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Rick McGrath

Rick McGrath
 

Rick McGrath was rock critic of the Vancouver, BC, underground newspaper THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT from 1969 to 1971. He also wrote for CREEM, THE TERMINAL CITY EXPRESS and THE GRAPE before moving on to become an advertising agency creative director. Now retired, Rick contributes features, as well as music, book and movie reviews, for a media analysis website called culturecourt.com. In 2013 Rick started up THE TERMINAL PRESS, and currently publishes books about the writer J.G. Ballard, as well as fiction and cultural analysis.

Culture Court

26 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

Johnny Winter, Mississippi Fred McDowell: Johnny Winter And... Mississippi Fred?

Live Review by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, April 1970

WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTED to go to every bloody concert that comes to town and try to reach a critical judgment (or something like that), sometimes ...

Chicago: Another interview with Jimmy Pankow

Interview by Mike Quigley, Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, 12 April 1970

After Chicago played their first set at the Gardens a couple of Thursdays ago, we wandered backstage to try and line up an interview with ...

Pentangle: Crossing The Border: The Pentangle Interview

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, May 1970

PENTANGLE? SURE. I knew Bert Jansch from my folkie days, and I knew he had an influence on Donovan... Given their dedication to "pure" celtic ...

Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels: The Mitch Ryder Interview

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, July 1970

This interview was found in the vaults by Harold Colson, an ace Librarian at the University of California at San Diego.Harold is researching the Stones’ ...

Savoy Brown: "England Is Dead": The Kim Simmonds Interview

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, September 1970

This started off as an atrocious night of music: a brit Spinal Tap band called Atomic Rooster, followed by the deadly boring Redbone. The night ...

Gordon Lightfoot: Scotch & Pretzels: The Gordon Lightfoot Interview

Interview by Rick McGrath, Mike Quigley, The Georgia Straight, October 1970

  ANOTHER TWO-TIMER with Mike and I. We really did this one as a favour for the record company exec, who used to give us lots ...

Captain Beefheart: A Candid Conversation With Beef The Chief: The Don Van Vliet Interview

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, 1971

This interview was found in the vaults by Harold Colson, an ace Librarian at the University of California at San Diego. Harold is researching the Stones ...

Pearls Before Swine: Another Rapp On Pearls Before Swine

Comment by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, 6 January 1971

PART IImagine you're a member of a rock band. You're trying to make it. O.K. Imagine a combination of the Everglades, and the corner of ...

Van Morrison: February 1971

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, February 1971

This interview with Van Morrison and some of the members of his band took place at Vancouver airport on the morning after a concert. ...

Elton John: This Is Your Song: The Elton John Interview

Interview by Rick McGrath, Mike Quigley, The Georgia Straight, 11 April 1971

WE ENTER THE Holiday Inn on Howe Street through its Southern-fried colonnade and up its Harlequin Romance staircase into the Columbia Room with its Christmas ...

Fleetwood Mac: The Fleetwood Mac Interview

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, 18 April 1971

I remember this interview very well. We were at The Bayshore Hotel, and the interview was with Jeremy Spencer and Mick Fleetwood. John McVie and ...

Elton John (1971)

Interview by Rick McGrath, Mike Quigley, Rock's Backpages audio, 22 April 1971

Elton chats backstage about doing interviews; the Friends soundtrack and the 17-11-70 live album; on being hyped and the hype machine; doing TV with Andy Williams; on why he likes Canada; on Liberace; on his own style, and his hero worship of Leon Russell.

File format: mp3; file size: 11.7mb, interview length: 27' 56" sound quality: **½

Elton John (1971) [transcript]

Audio transcript of interview by Rick McGrath, Mike Quigley, Rock's Backpages transcripts, 22 April 1971

This is a transcription of Mike & Rick's audio interview with Elton, conducted in Vancouver. Listen to the audio of this interview. (Note that due to ...

Led Zeppelin: Vancouver 1971

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, August 1971

I GOT TO watch the concert from the stage – about 10 feet away from Page. It was one helluva show, culminating in 'Dazed & ...

Donovan: Hurdy Gurdy Man Rolls Into Town

Live Review by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, October 1971

TWO THINGS I found quite interesting at the Donovan Concert last Monday night. First, the Humble Minstrel of psychedelic folk music seems to be running ...

Captain Beefheart: Know What I Mean? The Don Van Vliet Interview...

Interview by Rick McGrath, The Georgia Straight, March 1973

Beefheart at The Commodore. Do you know what I mean? ...

Sheryl Crow: Not Much To Crow About: Sheryl Crow's Rockin The Globe Live (A&M DVD)

Review by Rick McGrath, Culture Court, 1999

I’VE GOT GOOD news and bad news for Sheryl Crow fans. The good news is Sheryl’s in fine voice on this live concert DVD. The ...

Steely Dan: Two Against Nature

Review by Rick McGrath, Culture Court, August 2000

ALTHO' I'M A long-time Dan Man, Steely Bopper and convicted Fagenite, it was with a mixture of lip-licking anticipation and eye-narrowing dread that I crept ...

Phil Manzanera: Vozero

Review by Rick McGrath, Culture Court, January 2001

PHIL MANZANERA has always held an interesting, if somewhat obscure spot on the periphery of British guitar legends. Born Philip Targett-Adams, he traveled extensively as ...

Sade: Strangely Sad Sade… Sade: Lovers Rock (Epic)

Review by Rick McGrath, Culture Court, January 2001

IT'S BEEN eight long ones since Helen Folasade Adu had a new CD languorously slithering up the charts, but like Steely Dan and a host ...

Pink Floyd, Roger Waters: Which One's Pink? Roger Waters' In The Flesh

Review by Rick McGrath, Culture Court, January 2001

• Sony Music, 2000 • Written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, in various permutations, with a little help from exPink Floyders Richard Wright and Nick ...

The Rolling Stones: Cocksucker Blues

Retrospective by Rick McGrath, Ojo, 2002

1972, Unreleased; 95 min, color (no video release). CAST: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Mick Taylor, Danny Seymour, Bianca Jagger, Tina Turner, ...

The Rolling Stones: The Maysles Brothers' Gimme Shelter (Criterion DVD)

Film/DVD/TV Review by Rick McGrath, Culture Court, June 2002

Directed by David Maysles, Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin ...

Shania Twain: Up! Is A Direction: Shania Twain’s New CD(s)

Review by Rick McGrath, Culture Court, December 2002

More Of The Same Old, But I Give It A 10 For Marketing Moxie, Dick! ...

The Dirty Three: Getting Down & Dirty Three: Live at Lee’s Palace, Toronto

Live Review by Rick McGrath, Ojo, 8 April 2003

WENT OUT TO Lee's Palace on a Sunday nite, of all nites... my buddy Pipes said some wacky auzzie group, called the Dirty Three, were ...

Brian Auger: Oblivion In Orbit: Brian Auger & Oblivion Express Play The Orbit Room, Toronto

Live Review by Rick McGrath, Ojo, 18 April 2003

TELL YA, MAN... it's gettin wackier. The last gig I caught was on a Sunday nite... which I thought was a low traffic time to ...

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