WELCOME TO CLASSIC POP

IF YOU WANT A PERFECT MISSION STATEMENT FROM A BAND, THEN YOU WON’T GO TOO FAR WRONG WITH A QUOTE FROM ANNIE LENNOX IN OUR COVER FEATURE THIS MONTH. “YOU CAN DO EXTREME THINGS – SURREAL AND EMOTIONAL, ABSTRACT AND AVANT-GARDE – IN THE NAME OF POP MUSIC.” AND THEREBY HANGS AT LEAST SOME OF THE ATTRACTION OF ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTS THAT THE UK HAS EVER PRODUCED.

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POP UP

New generation sweeps the BRITs

1 HIT WONDER

No.39

POP UP

Wannabe starting something?

Soft Cell wave goodbye

Soft Cell are to reunite for one final time at London’s

Pop Quiz

1Whose harmonica solo features on Eurythmics’ There

POP UP

BURIED TREASURES

’Nanas are really saying something

While they don’t know what their future holds, the

LOST & FOUND

No.39

POPMASTER LIVE!

Music quizzers braved the elements to make it through

No TOTP? It’s a sin!

It’s been off air for more than a decade but Pet Shop

Bath time for Roland and Curt

Tears For Fears will be returning to their home city

Weller taken by George’s heavy soul

Paul Weller wants to make an entire record with Boy

POP UP

Will tomorrow come?

Human after all

Ian Burden, The Human League‘s former keyboard player

GODFATHERS of POP

With his penchant for mixing the outwardly cheery sounds

Video Tech

THREE PROMOS FROM MADONNA’S NOUGHTIES VAULT

POP UP

Taylor-made for success

GODFATHERS Of POP

Owen Paul is best known for his 1986 single My Favourite

Take That and meditate

Howard Donald is using meditation to help write his

POP UP

A question of time

Janelle’s Kiss to Prince

It’s no coincidence that Janelle Monáe’s comeback single

IAN PEEL’S A TO Z Of POP

THEY’RE SEEN AS THE FLOTSAM AND JETSAM OF POP, RARELY AFFORDED ANY OF THE KUDOS OF SINGLES BY ARTISTS WITH MORE LONGEVITY, BUT I THINK IT’S HIGH TIME THAT THE ONE-HIT WONDER WAS REASSESSED

POP APRiL

WHAM! BECOME THE FIRST WESTERN ACT TO PERFORM IN CHINA AND THE CLASH’S JOE STRUMMER GOES AWOL DURING APRIL’S MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN MUSIC HISTORY

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

We Two Are ONE

RECOGNISED AS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MALE-FEMALE DUO OF ALL TIME, EURYTHMICS DOMINATED THE 80S WITH THEIR SHINY ELECTRONIC SOUL AND R&B-INFLECTED POP-ROCK. WITH THE RE-RELEASE OF THEIR BACK CATALOGUE ON VINYL, ANNIE LENNOX AND DAVE STEWART TALK CANDIDLY TO CLASSIC POP, IN THIS WORLD EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP, THEIR MUSIC, THEIR 40-YEAR CAREER, AND THE FUTURE OF THEIR PARTNERSHIP.

CLASSIC ALBUM SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS)

STIFLED AND FRUSTRATED BY THEIR TIME IN THE TOURISTS, DAVE STEWART AND ANNIE LENNOX PACKED THEIR BAGS TO FORM EURYTHMICS. WITH A NEW SOUND AND A NEW IMAGE, THEIR SECOND ALBUM BROUGHT THEM SUCCESS BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS.

KEEPING IT REAL

BEFORE THEIR BITTER SEPARATION, UB40 WERE BRITAIN’S MOST CELEBRATED REGGAE OUTFIT. NOW, WITH TWO ACTS ADOPTING THE MONIKER AND A DIVIDE TOO DEEP TO RECONCILE, UB40 FEATURING ALI, ASTRO & MICKEY, TELL CLASSIC POP ALL ABOUT THE SOUR SPLIT, THEIR NEW ALBUM AND WHY REGGAE IS A REAL LABOUR OF LOVE…

THE LOW DOWN

HE WAS THE BEDSIT BARD WITH A NEAT LINE IN WITHERING ONE-LINERS, WHO DISSOLVED THE SMITHS – THE TRUE GODFATHERS OF BRITPOP – FOR A SOLO CAREER THE BACKBITERS SAID WOULD NEVER LAST. HOW MORRISSEY HAS REVELLED IN PROVING THEM ALL WRONG.

He came, He SAW, He conquered!

AS PART OF THE LEGENDARY PRODUCTION TRIO STOCK, AITKEN AND WATERMAN, MIKE STOCK COULD EASILY – AND INDEED DOES – LAY CLAIM TO BEING ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SONGWRITERS OF ALL TIME. HE JOINS CLASSIC POP TO LOOK BACK OVER SAW’S EXTRAORDINARY ASSAULT ON THE POP CHARTS. “AS A BAND, I RECKON MATT AITKEN AND I HAVE BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN THE BEATLES,” HE SAYS BEFORE CLARIFYING: “IT’S NOT A QUALITY STATEMENT, JUST THE SHEER NUMBERS!”

