HITS TO THE HEAD

WELCOME

@ClassicPopMag LISTEN NOW The renaissance of Tears For

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Writing for Classic Pop since our first issue,

POP UP

Bowie’s vinyl success David Bowie remains this century’s

1-HT WONDER

DO THE RIGHT THING REDHEAD KINGPIN & THE

LOUISE STARTS WORK ON “EMPOWERING” NEW STUDIO ALBUM

Louise Redknapp plans to make up for lost

80S HITS AND CLUB CLASSICS WITH STRINGS ATTACHED

Kim Wilde and Belinda Carlisle are among the

Q+A TIM FINN

THE CO-FOUNDER OF SPLIT ENZ, ONE HALF OF FINN BROTHERS, AND CO-WRITER OF CROWDED HOUSE’S MOST SUCCESSFUL STUDIO ALBUM, DISCUSSES 50 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS AND HIS NEW PROJECT WITH FORENZICS

THE POD SQUAD

CHECKING IN WITH OUR FAVOURITE CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY PODCASTS

BONO “EMBARRASSED” BY HIS VOCALS ON U2’S RECORDS

Bono has abandoned his usual self-confidence to admit

MARR BRUSHES OFF MOZ ‘CLICK-BAIT’ JIBE

© Getty The severed alliance of Morrissey and

MY POP LIFE

THE LINE OF DUTY ACTOR AND TWO SHOT PODCAST HOST TALKS US THROUGH HIS MUSIC OBSESSIONS…

LOST & FOUND

ONE TO ONE HOWARD JONES Praise as a

OLLY CALLS ON HIS 80S INFLUENCES

Years & Years’ Olly Alexander has explained that

JAMC SIGN NEW RECORD DEAL

Ahead of imminent new music, The Jesus &

IAN PEEL‘S A TO Z POP of U IS FOR... ULTRA-SHORT TRACKS

WHEN ROCK STARS GET CARRIED AWAY, THEIR HAIR GETS LONGER, THEIR GUITAR SOLOS GET LONGER, AND THEIR SONGS GET LONGER. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN POP GOES THE OTHER WAY? CAN YOU HAVE A CLASSIC POP TRACK THAT’S SO SHORT AND TO-THE-POINT IT’S LESS THAN THREE MINUTES LONG? OR EVEN LESS THAN THAT?

MARCH 1981

THIS MONTH, ROXY MUSIC HIT NO.1, ERIC CLAPTON FALLS ILL AND OZZY OSBOURNE FAILS HIS RSPB MEMBERSHIP BID

TOP TEN

DEAD OR ALIVE REACH NO.1 WITH AN ERA-DEFINING CLASSIC, STEPHEN DUFFY GETS SMOOCHY AND ASHFORD & SIMPSON HIT THE CHART AS SINGERS

C86

Your at-a-glance guide to some of our favourite sub-genres

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

THE POWER STATION RELEASE EPONYMOUS DEBUT

© Getty 25 MARCH 1985 Though fans were

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED

TEARS FOR FEARS’ LONG - AWAITED COMEBACK, THE

WISH THE CURE

FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF DISINTEGRATION, THE AMBITIOUS ALBUM WHICH MANY CONSIDER TO BE THEIR MAGNUM OPUS, ROBERT SMITH AND HIS MERRY BAND OF MOOD MERCHANTS SURVIVED A TURBULENT THREE YEARS TO RETURN WITH POSSIBLY THE MOST CURE-LIKE CURE RECORD IN THEIR DISCOGRAPHY

“ROCK MUSIC IS A GREAT VEHICLE TO EXPRESS THE EROTIC”

FEVER DREAMS PTS 1-4 IS THE FIRST DOUBLE ALBUM IN THE PROLIFIC FIVE-DECADE CAREER OF JOHNNY MARR. THE ICONIC GUITARIST REVEALS ALL ABOUT HIS VISIONARY NEW EPIC, THE INFLUENCE OF JAMES BOND, HIS FEARS OF BEING EARNEST  AND WHY HE’S FINALLY  DECIDED TO GET SEXY…

