ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 11, 2013 By Steve Newton Whatever happened to the Gangnam style? Gov't Mule Shout! Mule fans got a double dose of their favourite southern-flavoured blues/jam-rock outfit this time around, as all 11 tracks on Shout! were rerecorded on a second disc with a stellar cast of guest singers, including Ben Harper, … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2013
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2014
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 10, 2014 By Steve Newton One of the biggest music stories of 2014 concerned the trials and tribulations of AC/DC, which had one original member retire due to dementia and another facing criminal charges. The return of Pink Floyd after two decades also made a few headlines—or garnered a ton … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2014
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2002
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 12, 2002 By Steve Newton My fave recorded music this year, as listed below, ranges from garage-y, instrumental prog-metal to fingerstyle acoustic-guitar wizardry, from improvisatory jam bands to North Mississippi hill-country blues. Everything involves guitars; I still haven’t come to grips with how a turntable can be anything … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2002
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2001
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 13, 2001 By Steve Newton Cranky bugger that I am, I often use my allotted space to vent my displeasure with the popular, live music–killin’ DJ scene, but this year I don’t feel like it. Oops, what’s that down there in my Strokes entry? John Hammond Wicked Grin … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2001
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2000
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 2000 By Steve Newton Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything at all about popular music. Maybe you feel that way too—like I don’t know anything at all about popular music. I just don’t understand how a hate-filled sicko like Eminem can be revered by millions. … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2000
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1998
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 17, 1998 By Steve Newton Yee-hah! I managed to make it through yet another year without having to listen to anyone named DJ anything. The Tragically Hip Phantom Power Ontario’s guitar-rock kings continue their winning ways with a potent batch of raggedy ruminations on everything Canadian, from Bobby … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1998
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1997
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 18, 1997 By Steve Newton There were a lot of things that sucked the biggie in the world of music this year. From a local angle, the major disappointment was the continued vacancy of the once-fabulous Commodore Ballroom. Nationally, the lack of a new studio album from the … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1997
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1996
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 1996 By Steve Newton Neither of my two favourite recording artists released any music in ’96, but even though I had to suffer through the serious withdrawal of no Jeff Beck or Joe Satriani, the year had its moments. Various Artists Twang! A Tribute to Hank Marvin & the … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1996
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1995
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 1995 By Steve Newton I must have gotten tired of listening to rock vocalists in 1995, because the majority of my top picks for the year turned out to be instrumental releases. Who needs to rack their brain deciphering lyrics when a well-handled guitar can do all the … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1995
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1993
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 23, 1993 By Steve Newton Popular music hit an all-time low this year with the outbreak of something called gangsta rap, an ugly, expletive-laden noise that degrades women and glorifies real-life crime and violence. We can only hope this latest strain of the rap virus will help bring down the whole … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1993
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1992
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 1992 By Steve Newton I was really hoping that I’d be able to praise 1992 as the year that rap “music” finally dried up and blew away, but the music industry’s lucrative plot to make recording “artists” out of low-talent bozos grows stronger by the day. Fortunately, there … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1992
Rounder hits the mark with no-frills Box of the Blues
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton Blues fans looking to acquire a worthy cross-section of the genre—but who aren’t up to shelling out big bucks for the premium package centred on Martin Scorsese’s film series The Blues—should consider this compact, no-frills set. The four-disc collection brings together 60 tracks … Continue reading Rounder hits the mark with no-frills Box of the Blues
ZZ Top goes heavy on the ’70s with Chrome, Smoke & BBQ box
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton In 1987, blues-rockers ZZ Top released a three-disc compilation of their early work titled The ZZ Top Sixpack, which included such stellar mid-’70s albums as Tres Hombres, Fandango, and Tejas. If you own that collection, you’ve already acquired most of the trio’s best … Continue reading ZZ Top goes heavy on the ’70s with Chrome, Smoke & BBQ box