Classic Rock is a magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, such as Queen, Free, Deep Purple, Status Quo, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Metallica and The Who, it also includes articles and reviews of contemporary and upcoming artists it deems worthy of note, such as The Answer and Wolfmother. Despite starting as a one-off project it has become one of the UK's best selling music magazines, and attracts much attention and respect of many of classic rock's biggest names. It recently published its 100th issue. Future Publishing (FTSE:FUTR) is a magazine publishing company based in Bath, UK. Future Publishing employs more than 1,500 people worldwide, and is one of the largest publishing houses in the UK. It is responsible for publishing over 150 magazines, in the UK, US, France and Italy. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock (AOR) format in the early-1980s. ... Future Publishing (FTSE:FUTR) is a magazine publishing company based in Bath, UK. Future Publishing employs more than 1,500 people worldwide, and is one of the largest publishing houses in the UK. It is responsible for publishing over 150 magazines, in the UK, US, France and Italy. ... Metal Hammer (sometimes MetalHammer) is a monthly heavy metal magazine in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in Germany, Austria, Spain, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Serbia and Montenegro by a different publisher. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ... Free was a British R&B-style rock band which formed in London in 1968 best known for their popular song All Right Now. Lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become lead singer of the rock band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums, while lead guitarist Paul... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Led Zeppelin were an English rock band that formed in September 1968. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... The Who are an English rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... The Answer are a hard rock and blues rock band hailing from Newcastle and Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. ... Wolfmother is an Australian Grammy Award Winning and ARIA award winning hard rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. ...

Beginnings

Classic Rock was an idea formulated by ex-Metal Hammer Deputy Editor Jerry Ewing (subsequently Editor of Classic Rock), along with Metal Hammer colleague Dave Ling and art editor Andy Ryan at Dennis Publishing. They suggested a one-off title dedicated to classic rock. They felt it was neglected in publication and would attract a large audience. In 1998 original publishers Dennis Publishing allegedly begrudgingly authorised the first issue of Classic Rock featuring Guns N' Roses and including an article by Mick Wall, a journalist who became something of a renowned name when Axl Rose insulted him on the track "Get in the Ring" on Use Your Illusion II. It sold better than expected and was continued. Wall is one of six writers, along with Ewing and Ling who where involved in that publication and still write for the magazine today. The magazine attracted a niche audience initially but sales grew as Classic Rock featured artists such as Black Sabbath. Iron Maiden and Aerosmith on its cover in the first year. It attracted those who saw mainstream music publications such as Q and NME to be stale, and too focused on discovering the "next big thing". It also came at a time when the charts were even more dominated by pop bands than usual, as record companies seemed unwilling to risk money on bands who wrote their own material. Classic Rock soon became a regular fixture in newsagents the UK, Ireland and Europe, and now publishes 13 issues a year. Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... W. Axl Rose[1] (born William Bruce Rose, Jr. ... Get in the Ring is the fifth song on the Guns N Roses album Use Your Illusion II. It was written by Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, and Slash and is directed at the music critics, who gave the band negative reviews because of their actions during the Use Your Illusion... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band from east London. ... This article is about the band Aerosmith. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazine Music Express The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. ...

Key Acts

The magazine focuses on established bands with credentials dating back to the 1960's. Indeed, many of the artists who have appeared on its cover are deceased (Jimi Hendrix and Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy featured on early covers, as did bands with deceased members such as Queen and The Who). Acts to have appeared on the front cover 3 times or more to date include Queen, Guns N' Roses, Black Sabbath / Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page has been on the cover on his own right 3 times), Metallica, Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Genesis, AC/DC, and Mötley Crüe. More recent acts to have been on the cover include The Darkness and despite only having released one album to date, Velvet Revolver have been on it twice, though it comprised of members well known to Classic Rock enthusiasts, such as Slash. Despite the dominating nature of acts undeniably falling into the category of classic rock, the magazine takes an inclusive attitude to its genre and is happy to include heavy metal, prog rock, punk and grunge acts. Recent features have included thrash metal band Slayer, and are happy to review acts as diverse as Porcupine Tree, Buckcherry and Rodrigo y Gabriela. Monthly updates on 'sleaze' and prog releases are a regular feature. This article contains a trivia section. ... Philip Parris Lynott (August 20, 1949–January 4, 1986) was an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter, who first came to prominence as a member of Thin Lizzy. ... Thin Lizzy are a hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ... The Who are an English rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ... Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Ozzy Osbourne (born John Michael Osbourne, December 3, 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, England) is the lead vocalist of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, a popular solo artist, and the star of the reality show, The Osbournes. ... Bon Jovi is a hard rock band originating from Sayreville, New Jersey. ... Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band from east London. ... This article is about the band Aerosmith. ... Led Zeppelin were an English rock band that formed in September 1968. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Thin Lizzy are a hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967. ... AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. ... Mötley Crüe (IPA pronunciation: ) is a popular American glam metal band from Los Angeles, California. ... The Darkness were an English hard rock band. ... Velvet Revolver (abbreviated to VR) is a hard rock supergroup with three former members of Guns N Roses — Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum (who also played with rock bands Hawk and The Cult) — plus Scott Weiland, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, and Dave Kushner of the 80s... Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), more widely known as Slash, is an English guitarist best known as the former lead guitarist of Guns N Roses and as the current lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver. ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle Sound) is a subgenre of alternative rock that was created in the mid-1980s by bands from the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ... Slayer is an American thrash metal band founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. ... Porcupine Tree is an English progressive rock band formed in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England by Steven Wilson. ... Buckcherry is a Los Angeles rock band, formed in 1995. ... Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars. ... Sleaze rock or Sleaze glam is a subgenre of glam metal. ...

