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OUR CONTRIBUTORS

The winner of the Best Writer, Specialist category,

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ALISON MOYET SONG? (SOLO OR YAZOO)

EDITOR Steve Harnell steve.harnell@anthem.co.uk Situation *1 SENIOR ART

WELCOME

Rewind to 2020 and you’d find me immersed

SMALLTOWN BOY GOES GLOBAL ON TIKTOK

“The Age Of Consent is, and always will

PRIMAL SCREAM PREPARE FOR A FEISTY RETURN

© Adam Peter Johnson Primal Scream have announced

Careless Whisper’s 40th birthday EP

A special edition Careless Whisper EP, commemorating the

OBITUARY EVELYN THOMAS 22 AUGUST 1953 – 21 JULY 2024

Evelyn Thomas, the Hi-NRG disco queen who scored

PETER COX

PETER COX OF POP DUO GO WEST REFLECTS ON A LOVE AFFAIR WITH SOLO SONGWRITING THAT HAS LASTED NEARLY THREE DECADES

My POP life

THE TV AND RADIO IMPRESSIONIST RECALLS HIS LOVE OF FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, LEVEL 42 AND THE SMITHS

THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES

SIMON BARTHOLOMEW LOOKS BACK ON 30 YEARS OF THE FUNK BAND’S 1994 BROTHER SISTER ALBUM

PHIL COLLINS VINYL BOX HAS ALL SIDES COVERED

© Alastair Thain Aspecial edition 5LP vinyl boxset

Heaton hits the road with Mighty new LP

Paul Heaton will release a new solo LP,

1-HIT WONDER

TAKES A LITTLE TIME TOTAL CONTRAST London funk

SIMPLY RED STAR AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE OF ARTS

Manchester Metropolitan University has presented Simply Red’s Mick

SUEDE SHOOT FOR THE STARS AGAIN

Suede’s second album Dog Man Star, originally released

LOST & FOUND

TURN BACK THE CLOCK JOHNNY HATES JAZZ A

This month in POP SEPTEMBER 1984

TINA TOPS THE BILLBOARD SINGLES CHART FOR THE FIRST TIME, STEVIE SOUNDTRACKS A HIT ROM-COM MOVIE AND FREDDIE GOES IT ALONE

POPARAZZI

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

Tears & Fears

AS ULTRAVOX’S LAMENT GETS A DELUXE 40 TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE, SURVIVING MEMBERS MIDGE URE, BILLY CURRIE AND WARREN CANN LOOK BACK ON THE ALBUM THAT CALLED TIME ON THEIR IMPERIAL PHASE

TOP TEN

WEEK ENDING 23 SEPTEMBER 1990

KILIMANJARO THE TEARDROP EXPLODES

WITH KILIMANJARO, A DRUG-ADDLED JULIAN COPE AND HIS NOT-ALWAYS-MERRY BAND OF PSYCHEDELIC PRANKSTERS RELEASED ONE OF THE FIRST OF THE 80s’ FINEST ALBUMS. AS HIS MEMOIR RECALLS: “WOMEN WERE NICE TO ME. MEN COMPLIMENTED ME. I JUST SAT THERE DROOLING...”

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP

CLASSIC POP MOMENTS

BANANARAMA HIT NO.1 IN THE UNITED STATES

Songs in the Key of life

To mark Alison Moyet’s 40 th anniversary as a solo artist, she’s revisiting old songs for her new album. Key is also an excuse to tour –and to reflect on the constant turmoil that’s happened since Alf. Now Alison reveals all to Classic Pop about the trauma of fame, going incognito as an art student and the “physical euphoria” of keeping it real as a singer.

THE VISITORS ABBA

UNDERNEATH THE PRISTINE SHEEN OF ABBA’S FINAL STUDIO ALBUM BEFORE DISBANDING WAS A DARK UNDERTONE, LACED WITH BREAK-UPS AND COLD WAR PARANOIA. DESPITE FADING SALES, IT WAS NONETHELESS ANOTHER POP MASTERPIECE, MELDING HIGH ENERGY WITH TEARS ON THE DANCEFLOOR.

THE PL AYERS

ANNI-FRID LYNGSTAD The brunette separated from Benny shortly

THE SONGS

Agnetha Fältskog outside Polar Studios, Stockholm, where The

THE VIDEOS

ONE OF US For The Visitors, ABBA continued

“ABC WAS INTENSE. WE LIVED THOSE RECORDS.”

More than 40 years since becoming a star, Martin Fry is finally ready to tell his life story. Alongside his battles with cancer and alcoholism, Martin reveals to Classic Pop of his desire to keep ABC’s sound evolving, Trevor Horn’s poor attention span... and how he had to explain Bernie Clifton’s act to Lady Gaga.

