Innholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2023 i Classic Pop

I’ve said it before in the pages of Classic Pop and I’ll say it again – George Michael was the finest pure pop songwriter Britain has ever produced since Paul McCartney in his 60s Beatles pomp. While’s George’s melodic genius allowed him to craft musical gems pretty much from the get-go – he famously wrote Careless Whisper as a 17-year-old, of course – he didn’t arrive straight out of the box as a fully-formed performer. Wham! was effectively his pop star finishing school, and played a pivotal role in building his all-round confidence. In the space of just five years, the group enjoyed an extraordinary evolution yet it still wasn’t enough to contain the enormity and ambition of George’s talent. A band of brothers and sisters, Wham! remain absolutely vital…

Radio 2 has announced details of its biggest ever live music event outside London, with an impressive lineup of major pop talent. Held on 16-17 September, Tears For Fears will headline day one at Victoria Park, Leicester, for this year’s Radio 2 In The Park festival. Also among the featured artists on the first day are Bananarama, Soft Cell, Deacon Blue and Texas. Topping the bill on the second day will be a headline appearance by Kylie Minogue. Other notable names include The Pretenders, Rick Astley, Sam Ryder and Simply Red. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears For Fears said: “We love playing live and can’t wait to bring some of our favourite songs, old and new, to thousands of Radio 2 listeners.” As the news was announced on…

BLUE MERCEDES When London duo Blue Mercedes drove on to pop’s forecourt in 1987 it was a brief visit, but they left behind a superb, infectious single. With singer David Titlow admirably carrying off the narrative expressions of ABC’s Martin Fry over a melody by partner Duncan Millar, the track caught on quickly via a production overseen by PWL, even though they were not part of the dominant Hit Factory, and a video featuring a cameo from Hollywood musicals legend Cyd Charisse, namechecked in the chorus. It was hard to know who the duo were aiming at with a lyric above the sixth-form pop of their contemporaries (letters to pop publications saw readers asking who Charisse was), but initially it didn’t matter, as the colourful catchiness of the track was…

Who were your musical heroes growing up? Undoubtedly Queen. I’m the youngest of six and there’s 14 years between me and my nearest brother so at the peak of the UK mid-80s alternative scene I was listening to 1972 albums that people’s dads were into. The press at the time were absolutely brutal about Queen so I felt hugely vindicated when they ruled Live Aid and everyone else’s guitars went limp. This was my Pretty Woman in the department store moment when I swaggered into school on the Monday. What’s the first song that you remember loving? Simon & Garfunkel’s El Cóndor Pasa. It’s traditional in Scotland to have a song as your party piece at family events, and when I was three this was the one I’d have to…

CARMEL Carmel McCourt’s magnificent bluesy voice dominates a fine, varied jazz-inflected pop album that draws on many a musical influence. Somehow both big and stripped back, it’s as if each musician has popped in with a new instrument, recorded a turn, and walked off again.  Hit singles bookend the album. More, More, More is an ecstatic opener, with bouncy double bass, attention-seeking trumpets and sympathetic percussion, fading just as you think it could carry on until the end of time. The chanting hook and tinkling piano of Bad Day closes the album, with McCourt improvising the chorus while making every word count on the verses. For each epic there’s a jam; I Thought I Was Going Mad befits its title as both percussion and vocals pack in as much as…

Forget about Bonfire Night: 5 November 1979 was an explosive day in music history and for the career prospects of 16-year-old Andrew Ridgeley. That was the date he left Bushey Meads secondary school and the day he and George Michael – or ‘Yog’ as Andrew still affectionately calls him, from the phonetic ‘Yoghir’ pronunciation of Georgios – decided it was finally time to form a band together. Pop historians already know Ridgeley was the initial driving force behind Wham!, the confident teenager who persuaded his shy, awkward best mate to be in a band. It’s a genesis story that Andrew recalls clearly, reminiscing: “We were 14 when I first brought up the idea of forming a band. Yog said he needed to get his O-Levels out of the way first.…

