THE LEXICON OF LOVE

WELCOME

Strange things were most certainly afoot. From within

THE STORY OF 1982

FROM RETRO-MODERNITY TO ‘MOTOWN WITH SYNTHS’, 1982 WAS THE YEAR THAT POP MUSIC IN THE UK EXPLODED INTO A VAST ARRAY OF GENRE-BENDING TRENDS

CULTURE SHOCK

THE BIGGEST NEW STARS OF 1982, CULTURE CLUB RAPIDLY WENT FROM BEING A COOL LONDON BAND TO A GLOBAL POP PHENOMENON. GUITARIST ROY HAY RECALLS THE WHIRLWIND EXISTENCE OF THOSE EARLY DAYS OF SUCCESS AND EXCESS

RIO

DURAN DURAN

THRILLER

MICHAEL JACKSON

Q + A

NEIL ARTHUR

AVALON

ROXY MUSIC

THE FACTORY FLOOR

MANCHESTER WAS PRIMED FOR AN ERA-DEFINING MECCA OF MUSIC BY THE TIME THE HAÇIENDA OPENED IN 1982. FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS ITS PILLS-AND-THRILLS FUELLED HEDONISM SPAWNED A LEGACY THAT STILL THRIVES TO THIS DAY

UPSTAIRS AT ERIC’S

YAZOO

WAY OUT WEST

THEY CAME, THEY SAW, THEY SANG ABOUT SHIRTS, BAKED BEANS AND FIRE BRIGADES WHILE DRESSED IN SOU’WESTERS AND JODHPURS. HAIRCUT 100 WERE ONE OF 1982’S BIGGEST AND MOST JOYOUS TURNS. NICK HEYWARD FONDLY RECALLS THAT GIDDY PERIOD

1999 PRINCE

THIS 1982 RELEASE WAS A LANDMARK ALBUM FOR PRINCE, MARKING THE START OF HIS BOLD PURPLE PATCH

POP ART

AS THE 80S PICKED UP PACE, SO DID A CREATIVE COMMITMENT TO SLEEVE ART. CLASSIC POP ALBUMS, MANY OF WHICH WOULD GO ON TO DEFINE ARTISTS OF THE ERA, WERE TREATED TO IMAGINATIVE AND LAVISH INDULGENCES THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY COMPLEMENTED A DECADE OF EXTRAVAGANCE

THE DREAMING KATE BUSH

SHE CALLED IT HER “MAD” ALBUM, AND KATE BUSH’S BELATED RETURN TO THE STUDIO WITH CUTTING EDGE FAIRLIGHT SAMPLER AT THE READY, BORE FRUITS OF AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT KIND…

THE SOUNDS OF 1982 ESSENTIAL SINGLES

IT WAS A YEAR OF GLOSSY POP HITS APLENTY TEMPERED BY RAMPANT EXPERIMENTATION ACROSS MUCH OF THE BOARD, WITH ARTISTS REVELLING IN EVERYTHING FROM FUNK, DISCO AND SYNTH-POP TO A DECENT SERVING OF THEATRICAL ECCENTRICITY – CLASSIC POP CURATES ITS ULTIMATE PLAYLIST FOR 1982

Q+A THOMAS DOLBY

SYNTH-POP’S MAD PROFESSOR RELEASED HIS DEBUT ALBUM IN 1982 AND WENT ON TO HAVE A STRING OF CHART HITS. THESE DAYS DOLBY’S STILL A PROFESSOR BUT THIS TIME IT’S FOR REAL

THE RISE AND FALL

MADNESS

DARE TO BELIEVE

IN THIS EXTRACT FROM DARE, HIS BOOK ON THE BIRTH OF MODERN POP 1979-1982, AUTHOR DAVID LAURIE RECALLS THE EXTRAORDINARY BILLY MACKENZIE…

NEW GOLD DREAM (81-82-83-84)

SIMPLE MINDS

IMPERIAL BEDROOM

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS

THE TUBE

THEY SAID IT WOULD NEVER WORK… A LIVE MUSIC SHOW BROADCAST FROM NEWCASTLE AT 5PM ON A FRIDAY. YET THE FRESH FORMAT, OFF-THE-WALL PRESENTERS AND ANYTHING-GOES ATTITUDE MADE FOR ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING TV ENDEAVOURS OF ALL TIME, CHANGED THE WAY MUSIC WAS PRESENTED ON TELEVISION, AND MADE ITS HOSTS, JOOLS HOLLAND AND PAULA YATES THE UNDISPUTED TV COUPLE OF THE 80S…

THE GIFT

THE JAM

Q + A

TOM BAILEY

ENGLISH SETTLEMENT

XTC

Q+A LEEE JOHN

WITH 1982’S SMASH JUST AN ILLUSION AND SECOND ALBUM IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, UK SOULSTERS IMAGINATION WENT GLOBAL. LEEE JOHN REFLECTS ON HIS BAND’S CAREER

BIG SCIENCE

LAURIE ANDERSON

MADONNA MAKES HER PRESENCE KNOWN

6 OCTOBER 1982