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
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2015
By Steve Newton The more I see pictures of headphone-wearing DJs alone on-stage, dickin’ around with laptops and turntables, the more I think: fvck off. Bottle Rockets South Broadway Athletic Club One of the world’s most underrated bands comes up with a killer album of catchy guitar rock that rivals its stellar ’94 release, The Brooklyn … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2015
Deep Purple’s overdue induction into Rock Hall means snubbing of Tommy Bolin and Steve Morse
By Steve Newton Now that the millions of Deep Purple fans around the world have finished celebrating the hard-rock legends' shockingly overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's time to take the bad news with the good. The names of guitar legends Tommy Bolin and Steve Morse will not be included. … Continue reading Deep Purple’s overdue induction into Rock Hall means snubbing of Tommy Bolin and Steve Morse
Queen box set out today captures the legendary rockers live in ’75
By Steve Newton Queen freaks who couldn't quite afford the massive Queen Studio Collection that was released a couple of months ago should know that the legendary British rockers are issuing another box set today (December 18), one that is aimed at fans who adored the band in its mid-'70s, long-hair-on-Mercury heyday. A Night at the Odeon captures … Continue reading Queen box set out today captures the legendary rockers live in ’75
Rock Hall finally inducts Deep Purple; could Rory, Link, Johnny, and Maiden be far behind?
By Steve Newton Well, those bozos down at the highly slaggable Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally came to their senses. Twenty-two years after it first became eligible for induction, legendary British hard-rockers Deep Purple finally gained admittance into the Cleveland institution's hallowed halls. I guess the powers-that-be finally broke down and played Machine Head … Continue reading Rock Hall finally inducts Deep Purple; could Rory, Link, Johnny, and Maiden be far behind?
Backstage at AC/DC with Angus Young, Scotty Bad, and my autographed copy of Powerage, Malcolm’s fave
Notice how Scotty Bad's left hand is just about to land on Angus's wee shoulder in a blatant attempt to have some of that coolness rub off.
Billy Gibbons gets rude ‘n’ bluesy in Vancouver on ZZ Top’s Afterburner Tour
mila geran photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 20, 1985 By Steve Newton Shortly before his death, somebody asked Jimi Hendrix if he knew of any up-and-coming guitarists to watch out for. One of the players Hendrix mentioned was Billy Gibbons. Sixteen years later, Gibbons is living up to Jimi's expectations. At the moment, his guitar … Continue reading Billy Gibbons gets rude ‘n’ bluesy in Vancouver on ZZ Top’s Afterburner Tour
Kick Axe avoids Quiet Riot syndrome, welcomes their friends to the club
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 3, 1986 By Steve Newton Some years ago there was a club at the corner of Broadway and Kingsway known as Vancouver's Tonite--one of the Top Three local clubs along with Frams and Outlaws where nasty guitar licks and heavy sounds were the stock-in-trade. And one of the heaviest bands ever … Continue reading Kick Axe avoids Quiet Riot syndrome, welcomes their friends to the club
Graveyard has nothing to do with death (metal)
By Steve Newton When your band is called Graveyard, it’s no surprise that you sometimes get pegged as yet another grinding death-metal act. According to Graveyard frontman Joakim Nilsson, it happens quite a bit. “Yeah, we hear that a lot,” says the 37-year-old singer-guitarist, on the line from his home outside Gothenburg, Sweden. “But I … Continue reading Graveyard has nothing to do with death (metal)
Black Sabbath reissues bring back memories of “War Pigs”-inspired furniture abuse
By Steve Newton I have hazy memories of the very first albums I ever owned, but there's three that stick out in my mind: Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies, Deep Purple's Fireball, and Black Sabbath's Paranoid. I used to play the hell out of them on an ancient stereo downstairs in my parents' "rumpus room". And my favourite … Continue reading Black Sabbath reissues bring back memories of “War Pigs”-inspired furniture abuse