THE LOWDOWN: DEACON BLUE

WELCOME TO CLASSIC pop

WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT POP’S PERPETUAL ABILITY TO

POP.UP MARK HOLLIS

Talk Talk’s enigmatic and revolutionary frontman Mark

1-HIT WONDER

Leon Haywood‘s only UK hit was a classic example of

LOST & FOUND

What was bad and lowdown about the Kane Gang’s world

POP QUIZ

1 Squeeze filmed the videos for Cool For Cats and Up

GODFATHERS OF POP

Alphaville remain best known in the UK for their debut

GODFATHERS OF POP

The founding bassist of Talk Talk, Paul Webb formed

IAN PEEL’S A TO Z of POP

IT’S NOT IN THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY OR THE URBAN

THIS MONTH IN POP APRIL 1985

IN OUR ROUND-UP OF APRIL 1985’s BIGGEST MOMENTS IN POP, A-HA RELEASE TAKE ON ME, WHAM! GO TO CHINA, FREDDIE MERCURY GOES SOLO AND USA FOR AFRICA HIT THE TOP SPOT…

CLASSIC POP MOMENTS

No.51 THE FREDDIE MERCURY TRIBUTE CONCERT AT WEMBLEY

Once you pOp, you can’t StOp

NORMAL SERVICE HAS BEEN RESUMED. A F TER THEI R ONE-TIME ONLY REUNION TOUR WI TH SIOBHAN FAHEY, BANANARAMA ARE BACK WI TH THEI R F I RST S TUD IO ALBUM IN 10 YEARS. SAR A DAL L IN AND KEREN WOODWARD TALK ABOUT POP ’S U PL I F T ING POWER, PAT T I SMI TH AND RA- RA SKI RT -WEARING TRAUMA.

CLASSIC ALBUM SPIRIT OF EDEN TALK TALK

THIRTY-ONE YEARS AGO, TALK TALK’S FOURTH LP WAS SPURNED UPON ITS RELEASE, LASTED ONLY FIVE WEEKS IN THE UK CHARTS AND LED THE BAND TO TAKE EMI TO COURT. THESE DAYS, IT’S CONSIDERED AN INCOMPARABLE WORK OF GENIUS.

POPARAZZi

READERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE PHOTOS AS THEY GET UP

@SQUEEZE

SONG BY SONG

STAND BY YOUR FAN

WE PROFILE SUPERFANS EVERY MONTH IN CLASSIC POP. BUT

THE 40s GREATEST MISSES

NOT ALL GREAT SINGLES BECOME CHART-CONQUERING HITS. MANY SOMEHOW ELUDE THE TOP 40, HOVERING UNCHERISHED JUST OUTSIDE IT, BEYOND THE REMIT OF TOP OF THE POPS OR RADIO 1’S SUNDAY EVENING RUNDOWN. BUT THESE SONGS NEED CELEBRATING, TOO, AND SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, HERE IS OUR LIST OF THE GREATEST SINGLES THAT, FOR SOME REASON OR OTHER, FAILED TO TICKLE THE HIT PARADE…

CLASSIC POP TOP TEN WEEK ENDING 8 APRIL 1984

SHAKY GETS SLUSHY, LIONEL SAYS ‘HELLO’, THE WEATHER GIRLS ISSUE THEIR WEATHER REPORT, THE SPECIAL AKA CAMPAIGN FOR THE RELEASE OF NELSON MANDELA AND MORE…

Writing his own luck

HOW DID A SCRUFFY SCHOOL DROPOUT FROM SALFORD WRITE SONGS THAT CAME TO DEFINE THE MADCHESTER ERA? AS FABER PUBLISHES A COLLECTION OF HIS LYRICS, SHAUN RYDER TELLS CLASSIC POP ABOUT HIS LIFE AS A WORDSMITH…

HALL & OATES

BACK TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE WI TH AN ARENA TOUR, DARYL HAL L & JOHN OATES MADE SEL L ING 40 MI L L ION ALBUMS LOOK AND SOUND EFFORT LESS. SO WHY AR E THEY REFUSING TO MAKE A NEW RECORD? AND HOW CLOSE D I D THEY COME TO THINKING THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE WORKED TOGETHER AT A L L? THE SEL F - PROCLAIMED JACKASSES TEL L A L L…

THE PRODUCERS BEHIND THE MUSIC GARY STEVENSON

HE HELPED LAUNCH GO WEST, FOUND SUCCESS WITH RICK ASTLEY AND RECENTLY MADE THE CHARTS AGAIN WITH TONY HADLEY. THEN THERE’S WORKING WITH GARY BARLOW AND A WHOLE SET OF 80s ICONS TO TALK ABOUT. WELCOME TO THE HIT-MAKING WORLD OF PRODUCER EXTRAORDINAIRE GARY STEVENSON…

SUPERFAN

Q When did you first become a Superfan of your favourite

SINGLES

THE HOST OF FORGOTTEN 80s ON ABSOLUTE 80s RADIO CHECKS

BANANARAMA IN STEREO

NOW BACK TO THE CORE DUO OF SARA DALLIN AND KEREN WOODWARD, THE ‘NANA’S RETURN WITH A VENGEANCE…

NEW ORDER MOVEMENT (DEFINITIVE EDITION)

EIGHTEEN MONTHS ON FROM THE SUICIDE OF IAN CURTIS, NEW ORDER’S DEBUT ALBUM FOUND THE BAND TRYING TO REDEFINE THEIR SOUND…

R.E.M. THE BEST OF R.E.M. IN TIME 1988–2003 CRAFT RECORDINGS

THE FINEST THAT ATHENS, GEORGIA, HAS TO OFFER DESERVE A DEFINITIVE CAREER-SPANNING BEST OF. SADLY, THIS ISN’T IT…

TEARS FOR FEARS RESORTS WORLD ARENA, BIRMINGHAM

ROLAND AND CURT ROLL OUT THE BIG HITS FOR THEIR RESCHEDULED UK TOUR. BUT ARE THE DUO STILL SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT?

THE REVOLUTION SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE, LONDON

WHO BETTER TO CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF A MUSICAL ICON THAN THE BACKING BAND THAT SUPPLIED THE GROOVES FOR HIS BEST WORK?

HOLY HOLY TOWN HALL BIRMINGHAM

Of all the various tributes currently attracting crowds

BRYAN ADAMS SSE WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON

THE LAUNCH FOR NEW ALBUM SHINE A LIGHT IS THE 29TH TIME BRYAN ADAMS HAS PLAYED WEMBLEY ARENA, YET HE TREATS IT WITH ALL THE ENTHUSIASM OF A NEWCOMER