“I didn’t really get the music, to be honest. It was a bit too prog for me”: The prog superstars who tried to steal drummer Roger Taylor from Queen

Queen’s Roger Taylor posing for a photograph in 1973
(Image credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images)

Few bands have had a career to match Queen. Formed in London in 1970, they became one of the biggest groups on the planet thanks to huge hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust and Radio GaGa. Their mix of anthemic songwriting, uplifting musicianship and the charisma of frontman Freddie Mercury marked them out as utterly unique compared to such 70s peers as Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Black Sabbath.

Mercury’s death in 1991 seemingly marked the end of the band, but guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor returned in 2004 with former Free/Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers (bassist John Deacon sat out the reunion, having officially retired). Since 2011, the revitalised band have been fronted by American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, playing a string of acclaimed shows and releasing the UK No.1 live album Live Around The World. Those later line-up changes helped keep the band alive, with a string of world tours and the huge success of the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody introducing them to new generations of fans.

They may have changed singers a couple of times since their return, but amazingly, the band’s classic line up stayed the same for virtually all of its original existence. Mercury, May and Taylor founded the band in 1970, and they were joined the following year by Deacon – the same four men who would make up Queen for the next 20 years.

But it could have been very different. Roger Taylor, whose powerhouse drumming would become one of the band’s sonic signatures was almost poached by a rival band – one whose success in the 80s would go on to match that of Queen.

Like many other bands who started out in the early 70s, Queen spent their first few years playing the club circuit. Their early gigs included shows at such venues as Truro Town Hall, Liverpool’s Cavern Club and famed London club The Marquee.

Another fledging band putting in the hours on the same circuit were Genesis, who were gradually transforming into something more theatrical and progressive. It’s unclear when the two groups’ paths first crossed, but Queen clearly made an impression on the Peter Gabriel-fronted band. When Genesis drummer John Mayhew announced that he was leaving in the summer of 1970, they reached out to Taylor in the hope that he might be interested in joining.

“Well, they invited me to the studio, then we went to the pub,” Taylor told Classic Rock in 2020, on the band’s 50th anniversary. “They didn’t say, ‘Do you want to join the group?’, but I get the impression that’s what they wanted because their drummer had left.”

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Taylor was flattered by the offer, but he wasn’t tempted to desert his own band – not least because he wasn’t a huge fan of Genesis’ complex songs.

“I didn’t really get the music, to be honest,” he admitted. “It was a bit too prog for me. But they’re all lovely people.”

In the end Genesis opted for Phil Collins, a former child star who had most recently been in the band Flaming Youth. With Collins behind the drums, Genesis established themselves as leading lights of the emerging progressive rock scene. After Peter Gabriel’s departure in 1974, he took on the additional role of frontman, helping lead the band to huge success with albums such as Duke, Abacab, Invisible Touch and We Can’t Dance.

Genesis weren’t the only band interested in poaching Taylor. In the mid-70s, shortly after Queen supported Mott The Hoople on what would be one of the latter’s last tours before they split, the latter’s singer Ian Hunter and guitarist Mick Ronson asked the drummer if he was interested in joining them in an all-star trio.

“I had a wonderful offer from Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter,” Taylor said. “It was going to be called Hunter Ronson Taylor. That would have been good.”

The reason Taylor turned that one down was less to do with the music they were making and more to do with the bond he had with his Queen bandmates by that point. “I believed there was something about the four of us as a band that was special,” he said. “And I was right.”

Classic Rock is the online home of the world’s best rock’n’roll magazine. We bring you breaking news, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes features, as well as unrivalled access to the biggest names in rock music; from Led Zeppelin to Deep Purple, Guns N’ Roses to the Rolling Stones, AC/DC to the Sex Pistols, and everything in between. Our expert writers bring you the very best on established and emerging bands plus everything you need to know about the mightiest new music releases.

Stone Temple Pilots’ Dean and Robert DeLeo Have a Secret Album

Stone Temple Pilots rode many a chaotic wave with vocalist Scott Weiland throughout their initial existence and parted ways with the singer for the final time in the early part of 2013.

Bassist Robert DeLeo and guitarist Dean DeLeo had worked outside of the band’s normal setting a couple of times, first with 1997’s Talk Show, which featured the whole STP lineup minus Weiland, with vocalist Dave Coutts stepping in. During another period of inactivity for the group, the DeLeo brothers paired up with Filter’s Richard Patrick and drummer Ray Luzier to form Army of Anyone, releasing a single self-titled album in 2006.

When they found themselves again at loose ends in early 2013, things took an interesting path. “We were introduced to [vocalist] Pete [Shoulder] through Ross Halfin,” Dean DeLeo tells UCR. “He kept on us, while we were having our metamorphosis and that’s kind of how we met. Pete came over and we actually jumped in and made a record. Robert, [drummer] Brian Tichy, Pete and myself went and made a record, which we’re sitting on.”

READ MORE: STP Recall the Moment Scott Weiland ‘Took a Turn’ to Addiction

He says the album went on the shelf once they met and began collaborating with Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington. “We talked Chester into being in the band,” he shares. “Chester, Robert, Eric [Kretz] and I jumped [back] into the world of STP and started recording. We did the High Rise EP [which was released in October 2013] and that record [with Shoulder] was sadly put on a little bit of a hiatus.”

According to the guitarist, it’s possible that fans could hear it as soon as next year, but it won’t be released under the Stone Temple Pilots name, since Kretz is not part of the recordings — and also because of the current lineup with singer Jeff Gutt, which remains intact. “This is a totally different thing. STP is Eric, Robert, Jeff and myself,” he explains. “I would hope they wouldn’t have another guitar player come in for an STP record. We wouldn’t do that to any [of the other] members. STP is what it is, and these things that Robert and I are have been doing lately [are] just another avenue for us to just kind of go, ‘Let your freak flag fly!'”

Stone Temple Pilots Fans Will Dig Dean’s New Music

Though the initial collaboration with Shoulder remains presently unreleased, he’s continued to work with both Dean and Robert separately. The fruits of their efforts are starting to come to the surface. Dean and Pete unveiled One More Satellite, and will release a self-titled album under that name July 18. DeLeo had songs sitting around that he wanted to record, initially planning to track an instrumental album. He reached out to Shoulder about working on a song or two and the vocalist ended up singing on the bulk of the material.

