Latest Features on Classic Rock
The Moody Blues on their albums, Charles Manson, and the mood-altering magic of Nights In White Satin
The Moody Blues were just another British R&B band. Then they got into some old clothes, mind-expanding drugs and lashings of Mellotron… and helped invent prog rock
Pearl Jam albums ranked from worst to best
Dismissed by many of their peers as grunge interlopers, Pearl Jam have out-written, out-sold and outlived most of those detractors
“He said, ‘We can’t use this – people will think we’re a Christian rock band!’ I went and got myself a drink. There was no arguing with that kind of thinking”: Marillion’s battle over the cover for Afraid Of Sunlight
Diplomacy abandoned singer Steve Hogarth and keyboardist Mark Kelly in disagreement over 1995 artwork, which was later reinstated. In the end it was just another fight between mates
How AC/DC's plan to conquer the world began in the back of a squalid bus
We travel back to 1976 to spend time with AC/DC as they clamber the first few rungs on stardom’s greasy ladder
Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: September 1, 2025
Eight songs you need to hear right now, from Cheap Trick, the Vintage Caravan, Foxy Shazam and more
British metal has ruled the world this summer – just this once, I’m actually proud of my country
From Black Sabbath’s blockbuster farewell to Sleep Token’s first time as a Download festival headliner, all eyes have been on the British metal scene in recent months. Rightfully so.
The ELO classic that led Crobot’s Brandon Yeagley to a whole world of prog
From a box of his parents’ cassettes to voracious filesharing, the vocalist always wanted to be the one bringing strange new music to his friends
The forthright attitude behind Roger Dean’s album art for Yes
Inspired by real-life landscapes and knowing what he didn’t like, the forthright creator of remarkable worlds explains his partnership with Yes
“We were a punk band with Beatles melodies. We had no effects, barely any equipment, just loads of attitude, 12 cans of Red Stripe and ambition."
The greatest rock album of the '90s was released on this day 31 years ago. Now a new generation is discovering its irresistible swagger
Debate: What's the greatest live album ever?
Please help us settle one of rock’s most enduring arguments
"It's kind of a concept record, if the word ‘concept’ didn’t suck."
QOTSA's Songs for the Deaf has just turned 23. This is the story behind a modern classic
The Black Keys are back and they're bruised
Last year, they cancelled a tour, their album flopped and they fired their managers. Can the Black Keys come back?.
Debate: what's the greatest punk album ever?
Ramones? Fun House? The Crack? Dookie? The Shape Of Punk To Come? Randy the Band? We want to know your pick for punk's finest hour
In praise of Lunachicks' day-glo classic Babysitters On Acid
Lunachicks loved splatter movies and fast food and bright red lipstick, and they poured it all into a fright-wiggy stew of hugely influential punk rock
What happened when Marillion allowed a journalist to play on their new album
In 2008, Marillion got a Classic Rock journalist to play on the album Happiness Is The Road, and things got weird
Nine Paul McCartney albums you should listen to, but none of them are by The Beatles
More to Macca than The Beatles: Nine Paul McCartney albums you should listen to, and one to avoid
From falling together to falling apart, Hawkwind’s early era was no hippie dream
Lemmy, Nik Turner and Dave Brock lived through a time of division through choice of drugs, mental health issues and artistic intentions, which still left a remarkable impact on the world of ‘out-there’ music
