WELCOME

100 S o, it’s that time where Classic

SWITCHED-ON KYLIE REBOOTS FESTIVE LP

Kylie switches on the Christmas lights at Battersea

KYLIE MINOGUE KYLIE CHRISTMAS (FULLY WRAPPED)

KYLIE DELIVERS A CHRISTMAS CRACKER BURSTING WITH FESTIVE FUN AND A DASH OF AUSSIE SUN

CHILFEST 2026 ARTISTS UNVEILED

© Tina K Chilfest weekend returns to the

ULTRAVOX

ULTRAVOX MADE COMPILATION ALBUMS ESSENTIAL WHEN THEY RELEASED THE COLLECTION BACK IN 1984 AND, FOUR DECADES LATER, THEY’RE BRINGING IT BACK WITH SO MUCH MORE MATERIAL TO LOVE. FRONTMAN MIDGE URE IS ON HAND TO TAKE US THROUGH ITS STARTLING TRANSFORMATION.

COMING ON STRONG

BROKEN ENGLISH

RICHARD DARBYSHIRE

8 MARCH 1960 – 10 NOVEMBER 2025

WAINWRIGHTS ALBERT HALL DATE FOR GARLAND SHOW

Rufus Wainwright will return to London’s Royal Albert

BRIAN NASH

HAVING LONG BEEN NEGLECTED, FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD’S CATALOGUE WAS HONOURED THIS YEAR WITH THE EPIC 7CD+BLU-RAY BOXSET OF WELCOME TO THE PLEASUREDOME . TO CELEBRATE ITS STATUS AS OUR BEST REISSUE OF 2025, THEIR GUITARIST SPOKE TO CLASSIC POP ABOUT FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH THE BAND AND THE CHANCES OF MORE FRANKIE... JOHN EARLS

DAVE BALL MOURNED BY MUSIC WORLD

TRIBUTES ARE PAID TO THE SYNTH-POP INNOVATOR WHO PASSED AWAY AGED 66 ON 22 OCTOBER

PRIMITIVE LOVE

MIAMI SOUND MACHINE

OMD AMONG A-LIST HEADLINERS AT LATEST BRISTOL SOUNDS SERIES

T he Kooks, Super Furry Animals, The Streets

80s CLASSICAL RETURNS TO LEEDS

© Alma Rosaz Nik Kershaw, Nick Heyward and

My POP life

THE ACTOR ( THE SUICIDE SQUAD, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL , BLADE RUNNER 2049 , DUNE ) AND GRAPHIC NOVEL WRITER TELLS ALL ABOUT HIS LOVE OF THE MUPPETS, DEPECHE MODE AND 90s SHOEGAZE

Ian Peel’s A to Z of POP

WIS FOR… WHEN POP WENT HOUSE

This month in POP JANUARY 1990

SINÉAD UNVEILS A TEARY-EYED CLASSIC, BOWIE BEGINS A VISIONARY GLOBAL TOUR AND THE POP WORLD MOURNS MEL APPLEBY

TOP 5 UK ALBUMS CHART

14 JANUARY 1990

FRA LIPPO LIPPI SONGS

WITH SCANDIPOP STILL MORE THAN A DECADE AWAY, NORWAY’S FRA LIPPO LIPPI WERE ALWAYS FATED TO BE ‘THE BAND WHO WEREN’T A-HA’. BUT THE SUN STILL SHINES ON 1986’s SONGS , PACKED WITH BITTERSWEET POP LIKE SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THAT .

POPARAZZI

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

TOP TEN

WEEK ENDING 13 JANUARY 1990

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

CLASSIC POP MOMENTS

20 JANUARY 1987

ToP 1ΟΟ PP ALBUMS

Our ultimate selection of the greatest LPs in the Classic Pop wheelhouse

TOP 100 POP ALBUMS

100 HARRY STYLES HARRY’S HOUSE (2022) A great

NICK HEYWARD’S FAVOURITES

Nick Heyward rates Revolver as the all-time greatest

MARTIN FRY’S FAVOURITES

Martin Fry joins Nick Heyward in rating Revolver

TONY HADLEY’S FAVOURITES

Tony Hadley recorded 10 UK Top 10s with

MARTYN WARE’S FAVOURITES

This was a very tough job. I could have done 20 lists, each for a different genre. But here goes, in no particular order

BETTY BOO’S FAVOURITES

Where Are You Baby? and Doin’ The Do from Betty Boo’s Boomania reached the UK Top 10 in 1990

SPARKS’ FAVOURITES

Sparks ’ most recent LP Mad! made No.2

JOHN TAYLOR’S FAVOURITES

John Taylor – bass supremo of Duran Duran,

“We weren’t born to be pop stars”

TAKING TIME OUT FROM THEIR LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY, TEARS FOR FEARS’ ROLAND ORZABAL AND CURT SMITH REFLECT ON THE BAND’S LANDMARK ALBUM SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR AS IT CELEBRATES ITS 40th ANNIVERSARY – PLUS LOOK AHEAD TO NEW TOUR DATES AND ANOTHER STUDIO LP

ABANDONED MOTHER

Although Tears For Fears recently dusted off The

KYLIE MINOGUE

LIGHT YEARS

THE PLAYERS

KYLIE MINOGUE Australia’s pop icon seals a return

THE SONGS

1 PASSWORD An artefact of the CD era,

THE VIDEOS

SPINNING AROUND Directed by Dawn Shadforth (who later

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

AS HE RELEASES HIS LATEST SOUNDTRACK ALBUM, ODYSSEY , THE THE’S MATT JOHNSON TELLS CLASSIC POP HOW SCORING FILMS THREW HIM A CREATIVE LIFELINE DURING HIS LONG, SELF-IMPOSED MUSICAL EXILE

