ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 17, 1988 By Steve Newton Everybody sings along to the car radio. Whether you can carry a tune or not, it's pretty hard to hold back if a song like "Back in the USSR" or "Brown Sugar" hits the airwaves while you're cruisin'. For singer Jeff Keith of Tesla, which opens … Continue reading Tesla frontman Jeff Keith just sang along to the car radio like everybody else
Def Leppard makes a triumphant in-the-round return to Vancouver on the Hysteria tour
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 7, 1988 By Steve Newton Being a rock critic is not all fun and games. "Sure, Steve," you're probably saying, "all those free concerts and backstage brewskies must be real tough." Okay, so there are worse occupations, but like anything else it can get boring. You become pretty … Continue reading Def Leppard makes a triumphant in-the-round return to Vancouver on the Hysteria tour
Album review: Jimmy Page, Outrider (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 26, 1988 By Steve Newton As if Led Zeppelin fans didn't have enough to satisfy them with the recent return to prominence of Robert Plant, now his old guitar-playin' buddy Jimmy Page has gone solo for the first time. The result is the closest recreation of the old … Continue reading Album review: Jimmy Page, Outrider (1988)
AC/DC’s riotous rock riles the savage beast in Vancouver on the Blow Up Your Video World Tour
property of the newt ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 17, 1988 By Steve Newton The would-be gatecrashers throwing rocks and bottles outside B.C. Place last Monday night (June 13) may have thought they were having fun, but if they'd had any sense at all they would have saved those bottles, cashed them in, and collected enough … Continue reading AC/DC’s riotous rock riles the savage beast in Vancouver on the Blow Up Your Video World Tour
Danny Kirwan’s death revives memories of cruising the Chilliwack strip listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Kiln House
By Steve Newton You may have heard that British musician Danny Kirwan passed away on Friday, at the age of 68. Don't feel too bad if his name doesn't sound familiar, but he was a member of Fleetwood Mac between 1968 and 1972. I didn't know his work all that well myself, even though he … Continue reading Danny Kirwan’s death revives memories of cruising the Chilliwack strip listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Kiln House
Album review: Ronnie Montrose, The Speed of Sound (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton On his last album, Mean, guitar hero Ronnie Montrose rekindled the straightforward metal noise that sounded so fine on his early '70s albums with Sammy Hagar. On his new one, he's back on the instrumental rock path a la his 1978 release, Open … Continue reading Album review: Ronnie Montrose, The Speed of Sound (1988)
Album review: Judas Priest, Ram It Down (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton Those of you who thought the Priest may have been mellowing out a little on its last record, Turbo--forget it. With the latest, the band's back to the freewheelin' raunch that made Defenders of the Faith such a dangerous chunk of vinyl. From … Continue reading Album review: Judas Priest, Ram It Down (1988)
Album review: Leslie West, Theme (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 8, 1988 By Steve Newton You don't hear a lot from Leslie West these days. The under-rated guitarist has sort of faded into the distance since his two '70s bands--Mountain and West, Bruce & Laing--called it quits. But for those who'd like to catch up on what the … Continue reading Album review: Leslie West, Theme (1988)
Buddy Guy soars to guitar heaven with a little help from Jeff Beck and Keith Richards
By Steve Newton Blues icon Buddy Guy--who I've been lucky enough to have interviewed five times--delivered a tasty treat to the world's guitar freaks today. In advance of the June 15 release of his new album, The Blues Is Alive and Well, the 81-year-old picker released a song called "Cognac" that sees him trading wild licks … Continue reading Buddy Guy soars to guitar heaven with a little help from Jeff Beck and Keith Richards
Album review: Van Halen, OU812 (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 8, 1988 By Steve Newton So this album is selling like hotcakes, eh? I hear they shipped a million copies, and are still running out at a lot of record stores. Well, I know that it's hard not to like a band that includes two stars like Eddie … Continue reading Album review: Van Halen, OU812 (1988)
Hereditary is one of the most unsettling horror flicks in years
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 6, 2018 By Steve Newton Hereditary has been generating a lot of buzz lately as the scariest horror flick in years, and I gotta admit that it’s pretty damn frightening in spots. It’s also brutally unsettling throughout, so be warned. The movie opens with a shot of a typewritten obituary, and the … Continue reading Hereditary is one of the most unsettling horror flicks in years
Album review: Robin Trower, Take What You Need (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 24, 1988 By Steve Newton Robin Trower has put out some mighty fine albums in the past, like Bridge of Sighs in '74, Caravan to Midnight in '78, and B.L.T. (with Jack Bruce) in '81. I've got a total of 11 Trower LPs in my collection, which might seem … Continue reading Album review: Robin Trower, Take What You Need (1988)
Roadie-biker Bean recalls the bottle-in-the-nuts craziness of an early “Guns N’ Fucking Roses” gig
By Steve Newton Last week I posted a blog about the Iron Maiden/Guns N' Roses gig I went to in Vancouver 30 years ago, on May 30, 1988. That was fun to write, but the best thing about it is that it inspired a friend of a friend, Andy Bean David, to contact me with … Continue reading Roadie-biker Bean recalls the bottle-in-the-nuts craziness of an early “Guns N’ Fucking Roses” gig