WELCOME

Prince released 39 studio albums in his lifetime and

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POP-UP

The concept for Madonna’s new album, Madame X, may

Sisters are doing it for themselves

After 26 years apart following an acrimonious split

1-HIT WONDER

NO MEMORY

SPANDAU SET FOR WEST END DEBUT

Spandau Ballet are the latest pop legends plotting

Opportunities for Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys have renewed their collaborative links

LOST & FOUND

Child actress Marta Marrero was an international singing

JAM AND LEWIS – BACK IN CONTROL

US hit-making legends Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have

Erasure demand a little respect

Electropop legends Erasure believe they’ve been overlooked

RIDGELEY TAKES YOU TO EDGE OF 80s HEAVEN

Steady yourself, Wham!fans – Andrew Ridgeley has made

ABBA’s new songs set for autumn arrival

ABBA fans can expect those long-mooted new songs in

GODFATHERS OF POP

Junior Giscombe cut his teeth as a backing vocalist

CATHY COMES HOME TO PERFORMING

Pop star-turned-songwriter Cathy Dennis says it’s now

Wilde will keep us hanging on

Kim Wilde has vowed to keep performing as long as her

GODFATHERS OF POP

Bruce Robert Howard was nicknamed Dr Robert, after

Making time to celebrate Kylie

Kylie Minogue fans have two new ways to celebrate their

SMITHS MAN BACK IN A BLITZ OF BEATS

Former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has formed a new

Mel C’s Pride in new project

Melanie C has announced a joint venture with LGBTQ+

IAN PEEL’S A TO Z of POP

IS THE MEGAMIX WELL OVERDUE FOR REAPPRAISAL? IT MIGHT BE EASY TO THINK OF IT AS A CASH-IN BUT, WHEN DONE RIGHT, IT’S AN ARTFORM IN ITSELF.

THIS MONTH IN POP JUNE 1985

IN OUR ROUND-UP OF JUNE 1985’S BIGGEST MOMENTS IN POP

POPARAZZI

READERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE PHOTOS AS THEY GET UP

TOP TEN

CROSSROADS SPAWNS A HIT, ADAM AND THE ANTS GO BACK IN TIME, SHAKIN’STEVENS GOES CRAZY, TOYAH WANTS TO BE FREE, AND MORE…

WHEN BRITISH REGGAE WAS KING

REGGAE MAY HAVE BEEN BORN IN JAMAICA, BUT IT GREW UP IN 80s BRITAIN AT A TIME OF EVOLVING MULTICULTURALISM, FINDING AN UNLIKELY ALLY IN PUNK AND BECOMING A MAINSTAY IN THE CHARTS. CLASSIC POP TALKS TO SOME OF ITS KEY PLAYERS.

MY LIFE IN VINYL TREVOR HORN

THE LEGENDARY PRODUCER AND ERSTWHI L E BUGGLE CASTS A CHRONOLOGICAL EYE BACK OVER THE A LBUMS THAT MADE AN INDEL IBLE MARK ON HIS GL I T TERING CAREER

POP ART

AT THE END OF THE 70S, PUNK ROCK GAVE WAY TO A WHOLE NEW WAVE OF EXCITING ARTISTS AND PETE BARRETT WAS IN THE THICK OF IT WITH SLEEVE DESIGNS FOR SOME OF THE BEST. NOW BASED IN AUSTRALIA, CLASSIC POP CAUGHT UP WITH HIM FOR A LOOK BACK AT HIS POP PORTFOLIO.

STILL MAKING HAY

FRONTED BY A SCOTTISH NATIVE WHO RELOCATED DOWN UNDER IN HIS TEENS, MEN AT WORK GLIMPSED GREATNESS BEFORE IT ALL BECAME A BIT SPINAL TAP. FRONTMAN COLIN HAY TRAWLS THROUGH A THORNY AND TRAGIC HISTORY WITH CLASSIC POP.

CLASSIC POP PROFILE

Liverpool’s Kris James has scored two Top 40 hits with

CLASSIC POP MOMENT

No.53

PRINCE GIVING IT ALL AWAY

THE NEW POSTHUMOUS PRINCE ALBUM ORIGINALS IS THE CLEAREST INSIGHT SO FAR INTO JUST HOW VARIED HIS MIND WAS, ABLE TO WRITE FOR MUSICIANS FROM KENNY ROGERS TO THE BANGLES WHILE HE WAS ALSO “TRYING TO MAKE HIS FRIENDS FAMOUS” BY GIVING THEM CLASSIC SONGS. IN A WIDE-RANGING INVESTIGATION INTO HIS WORKING METHODS, CLASSIC POP SPEAKS TO THE WOMAN WHO HELPED MAKE PRINCE’S MAGIC HAPPEN, TWO OF PAISLEY PARK’S FINEST SINGERS… AND THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE PURPLE ONE’S GOLDEN VAULTS TO SEE WHAT’S NEXT.

