Ian Fortnam

Ian Fortnam

Reviews Editor, Classic Rock

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

The Beatles - White Album

The Beatles: White Album - Super Deluxe Edition review

By Ian Fortnam published

The Beatles' White Album: celebrated, reimagined, reborn

Albums
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack

Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody - Original Soundtrack album review

By Ian Fortnam published

The astonishing soundtrack to the long-awaited Queen & Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody goes under the spotlight

Albums
Hawkwind - Road To Utopia

Hawkwind - Road To Utopia album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Hawkwind: Orchestrated? Or castrated? Debatable

Albums
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Alice Cooper – A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris album review

By Ian Fortnam published

The Coop’s latest live album: more meat and potatoes than blood and gore

Albums
Paul Rodgers - Free Spirit

Paul Rodgers - Free Spirit album review

By Ian Fortnam published

The definitive voice of British soul and blues, Paul Rodgers, free to do what he wants

Albums
Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke's long lost interview: "Jim Morrison’s a talentless b**tard – and he’s dead"

By Ian Fortnam published

Back in 1992, fledgling music journalist Ian Fortnam interviewed neophyte rock type Thom Yorke for The Scene fanzine. The result? A fascinating early insight into one of today’s more reclusive musicmakers

Interviews
Cover art for Twilight Of The Mortals by Mont Sherar

Twilight Of The Mortals by Mont Sherar - review

By Ian Fortnam published

Boxed volume of Killing Joke at work, rest and play

Biographies
Cover art for London Rock: The Unseen Archives by Alec Byrne

London Rock: The Unseen Archives by Alec Byrne - review

By Ian Fortnam published

Vintage snapper’s priceless legacy curated

Concerts & Shows
Cover art for American Valhalla

American Valhalla - dvd review

By Ian Fortnam published

Unflinching cinematic record of rock’s process in the raw

Films & TV Shows
Cover art for Ringo Starr - Ringo album

Ringo Starr - Ringo album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Remember fun? Before we all grew up it sounded like this

Albums
Cover art for Billion $ Babies - First Ever Live Show: Flint 1977

Billion $ Babies - First Ever Live Show: Flint 1977 album review

By Ian Fortnam published

What the Coopers did next

Albums
Cover art for Various - Concert For George album

Various - Concert For George album review

By Ian Fortnam published

All-star tribute show revisited in bulk

Albums
Gwenno - Le Kov album artwork

Gwenno - Le Kov album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Not yet rated

Multilingual ex-Pipette’s electro-psych second

Albums
The Z - People Of The Mirror World album artwork

The Z - People Of The Mirror World album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Not yet rated

Tune in, turn on, freak out

Albums
The Osiris Club - The Wine-Dark Sea album artwork

The Osiris Club - The Wine-Dark Sea album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Not yet rated

Consolidating second from beaked brotherhood

Albums
Cover art for Procol Harum - There’ll Still Be More: An Anthology 1967-2017 album

Procol Harum - There’ll Still Be More: An Anthology 1967-2017 album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Glorious collection from orchestral prog prime movers

Albums
Suzi Quatro at home in 2017, shot exclusively for Classic Rock.

Suzi Quatro: I haven’t seen many people walk my path, even after all these years

By Ian Fortnam published

The only Penthouse centrefold ever to be allowed to keep her clothes on, Suzi Quatro was “a pin-up for the guys and a hero to the women”

Interviews
Cover art for The Yardbirds - Yardbirds ’68 album

The Yardbirds - Yardbirds ’68 album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Plant-free proto-Zep. What wonders might have been, eh, readers?

Albums
Cover art for XTC - Black Sea album

XTC - Black Sea album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Prog-pop, post-punk, art-rock hybrid receives a well-deserved expanded reappraisal

Albums
Cover art for Atomic Rooster - Sleeping For Years: The Studio Recordings ’70-’74

Atomic Rooster - Sleeping For Years: The Studio Recordings ’70-’74 album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Four-disc encapsulation of undervalued prog pioneers

Albums
The Enid And Robert John Godfrey - The Music Of William Arkle... album artwork

The Enid And Robert John Godfrey - The Music Of William Arkle... album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Not yet rated

Mystic-inspired classical ambience

Albums
John Lydon onstage in 1976

A tribute to the Sex Pistols, by Duff McKagan, Phil Collen and Billy Duffy

By Ian Fortnam published

The new album by The Professionals features Sex Pistols' alumni Steve Jones and Paul Cook... and a cast of other familiar faces

Interviews
Dhani Harrison - In///Parallel album artwork

Dhani Harrison - In///Parallel album review

By Ian Fortnam published

Not yet rated

Debut solo album from Grammy-winning son of George Harrison

Albums
a press shot of the professionals

The Professionals: "We didn't want to do this as a nostalgia trip"

By Ian Fortnam published

After the Pistols dream ended as a nightmare, Steve Jones and Paul Cook eventually returned with The Professionals. Now the latest line-up are giving it another go and “having a bit of fun”

Bands & Artists
Cover art for How The Beatles Changed The World by Tom O’Del book

How The Beatles Changed The World by Tom O’Del book review

By Ian Fortnam published

The World At War with catchier tunes

Interviews
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