The debut single, “Paper Over the Cracks,” was released in early May and in tone, will be familiar to STP fans. But listening to the rest of the album, what sticks out is the diversity and range of the material stylistically. It’s clear that Shoulder brings a wide palette to the project, when it comes to what he can contribute, something which DeLeo appreciates. It’s a trait that reminds him of his past work with Scott Weiland.

“I like visiting all facets of music. You know, it’s pretty evident, the broad spectrum of music Robert and I were raised on,” he says. “I think all that shows now later on in life with us and [what we’re] writing. That was the amazing thing about Scott. He was able to really [do a lot of different things vocally]. It’s almost as if a singer takes on a character for a song. One of my favorite STP songs is a song Robert and Scott wrote off of No. 4 called ‘I Got You.’ Scott’s approach to that song was so brilliant. So yeah, it’s a wonderful trait for a singer to take on this character that really suits the song.”

READ MORE: Stone Temple Pilots Albums, Ranked

“Paper Over the Cracks,” according to DeLeo, is a trailer of sorts when it comes to what fans can expect to hear on One More Satellite. “The record definitely explores a lot of different types of music. I mean, there’s two instrumentals on the record,” he shares. “It really explores a lot of different types of music and a lot of different moods. Both Pete and I felt ‘Paper Over the Cracks’ was a decent representation of what will unfold [with the rest of the album].”

Watch One More Satellite’s ‘Paper Over the Cracks’ Video

Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums

Any discussion of the Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums will have to include some grunge, and this one is no different.

Gallery Credit: UCR Staff

How Jon Anderson Helped Genesis Open a New Chapter

Genesis were in the midst of trying to figure out a path forward as vocalist Peter Gabriel was planning to leave. It was Jon Anderson of Yes who gave them an important assist.

The signs of a potential fracture first appeared as the band were working on songs for 1974’s The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Gabriel briefly departed from the group to collaborate with William Friedkin, who had enjoyed success with the previous year’s The Exorcist, eventually earning an Oscar nomination for the horror film. “[But] Friedkin, didn’t want to bring about the end of the Genesis he’d enjoyed,” guitarist Steve Hackett tells the UCR Podcast. “Pete came back to the band, but over time, it became apparent he was going to do this one album and tour it with us, so he didn’t leave us in the lurch. But then we were going to have to find a new singer after that.”

Finding a replacement for Gabriel proved to be a challenge, though Hackett says now that he knew they had a solution. “We had one person in the ranks who could carry this off, but there was a worry about a singing drummer, having had a frontman who was dressing up, running around and doing all sorts of things,” he explains. “The idea of having a guy singing behind the kit was an idea that we thought visually, could be very difficult. But funny enough, it was Jon Anderson [who gave us some good advice]. I was there at Phil’s first wedding to his first wife and I was meeting Jon for the first time.”

READ MORE: The Day Peter Gabriel Left Genesis

“He said to me, ‘Well, Phil’s got a great voice, why don’t you make Phil the lead singer and get in another instrumentalist?’ I said, ‘Well, you’re absolutely right and I agree with you.’ He’d sung on the first song I ever wrote for Genesis [‘For Absent Friends,’ from 1971’s Nursery Cryme]. Phil also sang on my [solo] album, Voyage of the Acolyte,” he continues. “I told Jon at the time, ‘Yep, I think that’s the right thing to do, but the others aren’t convinced of that strategy.’ As it happened, Phil at one point got very frustrated and said, ‘Let me have a go at this song.’ We’d started an album without knowing who was going to be the vocalist. That song turned out to be ‘Squonk,’ on A Trick of the Tail. Phil did such a great job that [Genesis manager] Tony Stratton-Smith poked his head around the corner while we were at Trident [Studios] and said, ‘Well, chaps, looks like you’ve found your singer, bye!’ He left before there was any argument. So in some ways, it looked as if he was in the know that Phil was going to do that. I think if Phil had been rejected for any reason, I suspect he might have just decided to go off and join another band. But luckily Tony talked him out of that and talked him into staying with the band.”

Listen to Genesis’ ‘Squonk’

What’s Steve Hackett Doing Now?

The former Genesis guitarist continues to tour regularly and will release a new live album, The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall on July 11. He’ll bring that same trek to the United States this fall and admits that he’s already got material in the works for his next solo album. “I’m working on new stuff, which sounds better than ever, of course,” he laughs. “But then I would say that, wouldn’t I?”

Genesis Solo Albums Ranked

Projects recorded apart from one another allowed members of Genesis to explore areas of their songcraft that might have gone forever undiscovered.

Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso

10 Rock Stars Who Nearly Died Onstage

10 Rock Stars Who Nearly Died Onstage

Being a rock star is a dangerous job.

Besides the cliches that we all think of – including excessive partying and adrenaline rush risk taking – musicians are known to go to extremes onstage. This can lead to scary mishaps, like misfired pyrotechnics or dangerous prop malfunctions.

Alice Cooper knows a thing or two about such accidents. The godfather of shock rock nearly has met his maker during performances on multiple occasions.

“When you go to the circus and see a trainer locked in a cage with 12 tigers, there’s always the possibility that one of the tigers behaves inappropriately,” Cooper once explained. “Let’s say that danger is part of the show. You go into it knowing that you may be about to witness a tragedy… and that makes everything much more interesting and authentic. I’ve always wanted to integrate that point of uncertainty into my show. I want people to think: ‘This could be Alice Cooper’s last night.’”

READ MORE: 30 Rockers Who Died Before 30

Cooper is one of the famous musicians who can be found below in our list of 10 Rock Stars Who Nearly Died Onstage.

While some, like the shock rock icon, put their life on the line in the name of excitement, many more faced death due to completely unexpected accidents. Electrocution, projectile instruments and sudden illnesses landed some rockers on our list. For others, the dangerous pitfall was a literal fall on the pit (turns out plummeting off a stage is bad for one’s health).

Thankfully, all of these musicians survived their harrowing moments and were able to continue their careers.

10 Rock Stars Who Nearly Died Onstage

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

Freddie Mercury Had Secret Daughter, Book Claims

Freddie Mercury Had Secret Daughter, Book Claims
Paul Natkin, WireImage, Getty Images

A 48-year-old woman has said she’s the daughter of Queen star Freddie Mercury, as the result of an affair he had in 1976.

