WELCOME

, Editor We don’t do things by half

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Best known for editing Teletext’s music pages Planet

Tears For Fears have finally reached their Tipping Point

Tears For Fears have announced details of their

ABBA REVEAL MORE ABOUT AVATAR LIVE SHOWS AND NEW STUDIO ALBUM

After thrilling fans with the announcement of a

LITTLE BOOTS STEPS INTO ABBA’S BAND

ABBA have enlisted A-list talent to play in

HOLD ME TIGHTER IN THE RAIN

Having achieved fame as the man who stepped

DEXYS SET TO REIMAGINE TOO-RYE-AY 40 YEARS ON

Dexys have enlisted Robbie Williams for a bold

ASTLEY AND BLOSSOMS TEAM UP FOR SMITHS TRIBUTE

Rick Astley has bravely labelled indie favourites Blossoms

Q+A MATT GOSS

THE ONE-TIME TEEN HEARTTHROB IS ABOUT TO MOVE BACK TO THE UK AND HAS A NEW SOLO ALBUM ON THE WAY. BUT WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH NEW BROS MUSIC? WE FIND OUT…

IAN PEEL‘S A TO Z of POP

W IS FOR… WOGAN

CATCH AS CATCH CAN

Love Blonde is a great Kim Wilde single,

MIDGE URE REVEALS 80S PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION

Spanning afive-year period from 1980-85, In A Picture Frame showcases the photography skills of Midge Ure. The collection includes shots highlighting Ultravox’s ascent to stardom during the early 80s as well as band video shoots and promos that Ure directed for other artists. Famous names included in the 240-page hardback book include Phil Lynott, Fun Boy Three, Glenn Gregory, Spandau Ballet, Paula Yates, Peter Saville, Conny Plank and George Martin. Here Midge talks Classic Pop through a selection from the book

Q+A EDDIE LUNDON

WITH CHINA CRISIS LIMBERING UP TO CELEBRATE THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM, DIFFICULT SHAPES & PASSIVE RHYTHMS, GUITARIST EDDIE LUNDON REVEALS ALL ABOUT THEIR FUTURE PLANS

THE POD SQUAD

CHECKING IN WITH OUR FAVOURITE CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY PODCASTS

COMMUNARDS’ DEBUT ANNIVERSARY REISSUE

The Communards’ self-titled debut album is to be

ABC CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF LEXICON WITH ORCHESTRAL TOUR

Martin Fry is heading back out on the

ANDY TAYLOR AND REEF CONFIRM NEW ALBUM

Former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has recorded

THIS MONTH IN POP

NOVEMBER 1984

TOP TEN

WEEK BEGINNING 08 NOVEMBER 1981

Dead or Alive Mad, Bad, And Dangerous To Know

AFTER ACHIEVING MTV FAME WITH ONE OF THE 80S MOST ICONIC POP SONGS, COULD LIGHTNING STRIKE TWICE FOR DEAD OR ALIVE? JON O’BRIEN TAKES A LOOK AT WHY THE BAND’S UNDERAPPRECIATED THIRD STUDIO LONG-PLAYER DESERVES A CRITICAL REAPPRAISAL

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

BELINDA CARLISLE/ THE GO-GO’S LIZZY SMITH TENTERDEN,

BLONDIE ANNOUNCE THEIR SPLIT

1 NOVEMBER 1982

BLACK TO THE FUTURE

AS THEIR RECENT SINGLE ANNIVERSARY HINTED, IT’S 40 YEARS SINCE DURAN DURAN FIRST BEAMED ON TO PLANET EARTH. RATHER THAN CELEBRATE WITH A HITS TOUR, THEY’RE RELEASING A STUNNING NEW ALBUM, WHERE ALL FOUR WILD BOYS – AND NEW GUEST GRAHAM COXON – ARE AT THEIR PEAK. IN THE COMPLETE INSIDE STORY OF FUTURE PAST, THE BAND TELL CLASSIC POP HOW THEY’VE BEEN INSPIRED BY THEIR OLD 12" SINGLES, DR DISCO… AND A TELLING-OFF FROM SIMON LE BON’S DAUGHTER

DURAN DURAN AKA ‘THE WEDDING ALBUM’

