Van Halen, Metallica, SRV, Iron Maiden, Rush, Dio, Yngwie, Vai and the greatest guitar albums of 1984 – only in the new Guitar World

By Damian Fanelli
published

Featuring new interviews with Ace Frehley, Alex Lifeson, Adrian Smith, Adrian Belew, Earl Slick, Mike Ness, Steve Vai, Vicki Peterson, Vivian Campbell, Yngwie Malmsteen and more

May 2024
(Image credit: Future)

Have you ever noticed how many great guitar albums came out in 1984? We have! In this 40th-anniversary celebration, we examine 1984’s greatest releases – going (literally) month by month, classic by classic, interview by interview.

Highlights include...

>>> Chris Gill tells the story of the making of Van Halen's appropriately titled 1984, the band's most successful album – featuring portions of a 2014 interview with Eddie Van Halen.

>>> Alex Lifeson takes you behind the scenes of Rush's Grace Under Pressure

>>> Adrian Smith recalls the making of Iron Maiden's Powerslave

>>> Yngwie Malmsteen talks Rising Force

>>> Steve Vai revisits Flex-Able

>>> Alan Paul – co-author of Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan – details the making of SRV's mighty second album, Couldn't Stand the Weather

>>> Vivian Campbell takes you behind the scenes of Dio's The Last in Line

>>> Vicki Peterson discusses the making of the Bangles' All Over the Place

>>> Adrian Belew revisits King Crimson's Three of a Perfect Pair

>>> We have a new eight-page transcription of Scorpions' Still Loving You, a standout track from 1984's Love at First Sting...

>>> ...and the inside story of Metallica's Ride the Lightning, the album that changed metal forever!

This issue also features...

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year 

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.