Rick Wakeman: I would make Boris Johnson listen to all my solo albums By Dave Ling published 25 January 22 Captain Grumpy Rock Wakeman discusses receiving a CBE, Steve Howe, his plans for the English Rock Ensemble, and for Boris Johnson
22 things to look forward to in 2022 By Dave Ling published 25 January 22 Here’s our mini-guide to the delights coming in the next 11 and a bit months
The story behind Whitesnake's Here I Go Again By Dave Ling published 20 January 22 Here I Go Again began as a two-track demo, but it propelled Whitesnake from journeyman Brit rockers to US chart-topping stardom
Why I ❤️ Frank Zappa's Apostrophe ('), by Steve Harley By Dave Ling published 18 January 22 Steve Harley, the original Cockney Rebel, praises Frank Zappa's Apostrophe ('), the 1974 album that advised against eating yellow snow
The Budgie albums you should definitely own By Dave Ling published 11 January 22 Heroes to the NWOBHM – and covered by Metallica, Soundgarden, Megadeth and Iron Maiden – Welsh legends Budgie are the ultimate example of a band whose influence outshone their commercial impact
Bong! The inside story of AC/DC's Hell's Bell By Dave Ling published 7 January 22 The story of the AC/DC's famous Hell's Bell, a replica of which was made for the inside of Malcolm Young's house
Every Dream Theater album, ranked from worst to best By Dave Ling published 3 January 22 Updated More than three decades after their debut, prog icons Dream Theater show no sign of either slowing down or running out of ideas
Gallery: Rick Allen paints the legends By Dave Ling published 28 December 21 Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen unveils his fine art prints of Johnny Cash, Eddie Van Halen, Janis Joplin and more
Crazy Lixx: your new favourite hair metal heroes are here to stick it to the man By Dave Ling published 14 December 21 “Rock music is meant to be rebellious and fun,” say Swedish band Crazy Lixx. Sounds good to us
Praying Mantis may have arthritis in their fingers but they'll rock till they drop By Dave Ling published 25 November 21 Praying Mantis founder Tino Troy reflects on 40 years of the classic Time Tells No Lies album and reveals the problems Brexit and the pandemic have thrown at the band
How Mr Big wrote To Be With You and scored a million-dollar drill sponsorship By Dave Ling published 26 October 21 At the dawn of the 90s Mr. Big were just another LA hard rock band who could barely get arrested. Then along came monster hit To Be With You, which turned them into accidental pop stars
A tribute to Mountain's Leslie West By Dave Ling published 22 October 21 Leslie West made his name in the early 70s with Mountain, Jeff Beck once describing him as “the greatest living guitarist in the world”
10 great bands whose debut albums weren't actually that great By Fraser Lewry, Dom Lawson, Malcolm Dome, Jon Hotten, Sleazegrinder, Stephen Hill, Rob Hughes, Dave Ling, Alec Chillingworth published 15 October 21 Everybody's got to start somewhere, and some of our very best bands started slowly. Here's 10 great bands whose debut albums weren't actually great
KK Downing on quitting Priest, the trouble with Priest, and KK's Priest By Dave Ling published 7 October 21 After more than 40 years with Judas Priest, guitarist KK Downing is loving life with his own band, but he still harbours grudges about his departure, and is still disappointed that he wasn’t asked back
Prawns in the tempura: What happened when Status Quo's Frantic Four reunited By Dave Ling published 29 September 21 The Status Quo reunion they said would never happen finally happened when the Frantic Four reunited in 2012. Classic Rock was there to record history being made
Why I ❤️️ Humble Pie's Performance Rockin' The Fillmore, by Angry Anderson By Dave Ling published 28 September 21 Rose Tattoo singer and tough nut Angry Anderson isn’t a guy who’ll back down in a brawl, but he doesn’t mind a bit of Humble Pie
Iron Maiden's Senjutsu: a remarkable album from a band with plenty to say By Dave Ling published 3 September 21 Senjutsu is studio album 17 from enduring heavy metal flag carriers Iron Maiden, and they still divide opinion
Night Ranger: When you cut us, Night Ranger oozes out By Dave Ling published 18 August 21 Hard rockers Night Ranger on lockdown recording, new album ATBPO, longevity, and appearing in a cocaine-filled house in Boogie Nights
Tesla's Psychotic Supper: platinum problems and the savage strain of success By Dave Ling published 10 August 21 Made with mental health issues looming, Psychotic Supper was Tesla's peak before they began a downward slide
ZZ Top's Dusty Hill: the world of music pays tribute By Dave Ling published 30 July 21 Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Stanley, Warren Haynes, David Coverdale, Scorpions, Flea, John Fogerty and more pay tribute to ZZ Top's late bass player Dusty Hill
The story behind Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger By Dave Ling published 23 July 21 How Sylvester Stallone and Eye Of The Tiger took Survivor from no-hopers to heavyweight champions of AOR
The story behind Blowin’ Free by Wishbone Ash By Dave Ling published 20 July 21 With a riff claimed by both of the band’s guitarists and lyrics inspired by a summer romance, Blowin' Free became Wishbone Ash’s signature song and a rock classic
The 10 best Gov’t Mule songs By Dave Ling published 13 July 21 Formed as an Allman Brothers side project, Gov't Mule are one of the great jam bands, but these are their 10 greatest studio tracks
Why I ❤️ Stackridge's The Man In The Bowler Hat, by Marillion's Steve Hogarth By Dave Ling published 8 July 21 Marillion vocalist Steve Hogarth on the simple pleasures of Stackridge's The Man In The Bowler Hat, an album that is jolly, light-hearted and quintessentially English
Wolfgang Van Halen interview: stepping into the spotlight By Dave Ling published 1 July 21 Following in the footsteps of a famous parent often means forever being in their shadow. Can Wolfgang Van Halen, son of Edward, escape it?