BIG COUNTRY

WELCOME

It won’t escape your attention this issue that we’re

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Madonna biopic gathers pace

Madonna has always taken control of her own career

Smiths break-up movie is announced

A new movie about The Smiths is due in cinemas next

KYLIE’S APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE FOR NEW LOCKDOWN ALBUM

Even in the throes of her acclaimed country album

1 HIT WONDER

One of the more enigmatic acts to make a singular fleeting

SMITH’S WEIRD YEAR BEARS FRUIT

While we continue to wait for those new albums from

HURTS COME BACK FIGHTING

Following a rollercoaster decade, Hurts still believe

Big-headed Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys have been given a Funko Pop makeover.

ROLAND GIFT

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS RELEASED JUST TWO ALBUMS IN THEIR SHORT LIFE, BOTH OF WHICH ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE A LONG OVERDUE REISSUE. CLASSIC POP TALKS TO THE BAND’S FRONTMAN.

LOST & FOUND

In the slick, driven production of US hit single Heart

COVETED IVORS FELLOWSHIP FOR KATE BUSH

Kate Bush has been made a Fellow of The Ivors Academy

BARLOW’S HUMAN INTEREST ALBUM

Don’t go expecting synths or drum machines on Gary

HOWARD JONES

THE SYNTH-POP ICON DISCUSSES HIS RECENT LOCKDOWN CONCERT, PROGRESS ON A NEW STUDIO ALBUM AND THE REISSUE OF UNDERRATED FOURTH LONG-PLAYER, CROSS THAT LINE

THE POD SQUAD

CHECKING IN WITH OUR FAVOURITE CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY PODCASTS

KIWANUKA EYES A LIFE IN THE MOVIES

Following his triumph as this year’s Hyundai Mercury

GREEN SHOOTS OF LIVE MUSIC RECOVERY

Covid-19 can’t stop all milestone events in pop music

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR STEPS

Steps plan to continue proving the critics wrong with

IAN PEEL‘S A TO Z OF POP

HAVING SPENT THE SUMMER INDOORS, I’VE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHERE I’D RATHER BE. AND I’D RATHER BE IN A RECORD COVER… BUT WHICH ONE, AND HOW DO YOU GET THERE?

LA ROUX

LA ROUX WAS FLYING THE FLAG FOR NATIONAL ALBUM DAY THIS YEAR AS IT CELEBRATED HER FAVOURITE MUSICAL ERA. THE SYNTH-POP SINGER TELLS CP ABOUT SOME OF HER INSPIRATIONS.

THIS MONTH IN POP NOVEMBER 1987

IN OUR ROUND-UP OF NOVEMBER 1987’S BIGGEST MOMENTS IN MUSIC, GEORGE MICHAEL HITS THE TOP SPOT, BONO GETS IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW, SONNY & CHER REUNITE AND BOWIE TAKES HIS GLASS SPIDER TOUR DOWN UNDER

“It’s a major achievement,… the point at which we went beyond the 80s and moved away from our peers”

TEARS FOR FEARS’ FUTURE LOOKS AS BRIGHT AS CAN BE - THEY’VE NEARLY FINISHED THEIR FIRST LP IN A DECADE-AND-A-HALF. BEFORE THAT, THOUGH, IS A BOXSET OF THE CLASSIC 1989 ALBUM THE SEEDS OF LOVE, WHOSE CRAZED VISION IS THE STUFF OF LEGEND. IN THEIR ONLY INTERVIEW AS A DUO, ROLAND ORZABAL AND CURT SMITH TELL CLASSIC POP OF THE 80S’ LAST MASTERPIECE.

THE LA’S

A TIMELESS CLASSIC THAT INSPIRED A THOUSAND IMITATORS BUT LEFT ITS CREATOR CLAIMING IT SOUNDS LIKE “A SNAKE WITH A BROKEN BACK”, THE LA’S IS A MUCH-MYTHOLOGISED DEBUT ALBUM. WE TELL THE STORY OF A MAN AT LOGGERHEADS WITH HIS PAST ALL THE TIME…

History IN THE MAKING

THEY ARE THE IDIOSYNCRATIC DUO THAT THREW GLAM ROCK, GOTH, B-MOVIE KITSCH, ELECTRO AND ART-POP INTO THE BLENDER TO FORM AN INTOXICATING STEW. NOW, AS SHAKESPEARS SISTER GET THE DELUXE BOXSET TREATMENT, SIOBHAN FAHEY AND MARCELLA DETROIT TALK CLASSIC POP THROUGH THEIR GENESIS STORY AND RECENT REUNION SHOWS

ALBUM BY ALBUM SADE

SHIFTING AN ASTONISHING 75 MILLION ALBUMS WORLDWIDE, OVER THE PAST FOUR DECADES SADE HAVE FINESSED THEI R ‘QUIET STORM’ SOUND FOR THE MASSES

THE POWER AND THE GLORY

SYNTH-POP’S GOLDEN COUPLE, STEPHEN MORRIS AND GILLIAN GILBERT, HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR 40 YEARS. AS A NEW BOXSET OF POWER, CORRUPTION & LIES MARKS THE MOMENT WHEN NEW ORDER COMPLETED THE TRANSFORMATION FROM JOY DIVISION, THE PAIR TELL CL ASSIC POP THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LANDMARK ALBUM.

