WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SUPERGROUP SONG?

SENIOR EDITOR Steve Harnel l steve.harnell@anthem.co.uk Get

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

The winner of the Best Writer, Specialist category,

WELCOME

99 @ClassicPopMag A s an opening

DAVE BALL

3 MAY 1959 – 22 OCTOBER 2025

HAIRCUT ONE HUNDRED CONFIRM LONG-AWAITED ALBUM RETURN

Haircut One Hundred will release their first

ADAM ANT THE SINGLES

SONY

NOW turns back the clock to the early 60s

The NOW brand has announced a spin-off series

Tom Bailey tours Thompson Twins’ greatest hits

© Rosaline Shahnavaz Tom Bailey will play Thompson

LAST NIGHT A D.J. SAVED MY LIFE

INDEEP

JIMMY SOMERVILLE DARES TO LOVE AGAIN

T he second solo album by Jimmy Somerville,

ULTRAVOX EXPAND ACCLAIMED COMPILATION

Following the success in recent years of

NORTHSIDE

WITH THE PROMISE OF NEW MATERIAL THREE-AND-A-HALF DECADES AFTER CHICKEN RHYTHMS WENT TOP 20, NORTHSIDE ARE SET TO MAKE A RETURN. SINGER WARREN “DERMO” DERMODY TELLS CLASSIC POP WHY IT’S TAKEN THEM SO LONG.

LIVING EYES

BEE GEES

ANDY BELL’S TEN CROWNS RETURNS AS FOUR-DISC SET

© Andreas Blank E rasure frontman Andy

MARR SET TO BOWL OVER HOMETOWN CROWD

© Kristen Bourdeau Johnny Marr has announced his

Ian Peel’s A to Z of POP

HOW DO YOU JOIN ONE ALBUM PROJECT OR ERA WITH THE NEXT, EVEN IF YOU’RE TURNING A PAGE, STARTING A NEW CHAPTER, OR EVEN SHEDDING YOUR SKIN?

D’ANGELO

11 FEBRUARY 1974 – 14 OCTOBER 2025

MONDAYS GEMS GET SINGLED OUT

© Tom Sheehan Happy Mondays will kickstart

This month in POP DECEMBER 1982

THE JAM CALL IT A DAY, TONI BASIL HITS THE TOP AND BOWIE’S BING CROSBY PAIR-UP FINALLY GETS SOME FESTIVE CHART ACTION

CLASSIC POP TOP TEN

WEEK ENDING 8 DECEMBER 1984

POPARAZZI

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

NU SHOOZ POOLSIDE

WHEN I CAN’T WAIT’ S UNFORGETTABLE ELECTRO-FUNK USHERED 1986’S POOLSIDE , NU SHOOZ’S THIRD ALBUM, INTO THE CHARTS, IT REVEALED THE PATIENCE OF AN OREGON COUPLE WHO WERE READY TO GO ALL THE WAY TO THE POINT OF NO RETURN

FRENCH TOUCH

DEVISED IN THE 90s, OUR GALLIC FRIENDS MIXED HOUSE, DISCO AND VOCAL CHOPS FOR A TIMELESS, DANCEFLOOR-READY VIBE

CLASSIC POP MOMENTS

MADONNA WINS SEVEN BILLBOARD NUMBER ONE AWARDS 21

Danger! High Voltage

WHAT STARTED OUT AS A FUN WAY TO BRING ROBERT PALMER AND CHIC TO DURAN DURAN’S MASS AUDIENCE ENDED UP BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL – AND CHAOTIC – SUPERGROUPS IN MUSIC HISTORY. AS THE POWER STATION TOAST THEIR 40TH ANNIVERSARY, ANDY TAYLOR AND (IN HIS ONLY INTERVIEW) JOHN TAYLOR CELEBRATE CREATING A UNIlQUE GROOVE WHILE BEING TOTALLY ON THE RAMPAGE. “THE SKILLSET IN THAT BAND WAS ENORMOUS,” THEY TELL US.

SUPER TROUPER ABBA

CLASSIC ALBUM

“WE WERE A GROUP THAT WAS BIGGER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS"

ONE OF THE MOST GLORIOUSLY MULTI-LAYERED POP ALBUMS EVER MADE, PROPAGANDA’S A SECRET WISH IS THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT OF A BAND WHO NEVER QUITE GOT IT TOGETHER AFTERWARDS, WITH THEIR RELATIONSHIPS AS COMPLEX AS THEIR MUSIC. AS A NEW BOXSET HONOURS ITS MAJESTY, ALL FOUR MEMBERS CELEBRATE THEIR ACHIEVEMENT – AND VOW TO BE FRIENDLY WHEN DISCUSSING THEIR MASTERPIECE.

