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Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson began his love affair with classic rock when he saw Motörhead at Manchester's Free Trade Hall back in '78. Less than a year later, "HoJo" was producing his own metal fanzine, Phoenix, flogging it in local shops and outside gigs. He began writing for Kerrang! in 1981 and – after a 10-year spell there – went on to edit Metal Hammer and RAW. He has since worked with Iron Maiden's management team, and has also written a book on AC/DC, Get Your Jumbo Jet Out Of My Airport. Howard is the co-founder of Rock Candy magazine, dedicated to classic '70s and '80s hard rock.

Rock Candy magazine

31 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

M, Mötley Crüe: Mötley Crüe: Shout At The Devil (Elektra)

Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 6 October 1983

"THOSE WHO have the youth have the future". Unknowingly, unwittingly even, Mötley Crüe have succinctly summarised the task that lies ahead of them in their ...

Billy Idol: Rebel Without a Cause

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 12 July 1984

An eyeball to IDOL interview by HOWARD JOHNSON ...

Anthrax: Dangerous Music

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 18 April 1985

HOWARD JOHNSON climbs to the top of the Thrash Heap and contracts a lethal dose of Power Metallurgists ANTHRAX ...

Mötley Crüe: Theatre of War

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 8 August 1985

HOWARD JOHNSON goes beyond the Pain barrier with MÖTLEY CRÜE. ...

Saxon: Streets of Fire

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 8 August 1985

HOWARD JOHNSON travels to Spain to get the loudness lowdown on SAXON's plans to recapture the spirit of their Wheels Of Steel heyday ...

Anthrax: Shake, Cattle & Roll

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 26 December 1985

HOWARD 'Never Mind The Bullocks' JOHNSON hoofs it over to the States and gets ahead off the Thrash Metal herd with ANTHRAX. ...

Public Image Ltd: John Lydon

Profile and Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 20 February 1986

WHAT WERE YOU doing ten years ago, huh? Kicking coke cans in the street? Working in a factory? Going to university? Putting on a blazer ...

Ted Nugent: The Mouthtrap

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, April 1986

HOWARD JOHNSON was once a fan of TED NUGENT, but no longer. In a hard-hitting, no-nonsense feature, our stone-hearted scribe claims that the Motor City ...

Van Halen: 5150 (Warner Brothers W 5150) KKK

Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 17 April 1986

VAPID
 VAN 
HALEN ...

The Scorpions: Scorpions get set to scorch

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 7 August 1986

THE SOUND remains the same! The clipped Teutonic tones winging their way across the wire from Germany herald the return of Germany's biggest, the Scorpions, ...

Stryper: I'm a Believer

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 16 October 1986

Are STRYPER the genuine article or is this Christian Rock Band Peace, Love & Understanding stuff just so much holy smoke? After meeting up with ...

Bon Jovi: No Slip Till Hammersmith

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 30 October 1986

HOWARD JOHNSON talks to JON BON JOVI on the eve of the band's UK tour ...

Girlschool: Hear No Evil

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 30 October 1986

The new GIRLSCHOOL album, Nightmare At Maple Cross, may have a tongue-in-cheek terror title, but the record itself, according to HOWARD JOHNSON, is anything but ...

Megadeth: Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (Capitol EST 2022) kkk

Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 30 October 1986

ALONGSIDE SLAYER, it's Megadeth who've been tipped as the next Thrash outfit to break out of the Underground and join the elite, rubbing shoulders with ...

Metallica: Master Of Puppets (Music For Nations MFN 60 DM) KKKKK

Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 22 January 1987

DIRECT KURRENTS ...

Anthrax: Slammers on the Shore

Report and Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 19 March 1987

HOWARD JOHNSON gets among the living Dredd in the Bahamas and discovers ANTHRAX whipping up a sounds-storm with legendary rock producer Eddie Kramer at Nassau's ...

The Cult: All You Need Is Love Rock!

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 2 April 1987

HOWARD JOHNSON tries very hard not to say 'I told you so' (and fails) as THE CULT cast aside any 'Gothic' or 'Alternative' tags that ...

Manowar: The Fight Game

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 25 June 1987

THOSE JOLLY nice chaps from Manowar gave me a credit on their spanking new Fighting The World album as one of 'the faithful', which is ...

Anthrax, Testament: Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool

Live Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 14 November 1987

IT'S A MADSCOUSE... ...

Europe: Honest Injun

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 23 January 1988

EUROPE have a new single on release called 'Cherokee' — the fourth to be lifted from the mega-successful Final Countdown LP — accompanied by a ...

Metallica: Cliff 'Banger

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 30 April 1988

Cliff 'Em All, the low-key, bootleg-style home video from those METALLICA scumbags, has shifted an astonishing 90,000 copies in the States. Now it's finally made ...

Rush: NEC, Birmingham

Live Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 7 May 1988

KING CANUCKS ...

Anthrax: State Of Euphoria (Island ILPS9916) kkkkkk

Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 10 September 1988

STATE OF THE ART ...

W.A.S.P.: Never Mind the Buttocks

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 18 February 1989

...At least that's W.A.S.P. mainman BLACKIE LAWLESS' stinging new philosophy on life after a good few years in the prickly nest of outrageous lyrics, potentially ...

Skid Row: Skid Gloves

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 19 August 1989

Are not what latest American Metal sensations SKID ROW use when doing their tour bus washing up — nor when they're cranking out their particularly ...

Vixen: Girls Just Wanna Help Bon

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 19 August 1989

"Bon Jovi would just be the best band in the world to play with," says VIXEN bassist SHARE PEDERSEN. Assuming she's talking about gigging and ...

Faster Pussycat: Wake Me Up When It's Over (Elektra EKT64) ****

Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 2 September 1989

FASTER PUSSYCAT have always meant just two things to me. First off, vocalist Taime Downe (sic) was the geezer who figured he'd get the choice ...

Dan Reed Network: Slam (Polygram 838-868) kkkk

Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 21 October 1989

REED ALL ABOUT IT! ...

Yngwie Malmsteen: Yngwie 
Malmsteen: "I can go into any grocery store in Sweden and some 50-year-old woman will immediately recognise me"

Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 4 November 1989

A strange but true FACT from the hitherto unpublished memoirs off YNGWIE
 MALMSTEEN. HOWARD JOHNSON — who barely gets recognised in his
 own house these ...

Def Leppard, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Saxon: NWOBHM: Wave from the Grave

Retrospective and Interview by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 1 September 1990

For those off us old enough to remember, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was the start off the greatest period ever for Metal ...

Steve Earle: Town And Country Club, London ****

Live Review by Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, 29 September 1990

Duke of Earle ...

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