She reported that Mercury had a close relationship with her until his death in 1991, and gave her a total of 17 detailed journals he’d written for her, starting from when he first knew he was going to become a father.

The story is detailed in upcoming book Love, Freddie, written by Lesley-Ann Jones, who told the Daily Mail she’d been in contact with the women for three years, adding: “My instinct was to doubt everything, but I am absolutely sure she is not a fantasist. No one could have faked all this.”

READ MORE: Brian May Recalls Early ‘Unnerving’ Moments With Freddie Mercury

The woman – a medical professional in Europe – said in a letter: “Freddie Mercury was and is my father. We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and throughout the final 15 years of his life.

“The circumstances of my birth may seem, by most people’s standards, unusual and even outrageous. … It never detracted from his commitment to love and look after me. He cherished me like a treasured possession.”

Why Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Wants to Speak Up Now

In another letter she wrote: “After more than three decades of lies, speculation and distortion, it is time to let Freddie speak.

“Those who have been aware of my existence kept his greatest secret out of loyalty to Freddie. That I choose to reveal myself in my own midlife is my decision and mine alone. I have not, at any point, been coerced into doing this.

“He entrusted his collection of private notebooks to me, his only child and his next of kin, the written record of his private thoughts, memories and feelings about everything he had experienced.”

Until now, her existence was said to been known only by those in Mercury’s “inner circle.”

Rejected Original Titles of 30 Classic Albums

Titles are more than just words on the album covers. They’re reflections of the music and themes inside – and sometimes they make all the difference in the world.

Gallery Credit: UCR Staff

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An Interview With Janes Addiction’s Dave Navarro

An Interview With Janes Addiction’s Dave Navarro

Feature Photo courtesy of Dave Navvaro

Given his free-flowing-meets-hard-charging style on guitar, it’s not hard to see that Dave Navarro, like many of his generation, was inspired by the late, great Jimi Hendrix. But beyond inspiration, Navarro got to pay homage in ways that he’d never previously imagined.

“I got invited to play with Slash, and Mitch Mitchell, the original Hendrix Experience on drums.” Navarro tells ClassicRockHistory.com. “I played ‘Fire’ with Mitch Mitchell from the original Experience—that was fucking unbelievable.”

But that’s not all, as on the same stage, Navarro got to celebrate Hendrix’s post-Experience group. “I got to play with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles,” he says. “I don’t know if you’re a Hendrix aficionado, but they were from the Band of Gypsy’s.”

“It wasn’t a long-lived band,” Navarro says. “They just had a live record, but it’s like one of the Holy Grails for guitar players, especially because of ‘Machine Gun.’ There’s a note that Hendrix holds, and if you’re a Hendrix aficionado, every guitar player knows what I’m talking about. They know exactly what note it is, and I got to play that note with those guys.”

Navarro notes that the show was “pretty fucking special,” but the Hendrix fun didn’t stop there, as he decided that he wanted his own version of Hendrix’s iconic white Strat, which he played at Woodstock, in 1969. “I decided I wanted a white Jimi Hendrix Strat,” he says.

“As a kid growing up, I watched that white guitar,” he says. “They did a limited consumer run of the Jim Andrews Isabella model, you know, the Hendrix Woodstock one. But what I wanted was the exact guitar, you know, as close as it could be.”

As for how he did that, Navarro says: “I contacted my buddy over the [Fender] Custom Shop, and said, ‘I want to have built as an exact replica of the white Jimi Hendrix Strat.”

Of course, Fender could do it, but there were roadblocks to making it happen. Navarro says that Fender told him, “We can’t just… we have to ask the Hendrix Foundation. His sister runs that, so we gotta ask her.”

Navarro says that Fender reached out to Jimi Hendrix’s sister, Janie Hendrix, with his Strat-related request. “They said, ‘Dave Navarro wants to get a relic’d reproduction of your brother’s guitar from Woodstock. Is that okay?’”

Thankfully, Janie was up for it. “She knew me,” Navarro says. “She remembered me playing with the Band of Gypsys at that tribute concert, and she was like, ‘Of course he can!’ So, we went back to the Custom Shop, and we spent months and months with pictures and details.”

“We took trips to the museum in Seattle, where it is, and got up close,” Navarro says of the process. “All of the scratches, wood chips, burns, and the fact that he had to turn it over because he was left-handed meant that there was a drilled-out hole in the bottom of the cutaway. We went down to that detail, and down to the detail of the exact serial number.”

The result was a guitar that the normally PRS-playing Navarro treasures to this day. “They made me a guitar that is so precise and exact,” he says. “The only difference is that it says ‘DN’ and then his serial number on the neck bolt.”

“It’s invaluable,” he says. “It’s the only one like it in the world—and it was signed off on by the Hendrix estate, and Jimi’s sister. It came as a result of one of my favorite gigs. When I was a kid, and that record was in constant rotation, never in my imagination did I think I would be playing with those guys, let alone playing Hendrix songs with them.

Looking back on the gig—and the guitar—Navarro says that they’re “as close to him as I could get.” He adds, “I got to meet his family and play with his band members. It’s odd to say, but some of my favorite experiences are not with my own bands. Instead, I have favorite memories and favorite moments.”

Read More: Artists’ Interviews Directory At ClassicRockHistory.com

Read More: Classic Rock Bands List And Directory

An Interview With Janes Addiction’s Dave Navarro article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2025

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“The time was right. Metal had died a horrible death, grunge had killed the mainstream off, so it felt like a revolution”: The unholy story of Cacophonous Records, the underground 90s label that changed black metal

Cradle Of Filth posing for a photograph in 1996
Cradle Of Filth in 1996 (Image credit: Press)

Founded in the early 1990s and originally in existence until the end of that decade, underground British black metal label Cacophonous Records helped launch the careers of Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Sigh and more. In 2016. as the reactivated label prepared to release a shelved CoF album, label founder Neil ‘Frater Nihil’ Harding, the band’s frontman Dani Filth and more looked back on how Cacophonous shaped extreme metal.

A divider for Metal Hammer

In an era when there are almost as many record labels as there are bands making records, it’s easy to forget that there was a time when labels were fewer and further between, not least in the world of extreme metal. Back in the 80s and 90s, being signed became a genuine status symbol not least because, pre-internet, having a label behind you was often the only way to get your releases into the hands of fans and your music into the ears of potential listeners. No Bandcamp, YouTube, Spotify or Facebook back then – hell, we didn’t even have MySpace.

