Iconic Beatle John Lennon's solo albums are full of timeless pop, but be prepared for avant-jazz, birdsong, politics and primal screaming too

The Rolling Stones’ secret weapon throughout their golden period looks back on his time with the band

Few musicians called a ‘legend’ really deserve the accolade. Even if being chief architect of The Band was all he’d ever done, singer-songwriter Robbie Robertson is one who does

It's been a long time since Robert Plant fronted the biggest band in the world, and now, at 71, he’s enjoying the fourth decade of a successful solo career

The Bonzo Dog and Rutles man discusses his career and recent studio album Nearly Really...

Mark Lanegan's albums – from Screaming Trees, to QOTSA and solo – have marked him out as one of rock’s great voices. Here, we present a guide to the very best

From Badfinger to Black Sabbath, we pick 10 bands whose careers may have gone differently were it not for The Beatles

SST Records quickly attracted a roster of cult stars to become one of the hippest underground imprints ever – here we pick through the best albums to be released on the label

Led by the genius songwriting and production of Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys' albums are some of the greatest pop music you’ll ever hear

Neil Young albums run the gamut from melodic troubadour, electric warrior, garage rocker, grunge forefather and more – here's how to buy his best solo stuff

Classic Rock talks to Jimi Hendrix's friends, admirers and other musicians about his life and importance

The Can keyboard player and composer looks back over fascinating and varied career...

Riffing on Lewis Carroll's Alice, inspired by Miles Davis, Grace Slick's two-and-a-half minute hallucinogenic classic would provide her with an income for life

Steve Marriott was one of the great British singers and frontmen, and his catalogue with the Small Faces, Humble Pie and beyond is littered with with classics

Maverick indie label Stiff Records was home to some of the great music of the 70s and 80s. Here we pick through their best output

Inspired by watching a hopeless jazz combo in a deserted pub, a song about a struggling band set Dire Straits on the way from dire straits to superstardom

Inspired by the LA riots, Killing In The Name became an unlikely Christmas number one 17 years after its release

Banned by the BBC because it was about a prostitute, this reggae-rocking semi-ballad put The Police on the road to superstardom

Lynyrd Skynyrd's down-home anthem was a retort to Neil Young's Southern Man, but decades on it's soundtracked everything from KFC to video games

With their pop-rock classic resurrected for the Breaking Bad soundtrack, original Badfinger member Joey Molland recalls the band oft likened to The Beatles whose time ended in tragedy.

Woodstock Festival became part of rock'n'roll folklore after its debut in 1969 – here's everything you could wish to know about the legendary fest

Take a trip through time and space with the ultimate mind-bending psychedelic rock albums