LIFE THROUGH A LENS

BOO’S IN THE HOUSE! BETTY’S CELEBRITY APPEARANCE AT A HMV OPENING DIDN’T QUITE GO TO PLAN

BANANARAMA

AFTER FIRST TAKING THEIR CUE FROM THE DIY ETHOS OF PUNK, BANANARAMA MORPHED INTO ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREAT EXPONENTS OF PURE POP

2022 THE YEAR AHEAD

IT'S THE YEAR OF THE TIGER SO, ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE ZODIAC, OUR POP HEROES WILL BE COURAGEOUS AND BRING VITALITY BACK TO A DEPLETED MUSIC SCENE

RAZZMATAZZ

BEFORE THE TUBE, THERE WAS KIDS’ SHOW RAZZMATAZZ WHICH BROUGHT TV ANARCHY TO THE MASSES. PRESENTER LYN SPENCER AND PRODUCER MALCOLM GERRIE TELL THE TALE OF HOW THIS PIONEERING TEA-TIME PROGRAMME TURNED NEWCASTLE INTO A HOTBED OF 80S POP

TOP 2O B-SIDES OF THE 80S

IN THE CREATIVE 80S, THE B-SIDE OF A VINYL SINGLE OFTEN MATCHED THE QUALITY OF THE A-SIDE. WE TAKE A LOOK AT 20 OF THE DECADE’S FINEST FLIPSIDES

Thomas Dolby Aliens Ate My Buick

AFTER SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE AND LIVE AID, THE WORLD WAS THOMAS DOLBY’S OYSTER. SO WHY DID HE WAIT THREE YEARS TO DELIVER A SUPERB BUT DECIDEDLY ‘DIFFICULT’ THIRD ALBUM, FEATURING BARELY A TRACE OF SYNTH-POP?

BOO! SURPRISE!

MORE THAN 20 YEARS AFTER CALLING IT A DAY, THE BOO RADLEYS ARE BACK – OLDER, WISER, AND MINUS THEIR ORIGINAL SONGWRITER. “PEOPLE ARE GIVING US A CHANCE,” SINGER SICE ROWBOTTOM AND BASSIST TIM BROWN TELL CLASSIC POP

AS I TRY NOT TO FALL APART

PIAS ★★★ More usually found making doomy pop

REVIEWS

Soft Cell’s first studio album in 20 years

THE HOT LIST

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT ON CLASSIC POP ZOOM CATCH-UPS

THE TIPPING POINT

IS IT TIME FOR TEARS FOR FEARS TO RULE THE WORLD ONCE AGAIN? ROLAND ORZABAL AND CURT SMITH MAKE THEIR LONG-AWAITED RETURN…

FEVER DREAMS PTS I-4

BMG ★★★ © Andy Cotterill One wonders what

EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL

BELLA UNION ★★★★ Euphoria: it’s a state Jason

*HAPPINESS NOT INCLUDED

HAPPINESS VERY MUCH INCLUDED, AS MARC ALMOND AND DAVE BALL MAKE THEIR MOST COHERENT POP STATEMENT SINCE NON-STOP EROTIC CABARET

GIVE ME THE FUTURE

EMI ★★ Inspired by our move towards online

FLICKER

SONIC CATHEDRAL ★★★ Erasure fans stand down: this

SHADES AND ECHOES

WARNER MUSIC NEW ZEALAND

SMALL WORLD

BECAUSE MUSIC ★★★ It was probably unwise to

IF MY WIFE NEW I’D BE DEAD

AWAL ★★★ Candy cane-voiced Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson likes

KEEP ON WITH FALLING

BOOSTR ★★★ When The Boo Radleys first announced

STRICTLY A ONE-EYED JACK

REPUBLIC ★★★★ Though he’s not the household name

SO HAPPY IT HURTS

BMG ★★★ Though it’s as easy as shooting

MAGAZINE 1

CHERRY RED ★★★ “We all have our own

NIL BY MOUTH IV &V

BLANC CHECK ★★★ With more people working from

FIVE TIME

FIVE ★★ For about half an hour in

AN HOUR BEFORE IT’S DARK

EARMUSIC ★★★ Marillion’s 20th album sounds exactly as

OOCHYA!

