
Ian Fortnam
Classic Rock’s Reviews Editor for the last 20 years, Ian stapled his first fanzine in 1977. Since misspending his youth by way of ‘research’ his work has also appeared in such publications as Metal Hammer, Prog, NME, Uncut, Kerrang!, VOX, The Face, The Guardian, Total Guitar, Guitarist, Electronic Sound, Record Collector and across the internet. Permanently buried under mountains of recorded media, ears ringing from a lifetime of gigs, he enjoys nothing more than recreationally throttling a guitar and following a baptism of punk fire has played in bands for 45 years, releasing recordings via Esoteric Antenna and Cleopatra Records.
Latest articles by Ian Fortnam

“Poor Iggy became a guinea pig for what I wanted to do with sound”: in 1977, David Bowie moved to Berlin to kick drugs. He emerged with five albums that changed music forever
By Ian Fortnam published
Two Iggy Pop albums and the ‘Berlin Trilogy’ – the second half of the 1970s was David Bowie’s most groundbreaking period

“We set up outside Frank Zappa’s bedroom door and played so loud the pictures on the wall ended up crooked. I thought he’d shoot us”: the forgotten psychedelic beginnings of Alice Cooper
By Ian Fortnam published
How five psychedelic freaks from Detroit became rock’n’roll’s first great bogeymen – this is the story of Alice Cooper’s early years

"Guitar subtleties astound and vocal harmonies soar in surprisingly spacious mixes leaving 2009's stereo remasters sounding weedy and gutless": The Beatles' Red and Blue albums
By Ian Fortnam published
A Yule-targeted Giles Martin makeover for The Beatles' iconic ’73 compilation sets 1962-1966 and 1967-1970

Every Rolling Stones album ranked from worst to best
By Ian Fortnam published
Half a century of recordings from ‘the greatest rock‘n’roll band in the world’, ranked from worst to brilliant, belligerent best

"As unmistakable contemporary backing vocals from McCartney intertwine with Lennon, an involuntary emotional response is utterly inevitable." Classic Rock's Reviews Editor and biggest Beatles fan gives his verdict on Now And Then
By Ian Fortnam published
Classic Rock Reviews Editor Ian Fortnam gives his take on the song everyone is talking about

“His work with Gentle Giant surely seals his prog reputation”: Produced By Tony Visconti box set
By Ian Fortnam published
73 personally curated tracks covers a huge range of genres from Ralph McTell to Thin Lizzy

“A few progressive leaps too far, with its experimentation and sheer audacity… but the future understood”: The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat
By Ian Fortnam published
Massively inspirational, the 1969 album didn’t enjoy mass appeal at the time.

Hackney Diamonds is the Rolling Stones' most quintessentially Stonesy album in 40 years: it's also a 21st-century record for a 21st-century audience
By Ian Fortnam published
The Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds is the first album of original material in 18 years from the creators of rock's blueprint

These are the six essential Rod Stewart solo albums every rock fan needs in their life
By Ian Fortnam published
Forget the Great American Songbook series – these are the albums that prove Rod Stewart is one of rock’s greatest voices

Start Me Up was an abandoned, reggae-flavoured jam that almost never saw the light of day. Then it became a classic and earned The Rolling Stones a $14 million payday
By Ian Fortnam published
The Rolling Stones' last Top 10 UK single Start Me Up was originally an entirely different beast – and Keith Richards may still hold a grudge about that

"Loath to actually leave Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett made it so they had to chuck him out. And none of them ever got over it": Storm Thorgerson's documentary on the Pink Floyd founder reviewed
By Ian Fortnam published
Have You Got It Yet? The Story Of Syd Barrett And Pink Floyd reviewed

30 musicians on the album that changed their life as a kid
By Classic Rock published
Members of Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, Rage Against The Machine and more reveal the albums that set them on the path to rock stardom

12 examples of the songwriting genius of Lou Reed that aren't Perfect Day or Walk On The Wild Side
By Ian Fortnam published
Twelve Lou Reed tracks for the connoisseur, charting his journey from black-clad street poet to ornery elder statesman

"Ultimately, they weren’t Rick Wakeman" - Clem Burke and Glen Matlock on the outsider appeal of the original punk bands
By Ian Fortnam published
Ahead of their gig with Iggy Pop at the Dog Day Afternoon festival in London, Blondie’s Clem Burke and former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock talk punk, punk and more punk

How The Damned made Darkadelic, their surprise contender for Album Of The Year
By Ian Fortnam published
Re-made and remodelled, with acclaimed album Darkadelic echoing glorious moments from their post-punk past, The Damned head into the future with much to offer

The world nearly got a supergroup featuring members of the Sex Pistols, Blondie and the Bay City Rollers
By Classic Rock published
Blondie’s drummer, the ex-Sex Pistols bassist, the Bay City Rollers’ guitarist and Paul Weller nearly made up punk’s weirdest supergroup

Groundhogs founding guitarist and frontman Tony McPhee dead at 79
By Fraser Lewry published
The death of Groundhogs' leader Tony McPhee has been confirmed by the band

St Anger at 20: how Metallica's most maligned album saved their career
By Ian Fortnam published
Metallica were facing oblivion at the turn of the millennium. 20 years ago today, they'd release the album that'd turn their fortunes around - and go down in infamy

The Suzi Quatro albums you should definitely own
By Ian Fortnam published
With her looks, charisma and star quality, Suzi Quatro was the undisputed queen of 70s glam-rock. These are her best albums

Alice Cooper: "There wasn’t one human being on the planet that thought we’d get past thirty years old"
By Ian Fortnam published
Godfather of shock-rock Alice Cooper on the Hollywood Vampires, the perks of being a sober celebrity, and launching a Johnny Depp and Amber Heard soap opera

"It was like Dorothy landing in Oz" - what happened when Alice Cooper went to Los Angeles
By Ian Fortnam published
Once upon a time, a garage band from Phoenix moved to LA and became Alice Cooper, with a little help from Frank Zappa, a dark alter ego and... West Side Story

Iggy Pop: "Once you’re my age, every day has to carry some risk"
By Ian Fortnam published
With a star-studded new album out, Iggy Pop talks about still giving his all, no more stage diving, addictions, his cockatoo, and finally taking a phone call from the Hall Of Fame

The Rolling Stones' In Mono: it's great but it borders on abuse
By Ian Fortnam published
The Stones’ monaural 60s box: eight albums, 16 discs, six kilograms-plus of wallet-rinsing duplication
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