WELCOME

69 @ClassicPopMag LISTEN NOW This issue we bring

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Best known for editing Teletext’s music pages Planet

DIANA ROSS SIGNS TO RCA IN $20 MILLION DEAL

20 MAY 1981

Garbage return inspired by ‘astounding chaos’

The best connected band in pop return with

Blondie’s graphic content

Blondie are getting their very own graphic novel

SOFT CELL ON TRACK FOR FIRST NEW STUDIO ALBUM IN 20 YEARS

Soft Cell have confirmed a brand new studio

BOY GEORGE JUMPS ABOARD NFT CONCEPT

Boy George has joined the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) craze

1-HIT WONDER

STAKKER HUMANOID HUMANOID There was something exhilarating about

LONG-FORM DOC WILL TELL ‘UNCOMPROMISING’ STORY OF THE PRODIGY

A feature-length music documentary focusing on The Prodigy

WILL PSB FANS BE BOWLED OVER BY EPIC NEW SINGLE?

Perhaps Pet Shop Boys have finally given up

NILE RODGERS THRILLS FANS WITH ONLINE INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE

If you’ve ever dreamed of chatting to Nile

BRIT AWARDS ADDRESSES GENDER IMBALANCE

© Hugo Comte © Jesse Crankston © Alex

SUNROOF SHINES A LIGHT ON MODULAR SYNTH PROJECT

Two of electronic pop’s pioneers have joined forces

MADNESS DOCUMENTARY SERIES TO AIR NEXT MONTH

The life and times of Madness are to

Dave Stewart gets busy in the Bahamas

© Michelle Shiers Joss Stone has a number

New Order hooks up with US retailer

As a reflection of its deep love for

MOBY

MOBY’S NEW ALBUM PUTS A CLASSICAL SPIN ON SOME OF HIS BIGGEST HITS. WE TALKED TO THE ELECTRONICA ICON ABOUT THE LACK OF NUANCE IN MODERN MUSIC, REMAINING INSPIRED, AND THE GENIUS OF DAVID BOWIE

THE POD SOUAD

CHECKING IN WITH OUR FAVOURITE CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY PODCASTS

LIVE SHOWS ANNOUNCED AS LOCKDOWN IS LIFTED

The UK Government’s four-stage lifting of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions has paved the way for a string of festival and touring announcements to take place later this year and beyond

IAN PEEL‘S A TO Z of POP

ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL OF ALL POP GENRES RARELY GETS A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY BOOKS. SO IT’S TIME WE PUT THAT RIGHT

THIS MONTH IN POP

MAY 1989

TOP TEN

JOHNNY  LOGAN’S  EUROVISION  WINNER  TOPS  THE CHARTS,  WITH  PAUL MCCARTNEY  COMING  UP BEHIND  HIM…

EMERGENCY ON PLANET EARTH

GARY NUMAN NOT ONLY PREDICTED THE RISE OF SYNTHESISERS, HE SEEMINGLY FORESAW THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS WHILE WRITING HIS NEW ALBUM, INTRUDER. IN EVERY SENSE A VISIONARY, HE TELLS CLASSIC POP OF WRITING ABOUT GLOBAL CATASTROPHE DURING A PANDEMIC, THE STRUGGLES TO SUSTAIN HIS CAREER REBIRTH AND THE TRUTH BEHIND HIS ATTACK ON SPOTIFY

SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOUL REBELS

DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS

“I NEED OTHER PEOPLE TO HEAR THIS – I HAVEN’T GOT ANY TIME TO LOSE!”

FOLLOWING THE DRAMA OF SPANDAU BALLET REUNITING AND FALLING APART AGAIN, GARY KEMP IS NOW READY TO RELEASE HIS SECOND SOLO ALBUM AFTER A GAP OF MORE THAN 25 YEARS. THE LEGENDARY POP SONGWRITER TELLS US ABOUT WHY SPANDAU ARE FINALLY OVER FOR GOOD AND KILLING HIMSELF OFF IN HIS OWN MUSIC

KATE BUSH

ALWAYS PACKED WITH MELODRAMA AND MELODY, THIS WOMAN’S WORK IS NEVER ANYTHING LESS THAN A SPELLBINDING EXPERIENCE

LET THERE BE LIGHT

ANDY PHILLIPS WAS ONE OF THE FEW PHOTOGRAPHERS ALLOWED TO TAKE PICTURES INSIDE LONDON’S HIP LIMELIGHT CLUB. HERE HE SERVES UP SOME OF HIS FAVOURITE SHOTS FROM THE EXCLUSIVE CELEBRITY HAUNT. 

SPACE IS THE PLACE

MARTI PELLOW IS A MAN ON A MISSION – AND EVEN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC WASN’T ENOUGH TO STOP HIM RECORDING AN AMBITIOUS NEW DOUBLE ALBUM INSPIRED BY A DIVERSE CAST OF MUSICAL HEROES. HERE THE FORMER WET WET WET FRONTMAN TELLS CLASSIC POP ABOUT LOOKING TO THE FUTURE – AND LETTING GO OF THE PAST

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

ANDY GOLUB, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

DR IN THE HOUSE

STEPHEN DUFFY’S GREAT LOST ALBUM DESIGNER BEATNIK WAS PART OF THE SHORT-LIVED DR CALCULUS PROJECT. NOW 35 YEARS ON FROM ITS RELEASE, WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED EXPERIMENTAL ODE TO EMERGING ECSTASY CULTURE. 

