Nick Hasted

A tale of sexual ambiguity in 60s Soho, Lola provided The Kinks with a worldwide hit at the exact moment they needed it most

There’s always another supposed saviour coming along to resuscitate the blues. Jack White is one of those who actually did

Not only are The Kinks credited with creating the heavy metal blueprint, they also recorded some of rock’s most enduring songs. Here are their best albums

One of them is a drumming great and a true legend, the other learned from him and became a great too. We put Cream legend Ginger Baker and former Scorpions man Herman Rarebell together

Prince's Purple Rain was the epic ballad that reclaimed rock for black musicians, enjoying airplay everywhere from country to rock radio

He’s the Swedish speed demon whose six-string theatrics enthral and infuriate in equal measure. Now, Yngwie Malmsteen has made… wait for it… a blues album

Rock’s often deliberately provocative cover art can lead to outrage. Here are 20 main offenders in our gallery of banned record sleeves

Suffering at the hands of an abusive husband, Tina Turner looked back to her childhood days for the lyrics to the song that was her declaration of artistic independence

Classic Rock goes off the grid to track down Electric Wizard, who tell us about swapping doom for Detroit, geese attacks, utopian nightmares and the weirdness of Wimborne

Singer Beth Hart on her troubled childhood, insecurity, singing with Jeff Beck, death and the “miracle” of life

Bad To The Bone made George Thorogood and his Destroyers stars in the MTV age. Now back with a new solo album, the bluesman looks back on the highs and lows