POP MUSIC ACTIVISM’S ROB JOHNSON

WELCOME

I’m endlessly fascinated by the creative process behind

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Best known for editing Teletext’s music pages Planet

POP UP

One of the defining voices of British dance and indie

KYLIE’S PURE ESCAPISM ON FORTHCOMING DISCO ALBUM

Kylie Minogue’s new album is built for the dancefloor

MADONNA LEVITATES WITH DUA LIPA

Madonna has collaborated with Dua Lipa on a brand new

NUMAN’S SECOND CRACK AT AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Gary Numan insists his forthcoming second memoir will

1 HIT WONDER

Keith Marshall was the fresh-faced, gifted lead guitarist

MEL C EMBRACES SPICE LIFE FOR NEW CHAPTER

Melanie C channelled her inner Sporty Spice all over

LABOUR OF LOVE - THE MOVIE?

Following the success of Queen and Elton John’s biopics

LOST & FOUND

Peter Cox and Richard Drummie had just enjoyed a glorious

PANDEMIC INSPIRES NEW GABRIEL LYRICS

COVID-19 has inspired new Peter Gabriel material –

BOY GEORGE’S STOCKPILE OF UNRELEASED WORK

Boy George has seven albums’ worth of music waiting

RÓISÍN MURPHY

RÓISÍN MURPHY’S COLLABORATIVE ALBUM WITH LONG-TIME PAL DJ PARROT HAS BEEN 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING. WE QUIZZED THE FORMER MOLOKO FRONTWOMAN ON WHY THE PROJECT “TOOK A WHILE TO FIND ITS TIME AND PLACE”.

THE POD SQUAD

CHECKING IN WITH OUR FAVOURITE CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY PODCASTS

CHILDREN ARE DOIN’ IT FOR THEMSELVES

Eurythmics fans can examine the sweet pop dreams of

HUMAN LEAGUE CELEBRATE DARE’S 40TH

The Human League plan to celebrate their classic album

IAN PEEL‘S A TO Z of POP

AT THE MOMENT PUNK BECAME POST-PUNK – AND AT THE POINT NEW WAVE WAS BORN – ONE SONG TYPIFIED THE TRANSITION: THE CLASH’S BRAND NEW CADILLAC. THIS TARDIS OF A TRACK HAS QUITE A HISTORY, AND ITS PAST JUST RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH ME…

THIS MONTH IN POP SEPTEMBER 1981

IN OUR ROUND-UP OF SEPTEMBER 1981’S BIGGEST MOMENTS IN MUSIC, ADAM ANT CONTINUES TO CHARM THE SOCKS OFF SINGLE-BUYING BRITS, SIMON & GARFUNKEL REUNITE IN THE FRESH AIR AND PILOT GARY NUMAN RAISES THE ALARM ON AN AROUND-THE-WORLD TRIP

TOP TEN

HIT MACHINE THE POLICE TOP THE CHARTS, STEVIE WONDER CELEBRATES BOB MARLEY, QUEEN GET FUNKY AND SHEENA EASTON MAKES HER DEBUT

Duran Duran Liberty

DURAN DURAN’S SIXTH ALBUM LIBERTY WAS SLATED BY CRITICS, FLOPPED IN THE CHARTS AND WAS QUICKLY CAST ASIDE BY THE BAND ITSELF. BUT DOES IT DESERVE ITS STATUS AS THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE BRUMMIES’ DISCOGRAPHY? THIRTY YEARS ON FROM ITS RELEASE, JON O’BRIEN TAKES A LOOK BACK AT THE UNLOVED LP

80S COLLABORATIONS

THE PULL OF STAR POWER CAN BE UNDENIABLE SO IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT SOME DREAM TEAM HOOK-UPS HAVE MADE A MAJOR SPLASH IN THE CHARTS OVER THE YEARS

STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED

IN 1983, KAJAGOOGOO STORMED THEIR WAY TO THE TOP OF THE CHARTS WITH A HUGE DEBUT SINGLE AND EVEN BIGGER HAIR. BUT THE BAND UNCEREMONIOUSLY KICKED OUT THEIR TALISMAN SINGER, LIMAHL, JUST AS THEY WERE GETTING WARMED UP. HE WOULD ENJOY EVEN GREATER INTERNATIONAL SOLO SUCCESS WITH A TRACK THAT KEEPS ON GIVING. AS CLASSIC POP DISCOVERS, THE STORY HASN’T ENDED JUST YET…

CLASSIC POP MOMENTS

DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN IS RELEASED IN THE UK

TURN ON THE Bright Lights

IT’S 35 YEARS SINCE ERASURE’S DEBUT SINGLE WHO NEEDS LOVE LIKE THAT, BUT ANDY BELL AND VINCE CLARKE SOUND AS YOUTHFUL AS EVER ON THEIR NEW STUDIO ALBUM, THE NEON. THE DUO HAVE REMAINED RESOLUTELY SELF-SUFFICIENT, FORSAKING OUTSIDE SONGWRITING HELP TO CREATE FORWARD-THINKING HYPERREAL CELEBRATIONS. HOW DO THEY KEEP UP? ANDY AND VINCE GIVE CLASSIC POP A MASTERCLASS ON HOW TO STAY RELEVANT – WITHOUT BORING YOUR FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY…

