Latest articles by Mark Blake
Every song on Queen's A Night At The Opera, ranked from worst to best
Queen's fourth album was one of most expensive ever assembled, a labour of love that went on to sell over six million copies. That hasn't stopped us from rearranging it
Freddie Mercury: the Hendrix-obsessed teenager who became a megastar
Gallery: rare pictures of the great Freddie Mercury, a shameless peacock onstage, shy and insecure offstage
Jimmy Page: 'People Might Forget What We Did, I Didn’t. I’m The One Who Knew'
Part of Zeppelin's legacy has been Page's overhaul of outtakes and remastering of their catalogue, it's helped redefine their place in history, here he reflects on the final piece: Coda
Richie Sambora – “I was the guy trying to stick the blues into pop music"
The former Bon Jovi man on playing with them again, being a “blues geek” and having a studio… in his kitchen
Richie Sambora's 5 Essential Guitar Albums
Former Bon Jovi string wrangler and high-flying solo act Richie Sambora picks five of the best guitar albums, and there's a strong blues vein pumping throughout...
Jon Anderson: There's No Point Pretending That I'm Mates With Yes
The singer and songwriter on Yes, God, good drugs and bad times
We let Opeth loose in a record store and here's what happened
One band. One record store. £50. What could possibly go wrong?
How Queen helped tear down the Iron Curtain
In July 1986, Queen stopped bickering long enough become the first band to play a stadium show in the communist Eastern Bloc. Cue armed soldiers and genital-related insults…
The 10 Best Blue Oyster Cult songs that aren't (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Enter a clandestine world of S&M-loving siblings, invading extra-terrestrials and naked motorcycle gangs, as we explore 10 of Blue Oyster Cult's underrated best
The Life Of Brian: Faux Prog Hero Brian Pern Dissected
Meet the brains behind The Life Of Rock With Brian Pern, the best music ‘mockumentary’ since This Is Spinal Tap, a love letter to prog’s greatest characters, and the only place you’ll ever see
Rick Wakeman: "I was going to die unless I stopped smoking and drinking…"
Turning down Bowie to join Yes, heart attacks at 25, preposterous concept albums… it's been a long, colourful career for the caped keysman.
AC/DC: The Final Salute – Highway To Hell
Mixing their huge riffs with tunes the devil would sell his soul for, the band set off down the Highway To Hell, and onto the road to global stardom.
Heavy Load: Rick Nielsen
The Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen on being arrested, getting “paddled” at school and playing with Lennon.
Phil Collins: from Genesis to resurrection
Phil Collins is one of rock’s most successful musicians – and one of the most divisive. In this epic interview from 2016, he looks at what went wrong and how he put it right
5 Life Lessons Learned Hanging Around With The Who
Includes: learning to drive in a van full of smoke bombs, and how to handle Steve McQueen’s killer alsatian
66 from '66 – The Rolling Stones
Aftermath (Decca, April 15 1966), Paint It Black (Decca single, May 6 1966)
2015 – The Burning Questions: Why did Jeff Lynne think ELO were over?
Sick of touring, Lynne wondered if ELO still had an audience. After Hyde Park 2014, a renewed creation is ready to hit the stage.
Q&A: Tony Banks
Genesis’s keyboard player on classical composing, being married to Mike Rutherford and wearing a snorkel on stage.
First Look: 10cc Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Not yet ratedThe art-rock masters indulge themselves with Sheet Music and a bevy of hits at the RAH.
Live: The Who
Not yet ratedFirst show of their world tour and a rare off-night from Britain’s premier hooligan rockers.
10cc: "I love all our albums, but that one has the edge"
Graham Gouldman of 10cc celebrates the enduring legacy of Sheet Music
Aubrey Powell: A Design For Life
As one half of visionary British design team Hipgnosis, Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell changed the face of the album sleeve. Here he digs deep into his archive...