THE PRETENDERS

CHRISSIE HYNDE HAS ANCHORED THE BAND THROUGH VARIOUS SHIFTING LINE-UP CHANGES AND NEW ERAS – BLENDING RAW ENERGY, SHARP SONGWRITING AND UNDENIABLE ATTITUDE ACROSS DECADES

“We’re not in a tribe. We always wanted to be more expansive than that.”

AS THE MANCHESTER LEGENDS RELEASE A WEIGHTY NEW 58-TRACK CAREER RETROSPECTIVE NOTHING BUT LOVE , TIM BOOTH, JIM GLENNIE AND SAUL DAVIES LOOK BACK ON THE MUCH-LOVED BAND’S MUSICAL TRIUMPHS (AND OCCASIONAL CAREER OWN GOALS...)

MAKE IT BIG

BIG COUNTRY BROKE OUT OF THE NEW WAVE WITH A WIDESCREEN VISION AND DISTINCTLY SCOTTISH BRAND OF HEARTLAND BLUE-COLLAR ROCK. CO-FOUNDER AND GUITARIST BRUCE WATSON RECOUNTS THEIR BITTERSWEET JOURNEY WHILE KEEPING THE LEGACY ALIVE.

TOP 20 SINGLE-ARTIST SOUNDTRACKS

From sci-fi classics and dystopian dramas to rom-coms and thrillers, we explore the work of artists and bands who successfully rose to the challenge of soundtracking a movie or TV series BARRY PAGE

SECONDS OUT

It’s 50 years since riotously costumed Kiwis Split Enz landed in England unannounced to record their debut album. Except it was actually their second. Co-frontman Tim Finn and producer Phil Manzanera tell the story.

THE HOT LIST

NEW RELEASES THAT NEED TO BE ON YOUR CULTURAL RADAR

PET SHOP BOYS

DISCO 5

CELESTE

WOMAN OF FACES

NIGHTMARES ON WAX

ECHO45 SOUNDSYSTEM

GARY NUMAN

1000: LIVE AT THE ELECTRIC BALLROOM

ED HARCOURT

ORPHIC

OLLY MURS

KNEES UP

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

EVERYBODY SCREAM

THE SAINTS

LONG MARCH THROUGH THE JAZZ AGE

PICTURE PARLOUR

THE PARLOUR

CAT BURNS

HOW TO BE HUMAN

SILENT RUNNING

NORTHSTAR

TOM A SMITH

SAY WHAT YOU WANT

HATCHIE

LIQUORICE

WHITE LIES

NIGHT LIGHT

ALLIE X

HAPPINESS IS GONNA GET YOU

PAUL KELLY

SEVENTY

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS

FYC40

EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL

THE BEST OF

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

JAMES

NOTHING BUT LOVE: THE DEFINITIVE BEST OF

A SECRET SENSE OF RHYTHM: A SECRET SENSE OF SIN

© Peter Brown UMR ★★★★★ HOW TO MAKE

BLONDIE

NO EXIT

KATE BUSH

BEST OF THE OTHER SIDES

THE BEATLES/WINGS

ANTHOLOGY COLLECTION/WINGS

MADNESS

HIT PARADE

GOLDFRAPP

SUPERNATURE

KARL BARTOS

COMMUNICATION

MY LIFE STORY

JOINED UP TALKING

OUTKAST

STANKONIA

CLOCK DVA

WHITE SOULS IN BLACK SUITS

DOVES

SO, HERE WE ARE: THE BEST OF

LEVELLERS

ZEITGEIST

GOLDIE

TIMELESS

NORTHSIDE

CHICKEN RHYTHMS

AIR

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES REDUX

HÜSKER DÜ

1985: THE MIRACLE YEAR

SPLIT ENZ

ENZYCLOPEDIA VOLUMES ONE & TWO

OASIS

FAMILIAR TO MILLIONS

SELF ESTEEM

O2 ACADEMY BIRMINGHAM

ROBBIE WILLIAMS DINGWALLS, LONDON

AHEAD OF A RUN OF INTIMATE DATES NEXT FEBRUARY, THE STADIUM-FILLING STAR TURNS THE CLOCK BACK AND RAISES THE ROOF AT HIS SMALLEST-EVER SOLO SHOW

LIVE AID – THE DEFINITIVE 40-YEAR STORY

PAUL VALLELY

PUNK: THE LAST WORD

CHRIS SULLIVAN & STEPHEN COLEGRAVE

THE STORY OF THE CHRISTMAS NO.1: MISTLETOE & VINYL

MARC BURROWS

TURN MY HEAD INTO SOUND: A HISTORY OF KEVIN SHIELDS AND MY BLOODY VALENTINE

ANDREW PERER