Latest articles by Rob Hughes
Out of step with Britpop, one of the Levellers' biggest hits was inspired by Led Zeppelin
During the post-grunge era, the Levellers were derided as obsolete crusties, but one of their biggest hits was influenced by classic 70s rock
The story of the Dinosaur Jr. classic recorded on the verge of implosion
Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis and bassist Lou Barlow recall the tribulations of third album Bug and the classic Freak Scene
The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2025
Twelve months of life-enriching, extraordinary new music
In 1962 a band decided to play as badly as possible until someone noticed. It worked.
They blended prog, art-rock, visual theatre, Dadaism and music hall – and never pretended to do any of it well
The Norwegians who abandoned black metal and re-enacted the psychedelic rock era
They were always known for genre-hopping. But their exploration the Age of Aquarius’ disintegration via obscure tracks from the era was something else again
Devon Allman picks the soundtrack of his life
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Devon Allman picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance
The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn on Lennon, Dylan and the forgotten guitarist who was as good as Hendrix
Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, The Beatles – Roger McGuinn has crossed paths with the them all
“David Gilmour openly accused Roger Waters of copying me”: The folk artist who missed stardom but won respect
Acclaimed by Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin and Peter Gabriel, he recalls feeling insulted by the way his best-known album was treated, his short stint in a US prison, and his decision to stop writing long notes to fans on their record sleeves
Wolfgang Van Halen finds his voice and sets a high bar on third Mammoth album
The third Mammoth album feels like the work of a musician settling comfortably into his own space and comfortable with all that attention
Review: Ace Frehley annoys Gene and Paul by releasing the most successful of the Kiss solos
Kiss famously released four solo albums on the same day. Just as famously, only one of them was truly worthy of the Kiss name - Ace Frehley's
Bill Wyman on Hendrix’s brilliance, Moon’s madness and Jagger’s brutal reaction to him leaving the Rolling Stones
The Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix – ex-Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has known them all
The story of the sexually ambiguous anthem that got Placebo a tour with David Bowie
A three-minute rush of hedonism, Placebo’s alt-rock anthem raised two fingers to Britpop and got them on Top Of The Pops – so why do they feel so ambivalent about it?
The Moody Blues attain peak psychedelic whimsy on In Search Of The Lost Chord
Join the Moody Blues for a psychedelic voyage through mysticism, melody, and late-60s cosmic curiosity
The iconic cover version that launched a legendary hard rock band – but nearly turned them into one-hit-wonders
It came a year before Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath released their debut albums
"He's with that meth lab that he designed, his baby - the lyrics back that up and he is at peace with himself": The story of the minor seventies hit that soundtracked the bloody finale of Breaking Bad
The story of the song that accompanied Walter White's demise
How an acid-tinged account of a North African adventure became the sound of the counterculture
With 60s pop music going psychedelic, Morocco's hippie trail inspired a song that took three years to come to fruition
The story of the post-punk classic that defined a band and inspired a Hollywood movie
Its lyrics evoked vintage Scott Walker and posed the question of destiny vs. free will. More importantly, it didn't sound like U2
Rodney Crowell on country royalty, loving Southern rock again and new album Airline Highway
Roots-rock star Rodney Crowell is back with a guest-packed new album
How a Steve Harley song that dissed his bandmates became an all-time classic
Written as a dig at the band members who quit because Steve Harley wanted to do all the writing himself, Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) became a timeless hit
Peter Baumann didn’t think Tangerine Dream were prog – just weird
With new solo album Nightfall and a new edition of Phaedra both on sale, the synth maestro says limited ability, cutting-edge gear and raw luck led to success in the 70s, and regrets running out of time to reunite with Edgar Froese
When Genesis reunited to make a film, it was the same old story
Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford look back on the controversial Genesis documentary Sum Of The Parts
"It just sort of happened": Meet the men who prompted R.E.M. to reunite
Actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy are currently on the road celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.'s 1985 album, Fables of the Reconstruction
The story of The Doors’ Waiting For The Sun, the album that set Jim Morrison on the path to destruction
Three albums in and Jim Morrison was heading down a dark path
