Geoff Barton

The 30 albums that define heavy metal as we know it

We travel back to 1976 to visit AC/DC as they clamber the first rungs on stardom’s greasy ladder

In 1974, Deep Purple played one of the craziest American rock‘n’roll festivals, the Californian Jam, in a set which ended with Ritchie Blackmore attacking a cameraman. David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes remember it well

The death of Steve Clark in January 1991 robbed Def Leppard of their heartbeat. Here, the people who knew him best look back on an unsung hero

It's 1976, and Ted Nugent is poised for greatness. The Great Gonzo has inked a solo deal with Epic – and his self-titled album is tearing out of the stores like a pack of wolves

Straddling prog and avant-garde, Van der Graaf Generator are more of a cult band than any of their UK peers. This is their story

In 1979 Judas Priest were poised for greatness. The band’s live album, Unleashed In The East, had hit No.10 in the UK. Now America beckoned, and Classic Rock's Geoff Barton was there

A showcase for the talent of Ian Paice, The Mule became the benchmark for 70s rock drumming. Today it’s best known for its solo on Purple’s Made In Japan live album

Avant-garde Germans Can influenced everyone from Bowie to Mark E. Smith and beyond. Geoff Barton looks at their cult appeal and legacy

Noddy Holder looks back at Slade's noizy, hit-infested career, from bovver braces to mirror hats

They may have been overshadowed by The Runaways, but nobody did it quite like Fanny, the original all-girl rock’n’roll band who blazed a trail through the early-70s rock scene.

Beneath Heavy Metal Kids singer Gary Holton’s brazen, dodgy-geezer exterior lurked a fragile, ambivalent character whose idealistic dreams of rock’n’roll stardom tragically went unfulfilled

After two Australia-only album releases, it was time to look abroad. A compilation from those two was their first step towards global fame.

Operatic indulgence, heavy-duty politicising, sabre-rattling polemics and songs you can dance to, welcome to the strange world of System Of A Down

As humanity celebrates 50 years of heavy metal, here’s half a century’s worth of pioneering heavy music, from the classics to the contemporary hard-hitters

Mock muggings, sexual advances and sweat stains were all part of the Vinegar Joe story – along with some blistering British blues-rock. But one member was plotting to leave...

The best British Blues Rock albums: Direct from the Delta to Dartford and beyond, the Blues turned British rock on its head

So who were the most important band to emerge from the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal? Iron Maiden? Def Leppard? Nope. It was Venom, Geordie Devil-worshippers who invented a brand-new genre

Def Leppard's career took a serious turn 35 years ago, when they signed a major record deal. But their second single was to create controversy

She grew up in Detroit with Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent, but became a glam-rock superstar in The UK: it's Suzi Quatro

After two Australia-only album releases, it was time to look abroad, and a compilation was AC/DC's first step towards global fame