TOP 15 SAW albums

MARK ELLIOTT, A STOCK AITKEN & WATERMAN EXPERT AND AUTHOR OF THE MINISTRY OF POP, REVEALS HIS FAVOURITE RECORDS TO COME OUT OF THE HIT FACTORY…

MADONNA the second coming

CHANNELLING SPIRITUALITY AND STATE-OF-THE-ART ELECTRONICA, MADONNA LAID HERSELF BARE EMOTIONALLY, ESCHEWED THE HEADLINE-GRABBING ANTICS OF HER PAST AND PULLED OFF THE MOTHER OF ALL COMEBACKS WITH HER MYSTICAL MASTERPIECE THAT NOW CELEBRATES ITS 20TH BIRTHDAY – HER 1998 ALBUM,RAY OF LIGHT

Altered OUTLOOK

FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THEIR 4CD BOXSET, THE EPIC YEARS, ALTERED IMAGES’ EXUBERANT SINGER CLARE GROGAN TALKS CLASSIC POP THROUGH THE CAREER OF THE EFFERVESCENT POST-PUNK POP STARS

SO MUCH TO ANSWER FOR Sweden

FOLLOWING IN THE WAKE OF ABBA, SWEDISH BANDS AND ARTISTS HAVE INCREASINGLY MADE THEIR WAY TO THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

KEN SCOTT

KEN SCOTT CUT HIS STUDIO TEETH WITH THE BEATLES, BUT IT WAS HIS WORK WITH DAVID BOWIE THAT TRANSFORMED HIM INTO AN ICONIC RECORD PRODUCER AND RESULTED IN FOUR LEGENDARY ALBUMS. CLASSIC POP MEETS THE MAN BEHIND ZIGGY AND MUCH MORE…

DANCING IN THE DARK

NORWAY’S DATAROCK HAVE BEEN MISSING IN ACTION FOR A WHILE BUT THE COLOURFUL, ATHLETICALLY DRESSED, PRANKSTERS ARE FINALLY UNVEILING THEIR NEW ALBUM, FACE THE BRUTALITY

CELEBREATE YOU BABY

AS BMG REISSUES FATBOY SLIM’S 1998 LP YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY AS PART OF THEIR ART OF THE ALBUM SERIES, CLASSIC POP LOOKS BACK ON THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF A BIG BEAT CLASSIC THAT REVOLUTIONISED DANCE MUSIC…

TOP TEN WEEK ENDING 15 APR 1989

AN ETERNAL BANGLES BALLAD, MADONNA PUSHES THE BUTTONS OF POLITE SOCIETY AND STOCK, AITKEN & WATERMAN KEEP THE HITS COMING

POPARAZZI

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

MATTHEW RUDD

THE HOST OF FORGOTTEN 80S ON ABSOLUTE 80S RADIO CHECKS OUT AN ECLECTIC MIX OF NEW SINGLES INCLUDING TRACEY THORN, CHVRCHES, LISA STANSFIELD, EELS AND A POLISHED UP DEMO FROM MEL & KIM

KYLIE MINOGUE

EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE EVERGREEN AUSSIE TAKES ON COUNTRY & WESTERN, DRAGS IT TO THE DISCO, AND EMERGES YET AGAIN BLOWIN’ UP A STORM…

LISA STANSFIELD

DEEPER

MANIC STREET PREACHERS

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

HENRY PRIESTMAN & LES GLOVER

SIX OF ONE & HALF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER

DAPHNE & CELESTE

DAPHNE & CELESTE SAVE THE WORLD

PLENTY

IT COULD BE HOME

JB DUNCKEL

H+

THE ACES

WHEN MY HEART FELT VOLCANIC

FRANÇOISE HARDY

PERSONNE D’AUTRE

HE DAMNED

EVIL SPIRITS

SPEAR OF DESTINY

TONTINE

JESUS JONES

PASSAGES

CHRIS CARTER

CHRIS CARTER’S CHEMISTRY LESSONS VOLUME ONE

EELS

THE DECONSTRUCTION

GREGORY DARLING

MADLY

IAN BURDEN

HEY HEY HO HUM

ALEXIS TAYLOR

BEAUTIFUL THING

LATIN QUARTER

PANTOMIME OF WEALTH

THE BREEDERS

ALL NERVE

DAVID BOWIE

BOWIE’S ART-ROCK MONOLITHS GET REISSUED ON INDIVIDUAL 180g VINYL – PROVING WHY THEY REMAIN HIS CROWNING OFF-KILTER GLORIES

COCTEAU TWINS

HEAD OVER HEELS/ TREASURE

JULIANA HATFIELD

HEY BABE (25TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE)

MICHAEL HENDERSON

TAKE ME I’M YOURS – THE BUDDAH YEARS

JONATHAN BUTLER

SARAH, SARAH – THE ANTHOLOGY

BARRY WHITE

THE COMPLETE 20TH CENTURY RECORDS SINGLES (1973-1979)

VARIOUS ARTISTS

SEVENTIES ANTHEMS

BANANARAMA

LIVE AT THE EVENTIM HAMMERSMITH APOLLO

MATTHEW COLLIN

RAVE ON: GLOBAL ADVENTURES IN ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC

SAMANTHA FOX WITH LEIF ERIKSSON AND MARTIN SVENSSON

FOREVER

BRETT ANDERSON

COAL BLACK MORNINGS

SIMPLE MINDS

BARROWLAND, GLASGOW

FRANZ FERDINAND

O2 ACADEMY, BIRMINGHAM

PAUL YOUNG

MAMA ROUX’S, BIRMINGHAM

SEAL

SYMPHONY HALL, BIRMINGHAM

ICONS OF THE 80s

SYMPHONY HALL, BIRMINGHAM

CLASSIC POP MOMENT

WE ARE THE WORLD RISES TO NO.1