The year is 1987, and Britain’s pop crown rests firmly atop the gravitydefying quiff of a young singer from the north-west of England. Though exactly whose quiff depends on which tribe you belong to: for the misfit indie kids who voted The Smiths best act in the NME’s end-of-year poll, Steven Patrick Morrissey is their one true king. But for Smash Hits readers – and the wider record-buying public – the glory belongs to a 21-year-old from the market town of Newton-le-Willows, who’s come from nowhere to score the biggest-selling single of the year. What neither side could have predicted, though, was that three-and-ahalf decades later, Rick Astley – for it was he – would not only be cooler than Morrissey, he’d also be a cooler frontman of The Smiths…

The achievements of Merseybeat legends like The Beatles and Gerry And The Pacemakers put Liverpool on the cultural map, and the city has once again been in the headlines when it hosted this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. In the heart of the world-famous Mathew Street was the city’s creative hub of Eric’s, a thriving live venue and mecca for untapped talent, and it was here that some of the most successful acts of the 80s kickstarted their careers. With a rule of one track per act, we’ve picked out 20 of the decade’s finest Liverpudlian singles. 20 YACHTS I.O.U. (IN THE ODDMENTS DRAWER) (1980) Boasting future members of The Christians and It’s Immaterial, powerpop act Yachts evolved from a sprawling seven-piece combo named Albert Dock And The Cod Warriors (who’d…

★★★★ Returning Soft Cell to the Top 10 for the first time since The Art Of Falling Apart 39 years earlier, 2022’s *Happiness Not Included was exactly the comeback that Marc Almond and Dave Ball deserved: the production sleek for the 21st century, the spirit as murky as the Seedy Films days. The reasons it was such a good album are highlighted by two very different companion releases. A 2LP vinyl package has extended versions of all 12 tracks. It means the seamiest song, the pulsating This Last Night In Sodom echo of Nighthawks, gets an overdue first vinyl release. Five of the mixes have featured on singles before, most notably Pet Shop Boys’ transcendent Purple Zone, a homage to Neil and Chris’ precursors who they spoke so fondly of…

★★★★ Talking to Classic Pop about his comeback album The Painter last year, William Orbit raved about one of that record’s collaborators: Georgia. Having worked on her own forthcoming LP in return, Orbit was convinced she was one of the most prodigious talents of her age, able to write, play and produce virtually anything. As the daughter of Leftfield’s Neil Barnes, Georgia had a head start, of course. But her previous album Seeking Thrills in 2020 slowly established her as a maverick pop talent both outside of her lineage and in an oasis separate from her peers. A sleeper hit which outstripped its No.24 chart peak, it fitted between the route-one excitement of Dua Lipa and the determinedly esoteric glitchiness of Charli XCX. Seeking Thrills was escapism with heart, bangers…

CHERRY POP ★★★ As Pete Tong And The Heritage Orchestra’s No.1 album, stadium shows and surprise appearance at King Charles’ coronation bash proved, the pop-goes-classical makeover concept has firmly become part of the establishment. Here, though, a collaboration between producers Steve Anderson and Cliff Masterson, the 50-strong Orchestra Of Opera North and a trio of Classic Pop favourites, 80s Classical never fully commits to its concept. Indeed, whereas Tong and co are able to transform various Ibiza classics – often of the minimal one-man-and-hismachine variety – into elaborate, full-sounding mini-symphonies, many of these 13 tracks sound flatter than their source material. However, there are a handful of interesting ideas on display. China In Your Hand leans further into the baroque pop promised by those opening plucked pizzicato strings, while the…

