Not going to lie, I’d rather hoped I’d be able to write this Editor’s Letter without having to reference another cruel blow to the rock world and popular culture in general. It’s been a brutal few months to start 2016, and it seems to be becoming something of a sad theme. But while our heroes are getting older and frailer, I really didn’t think I’d be talking about Prince here this month. Talk about a shock.
I’ve had a soft spot for the Purple One ever since, as a teenager, I accidentally caught a live show broadcast on TV in the middle of the night, and it was then that I clocked his ferocious talent. His prowess with a guitar was astounding, rivalling and exceeding so many of his late-80s contemporaries and putting so many of the so-called guitar heroes firmly in the second division. For me, that TV gig was the moment that defined him as a proper rock star.
Only a couple of months ago an in-depth conversation about Prince with some of the CR team resulted in that old-fashioned practice, a CD swap of Prince bootlegs. I have a suspicion we’ll be doing it again in the near future. Meanwhile, Paul Elliott remembers Prince on page 14.
Elsewhere in the issue, we venture behind the scenes with Black Sabbath in Australia for an exclusive and revealing chat with Ozzy, Tony and Geezer as they circle the globe for their final tour, ahead of their upcoming Download appearance, before they call time on their band’s incredible career. It’s tough to think of a world without the Sabs out on the road somewhere, so let’s make the most of them while we can.
See you at Donington Park!
Siân Llewellyn, Editor