It was against such a background that the explosion of second wave black metal took place and almost all the key releases of the 90s were scattered over just a handful of labels: Osmose, Candlelight, Deathlike Silence, Fullmoon, Misanthropy, Merciless, No Fashion and, of course, Cacophonous Records, who helped launch the likes of Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Bal-Sagoth, Gehenna, Primordial and Sigh.

The roots of Cacophonous are actually embedded in another iconic UK label, Vinyl Solution. Growing from the Portobello Road record store of the same name, it offered a diverse roster from the worlds of techno, hip hop and hardcore punk, alongside significant thrash and death metal bands such as Cancer, Macabre, Cerebral Fix and Bolt Thrower.

Initially folding lyric sheets in exchange for a few records, before eventually taking over the mail order, Frater Nihil – then known simply as Neil Harding – was pretty well-versed in the business by the time he was offered a position overseeing the label. Almost immediately he set about to separate its metal component and turn it into a new self-contained label; Cacophonous was born.

The plan at first was to just release seven-inch records and this is what he did, showcasing underground acts such as Sigh, Kawir, Psychic Pawn, Megiddo and Monolith. The latter was a homegrown thrash/death metal band perhaps most notable for featuring drummer Nick Barker, a soon-to-be member of Cradle Of Filth – as it turned out, it was a crossing of paths with Cradle in 1993, and their induction of Barker, that would set the course for both parties.

Dimmu Borgir posing for a photograph in 1996

Dimmu Borgir in 1996 (Image credit: Press)

“The band left a copy of the Total Fucking Darkness demo in the shop while I was out,” Neil recalls. “I listened to it and thought it was amazing, so I called them up the next day and we went for a beer and talked about the future. They shared a similar ideology; it was Satanic music as I saw it and I thought it would fit very well into what I wanted to do with the label. Cradle were the first band that you listened to and thought, ‘This is the future,’ and really everything sprang from that. It was like, ‘OK, this is the band everyone should hear.’”

The cover of Metal Hammer issue 281 featuring Babymetal

This feature originally appeared in Metal Hammer issue 281 (Mar 2016) (Image credit: Future)

“I knew about the store at Portobello because I worked at my granddad’s flower shop in London every Christmas,” remembers Dani. “At lunchtime they’d say, ‘Go for lunch, here’s 20 quid,’ and I’d jump on a train, and come back with all these records saying, ‘Oh, that was delicious.’

Principle… was originally going to be a seven-inch,” he continues. “We’d been on tour with Cancer and Nick was their drum tech. He came down to produce the EP and in the course of one day he went on to become the drummer and the EP became an album. It all happened very quickly, which was very exciting for a young band.”

Released early in 1994 with the memorable title The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh and the historic catalogue number NIHIL1, it represented Cacophonous’s most ambitious release to date, completely redefining the nature of the label in the process. Neil abandoned the seven-inch release schedule and instead concentrated on breaking Cradle. This was a much bigger task than it might sound, for while the band would ultimately sell half a million copies of the album, in the early days they were met with considerable bemusement and even active resistance. Even a 1993 UK tour with Emperor (a thing of legend today) struggled to pull attendees. “I remember at one show there were literally two people,” Dani laughs. “We ended up saying, ‘This isn’t going anywhere’ and walked off halfway through a song.”

To De-Thrown The Witch Queen Of Mytos K’Unn – YouTube To De-Thrown The Witch Queen Of Mytos K'Unn - YouTube

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Black metal was still a pretty unknown quantity in ’93 and ’94, particularly in the UK, and distributors baulked at this ballsy, corpsepainted six-piece. Many media outlets refused supportive coverage altogether due to the genre’s associations with desecration, arson, murder and totalitarian politics, and a ‘Satanic panic’ of sorts arose, with scare stories by UK tabloids and even the BBC. At one point both the group and Neil even had to sign a disclaimer distancing themselves from far-right politics in order to get distribution.

But while there were certainly elements of hysteria at work, there’s no doubt that both the band and particularly Cacophonous were intended as more than purely musical ventures. Here was an overtly Satanic record label that unapologetically took inspiration from some pretty extreme occult groups, a point largely reflected by Cradle themselves and evident in Principle…’s lyrics and artwork. Most telling of all was the final (unlisted) track, Imperium Tenebrarum – essentially a short statement of intent, spoken by Neil himself.

“You had various occult groups, people were talking about Satanic war and changing things from an occult sense,” says Neil. “There was a notion among people who listened to Satanic black metal that you were part of something greater. That’s why on Imperium Tenebrarum we’re talking about burning down temples and marching over dogma, because that’s what I really believed in and wanted to showcase with the label. And that’s partly why I championed Cradle.”

“There was a feeling that there was something revolutionary happening,” adds Dani. “It felt like the time was right. That was ’93. Metal had died a horrible death, grunge had killed the mainstream off, so it felt like a revolution. There were bands popping up all over the place, you had those famous magazines covers, the church burning, you didn’t know what was happening day to day and the seriousness of it just added to the excitement.”

Bal-Sagoth posing for a photograph on moorland with a sword in the air

Bal-Sagoth in the late 1990s (Image credit: Press)

A different but equally significant British band Cacophonous signed was Bal-Sagoth. Far less grave than Cradle and with fantasy literature rather than occult leanings, their blend of symphonic extreme metal and heroic atmosphere provided a musical template for future bands such as Turisas and Ensiferum, and Cacophonous would end up releasing the first half of the band’s six-album discography.

“They’ve got a very particular fanbase, but in some cases have wider appeal than Cradle,” says Neil of the Yorkshire clan. “There are more people I’ve met over the years who aren’t into metal per se who know Bal-Sagoth.”

While the albums were all larger-than-life, the band had been so disappointed by their demo that they only sent it out on request and even today vocalist Byron Roberts credits Neil’s foresight with regard to the signing.

“I sent a big letter with the tape,” he recalls, “I said, ‘If we’re ever given a decent recording budget, this is what we’d want: big symphonic keyboards, intros, extensive spoken parts. It’s basically supposed to sound very epic and orchestral.’ Neil saw the potential in those songs and offered us a three-album deal. So that was our big break because none of the other labels wanted to know.”

