Latest articles by Amit Sharma
“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
“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
“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”
“It was my least-favourite song on the record. It felt throwaway”: How Sheryl Crow created her breakthrough hit
“It’s this light pop ditty, but it’s about somebody down and out"
“Usually I’ve done the demos on my laptop, which can be a bit creatively stifling”: Wolfgang Van Halen on his new album
“Some of these songs couldn’t have existed on a prior album,' he says
“It took five years to finish the song and define what it was about”: How My Chemical Romance created a classic anthem
In its earliest form it sounded like the Frank Sinatra hit My Way
“The first heavy metal riff ever written – and I wrote it!”: How Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page created a groundbreaking song
It also features Keith Moon drums – and screams
“I said, ‘It’s really beautiful – why would you say it’s not for the Chili Peppers?’": The making of a '90s classic
One of the greatest rock ballads ever recorded
How a Mike Inez bassline kick-started Ozzy classic No More Tears – but he wasn't there to record it
Ozzy's top-tier guitarists get all the glory but on No More Tears you've got to give the bass player his dues. Make that bass players, plural
“We were doing that riff and cracking up laughing the whole time”: Zakk Wylde on how a “joke” riff won Ozzy Osbourne his first ever Grammy
The No More Tears sessions found the Ozzy camp in high spirits and ready to lay down a record that would take the Prince of Darkness' solo career to new heights
“He’d be like, ‘We’re gonna write a song on stage, everybody!’”: How Creed wrote their breakthrough hit during a gig
Higher cemented their stature as stadium-conquering heavyweights
“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
