Articles by Dave Ling

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.

Articles by: Dave Ling

New Model Album loitering on a cobbled street

"We have all been robbed, and it's still going on. It's bringing the country to disaster": 40 years down the road, New Model Army are as uncompromising as ever

By Dave Ling published 1 April 24

Northern powerhouse New Model Army play shows in April and May, taking new album Unbroken to the people

“There were no egos: It was just about the music. There was an incredible flow… a magical, organic experience”: How supergroup Flying Colors made their debut album in just 9 days

By Dave Ling published 26 March 24

When Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Steve Morse, Dave LaRue and Casey McPherson went to work, they hoped they were creating something that would last. As it turned out, they were

"I heard it for the first time at a dope dealer’s house one night": My 10 favourite British albums ever, by Status Quo's Francis Rossi

By Dave Ling published 25 March 24

Francis Rossi reveals why the Rolling Stones annoy him, names the guitarist whose onstage farewell he copied, and reveals the band "who should have been drowned at birth"

"We're only here to play fantastic rock music": The Hives promise that their upcoming live shows will be like "a regular rock show but there's more of everything"

By Dave Ling published 22 March 24

Steel yourselves: The Hives are going on tour

"It was starting to feel like the band had run its course": Whitesnake entered 1984 on a high, but everything was about to change

By Dave Ling published 20 March 24

Whitesnake's last album before MTV propelled them towards US superstardom, Slide It In marked the end of an era for the band

John Kalodner with Aerosmith, holding sales awards for their Get A Grip album

"My man management skills are very poor, but the music that gets made is usually worth it": The story of John Kalodner, the man who made rock stars

By Dave Ling published 13 March 24

He signed Foreigner. He helped Whitesnake go global. Aerosmith owe him. He is music biz A&R legend-cum-rockstarmaker John Kalodner

“I still buy a new album and flick through it trying to find the weepy ballad – but for God’s sake, I was in Mostly Autumn for 13 years!” Heather Findlay’s affection for melancholy

By Dave Ling published 7 March 24

Singer songwriter Heather Findlay discusses her album Wild White Horses

"We're probably at the point that we can get away with it": Feeder are thirty years old in 2024, and they're finally ready to release a double album

By Dave Ling published 6 March 24

Feeder's 12th album Black/Red is out next month, and founder Grant Nicholas is prepared to go big

"We'd started playing small dance halls for a few hundred people, now suddenly we were opening for the Stones and The Who": A celebration of the life and music of Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington

By Dave Ling published 5 March 24

Gary Rossington was the last surviving member of Lynyrd Skynyrd's founding lineup: He died a year ago

"The doubters have all gone now": Steve Diggle on continuing Buzzcocks without Pete Shelley

By Dave Ling published 4 March 24

Now fronted by Steve Diggle, Buzzcocks play North American shows this month, with UK and European shows to follow

"We're singing about hot girls and cool stuff. It's what people really need right now": Now that Van Halen are no more, BulletBoys want to revive their party spirit

By Dave Ling published 3 March 24

After a long time away, Californian hard rock stalwarts BulletBoys return for UK dates in March

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine in close up in 2007

“Vultures were on the bedpost. It was a dark road and I was losing my lust for life”: Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine is metal’s great survivor

By Dave Ling published 2 March 24

Drugs, feuds, bitter ex-bandmates – Dave Mustaine has weathered everything life threw at him. And in this classic interview from the Metal Hammer archives, he wasn’t about to roll over yet

"Things have gone further than we envisaged, but that’s life": Saxon's Biff Byford on their new guitarist, extraterrestrial life and the future

By Dave Ling published 14 February 24

As Saxon prepare to tour The UK with Judas Priest and Uriah Heep, we catch up with frontman Biff Byford to hear about new album Hell, Fire And Damnation

“I didn’t want the job with Robert Plant, I wasn’t after it and there were 5,000 guys that were - but they called me. When things come into your life, embrace them; when they leave, let them go”: Francis Dunnery’s lessons in life

By Dave Ling published 14 February 24

It Bites co-founder shares his experiences of Steve Hackett, Genesis, Yes and the music industry - and why he thinks it’s no bad thing that most of prog is a “caricature”

"That was real food for thought": Rick Wakeman on the surprise lesson he learned from a 16-year-old Brazilian fan

By Dave Ling published 5 February 24

Rick Wakeman's Return Of The Caped Crusader dates resume this month, and the keyboard maestro knows it's not about nostalgia for everyone

"Half of the people I knew wanted to pat me on the back, and the rest to punch me in the face": Bruce Watson looks back on Big Country's second album Steeltown

By Dave Ling published 5 February 24

Big Country's Steeltown album was recorded during the 1984 miner's strike as guitarist Bruce Watson's father stood on the picket line: the album reflected those dark times

"Some people expect us to be a woman and instead they get three greasy boys playing rock music": Florence Black are fiery proof that Welsh rock is on the rise

By Dave Ling published 2 February 24

With Skindred, Florence Black, Those Damn Crows and Scarlet Rebels all hitting the charts, music from Wales is once again on the map

"In screaming so loudly for so long I gave myself chronic laryngitis and screwed up my voice forever": Mountain man Corky Laing reveals how a seductive dancer inspired a hard rock classic

By Dave Ling published 30 January 24

Mississippi Queen gave Mountain their signature song, rock'n'roll its second most famous cowbell, and Corky Laing headaches over the songwriting credits

“This is the next natural step in our evolution. This is a pinnacle moment for us. It’s something we had to do.” How Dream Theater made uber concept album The Astonishing

By Dave Ling published 29 January 24

With 2021's The Astonishing Dream Theater unveiled the daddy of all prog metal concept albums

“By the time I swapped over the tapes I knew I was in the stinky brown stuff. Somebody said, ‘God help us’ … the budget for the cover was cut back”: How Rick Wakeman proved everyone wrong with The Six Wives of Henry VIII

By Dave Ling published 23 January 24

His 1973 debut solo album was roundly hated by label bosses and reviewers – but it became a coffee-table classic and gave him freedom from Yes

"Music really saved my life. It was the one place I could go where there was sanity and beauty": Steve Perry on being inspired, and being an inspiration

By Dave Ling published 22 January 24

Former Journey frontman Steve Perry was raised to manage the family farm, but Sam Cooke and his parents' divorce set him on a different path

Ginger Wildheart wearing a hat a military tunic

"If everyone could go to a psych ward for a couple of weeks, the world would be a better place": Ginger Wildheart on recovery, rejuvenation, and why the next Wildhearts album will be your favourite

By Dave Ling published 22 January 24

To learn that Ginger Wildheart was winning his mental health battle was a fantastic end to the year: A new Wildhearts album en route is the icing on the cake

People lifting their hands up hold cell phone flashlights

The 50 best AOR albums of all time

By Dave Ling, Jon Hotten, Sian Llewellyn, Paul Elliott published 17 January 24

From big hitters like Journey, Boston and Foreigner to the lesser known lights of AOR, these are the 50 albums that truly sparkle

"Those three and a half minutes tell you everything you need to know about Slade": The story of the anthemic classic Mama Weer All Crazee Now

By Dave Ling published 12 January 24

Recorded by Hendrix producer Chas Chandler and covered by Quiet Riot and The Runaways, frontman Noddy Holder says Mama Weer All Crazee Now is one of Slade's defining moments

"We come on all kicking and screaming and for three songs we'll punch you in the face…": Ashley McBryde on making country music for rock fans

By Dave Ling last updated 11 January 24

If you want to know why country-rocker Ashley McBryde is making waves, get to one of her live shows

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