Latest articles by Paul Elliott
"Bands like Yes would spend six months doing an album, but in that time we'd do two albums and three tours": How Nazareth recorded Miss Misery
Inspired by another band’s classic track, Nazareth nailed the vibe they were striving for and ended up with a fan favourite – although their manager wasn’t too impressed with the vocals
"Even now it can still get the tears running down my face": Paul Stanley - the soundtrack of my life
Paul Stanley picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and reveals which Kiss album has "no balls"
“When the Boogie Nights scene came on, I said, ‘Man, I think I’ve been in that guy’s house in the early 80s!’”: the rise, fall and porn-assisted resurrection of AOR heroes Night Ranger
Power ballads, bust-ups and Boogie Nights – this is the epic story of Night Ranger
The 50 best rock albums of 2023
The past 12 months may go down in history as a period of tumult and turmoil, but on the positive side, rock'n'roll is very much alive and well – as the best 50 albums of 2023 reflect
“We begged Stallone to send us the whole movie. When he did, we were blown away”: Survivor were just another struggling AOR band. And then Rocky III and Eye Of The Tiger changed everything
Their killer theme for Rocky III made stars of soft rockers Survivor – but their tale of heroism and heartbreak had no Hollywood ending
"Our intention was to go out on stage and destroy all living things": How Gene Simmons intimidated Geezer Butler when Kiss supported Black Sabbath
Kiss supported Black Sabbath for three dates on the Sabotage tour, and Gene Simmons remembers it well
“We could never be Nirvana, but we could make an album that would fit in with the times without us looking like stupid old farts”: how Def Leppard survived tragedy, grunge and the turbulent 1990s to make two of their most underrated albums
Def Leppard were one of the most successful rock bands of the 1980s. The 1990s was a different matter
”Jethro Tull influenced me a lot in the later years of Rush - that attitude of taking your music seriously but not taking yourself seriously”: Geddy Lee’s prog stars
He believes Clockwork Angels is the best record he’s made… but can’t decide which of two is the worst
“We need to pump up the volume on this”: how Tina Turner and a roasting from his manager helped Bryan Adams turn Reckless from a flop-in-waiting into one of the biggest albums of the 80s
Bryan Adams looks back on the making of Reckless – the album that turned him into a superstar
"It's a huge gift that I’m still here and I’m still doing what I did:" How Rick Allen fought trauma and found happiness
Def Leppard's Rick Allen on returning to Download, the enduring appeal of Mutt Lange and almost losing his life in a car accident
“That level of success was like nothing we had ever experienced before. It was such a huge record for us”: how Rush’s prog classic Moving Pictures marked their great reinvention
With Moving Pictures, Rush ditched side-long sci-fi epics for songs about fast cars and fame – and kicked their career to a whole new level
The Lou Reed albums you should definitely own... and one to avoid
Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground influenced multiple generations of musicians, from David Bowie to punk rock, metal and beyond. These are his best albums
Dokken's signature sound lives on but Heaven Comes Down has a surprising sting in the tail
Twelfth album Heaven Comes Down Still is proof that Dokken are still rokken' after all these years
The Fleetwood Mac albums you should definitely own
After more than 50 years and 120 million sales, the Fleetwood Mac saga appears to be slowly winding to a close: these are their best albums
The Krokus albums you should definitely own
As Switzerland’s answer to AC/DC continue to deliver farewell tour dates, we look at their must-have (and best not to have) albums
"This song is so powerful and still makes me emotional": My 80s Mixtape, by Def Leppard's Phil Collen
Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen on the 80s songs that move him the most
“I said to my mates, ‘Can you believe this record is going to come out on the same label as Thin Lizzy?’”: the unlikely birth of Def Leppard and the story of their debut album On Through The Night
Def Leppard were barely out of school when they released their debut album On Through The Night and toured with AC/DC, but it set them on the path to stardom
The 50 best live albums ever
The best live albums are defining moments in any band’s career, when the music, the performance, and the atmosphere generated between band and audience are captured on tape
The 50 best AC/DC songs ever
From Sydney streets to world domination, AC/DC have never strayed from the path during five decades of unwavering commitment to the cause of righteous rock'n'roll
"It ain't rocket science. It’s pure rock'n'roll": Def Leppard's Joe Elliott on the wild genius of AC/DC’s Powerage
Revealed: Joe Elliott admits he still owes Bon Scott a tenner
"That kind of bare-bones grit they had in the early days was replaced with this driving sonic overload": Why I ❤️ AC/DC's Back In Black, by Kiss's Paul Stanley
Kiss legend Paul Stanley has a theory about what makes great bands great
10 brilliant Kiss deep cuts we’re begging them to play one last time before they retire
Detroit Rock City and Rock And Roll All Nite are great, but these are the lost gems we want to hear on their farewell tour
The 30 best Brian Johnson AC/DC songs
AC/DC’s 30 best songs with Brian Johnson, the much-loved frontman who's led the band from theatres to stadiums across the globe