★★★ With the fabulously named The Johan And Only replacing Dr Matt Destruction on bass, the Swedes finally return 11 years after previous album Lex Hives. Showing an admirable determination to see a joke through, the title alludes to the band’s fictitious mentor leaving behind a demo tape when disappearing/faking his death. In reality, singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist’s has a neat retort on why TDORF sounds exactly the same as all other Hives albums: “There’s no maturity or any of that bullshit, because who the fuck wants mature rock & roll?” That’s the blessing and curse for these 12 songs. If you loved Your New Favourite Band in 2001, you’ll gobble up the similarly ridiculous Bogus Operandi and Rigor Mortis Radio. But it’s really only the properly Ramonesian high-octane punk…

★★★★ On her third album, Anne-Marie makes her intentions abundantly clear: “This ain’t another sad girl anthem/ I’m heading down a different road.” Accordingly, The Voice judge fantasises about revenge (Grudge), gets her life back on track after a breakup (Trainwreck) and toys with an ex’s emotions (Haunt You). Musically, the album veers between ballads, theatrical numbers and pop, with a few curveballs: the stringadorned Irish Goodbye, Aitch collab Psycho, and the standout title track, a country-influenced Shania Twain duet. AZ…

★★★★ The most varied album in the careers of either the original Orchestra or their reboot, Arthur Jeffes’ collective stop replicating his father’s mischievous blueprint to change the Café menu in style. Gritty opener Welcome To London sets the tone for funk, arena anthemics, steel bands and, on Find Your Feet, techno worthy of Underworld. They’ve never sounded so ambitious as Galahad’s stirring drama, while In Re Budd sounds like The Police should if they ever reform again. A fine entry point for those new to the Jeffes’ wild dynasty. JE…

★★★★ Darkwave duo Steve Jones and Logan Sky became friends and musical collaborators via Steve Strange. The pair’s sixth LP does the Visage great’s legacy justice, and brims with moody synth-pop as well as swooning gothic lyrics that would make Edgar Allan Poe proud (or jealous). Particularly compelling is the greyscale gloom of This Silence, Our Tragedy, a languid composition featuring melancholy sax from Gary Barnacle, the hauntedhouse-creepy cinematic vibe of Radiation and Scary Monstersera Bowie nod of Into Dust. AZ…

★★★★★ When Classic Pop first heard that a new Pet Shop Boys singles compilation was planned, the office went nervous. Discography and PopArt are classics of the genre; their previous Best Of set Ultimate in 2010 was conversely an overly condensed muddle. Since we learned of the tracklisting of PSB Singles 4.0, joy has been unconfined. As explained by Chris Lowe in our previous issue, firstly SMASH is a title worthy of pop’s most erudite turn, encapsulating Smash Hits, Roy Lichtenstein and hit songs (and thus PSB’s own Hit Music.) At a time when many two-bob punk bands demand their name is all-caps, Lowe and Neil Tennant are justified in SMASH’s shouty title. THIS is quite possibly the finest singles compilation there ever was. Bow down before it and acknowledge…

★★★★ Since his 80s chart heyday, Paul Hardcastle has become a prolific smooth jazz star with more than 35 specialist No.1 singles and 20 million global CD sales. However, the Londoner is still associated for his synth-leaning hits – notably Vietnam War critique 19, R&B-influenced Don’t Waste My Time, and burbling TOTP theme The Wizard. This 4CD compilation is squarely focused on his more mainstream days, in particular from his time on Chrysalis. That equates to remastered versions of two studio albums (his 1985 self-titled LP and 1988’s No Winners) and two discs of rare mixes and B-sides. Although the collection contains plenty of variations on well-known tunes, it shines even more when highlighting the breadth and depth of Hardcastle’s strengths. His acumen for electro-funk is on display throughout, such…

★★★★ Long overdue some catalogue attention, the first Girls Aloud album gets a handsome 3CD expanded edition for its 20th anniversary, alongside its first appearance on vinyl. If their debut wasn’t quite at the level of Chemistry or What Will The Neighbours Say? for noughties pop perfection, the deluxe set shows that, from the off, there was more to Girls Aloud than just their mighty singles like the title track and No Good Advice. Far stronger than Spice Girls hits-and-filler, half of the album is Xenomania establishing their stronghold, with Love/Hate a tense garage titan and Mars Attack perfectly inhabiting the cartoon kitsch landscape of its writer/producer team, Betty Boo and The Beatmasters. Arriving when CD B-sides were still essential, there are some terrific additions on CD2. Nobody needs their…

★★★★ After his previous Dance Masters compilation focused on Shep Pettibone, Arthur Baker assembles 43 of his own remixes across a 4CD or 6LP set, with a 13-track 2LP for the casuals. Baker is obviously worthy of such an extensive document. Indeed, a standout is his own cult classic The Message Is Love, where he persuaded Al Green to get sweet in the studio again. Green is one of several unlikely names here, with Baker versatile enough to sprinkle funk over Terry Hall, Fleetwood Mac and even Bob Dylan. A pioneer in remixing mainstream and rock names, Baker was adept at keeping the essence of whoever he worked with, enhancing the cabaret of The Cars in Hello Again and letting Out Of Touch glide for longer for Hall & Oates.…

★★★★ As Bowie fans can attest, there’s been no shortage of material published about the Starman since his death seven years ago. From biographies to photobooks, the tomes have kept coming – each attempting to outdo the last. The difference with Bowie Odyssey 73, the fourth in Simon Goddard’s scintillating series, is that it succeeds where so many others have failed. With its meticulous fact-checking and almost poetic prose, Goddard paints a beautifully written portrait that’s almost as otherworldly as its subject. While Goddard’s previous instalments have been just as invaluable, the fact that 1973 was such an exciting period for Bowie with Ziggy Stardust’s retirement, as well as the release of Aladdin Sane and Pin-Ups, elevates the series even further here, transporting the reader to the centre of the…

Whatever the genre, be it jazz, folk, punk, disco, hip-hop or alternative, all musical scenes are a product of their environment – and no place has played a more integral role in shaping its aural output than that of New York City. This notion provides the premise for Jesse Rifkin’s superb tour of the city and its influence on music over the past 60 years. Exhaustive in its attention to detail, This Must Be The Place: Music, Community And Vanished Spaces In New York City is an enlightening escapade through the mean streets of the Big Apple, which veers far off the beaten track of renowned venues to infiltrate the urban underbelly of the concrete jungle. Sure, we may take in CBGB, Max’s Kansas City, Studio 54 and the Hotel…

The winner of the Best Writer, Specialist category, in 2022’s British Society of Magazine Editors Awards, our latest issue sees John Earls meet Andrew Ridgeley and Pepsi & Shirlie for a world exclusive Wham! cover feature. John also chats to guitarist Andy Taylor, and oversees our new albums and reissues reviews sections. Paul Kirkley makes his living from interviewing famous people with much more interesting and glamorous lives than his own. He is also, to the best of his knowledge, the only paid TV critic for a national supermarket chain. This issue, he’s granted the first listen to Rick Astley’s forthcoming studio album, provisionally titled Are We There Yet? Steve O’Brien has written for such publications as The Guardian, Radio Times, Esquire, The New Statesman and Empire. For Classic Pop,…

Stars including Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Mick Jagger rushed to pay their respects to Tina Turner after the singer passed away on 24 May at the age of 83. On Instagram, Mariah Carey said: “The words legendary, iconic, diva and superstar are often overused and yet Tina Turner embodies them all and so many more – an incredible performer, musician and trailblazer. To me, she will always be a survivor and an inspiration to women everywhere. Her music will continue to inspire generations to come. Rest in peace, Queen.” While performing at the Stade de France in Paris as part of her Renaissance Tour, Beyoncé halted proceedings to salute the star: “If you’re a fan of mine, you’re a fan of Tina Turner,” the singer announced. “I wouldn’t be on…

Members of Happy Mondays and former Oasis bandmates have joined forces to cook up a new psychedelic supergroup. Mantra Of The Cosmos comprise Shaun Ryder and Bez from the Mondays alongside ex-Oasis members Zak Starkey and Andy Bell, the latter also an ex-member of Ride. The brainchild of former Who sticksman Starkey who enlisted the help of Creation Records founder Alan McGee, the band have launched the project with lead single Gorilla Guerilla. Zak describes the tune as: “A fantastic psychedelic groove from a band of misfits, outsiders and innovators.” Making their live debut at London’s The Box, the band followed it by headlining Glastonbury’s Glade Stage on 25 June.…

Primal Scream are raiding the archives for their “debut album that never was” via a collection of the band’s first two singles on Creation Records and 11 previously unreleased BBC session tracks. New 16-track compilation Reverberations (Travelling In Time), which is set for release on 28 July, features the Primals’ debut single It Happens backed with All Fall Down. The tracks were hastily recorded at London’s Alaska Studios in February 1985 on Creation and released that May before catching the attention of Radio 1’s John Peel who invited the band for their first session on his radio show. Also included in the compilation is second single Crystal Crescent plus its B-side Velocity Girl. Out on Primal Scream’s Young Tiki label, Reverberations... is the first in a series of limited edition…

Ionce read, I can’t remember where, about the coincidence that both 1966 and 1977 were pivotal years for pop. And I’ve since realised that not only is this true but 1988 and 1999 also support the argument that the double-digit years were the ones that were the most revolutionary in the second half of the last century. 1966 is an easy one. The year that pop music came of age against the backdrop of the psychedelic revolution. The Beatles released Revolver and then went straight into Abbey Road to create Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Beach Boys also released their seminal album Pet Sounds and hit No.1 with Good Vibrations. Although 1966 had more than its fair share of timeless singles – The Supremes’ You Can’t Hurry Love…

In a world of social media feeds clogged with spurious clickbait and AI-generated Papal puffer jackets, we must depend upon certain incontestable truths to provide grounding among the chaos: the Earth is round, one plus one is two, and – most importantly – Kate Bush is awesome. Where the genius, majesty and ongoing resonance of Ms Bush are concerned, personal opinion is irrelevant and resistance is futile. Even the eyebrow-raising headline of Kate Bush dislodging Harry Styles to top the charts on both sides of the Atlantic feels entirely plausible. However genuinely unexpected her meteoric and record-breaking return to the public eye was last year, on reflection it’s not so fanciful when you think about it. It’s simply a reassuring affirmation of what we already knew: Kate Bush is an…

★★★★ “Derangement” is Stewart Copeland’s word to describe the drummer’s method of pulling apart and rebuilding The Police’s back catalogue for his recent series of live shows. It might also be a tacit acknowledgement of how gloriously bonkers the whole project – now parlayed into a studio album – often feels. Because, make no mistake, this is no standard orchestral makeover. That much is obvious from the opening Don’t Stand So Close To Me, as a slinky sax intro gives way to the full, sleazy glamour of a Bond theme. Which is kind of brilliant, but also kind of weird for a domestic drama set in a mundane world of school staffrooms and wet bus stops. It sets the tone for an album in which blasting trumpets, fluting horns and…

★★★★ Steve Lukather is the secret weapon behind countless pop and rock hits of the past 40-plus years. While associated mostly with his ambitious virtuoso band Toto – and for being part of the session crew on Thriller – the ace guitarist/songwriter has also played on albums by Stevie Nicks, Michael McDonald, Richard Marx and Rod Stewart, to name just a few. Lukather’s ninth solo album is also a collaborative affair. He co-wrote most of the record with his Toto bandmates Joseph Williams and David Paich. He also enlisted long-time friends such as singer-songwriter Randy Goodrum and ex-Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch to co-write other songs and teamed up with his eldest son Trev on the opening track, Far From Over. The result is an eclectic effort…

