Horrific sound at Kerrisdale Arena makes Vancouver a town called malice for the Jam

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 11, 1982 By Steve Newton It looked like a scene from the Who film Quadrophenia outside the Kerrisdale Arena last Saturday night (June 5). Guys in trenchcoats and military-style jackets stood around with girls wearing button-clad and Union Jack emblazoned overcoats. Inside the Jam, hailed as "England's #1 … Continue reading Horrific sound at Kerrisdale Arena makes Vancouver a town called malice for the Jam

George Harrison box set stirs ’70s memories and gets Conan on the case

By Steve Newton An eight-disc George Harrison box set titled The Apple Years 1968-75 was released today, for all you post-Beatles Harrison freaks out there. I probably won't run out and buy it, since I don't have a spare hundred bucks kickin' around right now, but hearing about it made me recall the Year of Our Lord, 1973. That was … Continue reading George Harrison box set stirs ’70s memories and gets Conan on the case

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson talks ’70s concept albums but can’t comment on Quadrophenia

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 23, 1997 By Steve Newton Although I have no documented proof that I’m related to either Beavis or Butthead, I do harbour a couple of hazy teenage memories that keep me pondering that possibility. The one that has me most worried goes back to Chilliwack Senior Secondary School, … Continue reading Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson talks ’70s concept albums but can’t comment on Quadrophenia

“Hi, this is Matthew Good, and you’re listening to…what are those call letters again?”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 23, 1997 Inside the False Creek offices of A&M Records, a scrawny young guy is struggling to record a promotional sound bite over the phone for a Prince George radio station. “Hi, this is Matthew Good, and you’re listening to…what are those call letters again?” After a couple … Continue reading “Hi, this is Matthew Good, and you’re listening to…what are those call letters again?”

Matthew Good, 25, walks home in the cold after opening for the Who

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 26, 1996 By Steve Newton Christmas came early for Matthew Good this year. On the same day that I interviewed the up-and-coming local rocker, he received a present from his publisher at EMI: an autographed picture of American astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon. The souvenir is in keeping with … Continue reading Matthew Good, 25, walks home in the cold after opening for the Who

The Who brings Quadrophenia, the world’s greatest rock album, to Vancouver

@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 24, 1996 By Steve Newton If I had to choose one “desert island disc”—the all-time–favourite rock album to live out my days to while munching coconuts on some uncharted tropical atoll—it would have to be The Who’s Quadrophenia. Although its 1971 predecessor, Who’s Next, is generally regarded … Continue reading The Who brings Quadrophenia, the world’s greatest rock album, to Vancouver

Quadrophenia: Live in London gets primo packaging in a collector’s edition

By Steve Newton I've long posited that the Who's Quadrophenia is the greatest rock album of all time. The 1973 double-disc captured the British rock quartet at its creative peak, firing on all cylinders, and—thanks to Pete Townsend's songwriting skills—told a thoroughly engrossing tale of a young man's struggle for identity amid the Mods vs. Rockers turmoil … Continue reading Quadrophenia: Live in London gets primo packaging in a collector’s edition

Quadrophenia, the world’s greatest rock album, released as box set today

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 15, 2011 By Steve Newton I recently learned that a good way to get peeps' attention is to call someone or something "the world's greatest". Like, when I reviewed Jeff Beck's Vancouver concert last month and proclaimed him "the world's greatest rock guitarist", it caused quite a commotion in the comments section. … Continue reading Quadrophenia, the world’s greatest rock album, released as box set today

Ear of Newt’s Top 30 Rock Albums of 1973

I've been reminiscing a lot lately about rock stuff that happened 30 years ago. I recently posted interviews originally published back in '83 with such still-active artists as British guitar phenomenon Allan Holdsworth and legendary Aussie earbusters AC/DC. Then I started thinking about maybe doing a list of my fave rock albums from 30 years back, … Continue reading Ear of Newt’s Top 30 Rock Albums of 1973

Who’s Roger Daltrey brings surprises to Vancouver

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 11, 2009 Before heading off to see Roger Daltrey at the Commodore last night (October 10) I made up a list of the five Who songs I figured he’d be most likely to perform—along with the solo material nobody much cared about. These weren’t my fave Who tunes—most of those … Continue reading Who’s Roger Daltrey brings surprises to Vancouver