The Classic Rock Legacy

How Led Zeppelin Were Convinced to Release ‘Whole Lotta Love’ as a Single

When the song started taking off at FM radio, Atlantic’s Jerry Greenberg made an edit for AM radio. They put it out “and the record explodes…”

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‘Mary, Mary’: The Song Recorded by a Blues Band, a TV Rock Band and a Hip-Hop Group

Neither the Paul Butterfield Blues Band nor Monkees versions were released as singles, but a Run-DMC cover was a modest chart hit.

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9 Signature Rock Songs That Weren’t U.S. Chart Hits

Many songs associated with classic rockers were never actually hits. Here are the surprising back stories to ones by ELO, Billy Joel, Van Halen, Queen & more.

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A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Cynic Visits the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

After 35 years of critiquing the induction process, our editor finally made his way to the actual Hall in Cleveland. What did he think of it?

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1970: The Year in 50 Classic Rock Albums

We looked back at hundreds of albums released that year and whittled the list down to 50 standouts. How many do you own?

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When the J. Geils Band Finally Broke Through

The only #1 hit for this dynamic Boston band was about a schoolboy crush later being crushed for real. We look back at an early MTV favorite.

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The Mighty Manfred Mann: From ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’ to ‘Blinded By the Light’

They underwent frequent personnel changes, including several lead singers—and they were named after the keyboardist—but they kept producing hits.

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Promised Land: Chuck Berry @ 100

‘St. Louis to Liverpool’ is a document one needs to experience in life or else one isn’t getting from life what one easily can.

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17 Classic Chuck Berry Covers

The legend, who may have invented rock and roll, died at 90 in 2017. To celebrate his legacy, we’ve chosen 17 of his best, by some of his biggest fans.

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Bev Bevan of ELO Remembers ‘A New World Record’: ‘Jeff Lynne at His Most Brilliant’

From our 2024 interview, “[It’s] a fabulous album, and I am proud to have been part of it.”

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