JIMMY SOMERVILLE

RENOWNED FOR HIS PIERCING FALSETTO AND LGBTQ+ ACTIVISM, THE SINGER FIRST FOUND FAME AS THE FRONTMAN OF BRONSKI BEAT AND THE COMMUNARDS BEFORE LAUNCHING HIS OWN SPORADIC SOLO CAREER WHICH CONTINUED TO BREAK DOWN POP’S VOCAL AND THEMATIC BARRIERS

THE COMMUNARDS

Ina way, The Communards’ near-eponymous 1986 debut wasn’t

WIsh Fulfilment

A Secret Wish is right fully hailed as a dark synth-pop masterpiece, even if things went awry following its 1985 release. Now Propaganda are back, though there won’t be any “retro business”, says Ralf Dörper and Michael Mertens

TOP 2O RARITIES AND COLLECTABLES

FROM THE AFFORDABLE, THROUGH TO THE EYE-WATERINGLY EXPENSIVE AND THE VIRTUALLY UNATTAINABLE, WE PRESENT 20 OF OUR FAVOURITE CURIOS AND ARTEFACTS

Italo House

BANGING PIANO TUNES THAT ARE GUARANTEED TO FILL ANY DANCEFLOOR

CATCHING THE PERFECT WAEVE

SINCE BANDING TOGETHER DURING THE PANDEMIC, GRAHAM COXON AND ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL HAVE JUGGLED ROMANCE, MUSIC AND NAPPIES, NOT TO MENTION BLUR. AND NOW THE WAEVE HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO A DARKER SECOND LP, CITY LIGHTS.

REVIEWS

THE HOT LIST 80 Kim Wilde, Prince, The

THE HOT LIST

NEW RELEASES THAT NEED TO BE ON YOUR CULTURAL RADAR

ALISON MOYET

KEY

THE THE ENS OULMENT

AFTER A SERIES OF FILM SCORES AND A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE, MATT JOHNSON RETURNS TO THE FULL BAND APPROACH THAT FIRST WON HIM FANS

JAMIE XX

IN WAVES

FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION

BEAUTIFUL HAPPENING

BETTY BOO

RIP UP THE RULEBOOK

PROPAGANDA

PROPAGANDA

LL COOL J

THE FORCE

SNOW PATROL

THE FOREST IS THE PATH

WILL YOUNG

LIGHT IT UP

BLOSSOMS

GARY

NOGA EREZ

THE VANDALIST

PURPLE DISCO MACHINE

PARADISE

THE WAEVE

CITY LIGHTS

ACID KLAUS

P.T.S.D. BY PROXY

DECO

DESTINATION: I DON’T KNOW

SAD NIGHT DYNAMITE

WELCOME THE NIGHT

ARIANE X

BETTER

FONTAINES D.C.

ROMANCE

YANNIS &THE YAW

LAGOS PARIS LONDON

SHED SEVEN

LIQUID GOLD

ULTRAVOX

LAMENT

ALTERED IMAGES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY/PINKY BLUE

THE POLICE

SYNCHRONICITY

VARIOUS ARTISTS

NOW YEARBOOK ’87/ NOW YEARBOOK EXTRA ’93/ NOW EIGHTIES DANCEFLOOR: PURE POP/NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL 80s

OASIS

DEFINITELY MAYBE

LIGHTNING SEEDS

TOMORROW’S HERE TODAY: 35 YEARS OF/CLOUDCUCKOOLAND/ SENSE/DIZZY HEIGHTS/TILT

HEAVEN 17

PENTHOUSE AND PAVEMENT/ THE LUXURY GAP

PETER COX

THE DEEP DIVE: ANTHOLOGY 1997-2024

TOYAH

MINX

SAM SMITH

IN THE LONELY HOUR

VARIOUS ARTISTS

KATIE PUCKRIK PRESENTS A YACHT ROCK ODYSSEY

DEE C. LEE

SHRINE

COCTEAU TWINS AND HAROLD BUDD

THE MOON AND THE MELODIES

VARIOUS ARTISTS

DISCO DISCHARGE: DISCO LADIES/DISCO BOOGIE

JOHNNY MARR AND THE HEALERS

BOOMSLANG

SASH!

THE BEST OF

JULIAN COPE

SAINT JULIAN/MY NATION UNDERGROUND

BRETT ANDERSON

COLLECTED SOLO WORK

NELLY FURTADO

WOAH, NELLY!

MONACO

MUSIC FOR PLEASURE

PAUL WELLER

FLY ON THE WALL

KYLIE MINOGUE

BST HYDE PARK, LONDON

GIRLS ALOUD

RESORTS WORLD ARENA, BIRMINGHAM

THE SECRET PUBLIC: HOW LGBTQ PERFORMERS SHAPED POPULAR CULTURE (1955-1979)

JON SAVAGE

1984: THE YEAR POP WENT QUEER

IAN WADE

A CONTINUAL FAREWELL: MY LIFE IN LETTERS WITH TONY WILSON

LINDSAY READE

I WAS THERE

ALAN EDWARDS