … Continue reading Album review: Glen Stace, Road to Damascus (1992)
Album review: Megadeth, Countdown to Extinction (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 17, 1992 By Steve Newton Used to be that whenever Megadeth albums like Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying? or Killing is My Business...And Business is Good came my way, I’d pass them off as just too thrashy and evil-sounding for my more melodic sensibilities. That was good news … Continue reading Album review: Megadeth, Countdown to Extinction (1992)
Album review: Joe Satriani, The Extremist (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 10, 1992 By Steve Newton As much as I admire Kim Mitchell as a musician and songwriter, I must say that he ticked me off somewhat when I interviewed him a couple of months back. We were talking guitarists when Joe Satriani’s name came up, and Mitchell … Continue reading Album review: Joe Satriani, The Extremist (1992)
Album review: Sonny Landreth, Outward Bound (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 10, 1992 By Steve Newton Sometimes when I hear a particularly snazzy slide guitar lick, I get a shiver up my spine, as if that cold piece of glass or metal stroking the strings were making a move up and down my own backbone. It doesn’t happen too … Continue reading Album review: Sonny Landreth, Outward Bound (1992)
Album review: George Harrison, Live in Japan (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 6, 1992 By Steve Newton At first glance, George Harrison’s new double-disc, Live in Japan, looked promising. The subtitle read, “With Eric Clapton and Band”, and the song list included some of my fave Beatles tunes (“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Old Brown Shoe”, “Here Comes the … Continue reading Album review: George Harrison, Live in Japan (1992)
Album review: Def Leppard, Adrenalize (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 11, 1992 By Steve Newton “Do you wanna get rocked?” asks Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott at the beginning of the lead-off track from the band’s first album in five years. The answer is sure—but not by a boring, go-nowhere piece of bubblegum pop/metal like “Let’s Get Rocked”. … Continue reading Album review: Def Leppard, Adrenalize (1992)
Album review: The Black Crowes, The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 11, 1992 By Steve Newton Few rock ’n’ roll bands have managed to cause as big a stir with their debut album as the Black Crowes did with Shake Your Moneymaker in 1990. It took a while to “work” the album, as record reps say, but once … Continue reading Album review: The Black Crowes, The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion (1992)
Album review: Big Country, The Buffalo Skinners (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 17, 1993 By Steve Newton Having heard very little of Big Country since the mid-’80s, I’d pretty well written the band off as a one-hit-wonder for its early smash single, “In a Big Country”. But, surprisingly, the band’s latest disc is a superb recording, and one that’s … Continue reading Album review: Big Country, The Buffalo Skinners (1993)
Album review: Kim Mitchell, Aural Fixations (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 11, 1992 By Steve Newton There are two things Canadians can count on when summer approaches: one is an increase in the price of beer, and the other is a new Kim Mitchell release. The first of these is obviously the Devil’s work, but the second makes that … Continue reading Album review: Kim Mitchell, Aural Fixations (1992)
Album review: James Reyne, Any Day Above Ground (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 9, 1992 By Steve Newton James Reyne’s previous solo album, 1988’s self-titled effort, was one of the strongest mainstream rock albums of that year, and the former leader of the Australian Crawl has followed up with another catchy batch of tunes that showcase his smart songwriting and … Continue reading Album review: James Reyne, Any Day Above Ground (1991)
Album review: Johnny Winter, Let Me In (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 9, 1992 By Steve Newton Is there anything sweeter than the sound of Johnny Winter’s bony white fingers doin’ the dirty up and down a headless guitar neck, those speedy rock riffs flying off like sparks from a grinder? I kinda doubt it. And you can’t complain … Continue reading Album review: Johnny Winter, Let Me In (1991)