WELCOME TO CLASSIC POP

WE LIKE TO DO THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY HERE AT CLASSIC POP, SO WHILE ALL OUR RIVALS ARE DEVOTING VAST SWATHES OF THEIR MAGAZINES TO LOOKING BACK AT THE YEAR THAT’S ALREADY DONE AND DUSTED, WE’RE COCKING A SNOOK AT SUCH TRADITIONALISM AND ALREADY BRAVELY STRIDING INTO THE FUTURE AND EAGERLY AWAITING WHAT LIES AHEAD IN 2019.

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

David Burke is a regular contributor to Vintage Rock

POP UP

Is Numan’s anti-nostalgia principle cracking?

1 HIT WONDER

Phyllis Nelson was an experienced disco singer and

LOST & FOUND

A Good Heart and You Little Thief were tremendous pop

GODFATHERS OF POP

Synth-pop outfit Bronski Beat – Steve Bronski, Jimmy

GODMOTHERS OF POP

Thereza Bazar first hit the charts in the vocal group

IAN PEEL’S A TO Z of POP

THE REMIX ALBUM, NEIL TENNANT ONCE TOLD ME, “IS ABOUT SITTING IN THE STUDIO, BECAUSE IT’S A STUDIO, PLAYING WITH A TRACK BECAUSE YOU CAN PLAY WITH IT”. AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S SAVED POP THREE TIMES OVER.

THIS MONTH IN POP JANUARY 1985

IN OUR ROUND-UP OF JANUARY 1985’s HISTORY, MACCA REJECTS DALLAS, PRINCE SNUBS USA FOR AFRICA AND SHEENA EASTON COLLECTS HUSBAND NUMBER TWO…

TOP TEN

TWO FESTIVE CLASSICS, FRANKIE GET ANTHEMIC, AN ICONIC SOUNDTRACK HIT AND ONE OF MACCA’S MOST DIVISIVE SINGLES BATTLE IT OUT FOR CHART SUPREMACY

MADONNA

AFTER MOVING HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD TO BE A ‘SOCCER MOM’, MADONNA HAS SPENT THE PAST YEAR WORKING ON HER NEW ALBUM. AS WE CAST OUR EYES FORWARD TO 2019’S MOST HOTLY-ANTICIPATED NEW POP RECORD, WE ALSO LOOK BACK AT WHY SHE REMAINS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN IN MUSIC TODAY.

Her Six personas that changed pop

WHEN IT COMES TO HER VISUAL AND CULTURAL IDENTITY, MADONNA HAS REMAINED ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE ZEITGEIST THROUGHOUT HER CAREER, TAKING LOOKS FROM THE UNDERGROUND TO THE MAINSTREAM, CAUSING CONTROVERSY WITH TABOO IMAGERY, AND SETTING TRENDS IN HIGH FASHION, ON STAGE, ON SCREEN AND ON THE HIGH STREET. HERE, CLASSIC POP GAZES AT THE MANY PIONEERING MADONNAS WE’VE WITNESSED OVER THE YEARS…

CLASSIC ALBUM LIKE A PRAYER MADONNA

MADONNA’S FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM IS AN IMMACULATE COLLECTION OF SONGS WHICH SAW THE SUPERSTAR LOOKING INWARDS FOR DIVINE INSPIRATION – TAKING IN GRIEF, LOSS, REDEMPTION AND EMPOWERMENT. WITH THE CELESTIAL LIKE A PRAYER, SHE CREATED HER OWN NEW TESTAMENT.

POP ARAZZI

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

THIS MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME

ALTHOUGH HE RECENTLY REACHED RETIREMENT AGE, MIDGE URE IS DETERMINED NOT TO SLOW DOWN. WANTING TO COMPENSATE FOR YEARS LOST TO ALCOHOL, THE MAN BEHIND ULTRAVOX, VISAGE AND BAND AID REVEALS HOW HE’S STILL FIGHTING TO OVERCOME HIS BOYBAND PAST.

THE FIZZ

AS RESILIENT AS EVER, THE FIZZ HAVE HAD A ROLLERCOASTER YEAR. WITH MEMBER JAY ASTON ON THE MEND AFTER A MAJOR HEALTH SCARE AND THE BAND NOW SLIMMED DOWN TO A TRIO, THEY NOW SERVE UP A FESTIVE TREAT OF A FEEL-GOOD CHRISTMAS ALBUM.

THE LOWDOWN: BEE GEES

INARGUABLY THE ISLE OF MAN’S MOST SUCCESSFUL POP ACT OF ALL TIME – SHIFTING MORE THAN 220 MILLION RECORDS WORLDWIDE – THE BEE GEES FIRST FOUND FAME IN THE 60S, BEFORE GOING GLOBAL AT THE HEIGHT OF THE DISCO BOOM THE FOLLOWING DECADE

REIGNING IN MANCHESTER

THERE’S POP ROYALTY, AND THEN THERE’S PAUL HEATON. HE MIGHT NOT HAVE SOLD AS MANY RECORDS AS MICHAEL JACKSON BUT, AS HIS FIRST COMPILATION SHOWCASING EVERYTHING FROM THE HOUSEMARTINS ONWARDS DEMONSTRATES, HEATON IS THE LAST KING OF POP. HE SETS OUT HIS RULES FOR MUSICAL MONARCHY…

THE JAM TO BE SOMEONE

AFTER DROPPING THE BALL WITH THEIR UNDERCOOKED SECOND ALBUM, THE JAM WERE IN CRISIS. COULD PAUL WELLER MAKE GOOD ON HIS AMBITION TO BE A LEADER OF HIS GENERATION? IN THIS EXTRACT FROM HIS BOOK, LOVE WITH A PASSION CALLED HATE: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE JAM, SEAN EGAN TRACES THE MOMENT THE MOD TRIO WERE FORCED TO DIG DEEP TO SAVE THEIR CAREERS.

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SHOOTING FROM THE LIP

AS ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN RETURN WITH REWORKED VERSIONS OF SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC MOMENTS FROM THEIR GLITTERING BACK CATALOGUE, IAN MCCULLOCH, AKA MAC THE MOUTH, IS TAKING NO PRISONERS: “IF YOU’VE GOT A QUOTE, SAY IT. I’M A SARCASTIC BASTARD…”

THE BEST OF 2018

JOIN US AS WE SERVE UP OUR PICK OF THE FINEST NEW ALBUMS, REISSUES, COMPILATIONS AND BOOKS TO HIT PLANET POP IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS…

REVIEWS

Jah Wobble shows there’s still fire in his belly as

MATTHEW RUDD

THE HOST OF FORGOTTEN 80s ON ABSOLUTE 80s RADIO CHECKS OUT NEW RELEASES, INCLUDING FESTIVE CUTS FROM CLAIRE RICHARDS, KATY PERRY, GABRIELLE AND THE BAND PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS BUCKS FIZZ…

NEW RELEASES

THE ILLUSTRIOUS PRODUCER, BUGGLE, AND ZTT RECORDS FOUNDER

REISSUES

SIMPLE MINDS HAVE ENJOYED A WELCOME RENAISSANCE IN

LIVE & EVENTS

HEAVEN 17 ROLL BACK THE YEARS TO REVIVE THEIR BIGGEST-SELLING

MOMENTS

No.48 DAVID BOWIE INTRODUCES THE SNOWMAN CHRISTMAS