WELCOME

A few days ago I was flicking through

Got It Covered

New book of Led Zep sleeves from around the world includes hundreds of designs other than the ones we’re familiar with

RIP

Thank you and good night

Festivals Are Go!

This year’s Steelhouse, Bloodstock and Reading and Leeds Festivals finally get the go-ahead to take place

Metallica’s Black Album Gets Reboot

And the stars come out for a companion set

Guitarist Doubts Aerosmith Will Play Live Again

Brad Whitford fears more gigs could be a “pipe dream”

Rick Wakeman “Gobsmacked” By CBE Award

Modest keyboard maestro thought news of his Queen's honour was “a hoax!”

NEWS

The Darkness release their seventh studio album, Motorheart,

Night Ranger

The hard rockers on lockdown recording, longevity and appearing in a cocaine-filled house in Boogie Nights.

Tigercub

After the album session from hell, these Brighton alt.rockers have earned their stripes

MY FIRST LOVE

Minor Threat OUT OF STEP

NEWS

Brian May reissues his debut solo album Back

The Wallflowers

Jakob Dylan on “noisy guitars”, transitioning from Trump, and why songwriting brings out his Mr Hyde

The Moon City Masters

These harmonising brothers are putting fun, sunshine and colour back into rock’n’roll

Don McLean

American Pie

Imelda May

The singer-songwriter on spirituality, the number 11:11, her new album, activism and sticking it to music industry ageism

Motörhead Live

Rock’n’roll’s finest in their natural habitat. Motörhead never sounded better than when playing to sweaty audiences

Essential Classics

GETTY No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith 1981,BRONZE Scholars agree

Superior Reputation cementing

The Wörld Is Ours Vol 1 2011, UDR

Good Worth exploring

Louder Than Noise… Live In Berlin 2021 SILVER

Essential Playlist

Ace Of Spades No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith Doctor

BACK TO LIVE

With it looking highly likely that restrictions on gigs and festivals will be gone by the time you read this, we talk to musicians and industry figures about the state of live music post-covid

Andy Copping

The man from promoters Live Nation talks about the Download Pilot event and looks ahead

Noel Nevin, Cavern

The small music venue owner and promoter on covid-19’s impact

The Flaming Lips

Wayne Coyne on how TFL navigated their way through C-19

Download Pilot

Donington Park, Castle Donington

Orange Goblin

London, The Dome

The Soundtrack Of My Life

Jane’s Addiction and Porno For Pyros main man Perry Farrell on the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him

METAL GODS

There’ve been ups, there’ve been downs, and after 50-plus years they’re still very much around. We spoke to all current members about life in, and out of, one of the greatest metal bands of them all: Judas Priest

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

Over 50 years they’ve cruised through heavenly highs and weathered hellish lows. Now, with their latest album, Styx continue to enjoy their latest creative and popular high

DEAR MR FANTASTY

With the band Traffic Jim Capaldi made some wonderful and classic music of the 60s and 70s, and his solo records reflected his talents as a songwriter as well as a musician

ACVERTISING STANDARDS AUTHOITY

A Pop Art album of great music interspersed with radio-style ads and jingles and released in an iconic sleeve, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey spill the beans about The Who Sell Out

THE ROAD TO UTOPIAN

He’s collaborated with Crazy Horse, Ringo Starr and even auditioned for Brookside, but now Icicle Works founder and current solo artist Ian McNabb is ready to conclude his latest trilogy

Size Doesn’t Matter

Despite its title, Tiny Music was a huge album for Stone Temple Pilots. At the time, sadly, frontman Scott Weiland’s drug addiction was also very big and serious. A quarter-century on, we spoke to Dean DeLeo and Eric Kretz about the triumphs and agonies behind their third album

STR ANGER THAN FICTION

Chris Tapp’s life has had plenty of ups, but the downs were way down there. And while he could have happily done without them, they’ve fuelled the incendiary blues of The Cold Stares.

Captain Fantastic

In August 1970, Elton John, totally unknown in the US, played his first gig there, at the 300-capacity Troubadour club in Los Angeles. That one, audience-flooring show would prove to be a major turning point in his career

David Bowie Changed my Life

Plucked from obscurity at 22 to replace Mick Ronson as Bowie’s sideman guitarist, Earl Slick ’s life was never going to be quite the same again. Nor was his lifestyle

Various Artists

Massive Wagons MCMURTRIE/PRESS MASSIVE WAGONS: JOHN NWOCR –

Dee Snider

Leave A Scar NAPALM Glam veteran continues renaissance

Various

May The Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute To

Ellen Foley

Fighting Words URBAN NOISE Vintage jukebox Americana

Neighborhood Brats

Confines Of Life DIRT CULT Californian punks

Resurrection Kings

Skygazer FRONTIERS More hard rock heaven from Ronnie

Marillion

With Friends At St David’s EARMUSIC Prog veterans

ROUND-UP: SLEAZE

Chain Erection: fullthrottle badassery. Chain Erection Alternative High

Night Ranger

ATBPO FRONTIERS AOR heroes drop the ball.

