OUR CONTRIBUTORS

WELCOME

There’s a little Sliding Doors-style moment in our

PET SHOP BOYS MOVIE GETS NEW LEASE OF LIFE

The BFI are set to release a restored

Fans create tribute archive for trailblazer Andrew Weatherall

Fans have paid tribute to the late Andrew

HYDE PARK AWAITS FOR DURAN DURAN

Duran Duran are to play a huge outdoor

JANET RETURNS WITH NEW ALBUM AND TOUR

Janet Jackson is following up last year’s Las

New Order think big with live plans

New Order have announced a one-off show at

DESIGN MUSEUM UNVEILS ELECTRONIC MUSIC EXHIBITION

Electronic music fans can make a pilgrimage to

THE ASSEMBLY 

Maybe it’s churlish to describe The Assembly as

MUST-SEE LIVE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

The 2020 gig calendar is filling up nicely

BON JOVI 

Bon Jovi’s first album doesn’t instantly point to

HOMETOWN WALK OF FAME HONOUR FOR MADNESS

© Getty Image Madness have been honoured by

SUEDE ALL SET TO PLAY CLASSIC ALBUM IN FULL

Suede will revisit 1996’s Coming Up LP at

ENO TO TALK AT MAJOR CLIMATE SUMMIT

The godfather of ambient music, Brian Eno will

No.1 DAVID ORWICK 

THE FIRST IN A NEW SERIES OF CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY PODCAST PROFILES

Neil Simon stage role for Grogan

An alternative image of pop favourite Clare Grogan

WELLER RETURNS TO POLYDOR

Paul Weller has signed a new record deal

IAN PEEL'S A TO Z of POP

WERE HE ALIVE TODAY, THIS YEAR CLASSIC POP WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY BE CELEBRATING TONY WILSON’S 70TH BIRTHDAY. WE ONLY MET A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT AT BOTH JUNCTURES HE WAS IN FULL-ON VISIONARY MODE

ROLAND ORZABAL

AS SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR CELEBRATES ITS 35TH BIRTHDAY, JOHN EARLS SITS DOWN WITH ROLAND ORZABAL TO TALK ABOUT THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF TEARS FOR FEARS

NICK VAN EEDE

CUTTING CREW ARE BACK WITH A NEW ALBUM OF ORCHESTRAL REIMAGININGS OF THEIR FINEST WORK. STEVE HARNELL TALKS CLASSICAL REINVENTIONS WITH THEIR SONGWRITING FRONTMAN

APRIL 198O

IN OUR ROUND-UP OF APRIL 1980’S BIGGEST MOMENTS IN MUSIC, BOB MARLEY GETS POLITICAL, MADNESS MAKE THEIR TOP 10 DEBUT AND HUGH CORNWELL BECOMES A FREE MAN

SUPER FAN

DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA

CLASSIC POP TOP TEN

THE BOOMTOWN RATS

ONE OF THE MOST CHAOTICALLY BRILLIANT BANDS OF THEIR GENERATION, THE BOOMTOWN RATS ARE BACK WITH THEIR FIRST ALBUM SINCE 1984, THE YEAR OF BAND AID. IT’S ALLOWED BOB GELDOF TO BE A ROCK‘N’ROLL STAR AGAIN, AND THE GROUP BEHIND I DON’T LIKE MONDAYS TO BE A GANG ONCE MORE. CLASSIC POP TAKES COVER AS WE QUIZ THEM ON SQUATTING, POLITICS, THE NON-PC LYRICS OF DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS? AND HOW RAT TRAP NEARLY BROKE THEM…

DISINTEGRATION 

ON THEIR EIGHTH ALBUM, THE CURE TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THE SKEWED BRAND OF POP THAT HAD YIELDED A SUCCESSION OF HITS, AND OPTED INSTEAD FOR DOOM-LADEN INTROSPECTION. AGAINST ALL EXPECTATIONS IT WAS THE ALBUM THAT WOULD BECOME THEIR CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

MICHAEL BOLTON

MICHAEL BOLTON WAS THE BIG-HAIRED, BIGGER-VOICED BALLADEER WITH HITS INCLUDING HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS? AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU. BUT WHEN CRITICS LINED UP TO TAKE POTSHOTS, THE YEARS OF MOCKERY TOOK THEIR TOLL – UNTIL HIS CAREER WAS REVIVED BY A VIRAL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN SPOOF. IT’S BEEN ONE HELL OF A JOURNEY…

The Greatest Show On Earth

MADONNA: 30 YEARS OF BLOND AMBITION HITTING THE

NIK KERSHAW

SCHOOLED IN JAZZ FUSION, HE BECAME A TEEN IDOL BEFORE TEMPORARILY TURNING HIS BACK ON THE POP GAME AND WRITING FOR OTHERS

Back! Back!! Back!!! JACQUIE O‘SULLIVAN

THE FOURTH ’NANA IS RETURNING TO HER ROCKABILLY ROOTS AS SHE REUNITES WITH COWPUNK TRAILBLAZERS THE SHILLELAGH SISTERS AND PONDERS A BANANARAMA CHANGE OF HEART, AS SHE TELLS PAUL SIMPER

JAPAN

WE GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF  THE ART-POP ICONS’ PRE-AND  POST-TIN DRUM ALBUM PERIOD AND CATCH  THEM IN ALL THEIR ON-STAGE LIVE  GLORY COURTESY  OF PHOTOGRAPHER JUSTIN THOMAS

THE FIZZ

NOTHING IN THE TUMULTUOUS SAGA OF THE FIZZ – IN ANY OF ITS VARIOUS INCARNATIONS – HAS EVER BEEN SIMPLE. YET THE STORY  BEHIND THEIR LATEST STUDIO ALBUM SMOKE & MIRRORS COULD BE THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY OF THEM ALL, AS PAUL KIRKLEY DISCOVERS

