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The Latest Breaking News from Brian May

“I still don’t find it easy! It’s one of the most unnatural riffs to play you could possibly imagine”: Brian May finds Bohemian Rhapsody difficult to perform – and he points the blame at “riffmeister” Freddie Mercury

The Queen guitarist has called it “the most unnatural riff to play” and says even now he has to battle with adrenaline when he plays it live

Guitar World

"I have no idea what I'm going to play when I get to that solo" – Brian May reveals the classic Queen song he improvises most live… and the track he takes the opposite approach with

"Every time the solo comes up live, I think, well, actually I can’t do much better than that"

MusicRadar

All The Way To Memphis on The Midnight Special is peak Mott The Hoople and peak Ian Hunter hair

As Ian Hunter announces the all-star sequel to 2023's acclaimed Defiance Part 1, some 50-year-old footage of his old band has briefly brightened the internet

Louder

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“They said, ‘We did a little thing for you, but we don’t know if it will make the album. I said, ‘You’re crazy – this is the single!’” the epic life of ‘Funky’ Claude Nobs, the man who inspired Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water

Claude Nobs was the man who co-founded the Montreux Jazz Festival – and crossed paths with Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa and Deep Purple

Louder

Brian May Reflects on Recorded Version of Under Pressure

Discover the story behind Queen and David Bowie's hit song Under Pressure. Brian May reflects on the collaboration and the challenges they faced in the rec...

Top News

“I never liked it, to be honest, the way it was mixed. But I do recognise that it works”: Brian May says Under Pressure sounded like The Who before David Bowie took out the heavy guitar parts

Brian May said he was “beaming” about the guitar on the early versions of Under Pressure. David Bowie was not

MusicRadar

“It’s probably the only time in my career I bowed out, because I knew it was going to be a fight… most of that heavy guitar was lost”: Brian May says David Bowie removed his electric guitar riffs on Under Pressure – and he never liked the results

The Queen guitar legend says the song originally sounded more like a Who-style rocker, but Bowie had other ideas…

Guitar World

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On sale now! Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: Queen's Greatest Songs Track By Track – By Brian May

Also in issue 381! Interviews: Yard Act, Sleater-Kinney, Ihsahn and more. Reviews: New gear from Gibson, Fender, Shergold and more. Learn songs by Queen, Bring Me The Horizon and U2

Guitar World

"Oi, Freddie! Have you succeeded in bringing ballet to the masses yet?": When Queen frontman Freddie Mercury met Sex Pistols bassist 'Simon Ferocious'

"It upset me when the Sex Pistols exploded" recalls Brian May, who was rather more taken with punk than Freddie Mercury

Louder

“Eric came in, played great, just one tasty lick after another. Jeff Beck’s contribution was spellbinding”: Mark Knopfler enlists Clapton, Townshend, Iommi, Slash and dozens more for all-star charity single

Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes raise funds for teenage cancer charities with an epic version of his Local Hero theme, featuring Jeff Beck’s final recording, and over 50 guitar legends – including David Gilmour, Joan Armatrading and Brian May

Guitar World

“It just brings you to tears”: David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, Brian May, Tony Iommi, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Alex Lifeson, Slash and more join forces for epic new recording of Mark Knopfler's Going Home

The new all-star recording of Mark Knopfler's debut solo single will raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America

Louder

“Eddie was down in the pit watching every move I made”: Ace Frehley says his early displays of tapping prowess “probably” inspired Eddie Van Halen to develop his trademark two-hand technique

“But he perfected it. There’s no way I could play some of the solos that he pulled off,” said the former Kiss guitarist

Guitar World

NAMM 2024: Catalinbread revamps its Rangemaster-inspired Naga Viper, making MKII hotter and more practical, taking the treble booster circuit “to its logical limit”

Brian May, Rory Gallagher and Tony Iommi fans, the Naga Viper MKII might well be the missing ingredient in your rig

MusicRadar

“Freddie goes berserk and says: ‘I’m not being constrained in my wardrobe. I will wear what the f**k I like!’”: how Queen made the groundbreaking 1981 concert movie Queen Rock Montreal

As a restored version of Queen Rock Montreal hits IMAX, we look back on two gigs that went from the tetchy to the triumphant

Louder

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Guitar World

NAMM 2024: “Our homage to our legendary ’60s legacy”: The new Vox AC Hand-Wired Series promises to be the ultimate recreation of the iconic guitar amps used by everyone from Brian May to the Beatles

The new collection is the result of a detailed study into vintage Vox AC15 and AC30 amps, with each entry aiming to deliver “a sound that’s as faithful to the original as possible”

Metal Hammer

"It's basic. It's not technical by any means": Watch Brian May solo while Tony Iommi plays the riff from Paranoid

Queen's Brian May "commits sacrilege" by playing a solo over the top of the riff of Black Sabbath's Paranoid

Guitar World

“I’m going to commit sacrilege by joining in!” Footage of Brian May and Tony Iommi jamming together finally surfaces as the Queen legend solos over Black Sabbath’s Paranoid in this exclusive clip

While filming a new documentary titled Great Guitar Riffs, the two guitar titans took the opportunity to jam the Black Sabbath classic – and discuss its humble origins

Guitar World

“I've been working in the studio, writing and doing plenty of stuff”: Tony Iommi reveals he is cooking up some “really good” new music for 2024

In his New Year message, the metal legend talks about everything from the Black Sabbath ballet to working in the studio and the status of the delayed Tony Martin-era Sabbath boxset

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Guitar World

Why Guild’s 12-string design is one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century – and how it became a go-to acoustic for Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Brian May

We chart the history and innovations behind one of music's most popular 12-string acoustics – a guitar that can be heard on classic tracks from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, Simon & Garfunkel and more

Louder

“Forget the luxuriant moustaches and sawn-off mike-stands that would come to define them: if the prog ethos meant avoiding the expected, they were definitely a prog band”: You’ve always known the truth about Queen

Mike Portnoy and Steve Howe provide supporting evidence that Bohemian Rhapsody is only the tip of the band’s boundary-pushing iceberg

Guitar World

Make your guitar sing with this harmony-laden rock arrangement of classic Christmas carol, The First Noël, in the style of Steve Vai and Brian May

Wow the family with this special six-string take on the much-loved choral tune

Evening Standard

The one renovation that could double the value of your house (and make an enemy of your neighbours)

Digging down is the best way to send your house price soaring, according to new analysis

MusicRadar

"I don't think it ever really goes away" – Brian May admits he still suffers with imposter syndrome

The Queen legend is candid on Rosie Bennet's new podcast

Louder

"Probably the most precious intimate capture ever of Mr. Mercury at his full awesome power": Brian May salutes the majesty of Freddie Mercury as Queen Rock Montreal gets 2024 IMAX screenings

For one weekend only, Queen at their most regal and commanding are coming to an IMAX cinema near you

MusicRadar

Is Prince's Purple Rain really the second-greatest guitar riff of all time? A new survey says 'yes'

And Seven Nation Army is the only riff recorded after the '80s to make the top 20

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