Tag: Led Zeppelin

Irish guitar great Joe Hodgson was obsessed with Led Zeppelin, inspired by Rory Gallagher, and gobsmacked by Gary Moore

Five years ago a guitar player from Ireland who I'd never heard of sent me his new instrumental CD, Apparitions, thinking I might like it.

The 70 greatest opening tracks of the ’70s

By Steve Newton Remember how you'd set the needle down on the opening track of a new rock album and the first tune would just blow you the funk away? Me too. "(Ain't Nothin' But a) House Party" (Bloodshot, J. Geils Band, 1973) "All the Way From Memphis" (Mott, Mott the Hoople, 1973) "Already Gone" … Continue reading The 70 greatest opening tracks of the ’70s

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)

Album review: Kingdom Come, Kingdom Come (1988)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 22, 1988 By Steve Newton I don't know about these guys. Displaying your respect for a classic rock band by showing its influence is one thing, but to make a deliberate attempt at being a clone is another. Not to worry, though, because Kingdom Come isn't capable of capturing the essence … Continue reading Album review: Kingdom Come, Kingdom Come (1988)

Album review: Led Zeppelin, How the West Was Won (2003)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 5, 2003 By Steve Newton Back in June of 1972, when these live recordings were made at the L.A. Forum and Long Beach Arena, I wasn’t a big Led Zeppelin fan. I was too busy reaming my ears with then-new LPs like Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4, Deep Purple’s … Continue reading Album review: Led Zeppelin, How the West Was Won (2003)

Album review: The Jeff Healey Band, Cover to Cover (1995)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 20, 1995 By Steve Newton Considering the mostly weak material that characterized the Jeff Healey Band’s previous release, Feel This, it’s no surprise that the Toronto-based blues-rock trio has gone the cover route. The spark that lit up the band’s 1988 debut, See the Light, has all but … Continue reading Album review: The Jeff Healey Band, Cover to Cover (1995)

Singers from Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Free connect for a rock-god vocal summit in Oxford

By Steve Newton What do you get when you gather the lead singers from Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Free on stage at the same time? A pretty rockin' version of the '50s chestnut "Money (That's What I Want)", it appears. Robert Plant, Brian Johnson, and Paul Rodgers got together at one of Rodgers' shows in … Continue reading Singers from Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Free connect for a rock-god vocal summit in Oxford

Opeth founder Mikael Åkerfeldt loves ’70s rock, says he was born in the wrong decade

randall vasquez photo By Steve Newton One run-through of its new album, Sorceress, is evidence enough that Swedish quintet Opeth was heavily influenced by ’70s prog rock. The disc was also recorded at the famed Rockfield Studios in Wales, where bands like Rush, Budgie, Hawkwind, and Queen laid down prog-heavy tracks back in the day. As … Continue reading Opeth founder Mikael Åkerfeldt loves ’70s rock, says he was born in the wrong decade

That time Tony Iommi told me about the early rivalry between Black Sabbath and Deep Purple

By Steve Newton When I interviewed guitar legend Tony Iommi back in March of 2007 he was bringing his Ronnie James Dio-fronted version of Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell, to Vancouver for a show at the Pacific Coliseum with Megadeth and Down. At one point I asked Iommi whether he was a fan of Dio's … Continue reading That time Tony Iommi told me about the early rivalry between Black Sabbath and Deep Purple

That time Robert Plant told me he was “very very pissed off” that Black Sabbath wasn’t going to reform

By Steve Newton Now here's a fun little soundbite I digitized off an old cassette I had lying around from 1993. It's an AudioMagnetics XHE 60, so good on them for making tapes that still work decades later. That particular tape also includes 1993 interviews with Devin Townsend, Steve Hackett of Genesis fame, and Stuart … Continue reading That time Robert Plant told me he was “very very pissed off” that Black Sabbath wasn’t going to reform