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
Tag: the seventies
The 70 greatest closing tracks of the ’70s
By Steve Newton Remember when the last track on an album would finish and you'd wish the music would just never end? Me too. "All Right Now" (Fire and Water, Free, 1970) “American Girl” (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1976) "Another Star" (Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder, … Continue reading The 70 greatest closing tracks of the ’70s
Yes guitarist Steve Howe on paying tribute to bass god Chris Squire at the Rock Hall
kevin kane photo By Steve Newton I called Steve Howe up at a Yes tour stop in San Diego in 2017 and had a nice chat with the British guitar wizard, who I've adored ever since first hearing him go to town on "Roundabout" back in the seventies. During our conversation I asked Steve about … Continue reading Yes guitarist Steve Howe on paying tribute to bass god Chris Squire at the Rock Hall
That time Circus Magazine’s editorial department sent me a rejection letter :(
By Steve Newton Thirty-six years ago today somebody at Circus Magazine sent me a rejection letter. They could have at least signed it. Back in the seventies I devoured Circus. It was a total fanzine, but it really covered the bands I was interested in. On any given issue you'd see capitalized band names like MOTT, … Continue reading That time Circus Magazine’s editorial department sent me a rejection letter 🙁
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
Remembering David Bowie in the seventies
By Steve Newton Talk about a shocker. Got up at the usual 7 this morning, realized there was no instant coffee--and no wife awake to make me a latte--so went straight to the cell phone. Saw a tweet about a new concert announcement that needed blogging, so headed over to the computer, clicked on … Continue reading Remembering David Bowie in the seventies
Thin Lizzy box set is a fitting tribute to hard-rock poet Phil Lynott
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 19, 2002 By Steve Newton Thin Lizzy was among my top-five fave rock bands in the ’70s. I picked up on the group after reading a rave review of 1973’s Vagabonds of the Western World in my magazine of choice at the time, Circus. I rushed out and … Continue reading Thin Lizzy box set is a fitting tribute to hard-rock poet Phil Lynott
Black Sabbath’s new box set isn’t quite as wicked as its Black Box
By Steve Newton The hard-rock/metal world is all a-buzz with today's news that the mighty Black Sabbath will release a CD boxed set containing the band's first eight albums—the ones it recorded before Ozzy Osbourne got the boot and was replaced by Ronnie James Dio in 1979. That's all well and good. The more masterful Tony Iommi riffs … Continue reading Black Sabbath’s new box set isn’t quite as wicked as its Black Box
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