DURAN DURAN

SONGS OF FREEDOM

THE 90S MARKED ONE OF DAVID BOWIE’S MOST CREATIVELY FERTILE PERIODS. AS THE ERA GETS A MUCH-DESERVED BOXSET, WE TALK TO TWO KEY COLLABORATORS, REEVES GABRELS AND MIKE GARSON, TO FIND OUT MORE

DAVID SYLVIAN

IN A CAREER SPANNING MORE THAN FIVE DECADES, DAVID SYLVIAN’S SOLO WORKS HAVE ENCOMPASSED POP, JAZZ, AMBIENT AND FREE IMPROVISATION

FRIENDS: THE REUNION

AS THE BACKING VOCALISTS IN WHAM!, PEPSI & SHIRLIE WEREN’T SO MUCH 20 FEET FROM STARDOM AS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF GEORGE MICHAEL AND ANDREW RIDGELEY’S SUCCESS. THE FOUR WERE A TIGHT GANG FOR LIFE. ON THEIR OWN, THEY WERE A FORWARD-THINKING DUO, THE FIRST POPSTERS TO HAVE THEIR OWN CLOTHING RANGE. LIVING HAPPILY PRIVATE LIVES SINCE, THEY TELL CLASSIC POP THEIR REMARKABLE TALE AS THEY FINALLY BREAK COVER AFTER 30 YEARS

IT’S ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE

PEPSI & SHIRLIE

“EVERYONE WAS INSPIRED AND IT FLOODED THROUGH THE CITY”

808 STATE WERE ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE RAVE OUTFITS OF THE EARLY 90S. NOW 32 YEARS ON FROM THEIR BREAKTHROUGH STUDIO ALBUM 90, FOUNDER MEMBER GRAHAM MASSEY REVEALS ALL ABOUT LIFE AT THE FOREFRONT OF DANCE MUSIC

COVER VERSIONS OF THE 80S

BREATHING FRESH LIFE INTO OLD CLASSICS OR RADICALLY REINVENTING THEM, WE CELEBRATE 20 OF THE FINEST REBOOTS

REVIEWS

THE HOT LIST 76 What we’re talking about

FUTURE PAST

BMG ★★★★★ THE BEST WAY TO MARK 40

THE BRIDGE

UMC ★★★★ On his 15th album’s first single,

THE NEARER THE FOUNTAIN, MORE PURE THE STREAM FLOWS

TRANSGRESSIVE ★★★★ Damon Albarn’s second solo album opens

MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

PARLOPHONE ★★★★★ AFTER 2019’S OUTSTANDING EVERYDAY LIFE, COLDPLAY

THE JOURNEY

TOWNSEND MUSIC ★★★ Life doesn’t always offer second

THE TEARS OF HERCULES

RHINO ★★★★ “It was great while it lasted,”

IMPOSTER

SONY MUSIC ★★★★ For their third collaborative LP

OUTSIDER

VIRGIN ★★★ Though Roger Taylor remains so tangled

THE COMEBACK SPECIAL

CINEOLA / EARMUSIC ★★★ When The The frontman

FOLDING LINES

KARTEL ★★★ Monaco, The Other Two, Revenge, Bad

THE MILLION THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED

COOKING VINYL ★★★★ Even if his arrangements are

THE LOCKDOWN SESSIONS

EMI ★★ In April 2020, Elton John stepped

HARMONICS OF THE NIGHT

FLICKERING SHADOW ★★★ Former Police man Andy Summers’

FLYING DREAM 1

POLYDOR ★★★★ Sentimentality in any art is confusing,

OCEAN TO OCEAN

DECCA ★★★★ Over the years, Kate Bush –

ACOUSTIC HYMNS VOL 1

BMG ★★★★ Spanning both his self-penned Urban Hymns

TIME FLIES

BMG ★★★★ Arriving in 2008, New Zealand maverick

JUNO TO JUPITER

DECCA ★★★★ Vangelis’ latest, which provides a cinematic

ABRAN WISH AND THE LIGHT PARTY

JAR RECORDS ★★★★ A key member of Archive

MERCURIAL WORLD

LUMINELLE ★★★ This Miami duo’s debut makes little

CLINKER

LES DISQUES DU CRÉPUSCULE ★★★ Julie Campbell must

WE ARE THE TIMES

ANNIVERSARY ★★★★★ Brought to western attention by the

HALLOWEEN KILLS OST

JOHN CARPENTER, CODY CARPENTER AND DANIEL DAVIES

RELEASING THE SHEEP

WESTPARK ★★★★ Latin Quarter’s latest leans on both

PRIORITISE PLEASURE

FICTION ★★★★ Formerly of Slow Club, Rebecca Lucy

PATTERN RECOGNITION

BYTES ★★★★ On his debut as GLOK, Ride

BOOK

IDLEWILD ★★★ After a relatively long three-year gap,

BRILLIANT ADVENTURE (1992-2001)