Everybody Dance Now

AS MTV STAKED ITS CLAIM AS THE MUSIC BUSINESS’S MOST POWERFUL PROMO PLATFORM IN THE EARLY 80S, IT ALSO USHERED IN A NEW WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ALMOST DEFUNCT DANCE COMMUNITY, GRANTING ARTISTIC LICENCE TO DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS TO ASSIST IN CREATING A NEW BREED OF POP SUPERSTAR

ABC - How to Be A …Zillionaire!

ABC’S COLOURFUL THIRD STUDIO ALBUM STRUCK A CHORD WITH AMERICAN AUDIENCES BUT WAS PRETTY MUCH IGNORED IN THE EVER-CHANGING GROUP’S HOMELAND. NOW 35 YEARS ON FROM THE RELEASE OF THIS DIVISIVE RECORD, JON O’BRIEN TAKES A LOOK AT WHICH SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC GOT IT RIGHT.

“WE WERE THE SOUND OF 200 TELEVISION SETS PLAYING SIMULTANEOUSLY”

IN 1986, FEW BANDS WERE AS CONTROVERSIAL AND CONFRONTATIONAL AS SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK. NOW AS THEIR DEBUT ALBUM FLAUNT IT GETS AN EXPANSIVE 4CD REISSUE, STEVE O’BRIEN SPEAKS TO ITS FOUNDERS, TONY JAMES AND NEAL X.

TOP 2O GIRLBAND SINGLES OF THE 1980’S

PINBALLING BETWEEN SPIKY NEW WAVE, PURE POP, R&B, HIP-HOP AND INDIE, GIRLBANDS HAVE GIVEN US SOME OF THE GREATEST SINGLES OF OUR FAVOURITE DECADE…

THE HOT LIST

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THIS MONTH ON CLASSIC POP ZOOM CATCH-UPS

KYLIE MINOGUE

DISCO

GORILLAZ SONG MACHINE, SEASON ONE: STRANGE TIMEZ

SOME MIGHT SAY IT’S FLAWED, OTHERS FABULOUS, BUT THE LATEST FROM DAMON ALBARN’S ANIMATED ALTER EGOS CONFIRMS HIS WILDLY PRODUCTIVE NATURE

ELVIS COSTELLO

HEY CLOCKFACE

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

LETTER TO YOU

ANE BRUN

AFTER THE GREAT STORM / HOW BEAUTY HOLDS THE HAND OF SORROW

STATS

POWYS 1999

LESPECTRE

A STRAY, A DREAM, FORGIVENESS

BOY PABLO

WACHITO RICO

MELANIE C

MELANIE C

QUEEN & ADAM LAMBERT

LIVE AROUND THE WORLD

CABARET VOLTAIRE

SHADOW OF FEAR

STEPS

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TRAVIS

10 SONGS

ANNIE

DARK HEARTS

KATIE MELUA

ALBUM NO.8

SENSIBLE GRAY CELLS

GET BACK INTO THE WORLD

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE

COUNTRY DARKNESS

GEORGE BENSON

WEEKEND IN LONDON

SUNBIRDS

COOL TO BE KIND

FAITHLESS

ALL BLESSED

EELS

EARTH TO DORA

BON JOVI

BON JOVI 2020

BETTER PERSON

SOMETHING TO LOSE

BABEHEAVEN

HOME FOR NOW

TEARS FOR FEARS

THE SEEDS OF LOVE

SOFT CELL

CRUELTY WITHOUT BEAUTY

DEPECHE MODE

SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION: THE 12" SINGLES

NEW ORDER

POWER, CORRUPTION & LIES/ BLUE MONDAY/CONFUSION/ THIEVES LIKE US/MURDER

SHAKESPEARS SISTER

OUR HISTORY

ABBA/AGNETHA FÄLTSKOG

SUPER TROUPER/VOL 2/ TIO ÅR MED AGNETHA

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS/ THE RAW & THE COOKED

CYNDI LAUPER

SHE’S SO UNUSUAL/TRUE COLORS

SADE

THIS FAR

SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK

FLAUNT IT

VARIOUS ARTISTS

FROM BRUSSELS WITH LOVE

THE STYLE COUNCIL

LONG HOT SUMMERS: THE STORY OF THE STYLE COUNCIL

HOWARD JONES

CROSS THAT LINE

VARIOUS ARTISTS

MAKE MORE NOISE!: WOMEN IN INDEPENDENT MUSIC 1977-1987

TASMIN ARCHER

SWEET LITTLE TRUTHS: THE EMI YEARS 1992-1996

DONNA SUMMER

THE WANDERER

THE SPECIALS

MORE SPECIALS

THE WANNADIES

BEFORE & AFTER

TOM TOM CLUB

TOM TOM CLUB

SOPHIE ELLIS_BEXTOR

SONGS FROM THE KITCHEN DISCO

REALLY SAYING SOMETHING

SARA DALLIN & KEREN WOODWARD

FAST FORWARD

STEPHEN MORRIS

(R)EVOLUTION

GARY NUMAN

COVER TO COVER

SIMON HALFON

FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD HIT NO.1 WITH THEIR DEBUT LP

10 NOVEMB ER 1984