Irish Pagan black metallers Primordial were another early signing, the band releasing their acclaimed debut full-length Imrama in 1995. Neil was also keen to pick up some of the black metal talent coming out of Norway and, maintaining a focus on the more symphonic and ethereal side of things, he signed both Gehenna and Dimmu Borgir, the latter a tip from Emperor guitarist Samoth. Cacophonous’s release of Dimmu’s second album, Stormblåst, ultimately broke the band to a much wider audience, laying the groundwork for its follow-up, Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, which ultimately propelled them toward the mainstream.

Not all the label’s signings would prove so accessible, of course. Japanese black metallers Sigh signed to Cacophonous after the death of their former label owner, Mayhem mainman Euronymous. They then proceeded to perplex both their fanbase and their new label with a series of superb but increasingly experimental works integrating elements of jazz, rock and classical. Their acclaimed Hail Horror, Hail album even prompted the label to put a disclaimer on the back of the sleeve to explain its unusual nature to the unwary.

“When we were making Hail Horror, Hail, we seriously though that nobody would like it,” says Sigh founder Mirai. “Neil actually came to Japan while we were recording it and frowned upon what we were doing. We were really happy to see that. When a lot of magazines ended up giving it a high score and it was ranked in the albums of the year, we were so surprised.”

Sigh might have represented the more challenging side of the scene, but in general by the mid-90s black and occult metal were becoming increasingly popular. The label’s sales reflected this, and the growth led to the recruitment of more staff, most notably one Julie Weir. “Suddenly I was selling 10,000 units instead of 1,000 units; it was making money and it wasn’t just a bedroom project anymore,” Neil explains. “That’s why Julie came in, to do the things I didn’t want to do. All I wanted to do was listen to demos, go to gigs, sign bands and sort out artwork and recordings. I didn’t want to publicise what I was doing.”

Despite (and in part perhaps because of) this rapid expansion, Cacophonous began facing a number of challenges. A falling out with Cradle over the proposed second album, Dusk… And Her Embrace, resulted in the group departing the label altogether and re-recording the album for Music For Nations. While their contractual compromise, 1996 opus V Empire, did prove to be the most successful Cacophonous release ever, the loss of the band was a significant blow. Some rather Cradle-esque examples of vampire-themed goth/black metal were released by bands such as Finland’s Twilight Ophera and Germany’s Ancient Ceremony, but made little real impact. Meanwhile, other big sellers such as Dimmu Borgir and Bal-Sagoth also departed, signing contracts with Nuclear Blast. This was an awkward situation as the German label had been distributing for Cacophonous and led to a split between the two parties, one that would ultimately spell disaster for the UK label.

“We found another distributor who wanted to get into the metal market – they mainly dealt with rock and punk – and made a switch,” recalls Neil. “But they had no clue, no contacts and they didn’t have the same customer base, so instead of pre-selling 5,000 in Germany we plummeted and were selling 500. Effectively we lost our place in the market and suddenly we were being leapfrogged by lesser labels and there was no money. We weren’t getting the sales and so bands weren’t coming to us.”

The black metal band Gehenna posing for a photograph in corpse paint in the mid-90s

Gehanna in the late 1990s (Image credit: Press)

The label was more or less silent between 1999 and 2002, and during these years a sister label arose, namely Visible Noise, driven by both Julie and, initially at least, Neil. Cacophonous would make a brief resurgence with a number of distinctly different groups between 2002 and 2004 (“I decided to try something new with blackened metal and deathcore,” says Neil, “it was a rebranding”) but the writing was on the wall and Cacophonous sank into the shadows.

A decade later, a conversation between Neil and Julie regarding the possibility of making vinyl releases of some of the back catalogue quickly ignited a spark that led to the two agreeing to bring back the label as a fully fledged operation with both reissues and new signings, including The King Is Blind and The Infernal Sea. And rather poetically, two decades later, Cacophonous finally released the original, unheard recording of Dusk… And Her Embrace by Cradle of Filth, featuring a completely different lineup than the version released in 1996.

“There are only two people who had the masters, Dani and myself, so if it had ever come out beforehand it would be pretty obvious who it was,” Neil laughs. “So I was always looking for a legitimate way to put those out. I hadn’t seen Dani for five years but we always hit it off and we always lapsed back into that 90s camaraderie.”

“It was a different era of the band,” says Dani of the unreleased album, “and that’s why it’s important it comes out. At the time we were very inspired by bands like Emperor and Immortal and this version harks more to that era than the more polished bombast of the MFN version. So it literally speaks of an era that will never be again. There were legal issues in the past but it’s been 20 years and 20 years is a long time – you get less for murder!”

Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 281, March 2016

Complete List Of Bob Marley Songs From A to Z

Complete List Of Bob Marley Songs From A to Z

Feature Photo: Eddie Mallin, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Bob Marley grew up in the rural community of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, before moving to the Trenchtown neighborhood of Kingston, where the foundation of his musical identity took shape. His earliest forays into the music scene began in the early 1960s when he formed The Wailers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Initially influenced by American R&B and ska, the group began recording at Studio One under producer Coxsone Dodd. Their early hits like “Simmer Down” and “Rude Boy” introduced them to Jamaican audiences and positioned them as voices of the youth during a time of cultural and political change on the island.

The Wailers evolved musically through the late 1960s and early 1970s, embracing the reggae sound that would become synonymous with their name. Marley’s songwriting matured into a powerful blend of social commentary, Rastafarian spirituality, and universal themes of struggle and unity. After briefly working with producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, Marley signed a pivotal contract with Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. This led to the international release of Catch a Fire in 1973, which presented reggae to a global rock audience with a polished studio sound. The album marked the beginning of Marley’s ascent on the world stage, followed by Burnin’ later that same year, which featured “Get Up, Stand Up” and “I Shot the Sheriff”—the latter famously covered by Eric Clapton.

After Tosh and Bunny Wailer departed to pursue solo careers, Marley rebranded the group as Bob Marley and the Wailers. He retained the Wailers band and introduced the I Threes, a trio of female backing vocalists that included his wife Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, and Marcia Griffiths. This lineup produced a run of landmark albums beginning with Natty Dread (1974), which included the anthemic “No Woman, No Cry.” In 1976, Rastaman Vibration broke into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, powered by tracks like “War,” which set Haile Selassie’s speech to music, and “Crazy Baldhead.”

