It’s going to take a long time to process that Eddie Van Halen is no longer here in the world with us.
What we do have, however, is the music he left behind; his songwriting and his incredible guitar pyrotechnics. He was the last great guitar hero that truly changed guitar playing and rock music forever, and we pay tribute in the new issue of Classic Rock.
On a much brighter note, we do still have things to celebrate this month. Primary among them is the return of AC/DC and their new album, with Brian Johnson back at the mic. Just as things should be.
We sat down with Brian and Angus to discuss their return, how Malcolm influenced the new record, AXL/DC and so much more unmissable stuff.
Features
AC/DC
They’d lost Malcolm. Brian was out. Phil was in trouble with the law. Cliff had retired. Despite a successful tour with Axl Rose, it looked like AC/DC‘s high voltage had been unplugged for good. Not so. Angus Young and Brian Johnson talk exclusively to Classic Rock about the resurrection of the greatest hard rock’n’roll band ever.
Eddie Van Halen
Classic Rock’s Steven Rosen takes a personal look back at the music, life and times of the late, great guitar hero. The irreplaceable man who was ”the Mozart of the guitar”.
Black Stone Cherry
They’ve rejuvenated southern rock, enjoyed huge successes and crippling disappointment, weathered internal storms andsurvived. This is the story of Black Stone Cherry. So far…
Tom Morello
Before Rage Against The Machine were rock veterans, there was a young Kiss fan dreaming of stardom. Now, as he prepares to publish a new book, Whatever It Takes, he takes us back to his early years, with personal photos and recollections.
Orianthi
As a teenager she played with Santana and Steve Vai. Since then she’s toured with Alice Cooper, and become one of the most in-demand guitarists. Now she has a new record.
Blue Öyster Cult
A brilliant line-up, lyrics from a science-fiction author, an homage to This Is Spinal Tap… Welcome to BÖC’s first new album in almost 20 years.
Tyler Bryant
With 2020 flipped on its head, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown responded to lockdown by making an album at home in Nashville. But how did their livewire, always-busy frontman take to being locked down?
Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs
It’s taken them 15 years and a tragic death, but longtime Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “co-captain” and current Fleetwood Mac guitarist Mike Campbell’s side-project have finally released their debut album.
Also with this issue
Classic Rock 282 comes with a double-sided poster featuring the great Eddie Van Halen on one side and AC/DC's Angus Young on the other. But that's not all: each issue comes with an official AC/DC laptop sticker and an extra magazine devoted to the genius of the late, great EVH.
Regulars
The Dirt
We pay tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen, one of rock’s greatest ever guitarists; is April 2021 a possible target for the return of full-capacity live gigs; Bruce Dickinson hints that new Iron Maiden material might be coming soon; six-year-long plagiarism legal case over Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven finally over… Welcome back Kerbdog and Jeff Scott Soto… Say hello to When Rivers Meet … Say goodbye to Spencer Davis, Jimmy Winston, Gordon Haskell…
The Stories Behind The Songs: Saxon
Inspired by a BBC documentary, frontman Biff Byford wrote the song that would soon become one of the band’s biggest hits and greatest anthems: 747 (Strangers In The Night).
Q&A: Perry Farrell
The Jane’s Addiction main man on his new box set, becoming a quarter of an inch taller, and the power of PG Tips.
The Hot List
In a new regular feature we look at 12 essential new rock tracks you need to hear and the artists to have on your radar. This month they include Greta Van Fleet, Larkin Poe, Empyre, Hawxx, Moon City Masters, Starbenders and more…
Reviews
New albums from AC/DC, Black Stone Cherry, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Alter Bridge, Yes, Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons Drive-By Truckers, Helloween, Snowy White, Diamond Head… Reissues from Ozzy Osbourne, Pink Floyd, Pantera, Geezer Butler, Derek And The Dominos, Uriah Heep, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, UFO, Greg Lake, Whitesnake… DVDs, films and books on Rob Halford, Free, Roger Waters, Rolling Stones, Tom Morello, David Bowie… Live reviews of Corey Taylor, Stone Temple Pilots, Brothers Osborne, Lamb Of God, Thurston Moore…
Gig Listings
Find out who’s playing where and when. Now including livestreams.
The Soundtrack Of My Life: William Shatner
Captain Kirk has a new album out with guests including Ritchie Blackmore and Steve Cropper. Here, the enterprising screen legend talks about the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him.
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