237
The Rise Of The NWOBHM ★ Marillion ★ Led Zeppelin ★ Manic Street Preachers ★ Aerosmith ★ The Who ★ John Mellencamp ★ The Police
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PRINTED IN THE UK
JULY 2017
JULY 2017 issue 237
Features 30 The Birth Of NWOBHM
Classic Rock looks back at the seminal bands that made Britain heavy again – starring our four cover stars Saxon, Judas Priest, Motörhead and Iron Maiden, with a full supporting cast.
44 Aerosmith
As they prepare for shows that may or may not be their last, we catch up with Toxic Twins Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
50 Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin III was panned by the critics and the fans didn’t get it. But was it actually their most important album?
60 Jason Isbell
We met the Drive-By Trucker-turned-countrified singersongwriter, on the cusp of his most rock’n’roll solo album yet.
62 Marillion
A Dutch holiday camp full of devout Marillion fans, hanging out with Marillion themselves? What could go wrong?!
68 The Who
In 1967 they embarked on their first ever US tour. Cue madness, exploding toilets, stinking fish, cop chases…
74 Black Lips
The gonzoid punks have played some of rock’s most outrageous shows and been chased out of countries. Has the anarchy lessened over the years?
76 Manic Street Preachers
Twenty years after its release, Bradfield and co. look back on the album that saved their career: Send Away The Tigers.
30
ross halfin
The Rise Of The NWOBHM
“You’ve got Judas Priest, you’ve got Motörhead, you’ve got Saxon, you’ve got Maiden… It was endless.”
Regulars
JULY 2017 issue 237
12 The Dirt
As the epic Iron Maiden UK tour reaches the end of its UK leg, Classic Rock catch them in Nottingham… Pink Floyd’s longawaited V&A exhibition opens its doors… Welcome back Anathema, Brother Firetribe and Royal Trux … Say hello to Brothers Osbourne, Hunter & The Bear and The Weeks, say goodbye to Allan Holdsworth, J Geils, Keni Richards…
19 Raw Power
Check out the Steven Wilson ID Series Signature acoustic guitar from Jeff Babicz.
24 The Stories Behind The Songs The Police We take a look at the making of The Police’s mega-hit Message In A Bottle.
26 Q&A Gary Brooker
The Procol Harum man talks new music, lyricists and falling off logs in Finland.
83 Reviews
New albums from Roger Waters, Cheap Trick, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Anathema, Chuck Berry, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Big Big Train, Danzig… Reissues from Iron Maiden, Foreigner, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Status Quo, The Beatles, Can, Jethro Tull… DVDs, films and books on Queen, The Who, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Noise Records… Live reviews of The Who, The Magpie Salute, Pretenders, Steve Hackett, Moon Duo…
100 Buyer’s Guide Robin Trower
Your essential guide to the impressive, sometimes overlooked back catalogue of ‘the white Hendrix’.
106 Live Previews
Must-see gigs from John Otway, Skids, Alter Bridge, Vintage Trouble and Jesus Jones. Plus full gig listings – find out who’s playing where and when.
130 Heavy Load John Mellencamp
The former Cougar on celebrity, hypocrisy and not giving a fuck about anything.
50
“Jimmy would say: ‘This is going to shock people.’ And it did.” The making of Led Zeppelin III.
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Camera Press / Dave Wilson/PIX/NY
Led Zeppelin
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Welcome
ou say you want a revolution…’ When John Lennon sang those words nearly half a century ago, he wasn’t talking about musical revolutions. But in this issue of Classic Rock, we are. And the revolution in question is the one that took place as the 1970s morphed into the 80s, and is a very British one. Yep, this month we’re taking a deep dive into the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, a time when bands such as Iron Maiden and Saxon were born and the likes of Judas Priest and Motörhead really hit their stride. The time when Britain truly got heavy again. Elsewhere this month we finally tell the tale of the making of Led Zeppelin III, we go back in time to 1967 to revisit The Who’s crazy first US tour (it’s a wonder any of them made it back home in one piece), we hang out with nearly three thousand Marillion fans in Holland, and we try to pin down Messrs Tyler and Perry to find out what’s really going to happen with Aerosmith after their upcoming Download appearance. And that’s just for starters…
Siân Llewellyn, Editor
THE COVERS Iron Maiden & Motörhead: Ross Halfin Saxon: George BodnAr Archive/IconicPix Judas Priest: Fin Costello/Getty
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This month’s contributors Michael Hann
Michael Hann is a former music editor of the Guardian. The first album he bought was Powerage by AC/DC, he has a low tolerance for extended soloing, he once reversed a car into a tree in an empty car park and he firmly believes Pat Benatar to be a wrongly overlooked pop genius. This issue he talks to Aerosmith (p44) and Jason Isbell (p60).
stephen dalton
An adult survivor of NME and a regular CR contributor, Stephen Dalton is still a tourist in the exotic kingdom of prog, and his first live encounter with the majestic soundscapes of avant-rock guitar legend Steve Hackett came as a very pleasant surprise (p116). He is now planning to compose his own wizard-themed triplevinyl concept album.
