Nick Hasted

As the 80s dawned, Simple Minds were in crisis. But, believing that life was without limits, they recorded the album New Gold Dream and the dream became reality

Prince's Purple Rain was the epic ballad that reclaimed rock for black musicians, enjoying airplay everywhere from country to rock radio

Bowie and Petty loved him, Jagger danced onstage with him, Slash jammed with him – this how Lenny Kravitz’s retro mix of rock, soul and funk made him a crossover star

Not only are The Kinks credited with creating the heavy metal blueprint, they also recorded some of rock’s most enduring songs. Here are their best albums

John Brennan initially collected records, then slept out for concert tickets... but he had to get one step closer

Original Yes frontman Jon Anderson on why The Beatles were the original progressive rock band

Alter Bridge singer and Slash conspirator Myles Kennedy names the greatest album ever made, the song with the "freaky sex sounds" that changed his life, and the piano piece that makes him cry

Rock’s often deliberately provocative cover art can lead to outrage. Here are 20 main offenders in our gallery of banned record sleeves

Proof that Ian Anderson isn’t the only rock star who’s a bit handy with the woodwind

Suffering at the hands of her abusive husband Ike, Tina Turner wrote the lyrics to Nutbush City Limits as a declaration of artistic independence

For Christine McVie, the creation of the smooth ’n’ simple Mirage represents a happier time in the often fractured world of the Fleetwood Mac family

Roxy Music guitarist talks through half a dozen of his favourite recordings

A tale of sexual ambiguity in 60s Soho, Lola provided The Kinks with a worldwide hit at the exact moment they needed it most

There’s always another supposed saviour coming along to resuscitate the blues. Jack White is one of those who actually did

One of them is a drumming great and a true legend, the other learned from him and became a great too. We put Cream legend Ginger Baker and former Scorpions man Herman Rarebell together

He’s the Swedish speed demon whose six-string theatrics enthral and infuriate in equal measure. Now, Yngwie Malmsteen has made… wait for it… a blues album

Classic Rock goes off the grid to track down Electric Wizard, who tell us about swapping doom for Detroit, geese attacks, utopian nightmares and the weirdness of Wimborne