Rock Candy Mag is a 100-page, full-colour bi-monthly rock mag available in glorious print – and a little bit grudgingly in digital format to those who buy a print edition. It covers the sights, sounds and smells from the greatest era ever in hard rock music, the ’70s and ’80s. The mag is proudly, flag-wavingly, unapologetically nostalgic. Why? Because we think rock’n’roll was better then.
Rock Candy Mag is put together by respected UK rock journalists Derek Oliver, Howard Johnson and Malcolm Dome. They all worked at Kerrang! in the ’80s, saw everything that went down in this classic period – and lived to tell the tale. The magazine is self-funded and is 100% fuelled by passion for the music. Some of you may know that Derek already runs Rock Candy Records, the world’s greatest rock reissues label.
“We were sick and tired of not being able to read about the bands we love in a real, ‘hold in your hands’ mag,” says Editor HoJo. “I want to touch, feel and even smell rock’n’roll – and you just can’t do that on the Internet.”
The first issue of Rock Candy Mag features an exclusive cover story of Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott giving his personal views on amazing pix from throughout the band’s career.
“Joe couldn’t have been more helpful in supporting Rock Candy Mag,” says HoJo. “Now it’s all about telling the world about our magazine via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and good old-fashioned word of mouth!”
For more information, rockcandymag.com.
7 Responses
Eight pages of Krokus? Count me in!
Thanks Dana!
LOL!! 🙂
D 🙂
I used to subscribe to all of them, – Hit Parader, Creem, Circus, Metal Edge, Playboy, you know, for the articles, 😉 LOL! This Rock Candy mag looks pretty good, surprised though with a name like “Rock Candy,” not having Hagar on the cover for the first issue, but it’s cool, I’ll still give it a look-see. Rock ‘n’ Roll was definitely better in the ’70’s & 80’s! 🙂
Doug, I got Hit Parader and Circus too, til I realized that they were basically PR pieces. Kerrang! practiced real journalism and it was there that I started figuring out, in 1987 or 1988, that Bob Daisley was writing most of the Ozzy material. Re-reading my collection of back issues shows the writing on the wall for the decline of metal’s popularity. Some of the best writers from those days are with this Rock Candy mag, so it looks very promising.
Creem could be very funny, but also very condescending. You got the sense that their writers never recovered from the breakup of the Beatles and had to take out their outrage on every other band.
I agree, Tyger, great post. Ah the good old days of the rag mags, way before the internet, I miss those days! It still pisses me off that Mr. Daisley never got the credit he deserved for being such a great songwriter, but I guess that’s the way the boss (Sharon) wanted it.
Wow! I would definitely be interested in this! I used to subscribe to all of the rock/ metal magazines like RIP, Hit Parader, Kerrang, etc. I know I am getting old, but I do prefer the feel of a real magazine in my hands as opposed to reading articles online. I still subscribe to some car and sports magazines. Definitely will check this out!
I’ve got scores of the old mags yellowing in my basement. Weird stuff, like a review of the first Slayer album, with the famous shot of them pulling each other’s hair. Blackie Lawless, showing off his world renown codpiece collection. Fold-out posters of Ozzy with glam hair, the Shot in the Dark era.