ARCHITECTURE & MORALITY

MERGING THE MACHINATIONS OF GERMAN ELECTRONICA WITH WARM MERSEYSIDE MELODIES AND OTHERWORLDLY CHORAL SAMPLES, ON THEIR THIRD ALBUM, ARCHITECTURE & MORALITY, OMD STRUCK THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN EXPERIMENTALISM AND COMMERCIAL APPEAL…

The adventures of TIN TIN

HE LEFT DURAN DURAN BEFORE THEY HIT BIG AND ONLY EVER ACHIEVED TWO TOP 20 HITS IN HIS CAREER. BUT WHY IS THE MAN FORMERLY KNOWN AS STEPHEN ‘TIN TIN’DUFFY SO LOVED AND ADMIRED NOW? CLASSIC POP MEETS THE INTRIGUING POP CHAMELEON TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE REAL MAN BEHIND THE MANY GUISES.

A BRUSH WITH STARDOM

THE 80s WERE A DECADE OF EXCESS, POMP AND FANTASTIC HAIR. WE’VE PICKED A SELECTION OF ICONIC STYLES THAT ARE AS MEMORABLE AS THE LUMINARIES THEY ADORNED…

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

TALK TALK

ESCAPING FROM A NEW ROMANT I C POST ER BOY IMAGE NOT O F THEIR OWN MAKING, TAL K TALK VENTURED INTO EVERMORE E XPERIMENTAL SONI C T ERRI TORY TO PURSUE THEI R UNCOMPROMI S ING ART I S T IC V I S ION

IS THIS REALLY GOODBYE?

THE B - 52S’N EW SHOWS ARE APPARENT LY PART OF THEIR “EUROPEAN FAREWEL L TOUR”. COUL D THI S B E THE LAST WE’L L SEE OF THE SUBVERSIVE GANG BEHIND ROCK LOBSTER, LOVE SHACK, ROAM AND SO MANY OTHER EXTRAVAGANT PART Y STARTERS? HOW WER E THEY ABL E TO SUBVERT MAINSTREAM AMERICA SO SUCCESSFUL LY? AND HAVE THEY FORGIVEN GERMAN AUD I ENCES FOR THEI R FIRST EXPERI ENCE THERE? CLASSI C POP GOES ROAMING WI T H THE BAND ONE LAST T IME.

MATTHEW RUDD

THE HOST OF FORGOTTEN 80s ON ABSOLUTE 80s RADIO CHECKS OUT THE NEW SINGLE RELEASES, INCLUDING A DOUBLE FROM MADONNA, SHAKESPEARS SISTER’S RETURN, KYLIE, NOEL GALLAGHER AND MORE…

PRINCE

ORIGINALS

MARK RONSON

LATE NIGHT FEELINGS

THE DIVINE COMEDY

OFFICE POLITICS

AURORA

A DIFFERENT KIND OF HUMAN

HOT CHIP

A BATH FULL OF ECSTASY

WILL YOUNG

LEXICON

PIXX

SMALL MERCIES

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

FALSE ALARM

COLLARD

UNHOLY

BAND OF HOLY JOY

NEON PRIMITIVES

HATCHIE

KEEPSAKE

SINKANE

DÉPAYSÉ

EMELI SANDÉ

REAL LIFE

PHILIP BAILEY

LOVE WILL FIND A WAY

PETER PERRETT

HUMANWORLD

LUST FOR YOUTH

LUST FOR YOUTH

KISHI BASHI

OMOIYARI

RICHARD HAWLEY

FURTHER

DEPECHE MODE

BLACK CELEBRATION / MUSIC FOR THE MASSES – THE 12”SINGLES

BLANCMANGE

THE BLANC TAPES

ABBA

VOULEZ-VOUS

IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS

DO IT YOURSELF

TERRY HALL

LAUGH

BUZZCOCKS

A DIFFERENT KIND OF TENSION / SINGLES GOING STEADY

IAN BROWN

UNFINISHED MONKEY BUSINESS

IGGY POP

ZOMBIE BIRDHOUSE

PRIMAL SCREAM

MAXIMUM ROCK ‘N’ROLL

MANTRONIX

MANTRONIX: THE ALBUM

VARIOUS ARTISTS

C87 CHERRY

LA TOYA JACKSON

MY SPECIAL LOVE

JON SAVAGE

THIS SEARING LIGHT, THE SUN AND EVERYTHING ELSE – JOY DIVISION: THE ORAL HISTORY

THE SECRET DJ

THE SECRET DJ

VARIOUS AUTHORS

VJ: THE UNPLUGGED ADVENTURES OF MTV’S FIRST WAVE

BEYONCÉ

HOMECOMING

ABC

ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON

WET WET WET

TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM

SUEDE

O2 GUILDHALL, SOUTHAMPTON