Articles by Dave Ling, News/Lives Editor, Classic Rock

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

British Lion by Bristol Harbour and Tony Moore onstage

Tony Moore played keyboards for Iron Maiden at one show in 1977: Now he's back on the road with Steve Harris

By Dave Ling published 5 January 24

British Lion are currently on tour with support from prog rock one man band Tony Moore: "If Tony could play guitar back then the way he does now he'd probably still be in the band", says Steve Harris

Composite image of AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Bruce Dickinson and Wayne Kramer

24 things to get excited about in 2024

By Dave Ling published 2 January 24

As with all years, 2023 had plenty of great, memorable rock moments. With a new year now upon us, here’s what we’re vibed up for that’s coming along in the next 12 months

Status Quo at the Whitby pub, London, 1975.

"We'd sit surrounded by amps. The magic just flowed. It gave you goose-pimples": How Status Quo made Hello! and turned into Britain's hottest band of 1973

By Dave Ling published 1 January 24

Sometimes, a band works on an album and everything clicks. For Status Quo, their 1973 No.1 Hello! was just such an album. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t problems

“The phone rang, it was Steve Harris: ‘Are you interested in joining Maiden?’”: this is what it’s like to audition to replace Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden, by three singers who went for the job

By Classic Rock published 30 December 23

In 1994, Blaze Bayley became Maiden’s new singer – but he wasn’t the only contender for the job

Lemmy holding his bass guitar - studio portrait

“When Motörhead leaves, there will be a hole there that just can't be filled”: Remembering Lemmy

By Dave Ling published 28 December 23

His name was Lemmy, and he played rock'n'roll

The riff is a belter, the lyrics arrived out of thin air at Ringo Starr's house, and the promo video for it is pure pantomime – the story behind Beavis and Butthead’s favourite Judas Priest song

By Dave Ling published 26 December 23

"Everyone's had a confrontation with a copper and likes to scream about breaking the law, don't they?" - Rob Halford

"Some people said that seeing the band again made their lives complete": Remembering Status Quo's Rick Parfitt

By Dave Ling published 24 December 23

A personal look back at the music, life and times of Status Quo guitarist/singer and cornerstone Rick Parfitt, who died on Christmas Eve 2016

"I used to shut the curtains, put on the headphones, drop the needle and not move a muscle till the final note": This is the soundtrack of K.K. Downing's life

By Dave Ling published 19 December 23

Former Judas Priest man K.K. Downing picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and reveals why he prefers his new stuff to the old stuff

“Drugs and alcohol and ego clashes got in the way, but we managed to keep them quiet”: the unbelievable story of Chicago, the soft rock kings with steel in their hearts

By Dave Ling published 15 December 23

Jazz-rock experimentalists, money-spinning soft rock kings, derided balladeers? The mighty Chicago have been all of these and more

Starbenders, Wolfgang Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Grace Potter and Skindred

The 50 best rock albums of 2023

By Fraser Lewry published 15 December 23

The past 12 months may go down in history as a period of tumult and turmoil, but on the positive side, rock'n'roll is very much alive and well – as the best 50 albums of 2023 reflect

Sweet have been going for more than 50 years: now they're thinking about AI to take them into the future

By Dave Ling published 12 December 23

Guitarist Andy Scott, the last remaining original member of iconic glam-metal band Sweet, on what could well turn out to be their final tour

"I love that we do this thing that other musicians relate to": Page Hamilton on Helmet's rock royalty fans and advisors

By Dave Ling published 12 December 23

Helmet leader Page Hamilton on playing with Bowie, catching a fragrant whiff of Ozzy Osbourne, and not turning into Night Ranger

“Black Sabbath are afraid of us blowing them offstage. I’d feel the same in their position”: Lemmy, Ozzy and the story of legendary 80s rock festival the Heavy Metal Holocaust

By Dave Ling published 9 December 23

In August 1981, 40,000 rabid fans descended on an English football ground to watch Motörhead headline the Heavy Metal Holocaust. And it got chaotic

“After the first couple of years the darkness descended. There were some volatile individuals. We’re almost talking asylum levels”: how cult ’70s rockers The Babys blew their chance to be the next big thing

By Dave Ling published 26 November 23

Fronted by John Waite, The Babys could have become one of the biggest bands of the 70s – if only they hadn’t torn themselves apart

"For a while I was bummed out about the fuss it caused because I was worried my mum would find out:" the story behind L7's Pretend We're Dead

By Dave Ling published 19 November 23

L7’s 1992 hit Pretend We're Dead led to a UK TV ban and permanent notoriety at the Reading Festival

If you can sing prog, you can dub foreign-language movies: the satisfying double career of ex Kayak vocalist Edward Reekers

By Dave Ling published 18 November 23

He’s voiced Obi-Wan Kenobi and Harry Potter characters for Dutch editions - but returns to his first love with rock opera The Liberty Project featuring Steve Hackett, Arjen Lucassen and Damian Wilson

"In Scorpions days I sometimes ran out of frets because I wanted to play higher": Uli Jon Roth on his iconic guitars, onstage danger, and reconnecting with an old friend

By Dave Ling published 16 November 23

Former Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth is about to embark on a UK tour: expect plenty of improvisation and some onstage danger

"The misbehaving goes on after I've gone to bed. And I'm always the first to bed": Phil Campbell on touring with his three sons

By Dave Ling published 15 November 23

Former Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell and his band the are preparing to make some noise in November and December

"We've lost so many people from around the band, in the end we said: Yeah, let’s do this": The original line-up of The Almighty gear up to play their first shows in more than 30 years

By Dave Ling published 14 November 23

Ricky Warwick and Stumpy Monroe look forward to The Almighty's upcoming reunion shows

“Certain people might think that – the type of person that wears only denim, has a lot of tattoos and doesn’t wash”: meet the man who ‘ruined’ Status Quo

By Dave Ling published 4 November 23

Andy Bown has played keyboards with Status Quo for 50 years and has been with them through some tough times. But some fans still won’t forgive him for ‘ruining’ the band

“There’s a tendency for people to cherry-pick tracks or create playlists… we prefer our music to be listened to from the opening track to the final notes”: Downes Braide Association on the album as art form

By Dave Ling published 2 November 23

Geoff Downes and Chris Braide argue the case for storytelling, collaborating, and carrying on the legacies of John Wetton, Greg Lake, Chris Squire and Keith Emerson

"We are bathing in innuendo": Whitesnake's Lovehunter artwork was knee-jerk response to their critics, but the album itself was a game-changer

By Dave Ling published 29 October 23

In 1979 Whitesnake starred three members of Deep Purple’s Mk III line-up, but Lovehunter would set them on a defiant path towards standalone superstardom

"I learned that any innocent little comment can be twisted to make it seem something that it isn’t": Mike Portnoy on his departure from Dream Theater

By Dave Ling published 25 October 23

Returned Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy looks back on regret, alcoholism, and choosing between Rush and Paul McCartney

"In the last five-to-ten years I’ve seen more promising new bands and artists than in a very long time": Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes is hopeful about the future of rock music

By Dave Ling published 25 October 23

We talk to mainman Warren Haynes ahead of Gov't Mule's European tour next month

Yngwie Malmsteen surrounded by Statocasters and Marshall amps

Yngwie Malmsteen: "Each night on stage I play songs that I wrote forty years ago, and I challenge myself to play them differently. I’m not a jukebox. And that’s what makes things exciting"

By Dave Ling published 25 October 23

Controversial guitar hero Yngwie Malmsteen on playing live, why he doesn't need singers, and why you can never have enough Marshall amps

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