Classic Rock

Let’s be honest, rock concert films can be a bit hit or miss. But one that definitely hit is Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii. And now it’s back, with a new revamped, remixed version coming to cinemas next month. To celebrate the release of Pink Floyd At Pompeii MCMLXXII (note no ‘Live’ and the added numerals), we talked with Floyd drummer Nick Mason and the man behind the new mix, Steven Wilson, about the new version, how it fits into Pink Floyd’s decades-long legacy, and also how the original film came to be made. Elsewhere we have a chat with The Darkness as they prepare to release their new Dreams On Toast LP, and look back at the making of two very different albums of the 80s – namely Gary…

MICK WALL This month Mick spoke with Don Airey and Glenn Hughes about the making of Gary Moore’s Run For Cover as it reaches its 40th birthday (p48). He also cast his mind back to 1986 to revel in the magic that was Bon Jovi’s monster breakthrough hit, Slippery When Wet (p38). The weekly Mick Wall Podcast, which he co-hosts with Jon Hotten, is available from wherever you get your podcasts. DAVE EVERLEY This issue we’ve kept Classic Rock’s former Dep Ed busy. He spoke to Gavin Rossdale about Bush’s Glycerine (p20), shot the breeze with two very different guitarists in the shape of Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and Winery Dogs’ Richie Kotzen about their second collaboration (p44), and talked to The Darkness about their most excellent new album Dreams…

Vinyl collectors rejoice – Record Store Day is back! With more than 270 independent record shops across the UK coming together to celebrate their unique culture, RSD is now long-established as a notable event in the calendar of serious rock fans. Record Store Day began in the United States in 2007 when a gathering of record shop owners came together to celebrate and spread the word about the value of having music on physical media. Streaming? Pah! The first official event took place on April 19, 2008, and today it is celebrated by thousands of record shops all over the globe in what has become the biggest new music event of the past decade, with a delicious smorgasbord of vinyl releases – some previously unreleased, others delivered in rare form…

A-ha Hunting High And Low, the 1984 demos, crystal-clear vinyl. Alcatrazz  All Night Long, Live In Japan 2019, two LPs on coloured vinyl. Black Sabbath  The Eternal Idol, red vinyl. Black Stone Cherry This Is Black Stone Cherry’s RSD Album. The Band Really Likes It, exclusive album. David Bowie  Ready, Set, Go! (Live, Riverside Studios ’03) two-LP and CD.  Collective Soul Blender, translucent cobalt vinyl. Ry Cooder  The Main Point – Live 1972, 140g black vinyl. The Cure The Head On The Door, picture disc. The Dictators D.F.F.D, remastered, with bonus track. Dokken Beast From The East, two LPs on green and orange vinyl.  The Doors  Strange Days 1967: A Work In Progress, translucent blue vinyl. Fleetwood Mac  Fleetwood Mac, picture disc. David Gilmour, with Romany Gilmour Between Two Points, 12-inch…

Chris Jasper December 30, 1951 – February 23, 2025 Multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer Chris Jasper was a member of the Isley Brothers from 1973 to 1984 before becoming a part of the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley between 1984 and 1987. Born in Cincinnati, he was educated at New York’s noted Juilliard School Of Music. The Isley Brothers’ fusion of soul, rock and funk made them huge stars, and Jasper appeared on many of their biggest hits, including That Lady, Fight The Power and the iconic Summer Breeze. The 73-year-old had been diagnosed with cancer. Snowy Fleet August 16, 1939 – February 17, 2025 Known professionally as ‘Snowy’, Gordon Henry Fleet was the drummer for The Easybeats, one of Australia’s biggest bands, between 1964 and 1967. He was born in Liverpool and…

Mike Ratledge, a co-founder and keyboard player of the Canterbury-scene group Soft Machine, has died after a short illness. He was 81 years old. The news was confirmed by his former bandmate and current Soft Machine guitarist John Etheridge, who wrote on social media: “Mike was the backbone of Soft Machine in the early years and a man with an absolutely incisive mind – a marvellous composer and keyboardist. A real renaissance man – so talented, cultured, charming – and a wonderful companion.” Born in Maidstone in Kent, from a young age Ratledge was schooled in classical music, the only music his headmaster father would allow to be played in the family home. By 1963 Ratledge was performing in the Daevid Allen Trio, named after its guitarist and bassist, who…