Paul Elliott

Paul Elliott

Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”

Articles by: Paul Elliott

A banner image showing the cover of Rush's 2112 album at an angle on a pink background.

You don't get Something For Nothing, but you can get 25% off the vinyl hologram edition of Rush classic 2112

By Paul Elliott published

You may already have Rush's 1976 masterpiece 2112 on your vinyl shelf, but do you have the awesome Hologram Edition? If not, now's your chance

Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris onstage on the World Slavery tour in 1985

“Scream for me Long Beach!” One of the best live albums of all time is currently 27% off for Black Friday

By Paul Elliott published

Iron Maiden's Live After Death – one of the greatest live albums of all time – is currently available for a total steal

Iron Maiden group portrait, 1981

"Paul was read the riot act, and given the chance to put things right. But he didn't put things right": The story of Iron Maiden - the Paul Di'Anno years

By Paul Elliott published

As the 1980s dawned, Iron Maiden were about to record their debut album. It was the start of a journey that would launch them into the stratosphere, but there were some massive hurdles to overcome first

An oiled-up Manowar posing in loincloths and leather

The self-proclaimed heroic kings and defenders of True Metal: The Manowar albums you should definitely listen to

By Paul Elliott published

The self-proclaimed heroic kings and defenders of True Metal: How to buy the very best of Manowar

Eagles onstage in 2001

"Peyote didn’t make me puke, but some of the other guys puked for all of us": The Eagles on Indian tribal rituals, playing with Guns N' Roses and the lyric police

By Paul Elliott published

In early 2001 the Eagles were about to start work on their comeback album, Long Road Out Of Eden – so we tracked them down

Europe group portrait

The albums you should definitely listen to by Europe, the second most famous group to come out of Sweden

By Paul Elliott published

Europe took the classic hard rock template and made it 'continental'. Here's the countdown of the Scandi-rockers' best albums

Saxon in 1979, studio portrait

Fill your heads with heavy metal thunder: The Saxon albums you should definitely listen to

By Paul Elliott published

Almost 50 years on from their formation, NWOBHM spearheads Saxon and much-loved frontman Biff Byford are verging on national treasure status – and these are their best albums

Ritchie Blackmore studio portrait, June 1975

The Ritchie Blackmore albums you should definitely listen to - but none of them are by Deep Purple

By Paul Elliott published

A guitarist who helped define the sound of a genre, both pre- and post- Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore has a formidable back catalogue of classics

Foreigner in 1977

From classicly-styled hard rock to the slickest of AOR: The Foreigner albums you definitely need to listen to

By Paul Elliott last updated

Foreigner blended hard rock and atmospheric ballads to the tune of more than 80 million sales - and now they're on their way to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Alice Cooper posing for a photograph with a whip in 1987

“I was the original vampire and I still have dominion over Slipknot, Rob Zombie and Lady Gaga”: A metal fan’s guide to Alice Cooper

By Paul Elliott published

Alice Cooper was the original shock rocker who paved the way for Kiss, Slipknot and every parent-baiting rock and metal act that followed

The Best Of RoryGallagher At The BBC cover art

"Gallagher delivers electrifying performances of his heavier numbers": Rory Gallagher's BBC Collection showcases the very best of the real deal

By Paul Elliott published

The blues boy from Ballyshannon at his peak

King Diamond posing for a photograph against a red background in the late 1980s

“I’ve seen a lot of things. Supernatural things. I’ve seen the place between heaven and hell”: The outrageous life of King Diamond, the occult metal icon Metallica love and Gene Simmons wanted to sue

By Paul Elliott published

Hauntings, heart attacks, exorcisms and lawsuits – King Diamond looks back on 40 years as Satan’s Little Helper

Def Leppard posing for a photo outside a circus tent in 1987

“We weren’t trying to better Iron Maiden. We were trying to better Michael Jackson!”: The metal fan’s guide to Def Leppard

By Paul Elliott published

From the NWOBHM to the world – how Def Leppard became one of the biggest British rock bands of all time

Neal Schon onstage

"It's a bit traumatic if you wake up there's a story about a picture of your penis on ABC News": Think Neal Schon's year has been interesting? A decade ago it was even more so

By Paul Elliott published

Journey guitarist Neal Schon on his $50 million lawsuit, alleged photos of his penis, Michael Bolton's eccentricity and Steve Perry

Michael Schenker: My Years with UFO cover art

Co-starring Axl, Slash and other heavy friends, Michael Schenker's My Years With UFO finds the mad axeman in phenomenal form

By Paul Elliott published

Michael Schenker celebrates his years with UFO with a stellar cast of guest musicians

Journey in 1979

"Steve Perry could hit high notes that other singers could only dream of": Every Journey album ranked, from worst to best

By Paul Elliott published

From stadium-filling rock to the ultimate lighter-waving ballads, AOR titans Journey and their various frontmen have done it all

Stryper - When We Were Kings cover art

"Even the most fervent of believers can run out of divine inspiration": Stryper's songwriting falls short on When We Were Kings

By Paul Elliott published

Stryper are still fighting the good fight on 15th studio album When We Were Kings

Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks

"The greatest rock'n'roll band ever to come from Finland": The Hanoi Rocks albums you should definitely listen to

By Paul Elliott published

Hanoi Rocks' early records and electrifying live shows saw them tipped for superstardom, but fate dealt them a catastrophic blow

The cover art of Back In Black, with Joe Elliott superimposed

"There's a reason why it's sold more than all the other AC/DC albums combined": Why I love Back In Black, by Def Leppard's Joe Elliott

By Paul Elliott published

Def Leppard man Joe Elliott on Mutt Lange, Hells Bells and replacing Bon Scott

Bon Scott onstage and (inset) Gene Simmons throwing the horns

"No minor chords here, just major chords hitting you in the balls! I was just mesmerised!": What AC/DC mean to me, by Kiss's Gene Simmons

By Paul Elliott published

Gene Simmons pays tribute to the longevity of AC/DC, a band he first saw at the Whiskey a Go Go in West Hollywood in 1976

Scorpions posing for a photograph in leather outfits in 1984

“In the 80s, you ordered a gram of cocaine like you ordered a beer. Doing cocaine was normal in those days”: The high times and crazy life of the Scorpions

By Paul Elliott published

Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine and Matthias Jabs look back on the career of Germany’s biggest rock band

Gene Simmons

"Oh my goodness! It's so rousing! Especially the end!": The soundtrack of Gene Simmons' life

By Paul Elliott published

Kiss bassist, Demon and fire-breather Gene Simmons picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and names the "most dishonest" album Kiss ever made

AC/DC's Angus Young brandishing a guitar and (inset) Joe Perry

"If they were to take X-rays, you'd see that his joints have taken a serious beating": What AC/DC mean to me, by Aerosmith's Joe Perry

By Paul Elliott published

Joe Perry pays tribute to the longevity of AC/DC, who first toured with Aerosmith in 1978

Styx - The Grand Illusion cover art

"From a period when the band's theatricality had yet to spill over into pretension": Styx successfully fight the pomp rock wars on The Grand Illusion

By Classic Rock Magazine published

The Grand Illusion was the first of four consecutive triple-platinum albums for Styx, establishing them as one of America’s biggest rock acts

WASP posing for a photography and pulling faces

“The first time I met Lemmy, he said: ‘How do you sit down with that sawblade codpiece?’ I said, ‘You don’t!’”: WASP frontman Blackie Lawless’s strange journey from shock rock to God

By Paul Elliott published

An epic interview with WASP singer Blackie Lawless about controversy, codpieces and Christianity