Marley’s political influence surged in Jamaica during this period, culminating in the infamous 1976 assassination attempt at his home just days before the Smile Jamaica concert. Although wounded, Marley performed as scheduled with his arm in a sling, solidifying his status as a unifying figure in a politically divided country. He relocated to London shortly afterward, where he recorded Exodus in 1977. That album became a turning point in his career, containing classics such as “Jamming,” “Waiting in Vain,” “Three Little Birds,” and the title track. Exodus remained on the UK charts for 56 consecutive weeks and was later named Album of the Century by Time magazine.

The international impact of Marley’s music grew with Kaya (1978), a softer, more romantic album featuring “Is This Love” and “Satisfy My Soul.” In 1979, Survival returned to themes of African unity and resistance, with tracks like “Africa Unite” and “Zimbabwe.” Marley’s final studio album, Uprising (1980), included “Could You Be Loved” and “Redemption Song,” the latter a stripped-down acoustic anthem reflecting his increasing awareness of mortality amid his battle with cancer. That same year, he performed at Zimbabwe’s independence celebration and embarked on the Uprising Tour, concluding with a final performance in Pittsburgh on September 23, 1980.

Bob Marley released a total of 13 studio albums during his lifetime, including his early work with The Wailers and later solo projects. His compilation album Legend, released posthumously in 1984, became the best-selling reggae album of all time, with over 25 million copies sold globally. His signature songs—“One Love,” “Buffalo Soldier,” “Stir It Up,” and “No Woman, No Cry”—remain staples across generations, transcending language and culture with their messages of peace, justice, and love.

Awards and honors followed both in life and after death. Marley was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001. His influence has been recognized by the United Nations and cultural institutions around the world, including a commemorative star in Ethiopia and statues in Kingston and London. His legacy was further cemented with the establishment of the Bob Marley Museum in his former Kingston home.

Marley’s impact extended far beyond music. He was a symbol of resistance, hope, and dignity for oppressed people worldwide. He used his platform to promote Pan-Africanism, Rastafarian beliefs, and human rights, often putting himself in harm’s way to advocate for peace. He donated generously to schools and hospitals in Jamaica and supported various humanitarian causes throughout Africa and the Caribbean.

Despite being diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma in 1977, Marley continued to perform and tour, spreading his message to as many people as possible. He passed away on May 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida, at the age of 36. His funeral in Jamaica was a national event attended by Prime Minister Edward Seaga and thousands of mourners. He was laid to rest in Nine Mile with his guitar, football, and a stalk of ganja—symbols of the life he lived and the messages he carried.

Bob Marley’s influence has only grown since his death. His music is used in classrooms, protests, and celebrations, continuing to inspire new generations of artists and activists. His children, including Ziggy, Damian, Stephen, and Julian Marley, have carried on the musical legacy, contributing to reggae’s evolution while honoring their father’s vision. His lyrics are quoted by world leaders, his songs featured in countless films, and his face remains one of the most recognized images in global culture.

To understand Bob Marley is to understand more than just reggae. It is to grasp how music can become a weapon of resistance, a balm for the oppressed, and a bridge between people. His voice still echoes around the world—reminding us to stand up, unite, and never give up the fight.

Complete List Of Bob Marley Songs From A to Z

  1. (I’m Gonna) Put It OnThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  2. 400 YearsSoul Rebels – 1970
  3. Africa UniteSurvival – 1979
  4. All Day All NightCatch a Fire – 1973
  5. African HerbmanSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  6. Am-A-DoNatty Dread – 1974
  7. Ambush in the NightSurvival – 1979
  8. Baby We’ve Got a Date (Rock It Baby)Catch a Fire – 1973
  9. Babylon SystemSurvival – 1979
  10. Back OutThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  11. Bad CardUprising – 1980
  12. Bend Down LowNatty Dread – 1974
  13. Blackman RedemptionConfrontation – 1983
  14. Brain WashingSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  15. Buffalo SoldierConfrontation – 1983
  16. Burnin’ and Lootin’Burnin’ – 1973
  17. Can’t You SeeThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  18. CautionThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  19. Chant Down BabylonConfrontation – 1983
  20. Cheer UpThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  21. Coming in from the ColdUprising – 1980
  22. Concrete JungleCatch a Fire – 1973
  23. Corner StoneSoul Rebels – 1970
  24. Could You Be LovedUprising – 1980
  25. Crazy BaldheadRastaman Vibration – 1976
  26. CrisisKaya – 1978
  27. Cry to MeRastaman Vibration – 1976
  28. Do It TwiceThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  29. Don’t Rock My BoatSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  30. Duppy ConquerorBurnin’ – 1973
  31. Duppy Conqueror V/4Soul Revolution Part II – 1971
  32. Easy SkankingKaya – 1978
  33. ExodusExodus – 1977
  34. Forever Loving JahUprising – 1980
  35. Fussing and FightingSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  36. Get Up, Stand UpBurnin’ – 1973
  37. Give Thanks and PraisesConfrontation – 1983
  38. Go Tell It on the MountainThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  39. GuiltinessExodus – 1977
  40. Hallelujah TimeBurnin’ – 1973
  41. High Tide or Low TideCatch a Fire – 1973
  42. I KnowConfrontation – 1983
  43. I Need YouThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  44. I Shot the SheriffBurnin’ – 1973
  45. I’m Still WaitingThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  46. Is This LoveKaya – 1978
  47. It Hurts to Be AloneThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  48. It’s AlrightSoul Rebels – 1970
  49. JammingExodus – 1977
  50. Johnny WasRastaman Vibration – 1976
  51. Jump NyabinghiConfrontation – 1983
  52. KayaSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  53. Keep On MovingSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  54. Kinky ReggaeCatch a Fire – 1973
  55. Lively Up YourselfNatty Dread – 1974
  56. Lonesome FeelingThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  57. Love and AffectionThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  58. MemphisSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  59. Midnight RaversCatch a Fire – 1973
  60. Misty MorningKaya – 1978
  61. Mix Up, Mix UpConfrontation – 1983
  62. My CupSoul Rebels – 1970
  63. My SympathySoul Rebels – 1970
  64. Natural MysticExodus – 1977
  65. Natty DreadNatty Dread – 1974
  66. Night ShiftRastaman Vibration – 1976
  67. No More TroubleCatch a Fire – 1973
  68. No SympathySoul Rebels – 1970
  69. No WaterSoul Rebels – 1970
  70. No Woman, No CryNatty Dread – 1974
  71. One DropSurvival – 1979
  72. One FoundationBurnin’ – 1973
  73. One LoveThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  74. One Love/People Get ReadyExodus – 1977
  75. Pass It OnBurnin’ – 1973
  76. Pimper’s ParadiseUprising – 1980
  77. Positive VibrationRastaman Vibration – 1976
  78. Put It OnSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  79. Rasta Man ChantBurnin’ – 1973
  80. Rastaman Live Up!Confrontation – 1983
  81. Rat RaceRastaman Vibration – 1976
  82. ReactionSoul Rebels – 1970
  83. Real SituationUprising – 1980
  84. Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Roadblock)Natty Dread – 1974
  85. Rebel’s HopSoul Rebels – 1970
  86. Redemption SongUprising – 1980
  87. RevolutionNatty Dread – 1974
  88. Ride Natty RideSurvival – 1979
  89. Riding HighSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  90. RootsExodus – 1977
  91. Roots, Rock, ReggaeRastaman Vibration – 1976
  92. Rude BoyThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  93. Running AwayKaya – 1978
  94. Satisfy My SoulKaya – 1978
  95. She’s GoneKaya – 1978
  96. Simmer DownThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  97. Slave DriverCatch a Fire – 1973
  98. Small AxeBurnin’ – 1973
  99. So Jah SehNatty Dread – 1974
  100. So Much Things to SayExodus – 1977
  101. So Much Trouble in the WorldSurvival – 1979
  102. Soon ComeThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  103. Soul AlmightySoul Rebels – 1970
  104. Soul CaptivesThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  105. Soul RebelSoul Rebels – 1970
  106. Soul Shakedown PartyThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  107. Stand AloneSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  108. Stiff Necked FoolsConfrontation – 1983
  109. Stir It UpCatch a Fire – 1973
  110. Stop That TrainCatch a Fire – 1973
  111. Stop the TrainThe Best of the Wailers – 1971
  112. Sun Is ShiningSoul Revolution Part II – 1971
  113. SurvivalSurvival – 1979
  114. Talkin’ BluesNatty Dread – 1974
  115. Ten Commandments of LoveThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  116. The HeathenExodus – 1977
  117. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)Natty Dread – 1974
  118. Three Little BirdsExodus – 1977
  119. Time Will TellKaya – 1978
  120. Top Rankin’Survival – 1979
  121. Trench TownConfrontation – 1983
  122. Try MeSoul Rebels – 1970
  123. Turn Your Lights Down LowExodus – 1977
  124. Waiting in VainExodus – 1977
  125. Wake Up and LiveSurvival – 1979
  126. Want MoreRastaman Vibration – 1976
  127. WarRastaman Vibration – 1976
  128. We and DemUprising – 1980
  129. What’s New Pussycat?The Wailing Wailers – 1965
  130. When the Well Runs DryThe Wailing Wailers – 1965
  131. Who the Cap FitRastaman Vibration – 1976
  132. WorkUprising – 1980
  133. ZimbabweSurvival – 1979
  134. Zion TrainUprising – 1980