IGNITION ★★★ Occupying a popular, still unmapped island

ALLHALLOWTIDE

TAPETE RECORDS ★★★ Thanks to a similarly arch

THE START OF NO REGRET

THREE SIX ZERO ★★★ Despite being split between

ONCE TWICE MELODY

BELLA UNION ★★★ Produced by the band for

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

100 PERCENT ★★★ Proving there’s still an audience

NEVER LET ME GO

SO RECORDINGS ★★★ After touring their 20th anniversary

HOLODRUM

GRINGO RECORDS ★★★ An indie ‘supergroup’ now immersed

ELECTRIBAL SOUL

RAVE’S GREAT LOST BAND FINALLY RELEASE THEIR SECOND ALBUM, A MASTERPIECE WORTH THE 31-YEAR WAIT

WHAT PRICE PARADISE (DELUXE EDITION)

VIRGIN ★★★★ © Alamy Buried halfway through this

THE SECRET OF ASSOCIATION

MUSIC ON VINYL ★★★★ © Getty With vinyl

THE ULTIMATE LINX

CELEBRATING THE BRIEF BUT INFLUENTIAL CAREER OF DAVID GRANT’S DUO, WHO LED THE WAY IN THE UK SOUL MOVEMENT OF THE EARLY 80S

THE COMPLETE PICTURE: THE ALBUMS 1991-2012

CHRYSALIS ★★★ For a man with supposedly just

NOW YEARBOOK ’82/NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL 12" 80S: REMIXED

NOW ★★★★ ☆ / ★★★ ☆ The best

TOWARD THE UNKNOWN REGION/HELLO WAVEFORMS/ MY ORACLE LIVES UPTOWN

WARNER ★★★★ / ★★★ / ★★★★ One of

COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS

CHERRY RED ★★★★ © PP Hartnett “I was

THE 12" ALBUM + 12"ERS VOL 2

CHERRY POP ★★★ Like ZTT, the less fashionable

THE BAD AND LOWDOWN WORLD OF

DEMON ★★★★ Signed to Kitchenware alongside Prefab Sprout,

A PRIVATE HEAVEN

CHERRY POP ★★★ While Sheena Easton herself is

THEAUDIENCE

PAST NIGHT FROM GLASGOW ★★★★ Ever since magnificent

IT’S A SHAME ABOUT RAY

FIRE ★★★★ The best pop album from the

THE A&M YEARS/ACE A’S & KILLER B’S

DEMON ★★★ / ★★★★ Although their hits Good

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

CHERRY POP ★★★ In a parallel universe, Debbie

FOREVER NOW

MUSIC ON VINYL ★★★ ☆ A controversial album

FROM A TO B/ANYWHERE/WARP

MUSIC ON VINYL ★★ / ★★ ☆

THE CORAL

RUN ON/MODERN SKY ★★★★ One of the most

CHEWING THE FAT

DEMON ★★ ☆ Considering Gary Crowley’s excellent Lost

GLORY HOLE

BLOKSHOK/NEON TETRA ★★ ☆ Forever known as the

NICE MOVER + VOYEUR

LES DISQUES DU CRÉPUSCULE ★★★★ Any fans of

REMIXES & RARITIES

CHERRY POP ★★ In the past couple of

THE MADNESS

BMG ★★★ Better than it’s generally remembered, the

DAVE THOMAS

UNICORN PUBLISHING ★★★★★ The term ‘rags-to-riches’ can be

JACKY SMITH & JIM JENKINS

OMNIBUS PRESS ★★★ At this point, it’s hard

GERRICK KENNEDY

ABRAMS PRESS ★★★ It’s hard to believe that

KATHY VALENTINE

JAWBONE PRESS ★★★★ Although The Go-Go’s never achieved

THE SELECTER + FROM THE JAM

CHELTENHAM TOWN HALL