Latest articles by Classic Rock
“The record company said, ‘You are completely out of your mind!’ Which I was!”: Scorpions’ hit song Rock You Like A Hurricane originally had a different title, and it was definitely NSFW
Ex-Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell reveals the title he originally had in mind for their 1984 classic Rock You Like A Hurricane
The Yes albums you should definitely own
The musicians may have changed, but the search for musical transcendence never wavered. These are the very best albums by Yes
Jeff Lynne’s ELO announce final Over And Out tour, with 27 North American shows
And so, the end is near
Stevie Nicks adds shows in the UK, Ireland and Europe to her summer 2024 schedule
Attention Fleetwood Mac fans in Europe: your chances of seeing Stevie Nicks this summer just improved
“Bob says: ‘Where you from?’ I say, ‘Birmingham’. He goes, ‘Birmingham? How’s Ozzy!’”: the unlikely time Rob Halford met Bob Dylan, the man who gave Judas Priest their name
Rob Halford has only met Bob Dylan once, but he’s never forgotten the hilarious conversation that followed
Judas Priest have just scored their highest charting album ever with Invincible Sheield
Judas Priest’s new album Invincible Shield has trounced British Steel, Screaming For Vengeance and Firepower in the UK charts
“We hesitated to say yes. The chances of making fools of ourselves were so big”: Live Aid was Queen’s crowning glory. But they nearly turned it down
In the brand new issue of Classic Rock, Queen reveal how one of the greatest live performances in history almost didn’t happen
“He told me I was like a shaman onstage. I reminded him of Jim Morrison”: Carlos Santana once wanted to start a delta blues band… with Gavin Rossdale from Bush
The story of Mud, the Carlos Santana/Gavin Rossdale supergroup that never was
“I have fond memories of sitting on Lemmy‘s lap after he’d come offstage, with his hair in a white towel turban”: Rob Halford says Judas Priest‘s new album has a tribute to Lemmy and Ronnie James Dio
New Judas Priest song Giants In The Sky from upcoming album Invincible Shield pays tribute to Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio and other great rock icons
10 essential Scandinavian AOR albums
Set the dials to ‘good times’ – here are 10 perfect Scandinavian hard rock albums that party like it’s 1989
“Stumbling on King Crimson and Gentle Giant was eye-opening for me. I went, ‘How can you do that so fast?’”: ex-Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars reveals his secret love of 70s prog
Forget Shout At The Devil – Mick Mars is all about 21st Century Schizoid Man
The 11 most WTF collaborations in rock history
Bruce Dickinson and Mr Bean? Ozzy and Miss Piggy? Metallica and Ja Rule? Prepare to cringe at these heroically wrong-headed collaborations
“It was the kind of place where you could start a religion or plan a murder”: the story behind The Doors’ Morrison Hotel album cover
How an LA flophouse and the original Hard Rock Café played a part in creating the iconic artwork of The Doors’ Morrison Hotel album
“I consider myself friends with Paul and Gene – we’re like brothers, brothers have arguments”: Ace Frehley offers an olive branch to his old Kiss bandmates, takes a swipe at backing tapes and avatars
Ace Frehley talks to Classic Rock about his relationship with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons
"They're as good as anything anyone's ever written": My 10 favourite Thin Lizzy songs, by Brian Downey
Drummer Brian Downey, who co-founded Thin Lizzy with Phil Lynott, picks his 10 favourite Lizzy tracks
“If one person deserves a knighthood, it’s Ozzy Osbourne”: Judas Priest’s Rob Halford urges King Charles to knight the Prince Of Darkness
“Arise, Sir Ozzy” – at least that’s what it would be if Rob Halford had his way
10 songs that invented thrash metal, according to Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian
Scott Ian on 10 proto-thrash bangers that changed the face of 80s metal
“The phone rang, it was Steve Harris: ‘Are you interested in joining Maiden?’”: this is what it’s like to audition to replace Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden, by three singers who went for the job
In 1994, Blaze Bayley became Maiden’s new singer – but he wasn’t the only contender for the job
B-movie monsters, IQ tests and The Village People: 50 obscure Kiss facts only hardcore Kiss fans know
Kiss played their very first gig on January 30, 1973, in front of 10 people. Half a century on, here are 50 obscure facts about the Hottest Band In The World
In Memoriam: remembering the rock musicians we lost in 2023
Raising a toast to those musicians, producers, songwriters and artists who passed away in 2023
The best melodic rock albums of 2023
Melodic rock never dies, as these 10 essential albums from the last 12 months prove
The best prog albums of 2023
From Yes and Jethro Tull to Big Big Train and Crown Lands, these are the 10 best prog albums of the last 12 months
The best debut albums of 2023
Stand aside Metallica and the Rolling Stones – these are some of the killer debut albums that dropped in 2023