Albums

The Wailing Wailers (1965): 12 songs

Soul Rebels (1970): 12 songs

Soul Revolution Part II (1971): 12 songs

The Best of the Wailers (1971): 10 songs

Catch a Fire (1973): 11 songs

Burnin’ (1973): 10 songs

Natty Dread (1974): 10 songs

Rastaman Vibration (1976): 10 songs

Exodus (1977): 11 songs

Kaya (1978): 10 songs

Survival (1979): 10 songs

Uprising (1980): 10 songs

Confrontation (1983): 10 songs

Check out our fantastic and entertaining Bob Marley articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com

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“It was one of the most vibrant and exciting live albums of its day. The new version raises the bar”: Gentle Giant’s Playing The Fool – The Complete Live Experience is an exceptional work

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Loving Gentle Giant is the ultimate sign of a progressive rock insider – there may not be many fans out there in comparison to other groups of their era, but by heavens, how they are loved.

They were always one of those bands that people would earnestly lean in and state that the LPs were good, but live was where it was at. This buffed-up and slightly renamed reissue of 1977’s Playing The Fool – The Official Live proves it.

After their one-time US support artist Peter Frampton helped popularise the double live album with 1976’s Frampton Comes Alive!, Gentle Giant decided that their tour to support the same year’s Interview album should be captured for posterity.

Gentle Giant – Free Hand (2025 Dan Bornemark Mix) | Playing the Fool: The Complete Live Experience – YouTube Gentle Giant – Free Hand (2025 Dan Bornemark Mix) | Playing the Fool: The Complete Live Experience - YouTube

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Recorded across four shows in Europe and mixed at Jethro Tull’s Maison Rouge studios, Playing The Fool – The Official Live, was, in its original 1977 incarnation, one of the most vibrant and exciting live albums of its day.

Dan Bornemark has opened up all the performances to create an incredibly warm, immersive experience

They were able to deliver the deep, winding and intricate passages of their music while also cruising into hyperdrive hard rock without breaking a sweat. They played prog like their earlier incarnation Simon Dupree And The Big Sound played R&B; it was still fundamentally a soul revue with Derek Shulman as the genial MC, everything delivered with forceful conviction.

Technical and muscular, yet always serving the song, drummer John ‘Pugwash’ Weathers also never forgot his time in mod band Eyes Of Blue, bringing the swing that set Gentle Giant apart from their peers.

**OUT NOW** Gentle Giant – Playing the Fool: The Complete Live Experience! – YouTube **OUT NOW** Gentle Giant – Playing the Fool: The Complete Live Experience! - YouTube

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This souped-up, enhanced, Atmos-ready, expanded version raises the bar. Dan Bornemark has reinstated the full running order of the shows, added the crowd and Shulman’s introductions back in (“Guten tag Düsseldorf, bonsoir wherever you are!” plus the classic, “This album was called In A Glass [Audience Member: ‘Wahhhhhhh!’] … House!”) and opened up all the performances to create an incredibly warm, immersive experience.

One highlight is the stunning seven-minute Ray Shulman violin solo at the end of Timing, cut from the original album, which is a fitting tribute to the multi-instrumentalist who died in 2023.