Kevin Nixon
Kevin Nixon has over 25 years experience as a professional shooter and regularly describes himself as “quite possibly the world’s greatest living rock photographer” – sadly hardly anyone else agrees with this. Nonetheless, Kevin has been a regular contributor to Classic Rock as well as well as Metal Hammer and Prog for more years than he cares to remember.
Stereo Can also be played on mono equipment
SIR K 66 087 (2SRK 1987)
Germany: Z France: WE 666
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Editor
Siân Llewellyn
Art Editor
Playing this month: Bash & Pop, Anything Could Happen
Production Editor
Paul Henderson
The Beatles, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Features Editor
Darrell Mayhew
The Picturebooks, Home Is A Heartache
Reviews Editor
Ian Fortnam
Peter Perrett, How The West Was Won Contributing writers
Marcel Anders, Geoff Barton, Tim Batcup, Mark Beaumont, Max Bell, Essi Berelian, Mark Blake, Simon Bradley, Paul Brannigan, Rich Chamberlain, Stephen Dalton, Johnny Dee, Malcolm Dome, Lee Dorrian, Mark Ellen, Claudia Elliott, Paul Elliott, Dave Everley, Jerry Ewing, Hugh Fielder, Gary Graff, Michael Hann, John Harris, Nick Hasted, Barney Hoskyns, Jon Hotten, Rob Hughes, Neil Jeffries, Emma Johnston, Dom Lawson, Paul Lester, Ken McIntyre, Lee Marlow, Gavin Martin, Alexander Milas, Paul Moody, Grant Moon, Kate Mossman, Charles Shaar Murray, Kris Needs, Bill Nelson, Paul Rees, Chris Roberts, David Quantick, Johnny Sharp, Sleazegrinder, Terry Staunton, David Stubbs, Jaan Uhelszki, Mick Wall, Philip Wilding, Henry Yates, Youth
Polly Glass
Anathema, The Optimist
Online Editor
News/Live Editor
Bash & Pop, Anything Could Happen
The Lemon Twigs, So Hollywood
Fraser Lewry
Dave Ling
Contributing photographers
Ami Barwell, Adrian Boot, Dick Barnatt, Dave Brolan, Alison Clarke, Zach Cordner, Fin Costello, Henry Diltz, Kevin Estrada, James Fortune, Jill Furmanovsky, Herb Greene, Bob Gruen, Michael Halsband, Ross Halfin, Mick Hutson, Will Ireland, Robert Knight, Marie Korner, Barry Levine, Jim Marshall, John McMurtrie, Gered Mankowitz, David Montgomery, Kevin Nixon, Denis O’Regan, Barry Plummer, Ron Pownall, Neal Preston, Michael Putland, Mick Rock, Pennie Smith, Stephen Stickler, Leigh A. van der Byl, Chris Walter, Mark Weiss, Barrie Wentzell, Baron Wolman, Michael Zagaris, Neil Zlozower. Thanks this issue to Johnny Goddard (design), Mark Wheatley and Justin Hood (production)
Cover photos: Iron Maiden and Motörhead: Ross Halfin; Judas Priest: Fin Costello/Getty; Saxon: George Bodnar Archive/IconicPix Email addresses: firstname.lastname@futurenet.com commercial Commercial Sales Director Clare Dove clare.dove@futurenet.com Advertising Manager Kate Colgan kate.colgan@futurenet.com Account Director Anastasia Meldrum anastasia.meldrum@futurenet.com Account Director Lee Mann lee.mann@futurenet.com MARKETING Head of Brand and Trade Marketing Nada Khalil Brand Manager Emma Clapp Head of Subscriptions Sharon Todd Circulation Director Darren Pearce Digital Digital Publisher Briony Edwards
MANAGEMENT Creative Director Magazines Aaron Asadi Finance and Operations Director Magazines Marco Peroni Editorial Director Paul Newman Art & Design Director Ross Andrews Editor-in-Chief Scott Rowley Senior Art Editor Brad Merrett LICENSING Senior Licensing & Syndication Manager Matt Ellis Matt.Ellis@futurenet.com +44 (0)1225 442244 Subscriptions 0344 848 2852 / www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/CLR PRODUCTION Production Controller Keely Miller Production Manager Mark Constance
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