CLASSIC ROCK

Editor Siân Llewellyn Now playing: Bruce Springsteen, Tracks

WELCOME

There’s a part of meI was reminded that

WHERE IS OZZY?

As he prepares to retire from the road, a new seek-and-find book celebrates the legend.

RICK DERRINGER

August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025

RIP

Thank you… and good night.

The Dirt

John Edwards December 25, 1944 – May

Simon House

August 29, 1948 – May 25, 2025

Joe Louis Walker

December 25, 1949 – April 30, 2025

The Who Asked Zak To “Lie”

Daltrey and Townshend bring in a new Who drummer.

The Song Remains …Confused

Jake Holmes sues Jimmy Page for the second time.

NEWS

A new documentary on Judas Priest is in

Fishbone

The genre-mixing US band return with hard-hitting album, following last year’s Trump-castigating single.

Ravagers

Part Hanoi Rocks, part their skanky selves, meet the band soundtracking the end of the world.

Sheer Art Attack

Lemmy statue erected, new Sabbath mural on the way.

Springsteen’s Anti-Trump Chorus Grows

Stars back The Boss.

NEWS

Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese says he is

A Thousand Horses

The southern rockers tour the UK in the summer, and are currently “making A Thousand Horses rock record”.

Star Circus

Variety is said to be the spice of life, and musically these guys throw a lot into the ring.

MIKE PETERS

February 25, 1959 – April 29 2025

Buckcherry

Sorry

H.e.a.t

Frontman Kenny Leckremo on the state of rock, his predecessor, why Swedes write great songs, big hair…

Battlesnake

They often perform in just underwear, they like to live dangerously on stage, they dig chaos, bombast, the Bible’s stories…

THIT'S THE WAY YOU DO IT

After four Top 5 albums, Dire Straits were doing well but were hardly a household name. That all changed when they made Brothers In Arms . Mark Knopfler, John Illsley and Guy Fletcher take us back.

BEVOND BROTHERS

It might be overshadowed by that looming resonator

YOU PLAY THE GUITAR ON THE MTV

The instrument that featured on the cover of Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms is still very much in use.

hRENCIAWLETOIM CALLIN

The editor of What Hi-Fi magazine charts the rise and fall and rise of the CD.

HALLOWED BE THY STALE

With Iron Maiden about to return to the UK as part of their Run For Your Lives world tour, manager Rod Smallwood shares with us what he regards as “the most important and interesting” shows the band have ever played.

THE GREAT ESCAPE

The human experience is hard. One of life’s pleasures for Eureka Machines is “having these little tunes, at gigs, that give people a couple of hours to get out of their heads”.

REVENGE IS SWEET

When Alice Cooper ’s album Billion Dollar Babies hit No.1 in the UK and US in 1973, instead of solidifying the band they unravelled. It would be 50 years until the original group recorded another, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper .

LIVE AND DANGEROUS

On a summer’s day in 1985, some of the biggest names in rock and pop came together to perform at the USA leg of Live Aid. Despite the flood of goodwill and camaraderie, the lead-up to the event wasn’t without some clashes of the titans.

The Hot List

Summer’s here, festivals beckon, tours are kicking off

p84 Bruce Springsteen

From deep in the vaults comes a “breathtaking” collection of ‘lost’ gems.

Sparks

MAD! TRANSGRESSIVE

ROUND-UP: SLEAZE

Zig Zags Deadbeat At Dawn RIDING

Buckcherry

Roar Like Thunder EARACHE

ROUND-UP: BLUES

Larry McCray: another album of bullish and boisterous

His Lordship

Bored Animal PSYCHONAUT

ROUND-UP: MELODIC ROCK

Inglorious: more of their signature hard rock.

Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts

Talkin To The Trees REPRISE

BEST OF THE REST

Other new releases out this month.

Queen 1 (Dolby Atmos Blu-ray) UNIVERSAL

Spatial surround sound doesn’t restrain their rip-roaring debut album.

Steve Harley + Cockney Rebel

The Best Years Of Our Lives CHRYSALIS

Bruce Springsteen

Tracks II: The Lost Albums SONY

Motörhead

The Manticore Tapes BMG

Mike Oldfield

Hergest Ridge (50th Anniversary) UMC

BEST OF THE REST

Other reissues out this month.

Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention

Frank Zappa’s Cheaper Than Cheep ZAPPA.COM

Steve Lillywhite

The producer has his fingerprints all over a number of top rock, post-punk, new wave and art-rock albums of the 80s in particular.

Essential Classics

Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel (aka Melt) CHARISMA,

Superior Reputation cementing

XTC Drums & Wires VIRGIN, 1979

Good Worth exploring

Psychedelic Furs Talk Talk Talk CBS, 1981

Rolling Stones

Dirty Work COLUMBIA, 1986 Listen to Charlie

Essential Playlist

Intruder Peter Gabriel No Self Control Peter

Lynyrd Skynyrd

The iconic southern rock band play four UK shows in July. Will they play Free Bird ? Good chance.

King Diamond

The Danish shrieker returns with “a horror show set to music”.

Sparks

With 28 albums’ worth of songs to choose from, “hopefully there will be some surprises”.

Steven Wilson

London Palladium

Michael Schenker: My Years With UFO / Wytch Hazel

London IndigO2

Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks

New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Carteret, USA

Dinosaur Jr

London The Troxy

Tedeschi Trucks Band / Buddy Guy

New York Beacon Theater, USA

Dead & Company

Las Vegas Sphere

Bearded Theory Festival

Catton Hall, Derbyshire

Sammy Hagar

Las Vegas Park MGM

Pixies

Granada Palacio Municipal De Deportes, Spain

Jesse Malin

London Islington Assembly Hall

Hamlet Hail To The Thief

Manchester Aviva Studios

The Soundtrack Of My Life

Counting Crows main man Adam Duritz on the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him