THE LOWDOWN: ABBA

WELCOME TO CLASSIC POP

I WAS HOPING TO WRITE THIS LATEST EDITOR’S LETTER WITH

POP-UP

”IF I INVITE SOMEONE TO MY STUDIO, THEY’RE MY GUEST.

1 HIT WONDER

You have to admire the nerve of any lyricist who claims

LOST & FOUND

Shalamar were still two years away from a life-defining

GODMOTHERS OF POP

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Robin S shot to

GODMOTHERS OF POP

Sonia Evans found fame in the summer of 1989, when

IAN PEEL’S A TO Z OF POP

LET’S PAY TRIBUTE TO SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS OF POP MUSIC HISTORY: THAT CURIOUS AND INSPIRATIONAL SUBSET OF BAND MEMBERS WHO NEVER ACTUALLY PLAYED ON ANY OF THEIR RECORDS

THIS MONTH IN POP

MTV IS LAUNCHED UPON UNSUSPECTING HOMES IN THE UNITED STATES, PET SHOP BOYS MEET BY CHANCE WHILE PULP TURN HEADS IN THEIR HOMETOWN OF SHEFFIELD

BACK for GOOD

HE FAMOUSLY RETIRED AT 27 BUT RICK ASTLEY WAS NEVER SERIOUSLY GONNA GIVE POP UP. IN 2016, LANCASHIRE’S FAVOURITE SON RETURNED TO TOAST A MILESTONE BIRTHDAY WITH AN ALBUM SIMPLY TITLED, 50. NOW, AS CLASSIC POP SPENDS A BALMY SUMMER’S AFTERNOON WITH THE MODEST STAR, HE REVEALS WHY LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.

CLASSIC ALBUM

A DANCE ALBUM YOU COULDN’T DANCE TO, A CLUB CLASSIC FOR WHEN THE CLUBS CLOSED – MASSIVE ATTACK’S BLUE LINES TRULY REDEFINED NOTIONS OF ARTIST, GROUP AND GENRE. CLASSIC POP EXPLORES THE AMORPHOUS 1991 DEBUT FROM THE BRISTOL COLLECTIVE THAT LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK ON BRITISH MUSIC HISTORY…

LIVING THE HIGH LIFE

MARTYN WARE LEADS US INTO TEMPTATION AND BEYOND AS HE TELLS THE STORY OF THE LUXURY GAP

COMING AROUND AGAIN

PROVING THAT FORM IS TEMPORARY YET CLASS IS PERMANENT, A WHOLE HOST OF MAJOR 60s ACTS HAD AN UNEXPECTED CAREER RESURGENCE AS BONA FIDE CHART STARS IN THE 80s

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

*Savings are available to UK Direct Debit and overseas

@ABBA IN THE STUDIO

WITH ABBA RECENTLY ANNOUNCING THEY’VE FINISHED TWO NEW SONGS – THEIR FIRST NEW MATERIAL FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS – CLASSIC POP TRACES THE BAND’S LIFE IN THE STUDIO AND SPEAKS TO ONE OF THE BAND’S HISTORIANS AND RECORDING EXPERT, CARL MAGNUS PALM

STEPPING OUT OF THE SHADOW

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, DANNII MINOGUE REINVENTED HERSELF AS A CLUB SCENE ICON WITH NEON NIGHTS, A CLASSIC OF THE GENRE WHICH BEARS FAVOURABLE COMPARISON TO BIG SIS KYLIE’S FEVER AND MADONNA’S CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR. AS THE ALBUM IS RE-RELEASED ON VINYL, SHE REFLECTS ON A TURNING POINT IN HER CAREER, AND MUCH MORE.

THE HUMAN LEAGUE

SYNTH - POP TITANS THE HUMAN LEAGUE HAVE SERVED UP SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC ELECTRONIC MUSIC OF THE LAST 40 YEARS CLASSIC POP MEETS THE BAND TO HEAR THEIR IN IMITABLE TAKE ON AN IMPRESSIVE BACK CATALOGUE

UP WHERE SHE BELONGS

BACK IN THE 80s, JENNIFER WARNES WAS HAVING THE TIME OF HER LIFE. MORE RECENT YEARS, HOWEVE R, HAVE LEFT HER DOWN IN THE DUMPS. HER NEW ALBUM’S THE PERFECT REMEDY.

CLASSIC 80S GREATEST HITS

SOME LEGENDARY CLASSIC POP ACTS ARE RE-RELEASING THEIR BEST-OFS ON VINYL – AND YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON COPIES IN OUR LATEST COMPETITION

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 EXCITING AND ECLECTIC MIX OF TRACKS FROM KIM WILDE, JAMES, THE CORAL, SHERYL CROW VIA PAUL MCCARTNEY, U2 AND MORE

ALL SAINTS

THE LONDON QUARTET FOLLOW 2016’S COMEBACK LP, RED FLAG, WITH A SLIGHTLY FLAWED BUT RARELY DISAPPOINTING FIFTH ALBUM THAT’S NOT JUST FOR THE LADIES…

GORILLAZ

There’s a peculiarly English criticism that’s often

SOFT CELL

CAN YOU EVER CONTAIN LIGHTNING IN A BOX(SET)? YES YOU CAN, AS THIS ERA-SPANNING SIGN-OFF FROM THE 80s ELECTROPOP PIONEERS PROVES SO WELL

DEPECHE MODE

WITNESS THE MUSICAL GROWING PAINS OF A BAND AS THE ESSEX ELECTRO-POPPERS GET TO GRIPS WITH A NEW LINE-UP AND THEIR OWN EMERGING SOUND

VARIOUS ARTISTS

THE ORIGINAL NOW! ALBUM WEANED A WHOLE GENERATION OFF RECORDING POP SONGS FROM THE SUNDAY EVENING RADIO 1 COUNTDOWN

COMPILATIONS

Representing the novelty wing of the early 80s British

LONG LIVE VINYL

FROM THE 80S POP OF JAPAN AND A-HA TO THE UNLIKELY COLLABORATIONS OF GARY NUMAN AND RADIO HEART, PLUS TREVOR HORN’S HOOK-UP WITH YES, WE RUN OUR CRITICAL EYE OVER THE LATEST HOT VINYL RELEASES…

BOOKS

Studio 54 first unhooked its velvet rope 41 years ago

DAVID BYRNE

AS A PERFORMER AND ARTIST WHO HAS NEVER BEEN RESTRICTED TO OR DEFINED BY MUSIC ALONE, BYRNE CUTS LOOSE WITH SOMETHING FAR MORE THEATRICAL h3@BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY HALL

DEPECHE MODE

ON A SCORCHING HOT WEEKEND WHERE THE SUBLIME DISCO FUNK OF NILE RODGERS COMFORTABLY SAT ALONGSIDE A SWAGGERING LIAM GALLAGHER, BASILDON’S FINEST WOW AND CONFUSE IN EQUAL MEASURE…

BILLY IDOL

THE PEROXIDE PUNK TURNED VIDEO STAR SETS OUT TO PROVE HE’S STILL KING ROCKER

SUZANNE VEGA

WITH A CAREER SPANNING FOUR DECADES, THIS DEFIANT NEW YORK POET AND HER MUSIC HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME – JUST DON’T CALL IT NOSTALGIC…