Hopefully hearing this, the other great prog group beginning with ‘G’, just ahead of them in the racks, will be inspired do the same thing with their double live Seconds Out from the same year, and add back in the other songs, the crowd and Phil Collins’ banter.

The reissued Playing The Fool is quite exceptional. It’s on sale now via Chrysalis.

Daryl Easlea

Daryl Easlea has contributed to Prog since its first edition, and has written cover features on Pink Floyd, Genesis, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Gentle Giant. After 20 years in music retail, when Daryl worked full-time at Record Collector, his broad tastes and knowledge led to him being deemed a ‘generalist.’ DJ, compere, and consultant to record companies, his books explore prog, populist African-American music and pop eccentrics. Currently writing Whatever Happened To Slade?, Daryl broadcasts Easlea Like A Sunday Morning on Ship Full Of Bombs, can be seen on Channel 5 talking about pop and hosts the M Means Music podcast.  

“David Coverdale’s had to become a pop singer to get success. There’s your glamour bands and your denim-clad groups. And your denim-clad groups survive”: How AC/DC swam against the 80s hair metal tide and made an underrated gem in Blow Up Your Vid

AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and Angus Young performing onstage in 1988
(Image credit: Pete Still/Redferns)

In April 1988, Angus Young was asked how it felt to be fashionable again. “Disgusting!” he replied, laughing.

The joke was typical of a man who has never given two hoots about what tastemakers have to say. But the question was entirely valid at a time when AC/DC were finally pulling out of their mid-80s slump.

Angus was talking to Sounds journalist Mary Anne Hobbs during the video shoot for the band’s single That’s The Way I Wanna Rock ’N’ Roll. Their previous release, the blistering, full-throttle rock’n’roll song Heatseeker, had recently reached No.12 on the UK chart – the biggest hit single of their entire career. Parent album Blow Up Your Video had hit number two. But the chart positions, while impressive, were only a part of the story.

What made AC/DC fashionable in 1988, and relevant to a younger rock audience, was the kudos they received from some of the rising stars of the era. “Suddenly AC/DC are in vogue and as a ripe as Zeppelin for plagiarism,” Hobbs wrote. “The renegades of the metalloid resurgence are quick to cite AC/DC’s influence, and regurgitate their riffs whole.”

Guns N’ Roses named AC/DC as a key inspiration alongside Aerosmith and the Sex Pistols, and performed Whole Lotta Rosie during their first UK gigs at London’s Marquee club in June 1987. The Cult, guided by future AC/DC producer Rick Rubin, made the transformation from goth heroes to a balls-out hard rock band with their 1987 album Electric, on which the opening track Wild Flower recycled the riff from AC/DC’s Rock ’N’ Roll Singer. And Metallica drummer Metallica’s Lars Ulrich proudly wore a Back In Black tour jacket given to him by his band’s co-manager Peter Mensch, who had previously worked with AC/DC.

Angus being Angus, he wasn’t going to make a song and dance about the band’s resurgence. “We’ve never been the critics’ love,” he said. “The audience were always the critics to me. If a kid came up to me and said, ‘I didn’t like your show’, that would break my heart. But if you make a record and your audience likes it, they buy it.”

AC/DC holding silver discs in 1988

AC/DC in 1988: (l-r) Brian Johnson, Simon Wright. Cliff Williams, Malcolm Young, Angus Young (Image credit: Bob King/Redferns)

Angus had been around long enough to know how the music business worked, how fashions come and go, how bands rise and fall. He said he hadn’t heard Guns N’ Roses or Metallica. He was still listening to the same stuff he’d always loved – Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Muddy Waters. He reiterated the simple philosophy that had served AC/DC since their inception. “Rock music is what we do best, nice and loud and tough.” But in the making of Blow Up Your Video, the band had made one significant change – and it would prove pivotal to the greater success that followed at the turn of the 90s.

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AC/DC’s 1983 album Flick Of The Switch had been produced by the band. 1985 follow-up Fly On The Wall by Angus and Malcolm Young. Neither album had been anywhere near as good or as popular as those they had made with the brilliant producer ‘Mutt’ Lange: Highway To Hell, Back In Black and For Those About To Rock.

AC/DC wised up with Blow Up Your Video. It marked the return of the production team that had worked on every AC/DC album from 1975 to 1978: Harry Vanda and George Young, the latter the elder brother of Malcolm and Angus. In this was a tacit admission. When AC/DC were making records, they needed an extra pair of ears – or in this case, two.

In 1988, Malcolm Young gave a rare interview for Japanese TV in which he noted the success of Blow Up Your Video in the same nonchalant manner as Angus. “There’s still people out there that like us,” he smiled.

Malcolm explained that the album’s title was a wry comment on a generation of rock fans glued to MTV. “The idea was to get the kids out of their homes and down to the show. Don’t watch TV – come and see the real thing.” He also cocked a snook at the big-haired rock bands of the period, principally Whitesnake. “David Coverdale’s got success but he’s had to become a pop singer to get it,” he sneered. “There’s always your glamour bands and your denim-clad groups. And you usually find out that your denim-clad groups are still surviving and the glam ones fade away.”

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Behind the scenes, however, Malcolm Young had his own problems. In May 1988 he was forced to step down from the North American leg of the Blow Up Your Video tour in order to undergo treatment for alcohol dependency. Standing in for Malcolm at those shows was his nephew Stevie Young, whose former band Starfighters had supported AC/DC in 1980.

“The funny thing was I never drunk heaps, I just drank consistently and it caught right up on me,” said Malcolm in 2004. “Angus was going, ‘I’m your brother; I don’t want to see you dead here. Remember Bon?’ So I took that break and cleaned myself up.”

And shortly after the tour finished in November 1988 came a permanent change in personnel, when drummer Simon Wright was sacked and replaced by Chris Slade, a bald veteran who had previously been a member of Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers’ brief-lived supergroup The Firm. AC/DC’s unsteady 80s was drawing to a close. The new decade was ahead of them, and there was everything to play for.

Classic Rock contributor since 2003. Twenty Five years in music industry (40 if you count teenage xerox fanzines). Bylines for Metal Hammer, Decibel. AOR, Hitlist, Carbon 14, The Noise, Boston Phoenix, and spurious publications of increasing obscurity. Award-winning television producer, radio host, and podcaster. Voted “Best Rock Critic” in Boston twice. Last time was 2002, but still. Has been in over four music videos. True story.