PARLOPHONE ★★★★★ PUTTING HIS DIVISIVE 80S OUTPUT BEHIND

NATIONAL ALBUM DAY

VARIOUS LABELS This year’s theme of women in

ESSENTIAL BOXERBEAT

COOKING VINYL ★★★★ An exciting surprise reunion, JoBoxers

ARCHITECTURE & MORALITY: THE SINGLES

© Getty UMC/EMI ★★★★ LIFE BEGINS AT 40:

I SAY I SAY I SAY

MUTE BMG ★★★ Although Erasure’s sixth album I

DEMODELICA/SCREAMADELICA: THE 12" SINGLES

SONY ★★★/★★★★ The 30th anniversary of Screamadelica is

OUT OF THE BLUE/ELECTRIC YOUTH

CHERRY POP ★★★★/★★★★ Overdue a good reissue campaign,

SPICE

UMC/EMI ★★ After the recent vinyl release of

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: FISHERMAN’S BLUES/ROOM TO ROAM BAND, 1989-90

CHRYSALIS ★★★★ When, in the late 80s, Mike

REMIXED VOLUME 1 (1985-2000)

RHINO ★★★★ Previously averse to rarities and expanded

CROCODILES/HEAVEN UP HERE/ PORCUPINE/OCEAN RAIN/ FLOWERS/SIBERIA

RHINO/DEMON ★★★/★★★★/★★★★ /★★★★★/★★★★ /★★ With a rescheduled tour

NOW YEARBOOK ‘84

NOW ★★★★★ Launched in June with the exceptional

35TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

CHERRY RED ★★★★ While Demon issued a solid

FAN THE FLAME PART 2: THE RESURRECTION

DEMON ★★★★ After the commercial failure of the

LIFE THRU A LENS/I’VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU

UMC/ISLAND ★★★★/★★★ After Take That, Robbie Williams’ Oasis-like

THE SUN SHINES HERE: THE ROOTS OF INDIE-POP (1980-84)

CHERRY RED ★★★★ A 74-song 3CD compilation remembering

DAYS OF SPEED/ILLUMINATION

CRAFT ★★★/★★★★ Acoustic live album Days Of Speed

HIPSWAY

PAST NIGHT FROM GLASGOW ★★★ The band featuring

MUSIC MADNESS

DEMON ★★★★ After their 1985 debut The Album

EVERYTHING PICTURE

ONE LITTLE INDEPENDENT ★★★★ A wonderfully ambitious band

SONGS IN A MINOR

RCA/LEGACY ★★★★ Launching a megastar, the 20th anniversary

PRETENDERS/PRETENDERS II

RHINO ★★★★/★★★★ Curated by Chrissie Hynde, new 3CD

101

© Alamy SONY ★★★★ DEPECHE’S INFLUENTIAL DOCUMENTARY AND

SEACLOSE PARK, ISLE OF WIGHT

© Callum Baker 16-19 SEPTEMBER ★★★★ DURAN DURAN,

TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM

22 SEPTEMBER ★★★★ Nowadays, artists performing their albums

CAMDEN ROUNDHOUSE

5 SEPTEMBER ★★★★ THIS ISN’T PHIL TALKING: TURNING

MAJOR LABELS: A HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC IN SEVEN GENRES

CANONGATE ★★★★★ With its ambitious title and page

I FEEL LOVE: DONNA SUMMER, GIORGIO MORODER AND HOW THEY REINVENTED MUSIC

BACKBEAT BOOKS ★★★★ September 2021 and Strictly Come

CRIES AND WHISPERS 1983-1991

BURNING SHED ★★★★ Now out in hardback, the

THE LISTENING PARTY

DK PUBLISHING ★★★★ 2020 will always be remembered