Latest articles by Phil Weller
Pete Townshend on the Who’s farewell tour, and the health issues he had to kick to get back on the road
After a knee operation earlier this year, he fell foul of an issue which “is how rock stars die,” he says
The one ex-Beatle George Harrison was open to starting a new band with
Harrison was stifled in the latter days of the Fab Four, but while his solo career proved his creative worth, he held one former bandmate in higher regard than the others
Why former Eagle Don Felder mods his Gibson double-neck guitars – and how Chet Atkins inspired it
The challenge of how to play the song live forced the guitarist to new extremes of modification
Studio legend Glyn Johns on Paul McCartney's shocking request to work on what became the Beatles' final album
The album’s roots live on as 'Let It Be,' but Johns says the rest of the band didn’t get McCartney’s “really interesting” idea
Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page never agreed on which of them composed the song Beck called “the first heavy metal riff ever written"
The tune's 1966 recording session would lead to the formation of Led Zeppelin two years later
From Taylor Swift to Phoebe Bridgers and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy — how indie rockers came to adopt a guitar bridge born from parts in Home Depot's toilet aisle
Rubber-bridge guitars have changed the sound of acoustic guitar over the past 10 years. And it's all down to one man's invention
Recording engineer Glyn Johns on why he never used click tracks when working with the Stones, Beatles, and Led Zeppelin
He’s recorded and mixed seminal records by some of rock’s biggest artists, and click tracks were always left out in the cold
Grace Bowers impresses with flawless “Crazy Train” shred as she pays tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads
The guitarist says she only learned the song’s solo days before playing it live, and she’s delivered it with her own flair
Paul McCartney on the ghost of John Lennon and “strange goings-on” that marked the recording of the Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ hits
It was the first time the trio had entered the studio without John Lennon, who McCartney claims made his presence known from beyond the grave
Steve Vai reveals the grueling practice routine that helped him become a virtuoso, and what drove him to do it
The guitarist says he isn’t disciplined, but practicing became an “addiction”
Randy Rhoads proved Ozzy Osbourne wrong with an approach to recording guitar solos that even Eddie Van Halen avoided
The Prince of Darkness had told him it couldn’t be done, but the guitarist had other ideas
Ace Frehley on why he didn’t play Kiss’ final show
The Space Ace has also revealed why he won’t be in Las Vegas for their unmasked show in November
Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover and Ian Paice on the creation and legacy of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water"
“I didn't think it would be a hit," Blackmore says. "It was just something that Ian and I banged out on the spur of the moment.”
“I grossly underestimated what I was getting into.” Noel Gallagher on Oasis and his struggles to play in stadiums
Some of the biggest guitarists on the planet suffer from stage fright, and the Les Paul–toting Mancunian is no exception
Paul McCartney's cryptic Instagram post has fans hoping for a new collection of Beatles outtakes and rarities
Three multimedia Anthology projects were released in the mid ’90s, and a fourth may be following in their wake
John Fogerty on losing Creedence Clearwater Revival’s music and the epiphany he had revisiting one of his greatest tracks
Fogerty, who won a 50-year battle for the ownership of CCR’s music in 2023, celebrates this week with the release of ‘Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years’
Steve Vai on accepting his most impossible guitar gig: playing Eddie Van Halen to David Lee Roth
Vai says he approached the opportunity from a place of love and freedom, not to cut down one of the world’s greatest guitar players
Paul McCartney's 1973 TV special is a fascinating moment from his post-Beatles career
While John Lennon and George Harrison established themselves away from the Beatles’ shadow, McCartney struggled to find his feet in a new era
Anthrax’s Scott Ian recalls his favorite memory of Ozzy, and why he was dressed as Gene Simmons at the time
Ozzy and Scott had been friends for 13 years – but one moment stands out most vividly in the guitarist’s memory
How an unreleased John Lennon demo saw three-quarters of the Beatles write a song together, 40 years after Lennon's death
Starr was shocked to hear what Lennon said in the original demo tape, and saw it as a sign to get the Beatles back together in a roundabout way
“It shows you what you can do with two chords”: Did Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love really start life as a parody of the Ramones?
“The whole song is just that one lick throughout,” says Michael Anthony. "It was kind of like a nod to punk."
"He kicked our ass…" Joe Perry and Brad Whitford on the time Aerosmith were schooled by Rory Gallagher
They say the Irish blues guitar great probably played the gig of his life, and Aerosmith were unable to muster a response
Eddie Van Halen’s 1982 Kramer expected to fetch $3 million at auction this fall
The guitar hasn’t been in public in over 40 years – but it did feature on a classic glam metal album in 1989
