
Paul Elliott
Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis.
Latest articles by Paul Elliott

“The studio bill was £148.50. So with the £1.50 in change we all bought fish and chips”: Def Leppard's low-budget EP
By Paul Elliott published
“It was difficult doing the scream in The Overture on a Sunday morning”

“You get the old albums and listen to them until four in the morning”: Ex-Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz dies at 71
By Paul Elliott published
He played on the band’s landmark albums and the worldwide hit Wind Of Change

“Lou fixated on her and his vocal was done in one take”: How Foreigner and producer Mutt Lange created a classic hit
By Paul Elliott published
“We put ourselves under a lot of pressure making that record”

“It gave us loads of publicity’”: The controversial Iron Maiden classic featured in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
By Paul Elliott published
“Six six six, the one for you and me!”

“I took inspiration from Iron Maiden. And for the lyric, David Bowie’s Space Oddity”: A rock band’s global No.1 hit
By Paul Elliott published
“We were thrown into this weird pop world – it was madness”

“Have we done anything that would create such a horrible atmosphere that a fan would take their own lives?”: Judas Priest’s darkest days
By Paul Elliott published
“We couldn’t understand it. It didn’t make sense”

“I remember thinking, ‘This is the kiss of death!’”: The singer who had a bad feeling about a song – before it hit No.1
By Paul Elliott published
Plus: why this singer would have refused an audition for Toto

“I had such a connection with it”: On his 26th birthday, Jimmy Page played his beloved Les Paul Black Beauty in a legendary Led Zeppelin show
By Paul Elliott published
And soon after, that famous guitar vanished

“Clapton hated it when the volume went up. He actually said to Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, ‘You’re too loud!’”
By Paul Elliott published
He also claims that Page "begged" John Paul Jones to join Led Zeppelin

“I remember saying to Clapton, ‘You try playing that one riff for eight minutes!’”: The secret to Status Quo's riff power
By Paul Elliott published
"That song is where the Quo twelve-bar boogie shuffle came from"

“When Ronnie sang about Neil Young that was kind of a joke”: The true story of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama
By Paul Elliott published
"Neil wanted to play the song with us!"

“Eddie told me, ‘Roth is driving me nuts'": When Eddie Van Halen asked to join Kiss — and they turned him down!
By Paul Elliott published

“After Smells Like Teen Spirit, there was no place for bands like us”: The life and death of a hair metal band
By Paul Elliott published
Two top 10 hits and two million album sales couldn't save them

"We all adored BB, and he asked us to write something for him": The song that Whitesnake wrote for the King of the Blues
By Paul Elliott published
And they later did the same thing with Tina Turner

“In the ’80s, everybody came out with a power ballad. And we had a great one”: How a soft rock classic was created
By Paul Elliott published
But was that song really about a nun who sells dope to school kids?

“The greatest rock ballad of all time!”: The classic song that held the No.2 spot for 10 weeks without ever hitting No.1
By Paul Elliott published
But at least the album made it to the top

“There are players with amazing dexterity”: Journey’s Neal Schon says that “classic guitar records” still matter
By Paul Elliott published
"You need more than just guitar thrills – you need an overall artistic statement"

“My mom said, ‘I’ll lend you a quarter if you become a guitar player.’ I think I did!”: Steve Cropper dies aged 84
By Paul Elliott published
A key figure in shaping the sound of soul music in the ’60s

Save 61% with this unbeatable Disney+ Black Friday streaming deal and catch the newly remastered The Beatles: Anthology series
By Paul Elliott published
The series also has a brand new episode including previously unseen footage

“I remember saying to Clapton, ‘You try playing that one riff for eight minutes!’”: The secret to Status Quo's riff power
By Paul Elliott published
"That song is where the Quo twelve-bar boogie shuffle came from"

"Your golden pipes remain this guy’s all-time favourite rock voice": Steve Vai salutes Whitesnake legend David Coverdale
By Paul Elliott published
“David has shaken the earth for over half a century with a voice that could level a mountain”

“When Bruce came back I wasn’t 100% sure of his reasons”: How Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris made peace with Bruce Dickinson
By Paul Elliott published
“Bruce is unusual – which is probably what makes him so good”

“Steve Cropper was right next door, and he wrote the song. I was kind of nervous!”: When a guitar hero got the jitters
By Paul Elliott published
It was a recording that could have led to Bolton joining Journey
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.