THE COLOUR OF SPRING TALK TALK

AFTER STARTING LIFE AS ONE OF MANY BANDS CYNICALLY MARKETED BY RECORD COMPANIES TO CASH IN ON THE NEW ROMANTIC SCENE, ON THIRD STUDIO ALBUM THE COLOUR OF SPRING TALK TALK PROPELLED THEMSELVES FROM SYNTH-POP NEWCOMERS TOWARDS BOLDLY EXPERIMENTAL TERRITORY…

POP ARAZZI

READERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE PHOTOS AS THEY GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN PLANET POP

The Times they are a changin‘

SIGN O’ THE TIMES FOUND PRINCE IN A STATE OF FLUX – BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY. AS HIS LEGENDARY VAULT IS UNLOCKED ONCE MORE FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY BOXSET OF HIS MEISTERWERK, THE STAR’S ENGINEER SUSAN ROGERS AND SENIOR RESEARCHER AT THE PRINCE ESTATE ARCHIVES, DUANE TUDAHL, TELL THE STORIES BEHIND THE ORIGINAL ALBUM AND REVELATORY NEW MATERIAL.

AT THE CROSSROADS

THE MUSIC BUSINESS HAS FELT THE FULL FORCE OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. WITH LIVE SHOWS CURRENTLY IN VERY SHORT SUPPLY, MARTYN WARE, TONY HADLEY AND DAVE WAKELING TELL DANIEL DYLAN WRAY ABOUT THEIR HOPES AND FEARS FOR THE COMING MONTHS AND BEYOND. COULD THIS BE A GAME-CHANGING MOMENT THAT WILL IRREVERSIBLY ALTER THE INDUSTRY FOREVER?

GETTING THEIR HOUSE IN ORDER

ONE-HIT WONDERS OR OVERLOOKED GENIUSES? WITH THEIR THIRD ALBUM IMPENDING AFTER A LENGTHY HIATUS, IT’S IMMATERIAL OPEN UP ABOUT THEIR THREE-DECADE STRUGGLE TO COMPLETE IT…

BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE

WITH AN ECLECTIC NEW ALBUM ON THE WAY, CLASSIC POP CATCHES UP WITH RELUCTANT STAR NIK KERSHAW TO TALK WRITER’S BLOCK, MAKING HISTORY AND HIS EAGERNESS TO RETURN TO THE LIVE STAGE

ALBUM BY ALBUM HEAVEN 17

TAKING POLITICS TO THE DANCEFLOOR, THEY’VE GIVEN THE HUMAN LEAGUE A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY AS SHEFFIELD’S BIGGEST SYNTH- POP ACT

CLIVE LANGER AND ALAN WINSTANLEY

WE MEET THE DIPLOMATIC PRODUCTION DUO WHO HAVE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN ROCK AND POP OVER THE COURSE OF A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL 40-YEAR PERIOD

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

THE HOTLIST

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

ERASURE

THE NEON

YELLO

POINT

NIK KERSHAW

OXYMORON

IT’S IMMATERIAL

HOUSE FOR SALE

THE WATERBOYS

GOOD LUCK, SEEKER

DOVES

THE UNIVERSAL WANT

RÓISÍN MURPHY

RÓISÍN MACHINE

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING

RE-ANIMATOR

INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP

POP GOSSIP

BRUCE HORNSBY

NON-SECURE CONNECTION

PAULINE MURRAY

ELEMENTAL

JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD

EVEN IN EXILE

SUZANNE VEGA

AN EVENING OF NEW YORK SONGS AND STORIES

PETER GABRIEL

PLAYS LIVE/LIVE IN ATHENS 1987

CULTS

HOST

ULVER

FLOWERS OF EVIL

KATRINA

HEARTS, LOVES & BABYS

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT

FUN CITY

TIM BOWNESS

LATE NIGHT LAMENTS

THE WAILERS

ONE WORLD

FISH

WELTSCHMERZ

PRINCE

SIGN O’ THE TIMES SUPER DELUXE EDITION

VARIOUS ARTISTS

2 TONE: THE ALBUMS

KRAFTWERK

TRANS EUROPA EXPRESS/ DIE MENSCH-MASCHINE/ COMPUTERWELT/TECHNO POP/ THE MIX

ULTRAVOX

VIENNA

KEVIN ROWLAND

MY BEAUTY

FREEEZ/JOHN ROCCA

SOUTHERN FREEEZ/ VARIATIONS ON A THEEEM

THE DIVINE COMEDY

VENUS, FOLLY, CUPID & TIME

GARY NUMAN

HYBRID

KOOL & THE GANG

COLLECTED

TIN MACHINE

TIN MACHINE II

DEAD OR ALIVE

FRAGILE/UNBREAKABLE: THE FRAGILE MIXES

PAUL McCARTNEY

FLAMING PIE

BANGLES/MATTHEW SWEET & SUSANNA HOFFS

GOLD/UNDER THE COVERS VOLUMES 1-3

VARIOUS ARTISTS

1978: THE YEAR THE UK TURNED DAY-GLO

VARIOUS ARTISTS

EDDIE PILLER PRESENTS THE MOD REVIVAL

DYLAN JONES

SWEET DREAMS: THE STORY OF THE NEW ROMANTICS

DIRK TIMMERMAN

MADONNA: THE DAY I WAS THERE

CHRIS FRANTZ

REMAIN IN LOVE