By Steve Newton So far I’ve posted these wacky “20 best songs” lists for some of my fave bands from the ’70s, including Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Robin Trower, Van Halen, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, and Thin Lizzy. When I decided to compile one for the Drive-By Truckers, who are … Continue reading The Drive-By Truckers’ 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 7, 2002 By Steve Newton Two songs into the new Carlos Santana CD, Shaman, I couldn’t decide whether I loved the album or despised it. Things start off just fine with the old-school, tribal-Latin workout, “Adouma”, cowritten by Angelique Kidjo, which is lit white-hot by the guitar god’s … Continue reading Album review: Santana, Shaman (2002)
kirk west photo By Steve Newton The spirit of southern rock was alive and well when I was a music-crazed teenager in the seventies. Skynyrd, Hatchet, Blackfoot, Outlaws, Allmans: I ate it up. Then the eighties came along and the sound of the south took a nosedive, popularity-wise. But back in the early ’90s the … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes if the spirit of southern rock was alive and well in 1994
By Steve Newton Hey all you diehard Susan Tedeschi fans: here’s another audio excerpt from my 1998 interview with her, when she had just released her second album, Just Won’t Burn, and was on the verge of stardom. As the “phoner” wound down, I asked her what she hoped to accomplish in her career, and … Continue reading That time I asked 28-year-old Susan Tedeschi what she hoped to accomplish in her career
By Steve Newton Oh man, I freakin’ love the sound of slide guitar. And I especially love it when it’s being created by somebody like Warren Haynes. In case you didn’t know, Haynes is the player who took over the slide duties when the Allman Brothers reunited back in 1989. I did my first interview … Continue reading That time Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes told me who his biggest influences were on slide
By Steve Newton Clearly, the ’70s stuff was best. 20. “Make It” (Aerosmith, 1973) 19. “Let the Music Do the Talking” (Done With Mirrors, 1985) 18. “Mama Kin” (Aerosmith, 1973) 17. “S.O.S. (Too Bad)” (Get Your Wings, 1974) 16. “Sick as a Dog” (Rocks, 1976) 15. “My Fist Your Face” (Done With Mirrors, 1985) 14. … Continue reading Aerosmith’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
By Steve Newton There some tunes that just grab you by the heart with their simple beauty and honesty and, if you’re lucky, maybe a wailing Les Paul guitar. “Soulshine” is one of ’em. When I interviewed Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes for the first time, a quarter-century ago, the band was touring behind its … Continue reading That time Warren Haynes told me that his Allman Brothers song “Soulshine” was inspired by his dad
By Steve Newton Yep, it’s all about Bridge of Sighs. 20. “Back It Up” (Back It Up, 1983) 19. “A Tale Untold” (For Earth Below, 1975) 18. “Man of the World” (Twice Removed from Yesterday, 1973) 17. “Too Rolling Stoned” (Bridge of Sighs, 1974) 16. “Twice Removed from Yesterday” (Twice Removed from Yesterday, 1973) 15. “Victims of the … Continue reading Robin Trower’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
By Steve Newton I loved Queen in the seventies. When that first album came out in 1973 it was in a steady battle for time on my turntable with other ’73 debuts by Aerosmith, Skynyrd, Montrose, and Trower. I clearly remember playing it on my parents’ living-room stereo (before I got my own) and being … Continue reading That time I asked Brian May of Queen about that scene in Wayne’s World with “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the car
By Steve Newton That Lemmy: what a character. I got to interview the metal legend a couple of times before he left us in 2015 for that Great Gig in the Sky, the first time being in the previous century–back in April of 1999. That was just a month after the release of Mötorhead’s sixth … Continue reading That time I asked Lemmy what he liked to do in his spare time when he wasn’t touring with Mötorhead or making albums
By Steve Newton The first time I ever saw Warren Haynes perform live was back in 1989, when he was a member of the Dickey Betts Band. The group played Vancouver’s 86 Street Music Hall, touring behind its debut album Pattern Disruptive, and holy crap was Haynes a killer on the slide guitar. Five years … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes if he was daunted by the prospect of taking over Duane Allman’s spot opposite Dickey Betts
By Steve Newton Machine Head still rules. 20. “And the Address” (Shades of Deep Purple, 1968) 19. “Flight of the Rat” (Deep Purple in Rock, 1970) 18. “Lay Down, Stay Down” (Burn, 1974) 17. “Gypsy” (Stormbringer, 1974) 16. “Wring that Neck” (The Book of Taliesyn, 1968) 15. “Hush” (Shades of Deep Purple, 1968) 14. “Soldier … Continue reading Deep Purple’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton Unlike the recent Tom Petty box, this three-CD package doesn’t contain enough previously unreleased material to make it a must-have, but it does feature some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar, and you know that can’t be bad. Dance of the Rainbow … Continue reading Dance of the Rainbow Serpent features some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar
