Innholdsfortegnelse for September-October 2020 i Classic Pop

CLASSIC POP WELCOME I’m endlessly fascinated by the creative process behind our favourite music and the various ways that artists approach their work. No two seem entirely the same. Songwriters often talk poetically about tuning into an imaginary radio antennae and pulling ideas out of thin air. They’re thankful for the inspiration and not entirely sure how they do it. For Prince, music-making was an essential part of his being–never a day went by without him writing, recording or performing (often all three). This issue, we meet Prince Estate insiders and go behind the scenes of the Sign O’ The Times boxset to hear how songs poured out of him “like a faucet” at a time of great emotional turmoil. Vince Clarke, from our cover stars Erasure, while not operating…

POP UP © Getty Images Stars pay heartfelt tribute to Denise Johnson One of the defining voices of British dance and indie music, Denise Johnson, sadly passed away aged 56 in July. The former member of Primal Scream featured on their seminal 1991 album, Screamadelica, and its follow-up Give Out But Don’t Give Up. Her most recent long-term collaboration was with A Certain Ratio. Tributes from across the pop world flooded in from numerous acts Denise had worked with across a 30-year career including Ian Brown, Pet Shop Boys and Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr who collaborated with Johnson on two Electronic albums. Marr said: “You felt it was a privilege, her being on your song. She kind of gold-plated them–you knew that the track was going to acquire a…

LABOUR OF LOVE THE MOVIE? Following the success of Queen and Elton John’s biopics, could a movie about UB40 be on the cards? Ali Campbell, who fronts one incarnation of the reggae band, explains: “I’m talking to Bill Curbishley, who manages us–he made Quadrophenia and Tommy with The Who–so I’m always badgering him to be involved in getting a script done. Everyone says that we have to make a movie because a lot of what has happened [to us], you couldn’t make up, it beggar’s belief._Once somebody gets their teeth into the project it will happen.” Meanwhile, Classic Pop sends its very best wishes to Ali’s brother Duncan, who was hospitalised at the beginning of August after suffering a stroke. Duncan took over singing duties in the original UB40 after…

BOY GEORGE’S STOCKPILE OF UNRELEASED WORK Boy George has seven albums’ worth of music waiting to see the light of day. The Culture Club man released This Is What I Dub Vol.1 earlier this year and there’s masses of further material to come. He explained: “I’ve written so much music, I’ve got enough for six or seven albums. I signed a deal just before Christmas with a company called Primary Wave, whose job it is to go out and place your music in movies. I own copyright with them. It’s a new experience for me to own my music. I don’t own any of the stuff I did in the 80s–the publishers can do what they want with it.” George’s much-anticipated big screen biopic is also well under way and…

CHILDREN ARE DOIN’ IT FOR THEMSELVES Eurythmics fans can examine the sweet pop dreams of their offsprings this summer. Django Stewart (pictured above), son of Dave Stewart and Siobhan Fahey, has definitely inherited their artistic streak. “I think coming from famous parents, I’m really hard on myself because I don’t want to be successful riding on their coat-tails,” he said. “My dad and Annie [Lennox] lived pretty much in squalor before they ever made it, so he taught me to have the mindset of putting everything you have into your art.” Django’s latest songBurning Bridgesis “about being in a relationship that’s dying, and subsequently falling in love with someone else.” Meanwhile, Lola Lennox (shown right)–daughter of Annie–is releasing her singleBack At Wrong, which features additional production by her mum. Lola’s…

THIS MONTH IN POP SEPTEMBER 1981 IN OUR ROUND-UP OF SEPTEMBER 1981’S BIGGEST MOMENTS IN MUSIC, ADAM ANT CONTINUES TO CHARM THE SOCKS OFF SINGLE-BUYING BRITS, SIMON & GARFUNKEL REUNITE IN THE FRESH AIR AND PILOT GARY NUMAN RAISES THE ALARM ON AN AROUND-THE-WORLD TRIP STEVE HARNELL O5 Stevie Nicks enlists some A-list help for her debut solo album, Bella Donna, featuring duets with Tom Petty on Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around and Eagles’ Don Henley (Leather And Lace). The LP, which also features the singles Edge Of Seventeen and After The Glitter Fades, is a huge success and soars to No.1 in the US. O6 Soft Cell start the second of two weeks at No.1 in the UK singles chart with a cover of the Northern Soul classic Tainted…

THE COLOUR OF SPRING CLASSIC ALBUM THE PLAYERS MARK HOLLIS The enigmatic, much-missed frontman of Talk Talk who passed away in February 2019 started his music career in punk rock outfit The Reaction. The Tottenham-born singer, the younger brother of Eddie And The Hot Rods’ manager Ed Hollis, was the guiding light behind transforming Talk Talk from a synth-pop group into an experimental art-pop outfit. After Talk Talk split, he released just one solo album, a hushed, skeletal eponymous LP in 1998. His last released music was a short instrumental in 2012, recorded several years earlier, for Kelsey Grammer’s post-Frasier TV show Boss. TIM FRIESE-GREENE Latterly becoming Hollis’ right-hand man in Talk Talk, Friese-Greene was the producer behind Tight Fit’s The Lion Sleeps Tonight. While never an official member of…

POPARAZZI READERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE PHOTOS AS THEY GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN PLANET POP NEIL TENNANT WITH STEVIE & BOBBY NICHOLL “This was a chance meeting in a Glasgow record shop, just a matter of hours before my son Bobby and I were going to see a Pet Shop Boys show in the city for the Super tour on 21 February 2017. We met both Neil and Chris after the gig, too, and got their autographs. Not long afterwards, in Dublin, I bumped into Neil again on the street–hours before another show–and had another lovely chat.” GARY NUMAN WITH SIMON MATHIAS “This selfie was taken after a gig in Worthing on 24_September 2019. Unfortunately, the show didn’t quite go to plan as…

PRINCE Five essential boxset tracks COSMIC DAY “My favourite song on the album!” enthuses Duane Tudahl. “It’s been rumoured among Prince collectors for years and it more than lives up to what it was supposed to be.” Recorded solo, after he’d split The Revolution, the track is pure power-pop Prince, reminiscent of Raspberry Beret or Manic Monday–it could almost be a demo for The Bangles. “It reminds me of [XTC project] The Dukes Of Stratosphere,” says Tudahl. “It’s got a little bit of that psychedelic, paisley underground thing, like Vanishing Girl.” CAN I PLAY WITH U? featuring Miles Davis) Recorded in December 1985, it was sent to Davis, following a request from Warners. Miles laid down his part in March but neither artist thought it was their best work and…

IT’S IMMATERIAL GETTING THEIR HOUSE IN ORDER ONE-HIT WONDERS OR OVERLOOKED GENIUSES? WITH THEIR THIRD ALBUM IMPENDING AFTER A LENGTHY HIATUS, IT’S IMMATERIAL OPEN UP ABOUT THEIR THREE-DECADE STRUGGLE TO COMPLETE IT… WYNDHAM WALLACE © Alastair Thain It’s late June, and, across the city, fans are still revelling in the news that Liverpool FC have finally been crowned Premier League champions. It’s been 30 years since they last triumphed in the top tier and, despite an ongoing coronavirus lockdown, fireworks continue to light up the skies most nights. There’s another quieter celebration going on this afternoon, though: almost 30 years after they began work on it, It’s Immaterial’s John Campbell and Jarvis Whitehead have just received the test pressings for their third album. House For Sale belatedly follows the release…

HEAVEN 17 ALBUM BY ALBUM BOXSETS Available as a straight-up no frills 5LP vinyl box comprising the original studio albums or a more extensive 10CD collection, Play To Win: The Virgin Years is the best representation in one place of Heaven 17’s choice cuts. The CD incarnation goes the extra mile–and then some. Featuring more than 100 bonus tracks, its various B-sides, alternate takes, 12" versions and remixes flesh out the story of the band’s 80s pomp years. The game-changing Brothers In Rhythm remix of Temptation is all present and correct, of course, as well as extensive sleevenotes based on new interviews with the band. As close to a definitive encapsulation of prime H17 as you can get. As they turned their attention to live work, Heaven 17 have taken…

CLASSIC POP TOP TEN WEEK ENDING 27 SEPTEMBER 1980 HIT MACHINE THE POLICE TOP THE CHARTS, STEVIE WONDER CELEBRATES BOB MARLEY, QUEEN GET FUNKY AND SHEENA EASTON MAKES HER DEBUT STEVE HARNELL 01 (NEW) DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME THE POLICE (A&M) 1ST WEEK ON CHART 02 (2) ONE DAY I’LL FLY AWAY RANDY CRAWFORD(WARNER BROTHERS) 5TH WEEK ON CHART 03 (4) MASTER BLASTER (JAMMIN’) STEVIE WONDER (MOTOWN) 3RD WEEK ON CHART 04 (1) FEELS LIKE I’M IN LOVE KELLY MARIE (CALIBRE PLUS) 9TH WEEK ON CHART 05 (21) BAGGY TROUSERS MADNESS (STIFF) 3RD WEEK ON CHART 06 (3) IT’S ONLY LOVE/BEYOND THE REEF ELVIS PRESLEY (RCA) 5TH WEEK ON CHART 07 (10) ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST QUEEN(EMI) 4TH WEEK ON CHART 08 (28) D.I.S.C.O. OTTAWAN (CARRERE) 3RD…

RÓISÍN MURPHY RÓISÍN MACHINE SKINT/BMG Like her third solo album, 2015’s Hairless Toys, Róisín Machine takes time to reveal its charms, partially because it’s almost an hour long, with four songs lasting over six minutes. This time, though, one might first mistake it for a mix album: on opener Simulation her trance house unfurls especially slowly, despite its subtle but effective drops. It’s not the exception, either: as its title suggests, Róisín Machine explores the territory where the mechanics of dance and pop’s simple pleasures merge. We Got Together is all about the ecstasy of persistent rhythm, Incapable delivers a refined spacious disco sound, and Game Changer is a masterclass in tongue twisting swathed in a shimmer of synths. There are more immediate cuts, however, where Murphy demands Something More,…

BRUCE HORNSBY NON-SECURE CONNECTION ZAPPO RECORDINGS Non-Secure Connection begins with a pretty piano riff, reminding us, albeit subtly, of Bruce Hornsby’s earliest success with The Range and The Way It Is. Still, there’s something about its opening verse that brings to mind both Peter Gabriel, in the way his voice’s upper register takes on a hoarser quality, and Bon Iver, for his unfamiliar phrasing, unlikely melodic twists and quirky harmonies. Admittedly, the former may not seem like a reach, but critic’s fave Justin Vernon might just be, were one not to know he’s such a fan he invited Hornsby to appear on last year’s i, i. Vernon repays the favour here, adding synths to the eerie yet strangely comely title track and helping produce Bright Star Cast’s wobbly batshit funk,…

SUZANNE VEGA AN EVENING OF NEW YORK SONGS AND STORIES AMANUENSIS/COOKING VINYL Recorded in 2019, this hour-long live album finds Vega backed by a classy trio of guitar, bass and keyboards as she trawls through her catalogue’s most NYCfriendly tunes at the city’s Café Carlyle. Since not everyone present is a native New Yorker, a few songs like Frank & Ava receive polite but enlightening introductions, and generally her approach remains tastefully suited to those who grew up with her biggest 1980s hits but might find them a little rowdy nowadays, a truth underscored by her audience’s largely genteel response. Certainly, her best-known songs, Marlene On The Wall and Luka, which lead the performance, feel slower paced, and NY Is My Destination feels like a cabaret standard, its lilting piano…

TIM BOWNESS LATE NIGHT LAMENTS INSIDEOUTMUSIC No-Man’s Tim Bowness settles into his comfort zone on his latest collection. Melodically he remains somewhat formulaic, but he’s always embraced melancholy, and Northern Rain and Darkline – the latter featuring Richard Barbieri on Japan-like synths – are also as desolate as their names suggest, if nevertheless beautiful. With its arrangement unusually bare, The Hitman Who Missed’s title again signposts its noir-ish tendencies, but the spacious One Last Call, with its neat vibraphone embellishments, offers a suitably seductive conclusion. WW…

REVIEWS THE DIVINE COMEDY VENUS, FOLLY, CUPID & TIME DIVINE COMEDY RECORDS Eventually becoming a de facto alias for Neil Hannon, The Divine Comedy has been a watchword for smart, literate chamber pop for decades now. Indeed, this mammoth 24CD compilation marks 30 years since debut album Fanfare For The Comic Muse, though Hannon has long disowned its mundane copycat R.E.M. indie. That album is part of a 2CD compilation of early work exclusive to the boxset, punningly entitled Juveneilia. After a rethink, Hannon re-emerged with 1993’s Liberation, suddenly fully-formed as a bright and inquisitive singer, reliably funny and wistful with orchestral arrangements used to enhance his gift for melody rather than as mere windowdressing. There’s a suspicion of Hannon’s literacy, lyrical wit and classical instrumentation, a reverse-snobbery that sees…

SOUNDBITES *1 “An absolute banger that even finds time to drop in a nod to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive in the chorus melody.” *2 “The quintessential Erasure song, and one of two of their tracks to feature in an episode of Only Fools & Horses (‘A Royal Flush’, if you’re looking)” *3 “Attempting the high bits in the shower sounds like you’re being murdered.” *4 “On another day, it could be Victim Of Love, Elevation, Drama, A Little Respect, Yahoo!, Sometimes…” *5 “The pair at their bittersweet best.” *6 “Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to go to the orange side of the desert sometime in the early hours?” *7“After the perky, early Depeche Mode-like pop of their first two singles, Vince and Andy find their true voice.” *8…

KYLIE’S PURE ESCAPISM ON FORTHCOMING DISCO ALBUM Kylie Minogue’s new album is built for the dancefloor–even if most clubs are closed. The Aussie pop icon releases Disco on 6 November and says of the music: “It’s pretty much a party. At this rate it might be a kitchen or lounge disco, but disco is within. The theme for the album was disco, which took a while to find my interpretation of what that is. There’s a balance of fun and pure escapism, that emotional element.” And the “quest for eternal love” is the theme of the LP’s first single, Say Something, which boasts an other-worldly video directed by Sophie Muller. “It’s like this gigantic song yet it’s very heartfelt at the same time,” Kylie explained. “The video is like a…

1 HIT WONDER KEITH MARSHALL ONLY CRYING Keith Marshall was the fresh-faced, gifted lead guitarist of undistinguished glam rock band Hello who neatly wangled for himself a brief solo career afterwards. Marshall and his three bandmates were all just 15 when they formed Hello in 1971, and still not out of their teens by the time they’d enjoyed their two Top 10 hits. On splitting after Polydor dumped them in 1979, Marshall wasted no time in re-signing with the same label as a solo artist. He issued a number of singles that established him as a new star in Europe before switching to smaller label Arrival, where he released his self-titled debut album and the single Only Crying, a low-profile, slow boogie affair with sea breeze sound effects and Marshall’s…

LOST & FOUND GO WEST DANCING ON THE COUCH Peter Cox and Richard Drummie had just enjoyed a glorious two years courtesy of their eponymous debut album. Radio staples We Close Our Eyes and Call Me helped them to a BRIT Award for Best Newcomer and a spot on the Rocky IV soundtrack, so it was a surprise that their second LP was disregarded quite so savagely. Dancing On The Couch followed the same shiny, polished pop process, exposing Cox’s genuinely unique voice, but this proved a stick with which to beat them. All three singles, including bright opener I Want To Hear It From You and the forceful True Colours, missed the Top 40, with even the regal harmonies of Kate Bush proving not enough to push The King…

Q+A RÓISÍN MURPHY RÓISÍN MURPHY’S COLLABORATIVE ALBUM WITH LONG-TIME PAL DJ PARROT HAS BEEN 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING. WE QUIZZED THE FORMER MOLOKO FRONTWOMAN ON WHY THE PROJECT “TOOK A WHILE TO FIND ITS TIME AND PLACE”. DUNCAN SEAMAN © Fraser Taylor “I’M IN A PLACE NOW WHERE MY PRESENT AND MY PAST ARE EQUAL. WHATEVER RECORD I’M FOCUSING ON IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE BEST RECORD I’VE EVER MADE AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED.” By her own admission, Róisín Murphy is never happier than when she’s busy making things. Having been forced to put a summer’s worth of shows on hold during the coronavirus lockdown, she instead threw her energies into making a series of performance videos for one of her favourite Manchester nightclubs, Homoelectric. The living…

Q+A POP MUSIC ACTIVISM’S ROB JOHNSON WE MEET THE MAN WHO HAS DOGGEDLY FOUGHT TO GIVE THE LONG-LOST POP SONGS OF YESTERYEAR A BRAND NEW DIGITAL LIFE JON O’BRIEN Rob Johnson is the man behind Pop Music Activism, a Twitter movement designed to get forgotten gems of the 80s, 90s and 00s onto Spotify for the first time. Business development professional by day, online music crusader by night, the 37-year-old Londoner is responsible for giving no fewer than 84 UK Top 40 hits and 75 albums a presence on the streaming platform. And he has ambitions to take the concept even further… How did Pop Music Activism come about? It started in 2016 when I helped my friend Jan Johnston [90s/00s trance vocalist] get her back catalogue online. We had…

MULTIPLE DISTRACTIONS While Vince is working on the companion album to The Neon, Andy features on Welsh synth-pop musician Bright Light Bright Light’s new album Fun City, whose other guests include Jake Shears, Sam Sparro and actor Mark Gatiss. Intriguingly, Vince has just finished a remix of Andy’s contribution, Good At Goodbyes. Vince has also completed a remix for Blancmange from their new album Mindset. “The remixes affect how Erasure sound,” Vince says. “I’ll come up with some trick and think, ‘Oh, I could incorporate that into an Erasure song.’” Andy is also keeping in touch with Barney Ashton-Bullock, the poet who collaborates on his ongoing series of albums about pansexual adventurer Torsten The Bareback Saint. “Barney is going slightly mad in lockdown,” Andy says. “He gets more lonely than…

THE COLOUR OF SPRING CLASSIC ALBUM THE SONGS 1 HAPPINESS IS EASY A cool, spacious drum groove and skittering percussion intro this majestic, haunting opening track, before Danny Thompson’s distinctive double bass and warm lush piano chords glide into the mix. “Makes you feel much older/Sublime the blind parade/It wrecks me how they justify their acts,” implores Hollis, his strained, achingly poignant voice injecting a real pathos into the song. As always, it’s the placement of space between the instruments that really elevates Talk Talk’s sound to a higher plane: a reverb-soaked conga one second, a high-end piano trill the next, always enhancing, never conflicting. All the album’s big-gun session players are on here: Steve Winwood on Hammond, Robbie McIntosh on guitar, Thompson on bass. A hugely emotive and inspirational…

WHAT NOW FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? AT THE CROSSROADS THE MUSIC BUSINESS HAS FELT THE FULL FORCE OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. WITH LIVE SHOWS CURRENTLY IN VERY SHORT SUPPLY, MARTYN WARE, TONY HADLEY AND DAVE WAKELING TELL DANIEL DYLAN WRAY ABOUT THEIR HOPES AND FEARS FOR THE COMING MONTHS AND BEYOND. COULD THIS BE A GAME-CHANGING MOMENT THAT WILL IRREVERSIBLY ALTER THE INDUSTRY FOREVER? When we entered lockdown in March, the live music industry was hit especially hard. A wave of festival and tour cancellations and postponements across the world followed. Several months down the line, is it gearing up for a return? “The world right now is like a very badly written dystopian novel,” says Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware. “It’s a completely confusing world and I don’t really know…

FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE ITSY ARCHIVE With House For Sale now imminent, it might seem that It’s Immaterial have reached the end of the road. It turns out, however, that, throughout the years its tapes were lying neglected in their studio, they never stopped recording. “We just carried on making new stuff,” Campbell reveals. “We’ve got lots of other songs.” Don’t hold your breath for their release, though. Nothing’s ever that simple with these gentlemen. “Getting arrangements and completing the parts could be a very long journey for us,” Campbell admits. “We’re terrible at finding a conclusion. We’re familiar with deadlines, but I’m afraid we’re wicked and ignore them. We’re always looking for a part that joins two other parts together, or looking for a phrase that works.” Still, they’ve…

DOCTOR DOCTOR It’s not just the heroes he grew up with who have come calling. Kershaw has been courted by some of today’s biggest icons, too. Elements of Wouldn’t It Be Good were sampled on Kesha’s 2012 hit Supernatural, and he was asked to write with Sia, then best known for her collaborations with Zero 7. “That was a very brief moment, she wanted to branch out writing I think. She just came over to the house and we wrote a song, which I rediscovered the other day, actually… it was pretty good. We’ve now all got so familiar with that extraordinary voice, and then to hear that voice on a song I’d written with her, that was quite strange going back to it. D’you know what? When she first…

BEHIND THE MUSIC THE PRODUCERS CLIVE LANGER AND ALAN WINSTANLEY WE MEET THE DIPLOMATIC PRODUCTION DUO WHO HAVE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN ROCK AND POP OVER THE COURSE OF A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL 40-YEAR PERIOD JOHN EARLS If a record company wanted someone to get the best from a difficult artist, they turned to Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. From the moment new wave guitarist Clive teamed up with Stranglers engineer Alan, a colourful strain of 80s pop flourished, as they produced classics for Madness, Dexys, Julian Cope, Elvis Costello and a host of others. As their neglected soundtrack for the film Absolute Beginners is reissued, Clive and Alan reveal how they shaped guitar pop for a generation–and how to handle difficult customers… DAVID BOWIE (AND MICK…

JUNGLE FEVER In 2012, Limahl headed to the Australian jungle as a contestant on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Did he enjoy the experience? He repeats the question, followed by a laboured pause. “Yeah, I did. It surprised me how vulnerable I felt, because you’re not sleeping well, you’re not eating and it all kind of plays on you physically and mentally, which is why I’d only been there two days and I’m bursting into tears because I’m an emotional guy! It really was an experience. I got to spend 10 days in that fantastic hotel, the Versace. It was very cool. I think people forget, and this article’s going to remind them, but never mind! Can anyone remember who was on three series ago? Mine…

REVIEWS YELLO POINT UNIVERSAL Things always turn out well when a Yello album begins with gibberish, and Waba Duba launches their 14th LP in grand style, Dieter Meier’s vocals chanted with sinister intent but more often sliced into Dadaesque babble. (Let’s not forget he calls his typewriter ‘Baby’.) The track retains the playfulness of best-known tune The Race, Boris Blank’s brassy synths as flatulent as the slaps of his rhythms are viscous, but it could also suit One Second, their phenomenally sophisticated 1987 collection. There is no greater compliment. There are other moments here, too, which recall the dizzy heights of that absurdist but sometimes overlooked masterpiece, one so good it managed to secure the services of not only The Associates’ Billy McKenzie but even Shirley Bassey. These days, however,…

REVIEWS THE WATERBOYS GOOD LUCK, SEEKER COOKING VINYL They say football’s a game of two halves, and that’s as true of Mike Scott’s career as it is of his 14th Waterboys album. From 1983’s self-titled debut to 1993’s Dream Harder, he embarked upon a journey one might call predominantly mystical, whether on 1985’s epic This Is The Sea or in the misty-eyed Irish folk of 1990’s Room To Roam. Following two solo albums, though, and the brand’s resurrection in 2000, his spiritual quests have been no more earnest than his musical explorations have been unpredictable, and Scott’s urge to acknowledge his inspirations has become increasingly evident in his songs. On 2019’s Where The Action Is, this meant London Mick was devoted to Mick Jones, while here opener The Soul Singer…

NEW RELEASES EVERYTHING EVERYTHING RE-ANIMATOR INFINITY INDUSTRIES If 2017’s A Fever Dream was distinguished by intriguing lyrics and let down by a flawed musical approach, Everything Everything’s fifth album flips that formula. Let’s get out the clangers first, because they do: opener Lost Powers warns us of “no speechless gibbon in the road’, and, on Big Climb, “ice floes quicken/Drip-feeding dripping in your eye socket”. Amid Arch Enemy’s freak-funk, furthermore, Jon Higgs enters laughable realms – he’d prefer the term ‘absurd’ – with lyrics about a singing fatberg. (No shit!). Higgs, though, will explain that he became obsessed with Julian Jaynes’ theory of the bicameral man, and elsewhere he’s as fascinating as that sounds. But if, as Jaynes suggests, the two sides of his brain are chatting, one side wishes…

PAULINE MURRAY ELEMENTAL POLESTAR RECORDS Probably the finest song on punk trailblazer Pauline Murray’s third solo album is When We Were Young, a charmingly unpretentious ditty (for want of a better word) which, slightly portentous bridge aside, fondly recalls carefree, youthful years. That’s not to imply that – despite her reuniting with four members of her pioneering first band Penetration – the righteous fury of, for instance, 1977 debut 7" Don’t Dictate remains intact. Nor does the presence on keyboard duties of The Invisible Girls’ Steve Hopkins mean she’s returned to a more synth-led, post-punk sound. Nonetheless, you’ll hear a little of the latter, shorn of fellow Invisible Girl Martin Hannett’s trademark production, on opener and comeback single Secrets. Mainly, however, Elemental brings to mind a more polished, conservative Strawberry…

PETER GABRIEL PLAYS LIVE/LIVE IN ATHENS 1987 REAL WORLD These are boom times for Peter Gabriel fans. Following last year’s rarities collection, Flotsam And Jetsam, and this year’s compilation of film songs, Rated PG, his first live album from 1983 now appears on vinyl alongside Live In Athens 1987, previously only obtainable as a concert film. Given the former’s widespread availability, it’s the latter double LP, recorded in the wake of So’s success, which will be of most interest. Recorded in the glorious surroundings of Athens’ Lycabettus Theatre at the end of a year’s touring with a crack five-piece band, it finds Gabriel in impressive voice, digging into material from throughout his career. At times he’s in furious form: a potent Shock The Monkey and drum-heavy Intruder are almost unstoppable,…

NEW RELEASES KATRINA HEARTS, LOVES & BABYS KATRINA’S WEB Anglophile Katrina Leskanich’s first album since 2014’s Blisland regularly turns to her American roots. Willing is inspired by John Steinbeck, and she consciously – and successfully – hunts out big-throated Shania Twain territory on Beyond Love. On I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, too, delivered here in a similarly jazzy style to Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s 2014 version, she takes on the American Songbook. Most importantly, however, many songs – in both their hefty production and rock-friendly arrangements – seem shaped for glossy 80s Hollywood blockbusters and the American FM radio which still broadcasts their theme tunes. Drive’s chugging guitars are interspersed with moments of LA glam – none of them any more original than its anthemic motoring metaphor,…

THE WAILERS ONE WORLD SONY MUSIC LATIN Though now made up of a hodgepodge of original members, relatives and, on this comeback, special guests, The Wailers’ first album in 25 years would do Bob Marley no disservice. That said, his absence is felt, especially on Only In Jamaica, whose harmonicas and key change underline its lightweight intentions, and When Love Is Right, on which a multitude of voices, including his son Julian, can’t match the master’s charisma. One World, One Prayer meanwhile finds Shaggy dragging One Love into the 21st Century. WW…

REISSUES VARIOUS ARTISTS 2 TONE: THE ALBUMS CHRYSALIS Last year’s 7" singles round-up 2 Tone Treasures won Classic Pop’s best compilation of 2019, and this 8CD boxset of the label’s accompanying albums is a reminder of just how influential 2 Tone was when it went full length. Given that The Specials rival Joy Division reissues for their frequency, it’s valid to question the necessity of including their two LPs and The Special AKA’s In The Studio in this collection. Anyone with the most cursory interest in the era surely owns those already. It’s only in the boxset’s other five albums where it starts to get interesting. Often ignored beyond On My Radio, The Selecter’s debut album Too Much Pressure highlights how Pauline Black’s gang were able to maintain a groove…

REISSUES KEVIN ROWLAND MY BEAUTY CHERRY RED A perfect example of an album out of step with its era, the music of My Beauty was totally ignored on its release in 1999 because Kevin Rowland wore lingerie on the cover. It’s an uncompromising image even in times of gender fluidity and, 21 years ago, Rowland was cruelly derided. It didn’t help that his new label Creation was imploding and unable to support a vulnerable artist recovering from cocaine addiction releasing his first album for 11 years, since the equally neglected The Wanderer. The mess culminated in Rowland getting bottled off at Reading Festival. It’d be another 13 years before his next album, One Day I’m Going To Soar with Dexys. Now that the world has at least partly moved on,…

GARY NUMAN HYBRID DEMON Less a remix album than updating history, 2003’s Hybrid saw Gary Numan and producers aligned to his industrial progression overhaul songs from his first three albums. By that point, Numan knew his new style worked well enough that he could rework old favourites to highlight how he’d make Are ‘Friends’ Electric? and co. if he was starting out now. Numan’s sole remix, of M.E., is a standout for keeping the original’s dancefloor pulse underneath the aggression, a feat repeated by Rico on his hypnotic Listen To My Voice. Shoegaze pioneers Curve maintain the innocence of Numan’s early vocals, giving their hazy Down In The Park extra menace. Less successful are updates which lay the power on too thick and lose the originals’ subtlety. Sulpher pummel Bleed…

REISSUES TIN MACHINE TIN MACHINE II MUSIC ON VINYL Released in 1991, Tin Machine’s second album marked a commercial nadir for David Bowie. Just four years after hammering stadiums on the Glass Spider tour, Tin Machine II limped in at No.23 in the UK. Contractual disputes mean it’s never been released on streaming services, and only Bowie diehards have been clamouring for a reissue. Yet, despite his often grim times around it, Music On Vinyl’s typically handsome release reveals Bowie was starting to have fun again. Tin Machine’s self-titled debut had been a primal howl of Bowie’s frustrations surrounding the artistic failure of Tonight and Never Let Me Down, ushering in a kinship with Nine Inch Nails. The sequel’s scarcity means most people assume it’s more of the same, yet…

PAUL McCARTNEY FLAMING PIE MPL/CAPITOL/UME A contender for best Beatles solo LP alongside George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, John Lennon’s Imagine and Paul McCartney’s own Flowers In The Dirt, Flaming Pie saw the latter re-examine what made his songwriting so special following the making of the Anthology TV series. In George Martin and Jeff Lynne, Macca couldn’t want for better collaborators to bottle both his innate pop skills and overlooked punk side, with Ringo Starr co-write Really Love You up there with Helter Skelter and Lady Madonna for frenzied abandon. Flaming Pie highlights the seeming simplicity of McCartney’s pop, but if it was that easy he’d be knocking out tunes as perfect as Calico Skies and If You Wanna every time. You can picture him still wanting to impress…

VARIOUS ARTISTS 1978: THE YEAR THE UK TURNED DAY-GLO CHERRY RED Nobody is contrary enough to cite 1978 as a classic for music. But, as Cherry Red’s exhaustive and exhausting 3CD compilation attests, alternative music was having a highly entertaining breakdown that year. Half of these 79 songs comprise bargain-bin punk from chancers whose safety pins lacked sharpness: hello to The Bleach Boys, The Bozos, Social Security and especially The Exits, whose Glandular Angela is even thicker than its title. Surrounding the whiff of cheap glue and desperation are acts moving the scene on – The Jam, PiL, The Boomtown Rats – and those trying something entirely new. Squint a bit and you could claim Ultravox’s Slow Motion, Tubeway Army’s Oh! I Didn’t Say and even Scritti Politti’s fever dream…

BOOK REVIEWS DYLAN JONES SWEET DREAMS: THE STORY OF THE NEW ROMANTICS FABER It’s now been more than 40 years since clubland icon Steve Strange held court at the Blitz in London’s West End, operating a strict door policy where only the most flamboyant and outlandish clubbers were allowed past the velvet rope to enter the iconic nightspot which birthed an entire generation of creatives who went on to leave their stamp on the worlds of music, art, fashion and film. For those of us who never made it inside, Dylan Jones’ exhaustive new tome is the ultimate testament to the scene as told by those who lived and breathed it, including Jones himself. As with his excellent David Bowie biography, A Life, Jones has amassed an extensive list of…

DIRK TIMMERMAN MADONNA: THE DAY I WAS THERE THIS DAY IN MUSIC BOOKS Following on from similar accounts devoted to The Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and The Smiths, This Day In Music’s latest instalment shines the spotlight on Madonna. As well as serving as a biography, offering up random trivia and exploring the inspiration for some of the star’s most iconic moments, it is the input and perspective of fans which makes this series work so well. Drawing on hundreds of accounts from fans who reveal their own personal stories about seeing Madonna in concert, this offers a unique perspective of the singer’s illustrious career. The addition of fan photos and memorabilia help to create a nostalgia-filled and immersive portrait. While her admirers worship Madonna from afar, the book also…

CHRIS FRANTZ REMAIN IN LOVE WHITE RABBIT If Remain In Love, the autobiography of Talking Heads’ drummer Chris Frantz, could be summed up in one word, it would be ‘bittersweet’ on account of Frantz’s two pivotal relationships within the book. Bitter (on occasion justifiably so) towards former bandmate David Byrne and sweet towards his wife, Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth. While much has been said over the past four decades from outsiders regarding the pioneering art-rockers, Frantz clearly has a score to settle regarding the band’s dynamics and doesn’t hold back on calling out Byrne for claiming sole credit for work created as a collective and telling the Los Angeles Times Talking Heads had split before informing his colleagues. As hostile as Frantz remains towards Byrne (“the more successful Talking…

OUR CONTRIBUTORS Best known for editing Teletext’s music pages Planet Sound in the 2000s, John Earls has also written about pop for the Sunday People, News Of The World, Daily Star and NME. This month, John meets our cover stars Erasure, producers Langer & Winstanley and helms our reissues reviews section. Having clogged up the nation’s homes with Sleeper and Wannadies records in the 90s, Ben Wardle left A&R to write for The Guardian and Radio 4 as well as author bestselling book The Art Of The LP and his blog A&Rmchair. This month, he meets Prince insiders Susan Rogers and Duane Tudahl to dig deep into the Sign O’ The Times vault for the late star’s extraordinary boxset reissue. Wyndham Wallace is formerly a publicist, label representative and artist…

THE POD SQUAD CHECKING IN WITH OUR FAVOURITE CLASSIC POP-FRIENDLY PODCASTS No.3 BRIAN & SARAH LINNEN PERMANENT RECORD What’s your podcast about? Richard Blade says it best in our show’s opening: we take “an in-depth look at the classic albums of the 1980s; albums which have earned a permanent place of honour, both in our hearts and in our record collections.” Our goal is to celebrate great music that you may have forgotten and to bring you stories about the artists and songs that you haven’t heard. At the end of each episode, we hope you’ve learned something new and fallen in love with the music again. How did you get into podcasting? We were motivated by the great shows that we were hearing and by the desire to learn…

IAN PEEL’S A TO Z of POP B IS FOR… BRAND NEW CADILLAC AT THE MOMENT PUNK BECAME POST-PUNK–AND AT THE POINT NEW WAVE WAS BORN–ONE SONG TYPIFIED THE TRANSITION: THE CLASH’S BRAND NEW CADILLAC. THIS TARDIS OF A TRACK HAS QUITE A HISTORY, AND ITS PAST JUST RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH ME… I’d planned to visit a studio earlier this year, to hear the new fruits of a bizarre but intriguing collaboration. Of course that studio visit ended up having to be made by Skype, but what I heard was no less interesting. The studio in question belonged to Chris Constantinou, erstwhile producer/bass player journeyman of pop whose credits include Sinéad O’Connor, Adam Ant and Annabella Lwin. Lwin’s Annabella project from the early 90s was effectively a duo made…

A TOURING CIRCUS One reason Erasure’s new album is called The Neon is that it evokes fairgrounds, and Andy’s childhood fantasy of wanting to be in a travelling show. “Going on tour is very much me living out those fantasies,” Andy acknowledges. “Super Wonderland Trouper is one of my favourite songs, because that’s me on tour. “All I do is eat, sleep and sing. I get to be the little figurine from a music box, because I do my songs then crawl back into bed. “I love steam engines, too, from when the steam expo came to Peterborough as a kid. I’d love me and Vince to do a tour on a steamroller, with our songs printed out on cardboard sheets, though I’m aware it’d take forever for us to…

CLASSIC ALBUM THE COLOUR OF SPRING TALK TALK AFTER STARTING LIFE AS ONE OF MANY BANDS CYNICALLY MARKETED BY RECORD COMPANIES TO CASH IN ON THE NEW ROMANTIC SCENE, ON THIRD STUDIO ALBUM THE COLOUR OF SPRING TALK TALK PROPELLED THEMSELVES FROM SYNTH-POP NEWCOMERS TOWARDS BOLDLY EXPERIMENTAL TERRITORY… NEIL CROSSLEY The outpouring of tributes following the sudden death of Mark Hollis last year was notable for the sheer depth of respect shown to the Talk Talk founder and frontman by his contemporaries. One of the most repeated and retweeted quotes in the hours and days following the 64-year-old’s death came from a 2012 interview with Guy Garvey in Mojo magazine, in which the Elbow frontman discussed Hollis’s enduring influence. “Mark started from punk and by his own admission he had…

CLASSIC ALBUM THE COLOUR OF SPRING THE VIDEOS LIFE’S WHAT YOU MAKE IT Intercut with shots of nature, this night-time performance finds the band playing in the great outdoors amid a beautiful woodland. Hollis maintains his enigmatic persona as he plays piano, its keys dappled with dew and his breath misting up as he sings in the cold night air. Various animals including a fox, badger, centipede, hedgehog and mouse meander through the undergrowth as the band plays on. Lee Harris thuds away impressively on the drums. In a wonderful climax, dawn breaks as the band finish playing and two rabbits skip off into the distance. bit.ly/3fKRpvO LIVING IN ANOTHER WORLD Hollis resumes his position at the piano for the dramatic shots where he crashes out the opening chords of…

Auld Lang Syne of the Times © Getty “It’s the last time Prince did the SOTT show and the first concert he did at Paisley Park; it really is an historic document,” says Duane Tudahl of the ninth disc included in the boxset–a DVD featuring an entire previously unreleased New Year’s Eve 1987 show. “We went back to the original footage of the concert, went through all of it and found the best shots we could. If there was a problem or a glitch, we corrected it and found shots of Prince that weren’t on the original tape–close-ups of him playing and singing, silhouettes of him walking back on stage–things that bring you right there with him. His parents are in the audience and it’s the only time Miles Davis…

NIK KERSHAW BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE WITH AN ECLECTIC NEW ALBUM ON THE WAY, CLASSIC POP CATCHES UP WITH RELUCTANT STAR NIK KERSHAW TO TALK WRITER’S BLOCK, MAKING HISTORY AND HIS EAGERNESS TO RETURN TO THE LIVE STAGE FELIX ROWE EARLY ON, I WAS TERRIFIED OF GETTING FOUND OUT, SO I USED TO GO OUT OF MY WAY TO WRITE NOTHING ABOUT MENIK KERSHAW “Terrifying” is a word that comes up a lot in conversation with Nik Kershaw–typically when he’s describing a momentous career highlight, whether that’s performing to a packed stadium at Live Aid or stepping into the shoes of his idols. Accustomed as we are to putting pop stars on a pedestal, it’s sobering to discover that living the dream can occasionally bring on emotions usually associated with a nightmare.…

SUPER FAN DEVOTED FANS SHOW US THEIR COLLECTIONS AND POP MEMORABILIA EURYTHMICS STEVE GAYLER, AYLESBURY Q When did you first become a Superfan of Eurythmics and why? A I’ve been a fan of Eurythmics since I was about 13 years old when I really started to appreciate music._The radio was always on for Saturday lunch and there was just something that caught my attention when I first heard the voice of Annie Lennox and the synths of Dave Stewart. Q What items do you have in your collection? A I guess I’m a bit of a completist, and I love the wide variety of sleeves that were issued across their catalogue, even going back to The Catch and The Tourists._I am lucky to have a number of Holy Grail items,…

80S COLLABORATIONS TOP 20 TOP 20 80S COLLABORATIONS THE PULL OF STAR POWER CAN BE UNDENIABLE SO IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT SOME DREAM TEAM HOOK-UPS HAVE MADE A MAJOR SPLASH IN THE CHARTS OVER THE YEARS JON O’BRIEN The star-studded collaboration may have become de rigueur in the Spotify era. In fact, nearly half of 2019’s 40 biggest-selling singles were duets or artists “featuring” another. But in the days of Bruno Brookes chart countdowns, the union of two different acts was a rarity rather than a regularity. Here’s a look at 20 team-ups which suggest that the 1980s was the true golden age of the pop collab. 2O UB40 & CHRISSIE HYNDE I GOT YOU BABE Almost 20 years to the day that Sonny & Cher flower-powered their way to…

NIK KERSHAW OXYMORON AUDIO NETWORK Nik Kershaw’s conceded he felt little urge to record his first album in eight years. Perhaps that’s unsurprising: history’s been unkind to him, with people more inclined to recall the übermullet he sported in the mid-1980s than the string of hits which made the haircut famous and made him – for a while, at least – Britain’s biggest singles artist. In fact, Oxymoron probably wouldn’t exist at all had a friend not offered to release it. But since it does, let’s acknowledge right away that these days Kershaw’s matured into what looks like the open-minded English teacher we all wished we had. Indeed, his ninth album sounds like that’s who made it, so if it’s not especially distinctive, it’s nonetheless dependable: always literate, sometimes funny,…

DOVES THE UNIVERSAL WANT VIRGIN EMI If, instead of turning to Travis, Coldplay had enjoyed youthful musical epiphanies somewhere like Manchester’s Haçienda, they may have ended up sounding a lot like Doves. The comparison’s no doubt controversial, and Jimi Goodwin and brothers Jez and Andy Williams might not appreciate it, but it’s sparked both by Goodwin’s voice, which often sounds like a downbeat Chris Martin – if there’s such a thing – and the ascendant intent of many of both bands’ songs. Listen to the guitar lines underpinning Cycle Of Hurt, or Cathedrals Of The Mind, on which Goodwin’s yearning for a missing pal rises above its dubby undertow. The title track, meanwhile, begins like the Yellow lads at half-speed before transforming into an uplifting canter towards a stadium-sized climax.…

INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP POP GOSSIP DESOLATE SPOOLS Having initially begun as a Moonlandingz side-project, Dean Honer and Adrian Flanagan’s collaboration with Soundcarriers singer Leonore Wheatley has quickly become the main event: their self-titled 2018 debut album was a day-glo riot, their gigs an essential night out for Wheatley and new singer Katie Mason’s riotous Bananaramaing about in front of their bandmates, perfectly embodying the deadpan keyboardist trope. That ITOP have now distilled the joy of their concerts makes them one of the most essential synth-pop bands around. There’s a perfect futurism sheen to their fiendishly addictive tunes and, equally importantly, Pop Gossip is frequently hilarious. Sleaford Mods duet You Stole My Plimsolls sees Wheatley snipe “Look at you, 32, walking round without your shoes” over a hyperactive groove. It’s…

REVIEWS JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD EVEN IN EXILE MONTYRAY The lyrics for Manic Street Preachers singer James Dean Bradfield’s second solo album are written by playwright Patrick Jones, brother of Manics’ Nicky Wire. If that’s not esoteric enough, Even In Exile is a concept album about murdered 60s Chilean singer/activist Victor Jara. Don’t back away nervously, though: you don’t need to know the album’s backstory to rejoice in the anthemic pop of Without Knowing The End. The contemplative The Boy From The Plantation and From The Hands Of Violeta similarly stand strong among the evocative ballads Manics have been making since This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours. There are moments when the narrative takes over. 30,000 Milk Bottles is a spiky throwback to Bradfield’s sloganeering roots, while La Partida’s chanted…

CULTS HOST SINDERLYN Cults have suffered diminishing returns since 2011 single Go Outside earned the spotlight, but though they’ve sacrificed its sound for more polish, there’s still plenty to love, and opener Trials’s sweet retro may even lure early fans back, too. Either way, Spit You Out’s rubbery textures sound better for a more opulent setting, and Madeline Follin’s voice, just the right side of cutely breathy, enriches Masquerading’s ‘Wall of Sound’ and balances out No Risk’s murky rhythms. Elsewhere, Like I Do and 8th Avenue sound like David Holmes already got his hands on them. WW…

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT FUN CITY YSKWN!/MEGAFORCE All bar one song on Bright Light Bright Light’s fourth LP is a duet, with every guest a prominent LGBTQ+ figure. Having previously worked with Elton John, Ellie Goulding and Cher, Rod Thomas is known for his collaborative spirit. In finding like-minded travellers, Fun City is actually his most distinctive album. A joyous, defiant listen, its unifying message is most explicit in the euphoric It’s Alright, It’s OK with Canadian trio Caveboy. The music frequently runs riot, but Thomas’ poise means Jake Shears and Andy Bell rein it in to act as a foil to Thomas’ own conversational, laid-back vocals. Sam Sparro is a particular delight on the gleeful You Make It So Easy, Don’t You, while Mark Gatiss can add “voice of…

FISH WELTSCHMERZ CHOCOLATE FROG RECORDS Having apparently been through the wringer recently, Fish has declared this will be his last studio album. Presumably that’s why restraint is sometimes lacking: at 84 minutes but only 10 songs long, and with every drop wrung from the experiences leading to his decision, he appears keen to ensure he’ll have no regrets afterwards. This, possibly, is its greatest flaw: some may lack the patience for its indulgences, well-earned as they are. Take one song at a time, however, and cynics may be persuaded, not least by Garden Of Remembrance, a touching, softly sung piano ballad which, inspired by his parents, explores dementia’s effects on both those suffering a life “where thoughts land like snowflakes” and those who still love its victims. (The video, it’s…

KRAFTWERK TRANS EUROPA EXPRESS/DIE MENSCH-MASCHINE/COMPUTERWELT/TECHNO POP/THE MIX PARLOPHONE ‘Inselaffen’ – or ‘island monkeys’, the name Germans gave to Brits occupying part of their country following World War II – were spoiled by Kraftwerk. Not only was theirs a sparkling, futuristic vision of Europe’s post-war landscape, both geographical and social, but it was offered in a revolutionary new musical style and, furthermore, in English. Of course, this decision was first and foremost commercial. Brits weren’t fond of Germans – witness how comic books like Warlord and Commando still existed in the 70s, even as Kraftwerk emerged as part of krautrock, itself a pejorative term – and a language understood internationally made sense. But it was also a generous gesture towards an emerging global society, and it advanced Kraftwerk’s cultural intent: to…

FREEEZ/JOHN ROCCA SOUTHERN FREEEZ/VARIATIONS ON A THEEEM BEGGARS ARKIVE If ever a band’s hits are atypical of their work, it’s Freeez. Propelled along by guest singer Ingrid Mansfield-Allman’s euphoric proto-house vocals, the Top 10 title track of the Londoners’ debut album is one of just two vocal songs on Southern Freeez. Reissued for its 40th anniversary, it’s much closer to prog than the dancefloor. Rick Wakeman would be impressed by the extended keyboard finale of Roller Chase, but pop thrills are at a premium on an album with more slap bass than a complete Seinfeld boxset. Emerging from the thennascent Britfunk movement, Freeez’s musicianship is exemplary, but any hooks among the endless jamming appear almost by accident. Haircut 100 would borrow from their sharp playing for Pelican West and the…

KOOL & THE GANG COLLECTED MUSIC ON VINYL Specialising in excellently packaged reissues, Music On Vinyl now compile their own hits collections, too. While MOV’s reissues often highlight neglected treasures, their Collected series is, so far, usually from acts not shy of bunging out a hits compilation: Level 42, Huey Lewis And The News, UB40… Collected’s running order is a simple chronological runthrough, stopping at 1988’s Rags To Riches. Kool’s last significant compilation was Gold 15 years ago, so there’s a generation who don’t have their own hits set and the 27 songs here make for a decent sampler. In seeking to showcase their earlier career from 1969’s thumping self-titled debut single, Collected omits a couple of 80s hits such as Jones Vs Jones and Big Fun. You can’t hear…

DEAD OR ALIVE FRAGILE/UNBREAKABLE: THE FRAGILE MIXES DEMON DOA’s final LP Fragile exemplifies the sadness of Pete Burns’ latter career. Despite suffering from ME-type symptoms, I Paralyze and Hit And Run Lover are explosive Hi-NRG, which deserved to catapult Burns back into the charts. Instead, he was ordered to fill half of Fragile with old hits – only to discover he didn’t own the rights, so he’d have to re-record them instead. The result is an album of six fantastic new tunes, full of hilarious grandstanding about his beauty and talent, and six revamps (with the emphasis very much on the “vamps”.) And, after all that, Fragile was only released in Japan until now. The frustrations of re-recording his classics would have led lesser mortals to coast on the new…

REVIEWS BANGLES/MATTHEW SWEET & SUSANNA HOFFS GOLD/UNDER THE COVERS VOLUMES 1-3 CRIMSON/DEMON It feels the right time for a Bangles revival. They’ve certainly given the UK chance to miss them: it’s eight years since they last played here, headlining Rewind in 2012 to promote their most recent album Sweetheart Of The Sun. Demon subsidiary Crimson’s now-regular 3CD Gold series should be perfect for Bangles’ eighth hits compilation, but it’s a black mark that there’s nothing from Sweetheart Of The Sun or 2003’s comeback album Doll Revolution. Also missing are their first two pre-fame singles. The focus is squarely on the band’s three 80s albums, with most of those songs across the 30 tracks alongside standalone hits like Hazy Shade Of Winter. The biggest songs are at the start of each…

VARIOUS ARTISTS EDDIE PILLER PRESENTS THE MOD REVIVAL DEMON A decade before forming the Acid Jazz label in 1987, Eddie Piller was a mod DJ who edited the scene’s Extraordinary Sensation fanzine. The 80s dominates Piller’s 92-song compilation, with Dexys Midnight Runners, Madness and (obviously) The Jam the big names. It’s in the margins where the 4CD (or cut-down 28-song vinyl) set comes to life. A thoughtfully chosen range, it highlights mod favourites who deserved to go beyond scenester cult status, with Secret Affair, Five Thirty and pre-Charlatans melodicists Makin’ Time still capable of causing “What’s this?” dancefloor chaos. There are plenty of great tunes by bands who barely existed, while Doctor And The Medics prove they didn’t deserve one-hit-wonder status on the electric Round And Round. Towards the end,…

CLASSIC POP MOMENTS DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN IS RELEASED IN THE UK 6 SEPTEMBER 1985 © Getty Images Released in the UK a full six months after the United States, Orion Pictures were slow on the uptake to capitalise on the pulling power of the hottest pop star on the planet. Oozing sass and bedecked in boho chic, Madonna co-starred as Susan Thomas alongside Rosanna Arquette in this enjoyable screwball comedy directed by Susan Seidelman. Arquette played bored housewife Roberta Glass who becomes fascinated by small ads left by bohemian drifter Thomas and her boyfriend Jim (Robert Joy) in a New York tabloid. Through a series of complicated missteps, Roberta ends up losing her memory and convinces both herself and Jim’s friend Dez (played by Aidan Quinn) that she’s the elusive…