Liam Gallagher’s rollercoaster ride from Oasis hero to label-less zero to solo vindication has been unpredictable, exhilarating, occasionally unedifying. What’s he learned? “I’ve been good to rock’n’roll,” he tells MOJO. Also in the issue: a seasonal CD of winter music to warm the cockles or thrill with chills, starring Fleet Foxes, Sam Lee, Galaxie 500, Blind Willie McTell and more. Play it while reading the story of Johnny Cash’s rebirth behind cold prison walls; Ronnie Wood’s return from oblivion; the sunshine and shadows of Cass Elliott’s California dream. Plus: The Undertones, Throwing Muses, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Paul Weller’s new moves, Zappa’s Hot Rats, The Cure, Dave Clark, Gang Starr, Sleater-Kinney and the latest on Peter Jackson’s Let It Be doc.

Note Free CD will not be included. We will swap for subscribers cover when newsstand cover is unavailable.