ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 10, 2010 By Steve Newton Man, if I wasn't already on the outs with the Pitchfork-reading hipster crowd, this blog'll surely get me off their Christmas lists. But hey, it's been 35 years since British blues-rockers Foghat released their platinum-selling album Fool For the City and scored a hit with one of the last … Continue reading Remembering Foghat, the kings of ’70s boogie (along with Status Quo)
Tag: Molly Hatchet
Toronto tunesmith Gary O’ rocks out on his own after penning hits for .38 Special and Molly Hatchet
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 28, 1984 By Steve Newton Florida rockers .38 Special had a banner year in '83, but they didn't achieve it entirely on their own. Both of their hit singles, "Back Where You Belong" and "One Time for Old Times", came from the pen of Toronto tunesmith Gary O'Connor. O'Connor--or Gary 'O, … Continue reading Toronto tunesmith Gary O’ rocks out on his own after penning hits for .38 Special and Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
By Steve Newton Skynyrd had "Free Bird". The Outlaws had "Green Grass and High Tides". Blackfoot had "Highway Song". And Hatchet had "Fall of the Peacemakers". 20. "Long Time'" (Flirtin' with Disaster, 1979) 19. "What's It Gonna Take?'" (No Guts...No Glory, 1983) 18. "Jukin' City" (Flirtin' with Disaster, 1979) 17. "Dreams I'll Never See" (Molly … Continue reading Molly Hatchet’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
Album review: Raging Slab, Raging Slab (1989)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 20, 1989 By Steve Newton Guns N' Roses meets Lynyrd Skynyrd in a southern-fried riff-fest that bodes well for this thundering new act from Atlanta. Singer-songwriter Gregory Strzempka crafts catchy, good ol' boy tunes that are nicely lit up by the leads of Mark Middleton and bottleneck attack … Continue reading Album review: Raging Slab, Raging Slab (1989)
Album review: Molly Hatchet, No Guts…No Glory (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 4, 1983 By Steve Newton Easily the best hard-rock album I've heard yet this year, Molly Hatchet's No Guts...No Glory even outdoes their earlier blockbusters Flirtin' With Disaster and Beatin' the Odds. Growling vocalist Danny Joe Brown is back in the Hatchet lineup after fronting his own band for … Continue reading Album review: Molly Hatchet, No Guts…No Glory (1983)
That time I asked Dickey Betts if the Allman Brothers were the originators of “southern rock”
By Steve Newton I've been a big fan of "southern rock" since I first heard the Allman Brothers Band's version of "One Way Out" on the Eat a Peach album back in high school. Some of my other fave bands in the seventies were Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, and Blackfoot. So when I … Continue reading That time I asked Dickey Betts if the Allman Brothers were the originators of “southern rock”
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1983
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 13, 1984 By Steve Newton Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Flood “Texas Flood is by far my most played album these days. It’s one of those rare albums where every song is a winner…if your’re a fanatic of electric blues guitar, you’ve got to have this record.” Gary Moore Corridors … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1983
Roxy Music vinyl box offers a second shot at ’70s art-rock
By Steve Newton I wasn't the artsiest rock-music fan to grow up in Chilliwack in the seventies; there was way too much Molly Hatchet in my vinyl diet for that. But every now and then I'd venture beyond guitar-based boogie and try something a little more involved, like Roxy Music. I remember buying Stranded when it came … Continue reading Roxy Music vinyl box offers a second shot at ’70s art-rock
Ian Lloyd, the “Brother Louie” guy, says he’s proud of his claim to fame
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 26, 1984 By Steve Newton Ten years ago a New York band called Stories hit it big on North American singles charts with "Brother Louie". The song—a cover of Hot Chocolate's UK hit—made it to No. 1 on Billboard, but despite some fine pop-oriented music on albums like About Us and Travelling Underground, the band … Continue reading Ian Lloyd, the “Brother Louie” guy, says he’s proud of his claim to fame
Marshall Crenshaw shows Vancouver that life’s too short–and pretty precious too
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 25, 1991 By Steve Newton Balding and bespectacled, Marshall Crenshaw looks more like a mild-mannered librarian (and a couple of rock critics I know) than the type to rip up a nightclub with tune after tune of jarring, picture-perfect pop. But, as the Detroit-bred, New York-based rocker proved at his first … Continue reading Marshall Crenshaw shows Vancouver that life’s too short–and pretty precious too
Stevie Ray Vaughan tops my Top 10 albums of 1983
It's always fun getting your Top 10 albums of the year list together. My list for 2013 went out earlier this month, including longtime faves like Gov't Mule, Steve Earle, Buddy Guy, Sabbath, and Satch. But when I was rustling around in my boxes of old Georgia Straights recently I came across my Top 10 … Continue reading Stevie Ray Vaughan tops my Top 10 albums of 1983
Horror review: Straw Dogs
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 16, 2011 By Steve Newton In this remake of Sam Peckinpah’s controversial 1971 payback epic starring Dustin Hoffman, pretty-boy Hollywood screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) and his sexy actor wife, Amy (Kate Bosworth), power their sleek silver Jag into the Mississippi burgh of Blackwater. They are there to fix up … Continue reading Horror review: Straw Dogs