Contemporary Acts

Classic Rock review any release that even comes close to being classified as rock, including albums, DVDs, concerts and books. It includes an annual award for best new band. Acts such as Muse, DragonForce, Wolfmother and The Answer have all been featured in recent months, indeed The Answer's debut album Rise received rave reviews. Muse is an English rock band formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1997, comprising Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar, piano), Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion). ... DragonForce are a British power metal band formed in London, England in 1999. ... Wolfmother is an Australian Grammy Award Winning and ARIA award winning hard rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. ... The Answer are a hard rock and blues rock band hailing from Newcastle and Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. ... Rise is the debut album by Northern Ireland rock band The Answer. ...

100 Greatest British Albums

For the 91st issue (April, 2006), the magazine presented 'The 100 Greatest British Rock Albums Ever', which were voted for by Classic Rock staff and various people associated with rock music (including Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath fame, Lemmy of Motörhead and Francis Rossi of Status Quo). The magazine decided to let AC/DC be classed as a British act, although the band was formed in Australia. Two of the band's singers (Bon Scott and Brian Johnson) and guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young are British. Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV reached first place. This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... Lemmy (born Ian Fraiser Kilmister on December 24, 1945, also known as Ian Willis, Lemmy Kilmister, and Lemmy von Motörhead), is an English singer and bass guitarist, most famous for being the founding member of the heavy metal band Motörhead. ... Motörhead are a Grammy Award-winning British heavy metal band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy (real name Ian Kilmister), who has remained the sole constant member. ... Francis Rossi Francis Rossi (Francis Dominic Michael Nicholas Rossi) was born 29 May 1949 in Forest Hill, London and is co-founder of the British rock band Status Quo, where he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar. ... Status Quo are an English rock band whose music is characterised by a strong boogie line. ... AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. ... Ronald Belford Bon Scott (July 9, 1946 – February 19, 1980) was a Scottish born Australian rock musician. ... Brian Johnson (born October 5, 1947 in Dunston, Gateshead, England) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the Australian hard rock band, AC/DC. He currently lives in Sarasota, Florida. ... Angus McKinnon Young (born on 31 March 1955, in Glasgow, Scotland) is a guitarist and songwriter who has been the lead guitarist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC since the group was formed in 1973. ... Malcolm Mitchell Young, born January 6, 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland, is a founding member of, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and co-songwriter for the Australian hard rock band, AC/DC. Though his younger brother Angus is the more visible of the brothers, Malcolm has been described as the business and... The untitled fourth album of English rock band Led Zeppelin was released on November 8, 1971. ...

100th Issue

The 100th issue, quite a landmark considering the haphazard nature of the magazine's origin, contained all the regular features, but only one article, in which 100 names in rock were asked to write a piece on their nomination for a "rock icon". Contributors included such notable figures as Brian May, Lemmy (who nominated Tina Turner, who was then himself nominated by Ian Camfield) Ian Gillan, Gary Moore, Phil Collins, Sebastian Bach, Peter Frampton, Jerry Cantrell, Chris Cornell, Paul Rodgers, Chad Smith, Jack Black, Zakk Wylde and Matt Bellamy. Brian Harold May CBE (born July 19, 1947) is an English musician best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band Queen. ... Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock) November 26, 1939) is an 11 time Grammy Award-winning (sharing three), American Singer, Dancer, Record Producer, Executive Producer, Film Producer, Actress, Writer, Performer, Songwriter, Author and occasional Painter whose career has spanned from 1956 to present. ... Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945 in Hounslow, London), is an English rock music vocalist best known as the lead singer for Deep Purple. ... For the former TV host, see Garry Moore. ... Philip David Charles Collins (born January 30, 1951 in Chiswick, London) is an English singer, songwriter, drummer and actor. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Peter Kenneth Frampton (born April 22, 1950 in Beckenham, Kent) is an English musician, best known today for his solo work in the mid-1970s and as one of the original members of the band Humble Pie. ... Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. ... Chris Cornell (born Christopher John Boyle on July 20, 1964) is an American musician best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock bands Soundgarden (1984-1997) and Audioslave (2001-2007). ... Paul Rodgers is an English rock singer/songwriter best known for being a member of Free and Bad Company. ... Chad Smith (born October 25, 1961 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA), is the drummer of the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. ... Jack Black (born Thomas Jack Black, Jr. ... Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wiedlandt on January 14, 1967 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is a lead guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter, best known for his role as founder of Black Label Society and guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. ... Matthew Bellamy (born June 8, 1978) is the lead singer and guitarist of British rock group Muse. ...

See also

• List of Classic Rock covers

List of Classic Rock magazine covers. ...

External links

• Official website
• Classic Rock Magazine at MySpace