Latest articles by Amit Sharma
“Avril and I thought, ‘Let’s just make up the most stupid opening line for a song’”: Avril Lavigne's “super special” hit
“I wrote it about my high school experience”
“I’d rather go in and just be Jaco”: The genius of Jaco Pastorius in one of the greatest jazz songs of all time
“One take, man! One of the greatest tunes ever”
“People who like that song aren’t actually fans of The Cure”: How Robert Smith created one of The Cure’s greatest hits
“I thought, why don’t I do a song about that Friday feeling?”
“It used to be, like, 25 minutes long!”: The classic Guns N’ Roses ballad inspired by Elton John
Rose called it “a song about not wanting to be in a state of unrequited love”
“I was the first person to actually have a Super Fuzz Big Muff”: How Courtney Love created a grunge classic
Hole’s song Violet came out just a week after Kurt Cobain’s suicide
“She sang it once. From a vocal standpoint, no one has that much courage”: How Alanis Morissette made You Oughta Know
"I thought maybe ten people would hear this song,” she said
“I would come into the studio and people didn’t want to listen to me”: Avril Lavigne’s fight to create her first big hit
It also kick-started the career of production team The Matrix
“ I was like, 'That’s like Elvis asking! Of course you let him do it!’”: The Depeche Mode classic loved by Johnny Cash
“It’s about believing in yourself. The answers are inside, if you dig deep enough”
Black Magic Woman: the legendary song that passed from Peter Green to Carlos Santana
"The original Fleetwood Mac used to knock me out,” Santana said
“We don’t use simulators because we’re a real band”: Why Justin Hawkins and The Darkness rock the old-fashioned way
And he reckons their next album could be their answer to Exile On Main St.
“It wasn’t anywhere close to being a single”: The classic track that defines John Mayer as a guitarist and a songwriter
“Without Pearl Jam there is no Slow Dancing In A Burning Room,” he said
“He wanted it to sound tinny, so he literally put the mic in a tin”: When The Darkness teamed up with Queen’s producer
They took a One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back
“If you’re fully naked on the street anywhere in America... jail:” Alanis Morissette's spiritual anthem and risky video
“I thought that fame and success would solve your problems"
“When I brought up the talk box, everybody in the band laughed at me”: How Bon Jovi created their signature rock anthem
“When I was a teenager, Frampton Comes Alive was such a huge record"
“They’re the absolute pioneers”: Why Wolfgang Van Halen is in awe of a “super heavy” cult band
"They were really creating something new"
“I think that’s what grabbed people – the real moments of humanity in it”: The story of Cyndi Lauper’s first No.1.
She delved deep into her personal life to create four minutes of pop brilliance
“No Pro Tools, no tricks. We helped change the production of heavy metal records”: Pantera's revolutionary anthem
And the solo from Dimebag gave the world its first taste of a new guitar hero
“My dad would say the best solos are the ones you can hum and sing”: Wolfgang Van Halen on the art of soloing
“I think there was one moment on this album where I used the whammy bar"
“Sometimes it sounds like Liam thinks he’s in The Beatles, too!”: Wolfgang Van Halen talks Oasis and killer guitar tones
"Noel is one of my favourite songwriters"
“Some might say a guitar at this kind of price point has no business resonating so well”: Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN review
Harley Benton pays homage to the golden age of shred with this single-pickup and Floyd Rose-equipped firecracker
“My list of voice memos is in the thousands!”: Wolfgang Van Halen on his songwriting process for his new Mammoth album
"I make this music for myself – it’s what I want to hear!"
“I think every serious fan of hard rock music would love Stargazer”: How Ritchie Blackmore created his magnum opus
The legendary track that inspired Metallica, Opeth, Dream Theater and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson
“Some riffs have that swing. You hear it in the first Van Halen album”: Wolfgang Van Halen's new song echoes classic VH
"It’s very much the kind of idea that mixes heaviness with funkiness”