Bananarama - Pop Life

BANANARAMA REALISED THEY NEEDED TO REINVENT THEIR SOUND IF THEY WERE TO SURVIVE THE DAWN OF THE 90S, HOOKING UP WITH A FREEWHEELING PRODUCER WHO WAS A WORLD AWAY FROM THE HIT FACTORY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PREVIOUS CHART SMASH. THIRTY YEARS AFTER POP LIFE’S RELEASE, JON O’BRIEN TAKES A LOOK BACK AT THE MOST UNDER-RATED ALBUM OF THE GIRLBAND’S GLITTERING CAREER

GREETINGS FROM SKAVILLE

AS CHRYSALIS RECORDS CONTINUE THEIR CELEBRATION OF 2 TONE WITH THE REMASTERED RELEASE OF TOO MUCH PRESSURE, THE SELECTER’S SEMINAL DEBUT ALBUM, CLASSIC POP MEETS KEY PLAYERS NEOL DAVIES, ARTHUR ‘GAPS’ HENDRICKSON AND PAULINE BLACK TO DISCOVER WHY THE BAND ARE MORE THAN MERE THREE MINUTE HEROESAS CHRYSALIS RECORDS CONTINUE THEIR CELEBRATION OF 2 TONE WITH THE REMASTERED RELEASE OF TOO MUCH PRESSURE, THE SELECTER’S SEMINAL DEBUT ALBUM, CLASSIC POP MEETS KEY PLAYERS NEOL DAVIES, ARTHUR ‘GAPS’ HENDRICKSON AND PAULINE BLACK TO DISCOVER WHY THE BAND ARE MORE THAN MERE THREE MINUTE HEROES

TOP 2O SIDE PROJECTS

SOME EXTRA-CURRICULAR MUSICAL ACTIVITIES WERE JUST FLEETING DALLIANCES AWAY FROM THE MOTHERSHIP, WHILE OTHERS MADE A LASTING IMPACT

POP ARAZZI REVIEWS

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

THE HOT LIST

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

GARY NUMAN

INTRUDER

PAUL WELLER

FAT POP VOL 1

NEW ORDER

EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT RECREATION

MARTI PELLOW

STARGAZER

BRYAN FERRY

ROYAL ALBERT HALL 2020

PAUL MCCARTNEY

III IMAGINED

MORCHEEBA

BLACKEST BLUE

SUZI QUATRO

THE DEVIL IN ME

MOBY

REPRISE

TOM PETTY

FINDING WILDFLOWERS (ALTERNATE VERSIONS)

DEL AMITRI

FATAL MISTAKES

JULIA STONE

SIXTY SUMMERS

GOODBYE MR MACKENZIE

A NIGHT IN THE WINDY CITY

TEENAGE FANCLUB

ENDLESS ARCADE

THEATRE OF HATE

A THING OF BEAUTY

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE

AMAZÔNIA

BAND OF HOLY JOY

DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT

ST VINCENT

DADDY’S HOME

ANDREW FARRISS

ANDREW FARRISS

THE ORB

ABOLITION OF THE ROYAL FAMILIA – GUILLOTINE MIXES

LONEY DEAR

A LANTERN AND A BELL

NICK RHODES & WENDY BEVAN

ASTRONOMIA I: THE FALL OF SATURN

JUSTIN SULLIVAN

SURROUNDED

PRINCESS GOES TO THE BUTTERFLY MUSEUM

THANKS FOR COMING

PET SHOP BOYS

DISCOVERY: LIVE IN RIO 1994

YELLO

YELL40 YEARS

MARC ALMOND

ENCHANTED

BELINDA CARLISLE/ THE GO-GO’S

BELINDA/GOD BLESS THE GO-GO’S

THE OTHER TWO

…& YOU/SUPER HIGHWAYS/ THE OTHER DISC

DAVID BOWIE

THE WIDTH OF A CIRCLE

RICO

THAT MAN IS FORWARD/JAMA RICO

HOWARD JONES

IN THE RUNNING

ALPHAVILLE

AFTERNOONS IN UTOPIA/ THE BREATHTAKING BLUE

TOYAH

THE BLUE MEANING

THE BLUETONES

SUPERIOR QUALITY RECORDINGS 1994-2002/EXPECTING TO FLY

SONIA

EVERYBODY KNOWS – THE SINGLES BOX SET

BOBBY WOMACK

THE POET/THE POET II

MADNESS

7

LAURIE ANDERSON

BIG SCIENCE

THE BANGLES

SWEETHEART OF THE SUN

IT BITES

THE TALL SHIPS/ MAP OF THE PAST

THICK PIGEON

SUBWAY (SINGLES)

CANDY DULFER

THE ESSENTIAL

METRONOMY

THE ENGLISH RIVIERA

TRAVIS

GOOD FEELING

MY ROCK’N’ROLL FRIEND

TRACEY THORN

BEAUTIFUL COLORS

ANDREW GOLUB

LIVES OF THE MUSICIANS: DAVID BOWIE

ROBERT DIMERY

MADONNA – ADORE

KENJI WAKASUGI