Latest articles by Mark Blake
The Tubes bring in the big producer on The Completion Backwards Principle, with mixed results
Desperate for major label success, The Tubes turned to David Foster, who had just struck gold with Earth, Wind And Fire
The epic story of Pink Floyd’s Live At Pompeii, the prog classic recorded next door to a volcano
Lights! Camera! Chaos! How Pink Floyd made their 1972 album Live At Pompeii
Fish, stalkers, being ripped off: Steve Rothery’s life and times with Marillion
It’s always been about music for the veteran guitarist, although distractions have included catching fire at the band’s first gig, realising he should be much richer than he actually was, and an alternative career he came close to pursuing
Pink Floyd explored communication on The Division Bell, despite their communication issues
Pink Floyd explored the theme of communication on 1994 album The Division Bell – despite their infamous communication issues
How Jeff Lynne took Electric Light Orchestra and the Traveling Wilburys to infinity and beyond
ELO were the mad Englishmen who conquered the US in the 1970s – and Jeff Lynne was at the heart of it
Jimmy Page looks back on the tests and turmoil of Led Zeppelin's final albums
The man who led Zeppelin looks back on Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda
"The drugs got heavier and things got weirder": The wild life and violent death of Chicago's Terry Kath
When Chicago founder Terry Kath accidentally killed himself, the world was robbed of one of its greatest guitarists
“I was on Battersea Bridge when the pig broke free": Aubrey Powell’s Hipgnosis story
Storm Thorgerson’s right-hand man on breaking the law, pushing creative concepts, refusing to work with record labels, watching Pink Floyd get rich and staying friends by never taking sides
“He soars, swoops and divebombs his bandmates… two of whom quit shortly after”: 10 of Chris Squire’s mightiest musical moments
The Yes powerhouse bassist had a unique talent for knowing where to be among a relentless band of virtuosos
Bob Welch: The man who kept Fleetwood Mac alive before being written out of their story
In this exclusive extract from his new Fleetwood Mac book, Mark Blake tells the tale of Bob Welch, the man Mick Fleetwood credits as having played a crucial role in keeping the Mac together
The triumph and tragedy of Peter Green, the man who founded Fleetwood Mac
Peter Green was one of the greatest guitarists of the late 60s British blues boom – but he never truly conquered his demons
When The Alan Parsons Project mixed magic with madness for Pyramid (without visiting Egypt)
Box set edition gives former Beatles and Pink Floyd engineer the chance to recall the crazy times and ambitious attitude that resulted in 1978’s Pyramid
How the wild genius of Atom Heart Mother gave Pink Floyd their first No.1 album
It had a cow’s arse on the cover and a features track sampling their roadie cooking bacon – but their fifth record’s wild genius paved the way to their future
The explosive rise of Lynyrd Skynyrd, America’s greatest southern rock band
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic debut album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) was released on August 13, 1973, setting them on the path to stardom
Phil Collins: My role as Genesis’ class clown and their only contact with the outside world
How the “junior member” broke into the band’s songwriting clique, his embarrassment over his solo success, and how the Sex Pistols influenced his choice of record label
The case for Led Zeppelin, uncrowned kings of prog rock
A blues band? A hard rock band? Think again
Jon Anderson recalls the “state of madness” that gave us Olias Of Sunhillow
Yes singer pushed far beyond his comfort zone for 1976 debut solo record, and when it was finished the world – and his bandmates – seemed underwhelmed. Was it worth the effort?
“Ritchie Blackmore went into the pit with a box of tomatoes and started throwing them at the singer”: how Deep Purple changed Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott’s life
Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott on his love of Deep Purple – and the deep cut he loves
How The Who stopped hating each other for long enough to shape the sound of the future
In 1966, The Who were a bunch of drinking, drugging, brawling rock stars-in-waiting. Pete Townshend was about to change all that
With The Works, Queen returned to their rock roots, and annoyed a lot of people
The Game dialled down Queen's hard rock, and Hot Space was such a departure that it confused their fan base. It was time for a rethink
"I think everyone has some sort of death wish... but I don't want to die": The spectacular rise and tragic fall of Paul Kossoff
Paul Kossoff should have been one of rock and blues' great guitar heroes. Instead, the light of the Free and Back Street Crawler guitarist shone briefly – and burned out quickly
“He was one of the most crucial figures of the ’60s. Much of the underground was his invention”: the forgotten story of John ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins, the man who invented psychedelic London
He helped launch Pink Floyd’s career and got arrested with the Rolling Stones – John ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins was the King Of The 1960s Underground
"As long as you can talk, you have a voice": An epic Bruce Dickinson interview
Bruce Dickinson fronts the UK’s most successful heavy metal band, holds a commercial pilot’s licence, releases solo albums, write novels and screenplays, and more. A full life? Not half
"Yes, we all want to bang our heads at Christmas, but we also want to sit down with a cup of tea and a mince pie and have a bit of a chillout": Rob Halford's 8 favourite Christmas songs
Metal God Rob Halford salutes the most wonderful time of the year, as he selects his eight favourite Christmas songs
"Honestly, I don't care if I lose my voice. It's just life, isn't it?": Justin Hawkins on The Darkness, life as a YouTube icon, and predicting the pandemic
Fronting The Darkness gave Justin Hawkins fame, a collection of fabulous catsuits, and some serious addiction issues. After some dark days his band are now flying high again
