The Classic Rock Legacy
1968—The Year in 50 Classic Rock Albums
Rock was still very intense in ’68 but it began giving way to quieter, more roots-oriented sounds. More than anything though, the music was diverse.
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Tom Petty, American Rock Giant, 1950-2017
One of our country’s greatest rockers for more than 40 years, the Floridian never backed down, creating solid music that didn’t need to bow to trends.
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Shocking Blue’s ‘Venus’: An Out-of-This-World Hit
When the Dutch rock band replaced its male lead vocalist with a striking 21-year-old female, they scored with a shock heard ’round the world
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‘MacArthur Park’: Jimmy Webb’s Recipe for a Hit
“Someone left the cake out in the rain/I don’t think that I can take it ’cause it took too long to bake it.” Love it or hate it, here’s the story
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72 From ’72: The Albums That Rocked Our World
What a year for classic rock music! We listened to dozens of new albums that would still sound great decades later. Here are the best.
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Remembering Marty Balin, Jefferson Airplane/Starship Singer
The singer, who co-founded the Airplane in 1965, and later joined the offshoot band Jefferson Starship and went on to a solo career, died in 2018 at 76
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When Hugh Hefner Championed Rock Music
For more than a year, 1969-70, Hef invited the top rock and soul acts of the day to perform on national TV. Here are more than a dozen of those clips.
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Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ Final Concert
We didn’t know that he soldiered on throughout the big 2017 tour with a fractured hip. Who could have known that their September 25 performance would be their last?
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Steam: ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’
The band didn’t even exist. When one of its songwriters needed a B-side in 1969, they recorded it and the song became a surprise hit. Now, of course, it’s a sports staple
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Eagles’ ‘The Long Run’: The Making of a Classic
“’The Long Run’ was a pretty painful birth because we were like, ‘How the f*** are we going to top “Hotel California”‘?”–Joe Walsh
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