BACK INTO THE GROOVE

ALMOST SEVEN YEARS ON FROM HER EXPERIMENTAL OPUS MADAME X , THE QUEEN OF POP IS RETURNING TO HER OLD RECORD LABEL, ONE OF HER GREATEST COLLABORATORS AND THE DANCEFLOOR FOR THE MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF 2026

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CLASSIC POP

AS WE CELEBRATE OUR 100TH ISSUE, SENIOR EDITOR STEVE HARNELL LOOKS BACK AT MILESTONES FROM THE MAGAZINE’S HISTORY AS WELL AS SOME OF HIS OWN PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Escape to victory?

THE ALBUM THAT TURNED BLUR FROM COOL INDIE KIDS INTO AN UNLIKELY BOYBAND WITH SCREAMING TEEN FANS, THE GREAT ESCAPE CAPITALISED ON THEIR NEW MAINSTREAM POP STATUS. NOT ONLY DID COUNTRY HOUSE GIVE THEM A NO.1, THEY WERE SUDDENLY GETTING POLICE ESCORTS ALL OVER THE WORLD. ALEX JAMES AND DAVE ROWNTREE TELL US: “IT DIDN’T FEEL LIKE A DISASTER IN ANY WAY.”

THE BEST OF 2025

CLASSIC POP’S PICK OF THE BEST NEW ALBUMS, REISSUES, COMPILATIONS AND BOOKS FROM ACROSS THE PAST 12 MONTHS

COMPILATIONS

A EUPHORIC RAVE ANTHOLOGY AND CLASSY COLLECTIONS OF ULTRAVOX, JAMES AND THOMPSON TWINS

REISSUESSUES

TIME VIKING TO RETURN TO FRANKIE’S UNIVERSE, A SUMPTUOUS BOWIE BOXSET AND A VIKING ROAR FROM GARY NUMAN

BOOKS

2025’S MUST-READ AUTOBIOGRAPHIES, BIOGRAPHIES AND NON-FICTION

EDITOR’S CHOICE

ENO AND WOLFE JOIN FORCES, LUKE SPILLER GETS BONDIAN AND SAINT ETIENNE SAY A STAR-PACKED FAREWELL – CLASSIC POP ’S SENIOR EDITOR STEVE HARNELL SELECTS HIS 2025 HIGH POINTS

THE HOT LIST

NEW RELEASES THAT NEED TO BE ON YOUR CULTURAL RADAR

DEPECHE MODE

M / MEMENTO MORI: MEXICO CITY

THE WATERBOYS

RIPS FROM THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

THE THE

ODYSSEY

JESSIE J

DON’T TEASE ME WITH A GOOD TIME

SIMPLY RED

RECOLLECTIONS

OLIVIA RODRIGO

LIVE FROM GLASTONBURY

THE FUTUREHEADS / GIRLS ALOUD / CHRIS REA

CHRISTMAS / CHRISTMAS ‘ROUND AT OURS / THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM

DENIECE PEARSON

FREE QUEEN SEE VOL.1

THE MAN FROM DELMONTE

BETTER THINGS

BARRY ADAMSON

SCALA!!!

TOM SMITH

THERE IS NOTHING IN THE DARK THAT ISN’T THERE IN THE LIGHT

JULIANA HATFIELD

LIGHTNING MIGHT STRIKE

MADONNA

BEDTIME STORIES

ANDY BELL

THE CROWN JEWELS

THE CURE

THE SHOW OF A LOST WORLD

STING

THE LAST SHIP – EXPANDED EDITION

NEW ORDER

MOVEMENT / POWER, CORRUPTION & LIES / LOW LIFE / BROTHERHOOD

ULTRAVOX

THE COLLECTION – DELUXE EDITION

JIMMY SOMERVILLE

DARE TO LOVE

BLUR

THE GREAT ESCAPE

HAPPY MONDAYS

THE FACTORY SINGLES

DONNA SUMMER

SUMMER TIME

CRAIG DAVID

BORN TO DO IT

SUGAR

COPPER BLUE: THE SINGLES COLLECTION

GARY NUMAN

TELEKON

THE DURUTTI COLUMN

THE RETURN OF THE DURUTTI COLUMN

JOANNA

HELLO FLOWER

JAMIROQUAI

HIGH TIMES: THE SINGLES 1992-2006

VARIOUS ARTISTS

NOW YEARBOOK EXTRA ‘91

KATIE MELUA

PIECE BY PIECE

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

TOURIST HISTORY

TEST DEPT

INDUSTRIAL OVERTURE

BABYSHAMBLES

DOWN IN ALBION

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS

COLUMBIA THEATER, BERLIN

DURAN DURAN

CO-OP ARENA, MANCHESTER

STING

EVENTIM APOLLO, HAMMERSMITH, LONDON

SANANDA MAITREYA

TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM

THE BLOW MONKEYS & THE CHRISTIANS

THE WULFRUN HALL, THE HALLS, WOLVERHAMPTON

DEAD OR ALIVE: HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU

PAUL COX

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM: A DISCO POGO TRIBUTE

EDITED BY JIM BUTLER

THE POLICE LINEUP (SIGNATURE EDITION)

LAWRENCE IMPEY

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY

RUSTY EGAN