Dave Ling

Dave Ling

News/Lives Editor, Classic Rock

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.

Articles by: Dave Ling

Judas Priest in 1980 - studio portrait

The riff is a belter, the lyrics arrived out of thin air at Ringo Starr's house, and the promo video for it is pure pantomime – the story behind Beavis and Butthead’s favourite Judas Priest song

By Dave Ling published

"Everyone's had a confrontation with a copper and likes to scream about breaking the law, don't they?" - Rob Halford

Rick Parfitt studio portrait

"Some people said that seeing the band again made their lives complete": Remembering Status Quo's Rick Parfitt

By Dave Ling published

A personal look back at the music, life and times of Status Quo guitarist/singer and cornerstone Rick Parfitt, who died on Christmas Eve 2016

KK Downing studio portrait

"I used to shut the curtains, put on the headphones, drop the needle and not move a muscle till the final note": This is the soundtrack of K.K. Downing's life

By Dave Ling published

Former Judas Priest man K.K. Downing picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and reveals why he prefers his new stuff to the old stuff

Chicago in 1982

“Drugs and alcohol and ego clashes got in the way, but we managed to keep them quiet”: the unbelievable story of Chicago, the soft rock kings with steel in their hearts

By Dave Ling published

Jazz-rock experimentalists, money-spinning soft rock kings, derided balladeers? The mighty Chicago have been all of these and more

Starbenders, Wolfgang Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Grace Potter and Skindred

The 50 best rock albums of 2023

By Fraser Lewry published

The past 12 months may go down in history as a period of tumult and turmoil, but on the positive side, rock'n'roll is very much alive and well – as the best 50 albums of 2023 reflect

Sweet

Sweet have been going for more than 50 years: now they're thinking about AI to take them into the future

By Dave Ling published

Guitarist Andy Scott, the last remaining original member of iconic glam-metal band Sweet, on what could well turn out to be their final tour

Helmet standing in a street

"I love that we do this thing that other musicians relate to": Page Hamilton on Helmet's rock royalty fans and advisors

By Dave Ling published

Helmet leader Page Hamilton on playing with Bowie, catching a fragrant whiff of Ozzy Osbourne, and not turning into Night Ranger

Lemmy of Motorhead onstage in 1981

“Black Sabbath are afraid of us blowing them offstage. I’d feel the same in their position”: Lemmy, Ozzy and the story of legendary 80s rock festival the Heavy Metal Holocaust

By Dave Ling published

In August 1981, 40,000 rabid fans descended on an English football ground to watch Motörhead headline the Heavy Metal Holocaust. And it got chaotic

The Babys in 1979

“After the first couple of years the darkness descended. There were some volatile individuals. We’re almost talking asylum levels”: how cult ’70s rockers The Babys blew their chance to be the next big thing

By Dave Ling published

Fronted by John Waite, The Babys could have become one of the biggest bands of the 70s – if only they hadn’t torn themselves apart

L7 in November 1992

"For a while I was bummed out about the fuss it caused because I was worried my mum would find out:" the story behind L7's Pretend We're Dead

By Dave Ling published

L7’s 1992 hit Pretend We're Dead led to a UK TV ban and permanent notoriety at the Reading Festival

Edward Reekers

If you can sing prog, you can dub foreign-language movies: the satisfying double career of ex Kayak vocalist Edward Reekers

By Dave Ling published

He’s voiced Obi-Wan Kenobi and Harry Potter characters for Dutch editions - but returns to his first love with rock opera The Liberty Project featuring Steve Hackett, Arjen Lucassen and Damian Wilson

Uli Jon Roth onstage

"In Scorpions days I sometimes ran out of frets because I wanted to play higher": Uli Jon Roth on his iconic guitars, onstage danger, and reconnecting with an old friend

By Dave Ling published

Former Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth is about to embark on a UK tour: expect plenty of improvisation and some onstage danger

Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons

"The misbehaving goes on after I've gone to bed. And I'm always the first to bed": Phil Campbell on touring with his three sons

By Dave Ling published

Former Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell and his band the are preparing to make some noise in November and December

The Almighty group portrait

"We've lost so many people from around the band, in the end we said: Yeah, let’s do this": The original line-up of The Almighty gear up to play their first shows in more than 30 years

By Dave Ling published

Ricky Warwick and Stumpy Monroe look forward to The Almighty's upcoming reunion shows

Status Quo in 1982

“Certain people might think that – the type of person that wears only denim, has a lot of tattoos and doesn’t wash”: meet the man who ‘ruined’ Status Quo

By Dave Ling published

Andy Bown has played keyboards with Status Quo for 50 years and has been with them through some tough times. But some fans still won’t forgive him for ‘ruining’ the band

Downes Braide Association

“There’s a tendency for people to cherry-pick tracks or create playlists… we prefer our music to be listened to from the opening track to the final notes”: Downes Braide Association on the album as art form

By Dave Ling published

Geoff Downes and Chris Braide argue the case for storytelling, collaborating, and carrying on the legacies of John Wetton, Greg Lake, Chris Squire and Keith Emerson

Whitesnake in 1979

"We are bathing in innuendo": Whitesnake's Lovehunter artwork was knee-jerk response to their critics, but the album itself was a game-changer

By Dave Ling published

In 1979 Whitesnake starred three members of Deep Purple’s Mk III line-up, but Lovehunter would set them on a defiant path towards standalone superstardom

A portrait of mike portnoy at his drums

"I learned that any innocent little comment can be twisted to make it seem something that it isn’t": Mike Portnoy on his departure from Dream Theater

By Dave Ling published

Returned Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy looks back on regret, alcoholism, and choosing between Rush and Paul McCartney

Warren Haynes onstage

"In the last five-to-ten years I’ve seen more promising new bands and artists than in a very long time": Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes is hopeful about the future of rock music

By Dave Ling published

We talk to mainman Warren Haynes ahead of Gov't Mule's European tour next month

Yngwie Malmsteen surrounded by Statocasters and Marshall amps

Yngwie Malmsteen: "Each night on stage I play songs that I wrote forty years ago, and I challenge myself to play them differently. I’m not a jukebox. And that’s what makes things exciting"

By Dave Ling published

Controversial guitar hero Yngwie Malmsteen on playing live, why he doesn't need singers, and why you can never have enough Marshall amps

The Zombies in 1967, next to a composite picture of Time Of The Season 7" singles

"We resisted the offer of a million pounds to reunite": the magical Zombies' song that was only a hit after they broke up

By Dave Ling published

Inspired by the summer of love, Time Of The Season is still the British psychedelic pop rockers’ biggest hit. So it’s strange to think that it nearly sank without a trace

Philip Seth Campbell studio portrait

"The days of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed being dark and wayward and fascinating are long gone": Philip Seth Campbell on the Temperance Movement, sobriety, and being broken

By Dave Ling published

Former Temperance Movement and occasional Byson Family frontman Phil Campbell is now flying (almost) solo

Damian Wilson and Adam Wakeman

“Adam's wife cottoned on that we would work for maybe 20 minutes then climb over the wall to go to the pub”: The world of Damian Wilson and Adam Wakeman

By Dave Ling published

The Likely Lads of prog on their commitments, their motivation - and being grassed up by Wakeman’s mother-in-law when they escape from their studio

Vega group shot

"Let's face it, getting somewhere in this business has become so difficult": Vega on the perils of being in a band, losing key members, and the love of the road

By Dave Ling published

Thumbing their noses at those who said the band were finished, Vega have returned with a new album and a UK tour

Trevor Rabin

“There was quite a lot of pressure. Those demands have bordered upon insult – largely from my wife”: Trevor Rabin’s return to action with Rio

By Dave Ling published

Former Yes man didn’t think about pleasing the band’s fans with his first vocal-led release since 1989