Skids

Songs From A Haunted Ballroom CLEOPATRA Punk’s

Devin Townsend

Devolution Series #2 Galactic Quarantine INSIDE OUT Poozers

Deathchant

Waste RIDING EASY LA warlords spew up sludgy

Big Big Train

Common Ground ENGLISH ELECTRIC The prog-leaning collective hit

Heavy Water

Red Brick City SILVER LINING MUSIC A family

Man

Anachronism Tango MIG Still being good to themselves.

Los Lobos

Native Sons NEW WEST Grammy winners pay

The Descendents

9th & Walnut EPITAPH Californian pop-punk pioneers

Jackson Browne

Downhill From Everywhere INSIDE RECORDINGS First album since

The Cold Stares

Heavy Shoes MASCOT Heavy-blues duo tread a

Needtobreathe

Into The Mystery ELEKTRA Eighth album from

Ghosts Of Men

Exhale SELF-RELEASED Dynamic duo return with powerhouse second

ROUND-UP: MELODIC ROCK

ELLE JE PHOTOGRAPHY/PRESS Nitrate: taking cues from 80s

David Crosby

For Free BMG Meditative masterpiece from the high

Wallflowers

Exit Wounds NEW WEST The prodigal son returns.

Burning Witches

The Witch Of The North NUCLEAR BLAST Classic

Mama Doom

Ash Bone Skin N Stone MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN Doom-rock

Silvertwin

Silvertwin SILVERTWIN Smart and evocative baroque’n’roll nostalgia fest.

Robert J Hunter

Nothing But Rust GOOD PEOPLE Blues rockers keep

Mother Mother

Inside WARNER MUSIC CANADA Inner visions let loose

Gypsy’s Kiss

74 VOLE MUSIC Maiden alumni prove their worth.

Lee Aaron

Radio On! METALVILLE The metal queen hits

Yngwie Malmsteen

Parabellum MUSIC THEORIES RECORDINGS/MASCOT Swedish guitar wizz’s artistry

BEST OF THE REST

Other new releases out this month

Queen

Greatest Hits VIRGIN EMI Aptly named. Ever popular.

The Beach Boys

Feel Flows CAPITOL/UME Extensive box set covering 1970/71’s

Various Artists

Punk & Disorderly: The Albums (The Sound Of

Geezer Butler

SNOWDON, QUEEN PRODUCTIONS LTD Manipulations Of The Mind

Evanescence

The Open Door CRAFT Goth-pop’s poster girl takes

Frankie Miller

Reissues ROCK CANDY Oh Frankie! Reissues of the

Stone Temple Pilots

Tiny Music… Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop

The Psychedelic Furs

The Best Of DEMON Collected musical highs of

Muse

Origin Of Symmetry XX Anniversary RemiXX WARNERS The

Brian May

Back To The Light EMI Queen guitarist

The Gun Club

Fire Of Love BLIXA SOUNDS It’s blues, but

Stone The Crows /Maggie Bell

Reissues REPERTOIRE Band and solo work from prominent

Ian Gillan Band

The Rockfield Mixes Plus SINGSONG MUSIC Definitive version

Mötley Crüe

Girls, Girls, Girls MÖTLEY Reissue of LA icons’

Opeth

Blackwater Park MUSIC FOR NATIONS Scandinavian prog-metal eclecticists’

Mudhoney

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge 30th Anniversary Deluxe

BEST OF THE REST

Other new releases out this month

The Sparks Brothers

Dir: Edgar Wright MRC Film celebrates the extraordinary

England’s Dreaming: The Sex Pistols And Punk Rock

Jon Savage FABER New edition of UK punk’s

Bunnyman: A Memoir

Will Sergeant CONSTABLE Indie-rock veteran revisits punk-era Liverpool

Don’t Go Gentle: A Film About Idles

Director: Mark Archer DOC N’ ROLL An origins

Ian Anderson

Silent Singing: The Complete Lyrics Of Ian Anderson

Marc Bolan, Tyrannosaurus Rex And T.Rex: Every Album, Every Song

Peter Gallagher SONICBOND Step by step through

Bay Area Godfathers: The True Story Of Bay Area Metal

Bob Nalbandian, Lars Ulrich and more METALROCK FILMS