IT DIDN'T HAPPEN HERE

SOMETHING THE AMERICANS LOVE NOT BEING RECIPROCATED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD? PERISH THE THOUGHT! ACTUALLY, IT’S MORE THAN POSSIBLE IN POP, WHERE COUNTLESS MILLION-SELLING RECORDS IN THE STATES BARELY MADE A RIPPLE IN BRITAIN, LET ALONE THE TOP 40

ROACHFORD

AS ANDREW ROACHFORD MBE GEARS UP TO RELEASE HIS NEW ALBUM TWICE IN A LIFETIME, CLASSIC POP CATCHES UP WITH THE SINGER-SONGWRITER TO DISCUSS A REMARKABLE RESURGENCE THAT INCLUDES JOINING MIKE + THE MECHANICS, RUBBING NOSES WITH ROYALTY AND THE OPERATION THAT COULD HAVE ENDED IT ALL

THE HOT LIST

1 A-HA ONE BILLION VIEWS MERCH Just arrived

DEPECHE MODE 

DIRECTED BY LONG-TIME COLLABORATOR ANTON CORBIJN, SPiRiTS IN THE FOREST CAPTURES DEPECHE MODE IN BERLIN AS THEY COMPLETE THEIR GLOBAL SPIRIT TOUR

BILLY OCEAN 

It feels churlish denouncing Billy Ocean’s 11th album.

ROACHFORD 

BMG Listening to Andrew Roachford MBE’s first album

RICHARD MARX 

BMG There are moments on Richard Marx’s 12th

FASSINE 

Fassine’s last collection, 2016’s Dialectik, brought to mind

THE ORB 

COOKING VINYL For an act often dismissed as

LÅPSLEY 

XL RECORDINGS “I’ve been working on myself while

JAH WOBBLE & THE INVADERS OF THE HEART 

JAH WOBBLE RECORDS His distinctive basslines remain centre-stage,

ROGER ENO & BRIAN ENO 

DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON This isn’t the first time, of

REN HARVIEU 

BELLA UNION Having recovered from the frustrations her

LITTLE DRAGON 

NINJA TUNE With today’s world overwhelmed by the

PURITY RING 

4AD One’s reverence for Canada’s Purity Ring is

BAXTER DURY 

HEAVENLY RECORDINGS “I’m not your fucking friend,” Baxter

C.A.R. 

RANSOM NOTES Wonky synth-pop fans will revel in

LISA LOEB 

FURIOUS ROSE PRODUCTIONS The songwriter behind Stay (I

EOB 

CAPITOL Comparing Ed O’Brien’s solo debut to his

ADAMSKI 

FIREFLY Ever since Killer’s killer success, Adamski’s been

JACK HUES 

DAWN CHORUS RECORDINGS Jack Hues hasn’t exactly been

RECORD STORE DAY UK 18-04-2020

OUR PICK OF CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY ARTISTS FOR THIS YEAR'S RECORD STORE DAY ON 18 APRIL INCLUDES NEW ORDER, NUMAN, BOWIE AND ERASURE

THE HUMAN LEAGUE 

THE HUMAN LEAGUE’S FIRST ALBUM AS A TRIO GETS EXPANDED FOR ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY – BUT WHICH VERY DIFFERENT DELUXE EDITION WINS OUT?

BILLY OCEAN 

MUSIC ON VINYL Coinciding with Ocean’s long-awaited new

BROS 

DEMON One touching aspect of last year’s Bros

DONNA SUMMER 

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THE FIRST QUEEN OF DISCO ARE HERE. DO YOU NEED ALL 33 CDS? YOU MIGHT NOT BE READING CLASSIC POP WITHOUT HER INFLUENCE, SO YES

PRINCE 

SONY/LEGACY The latest in Sony’s clear-up operation to

THE PRIMITIVES BLOOM! 

CHERRY RED Forever associated with 1988 indie-disco staple

ROBERT FORSTER 

DANGER IN THE PAST / CALLING FROM A COUNTRY

SISTER SLEDGE 

SOULMUSIC Missing just 1971’s debut single Time Will

THE MAGIC NUMBERS 

HEAVENLY One of the best pop albums of

ABBA 

UMC/POLYDOR With ABBA’s critical rehabilitation long since complete,

PAUL YOUNG & THE ROYAL FAMILY 

MUSIC ON VINYL Established in 1974, German music

SPICE GIRLS 

UMC/VIRGIN EMI Back out on vinyl, second Spice

AN EVENING WITH WHITNEY HOUSTON 

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY SEES A HOLOGRAPHIC WHITNEY HOUSTON BACK ON TOUR FOR A GLITZY VEGAS-STYLED CELEBRATION

MIDGE URE 

MIDGE TAKES A TRIP BACK 40 YEARS TO RECALL HIS 1980 BREAKTHROUGHS WITH ULTRAVOX’S VIENNA AND VISAGE

JARV IS… 

2 MARCH APRIL 2020: CLASSIC POP BEST LIVE

HUE AND CRY 

GLASWEGIAN BROTHERS PAT AND GREG KANE LEAVE THE BAND AT HOME FOR THEIR STRIPPED BACK TOUR

SHEILA ROCK 

OMNIBUS PRESS One of the most striking things

PETER SHAPIRO 

FABER The latest in Faber’s greatest hits series

CHRIS HEATH 

PENGUIN Having been long out of print and

DAVID BOWIE RELEASES THE LET’S DANCE ALBUM

At the time of Let’s Dance’s arrival in