★★★ One of the regular complaints of us older pop fans around streaming is that it’s halted the development of new music. Nobody wants to take any chances for fear of being left off those crucial Spotify playlists. Even successful artists can end up being impaired by this conservatism. Take Rita Ora. You And I is only her third album in a decade, and purportedly her most personal yet. Certainly, it finds her digging deeper lyrically – That Girl looks back at her hard-partying years when she was a gossip column regular, while both Notting Hill and I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend are filled with teenage memories of simpler times. That’s all well and good, but the music doesn’t rise to the challenge. Most of the record follows preordained…

★★★★ Quietly a big deal since 2014’s Mercury nomination, Volcano expands the duo’s sound to fit their bigger stages, mining the best disco and sweet-spot soul. Candle Flame is designed to boom out of soft-tops, while Channel Tres smooches the low-end joy of I’ve Been In Love and an award is due for getting Roots Manuva out of semiretirement on You Ain’t No Celebrity’s wonky wobbling dub. Boasting turn-of-the-century disco filters and electric piano glows, it’s equally at home in clubs as on your headphones. Ian Wade…

★★★★ Joe McAlinden became a restauranteur in Loch Fyne after his Creation-signed band Superstar dissolved in 2000. He also had solo albums produced by Edwyn Collins and now makes ambient-washed ballads that might have flown around Superstar’s split, nestling next to Turin Brakes and Doves. Half of the eight tracks here last over five minutes, with 209 and Wish radiating a spectral calm. Although more raw energy would sometimes be nice, McAlinden’s voice is as beatific as Green Gartside throughout. JE…

★★★★ Those only aware of Dead Or Alive through their shiny SAW years could be forgiven for thinking a 3CD set from their 1979-82 beginnings is honouring an entirely different band. In fairness, it partly is, with nine of its 48 songs hailing from the short-lived Nightmares In Wax, the proto-goth outfit that first unleashed Pete Burns onto an unsuspecting public. A demo of the previously unreleased I’ll Turn Away, a gloriously atmospheric post-punk number worthy of a place on NIW’s sole 1980 EP Birth Of A Nation, will hold the most interest for more dedicated fans. Early singles including The Doorsesque debut I’m Falling and It’s Been Hours Now show Wayne Hussey’s brooding guitar skills were just as integral to Dead Or Alive’s original sound as Burns’ howling tones.…

★★★★ Combining Joy Division’s literate intensity, the Bunnymen’s drama and Simple Minds’ early anthemic qualities, The Sound should have been irresistible to the post-punk crowd. However, by the time they arrived at indie Statik Records, three major label LPs had failed to convert critical acclaim to commercial success. Shock Of Daylight, this 5CD set’s opening mini-album from 1984, should have corrected that: Golden Soldiers was as in-yer-face as The Stranglers’ No More Heroes, while New Way Of Life boasted unusual optimism and Winter satisfied its title. Heads And Hearts (1985) was similarly arresting, launching with the ferocious Whirlpool and thrilling with Restless Time, while Burning Part Of Me sparkled in the rain and One Thousand Reasons proved it wasn’t all doom and gloom. 1986’s double live LP In The Hothouse…

EDITOR Steve Harnell steve.harnell@anthem.co.uk I’m Your Man *1 ART EDITOR Debra Butler debra.butler@anthem.co.uk Young Guns (Go For It) ADVERTISING MANAGER Leah Fitz-Henry leah.fitz-henry@anthem.co.uk Club Tropicana SUB-EDITOR Rik Flynn Nothing Looks The Same In The Light DIGITAL EDITOR Steve O’Brien The Edge Of Heaven CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jenny Cook jenny.cook@anthem.co.uk Young Guns (Go For It) MARKETING EXECUTIVE Rosie Pankhurst rosie.pankhurst@anthem.co.uk FOUNDER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE Ian Peel CEO Jon Bickley jon.bickley@anthem.co.uk Wham! Rap *2 MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Lewis simon.lewis@anthem.co.uk Careless Whisper CONTRIBUTORS Dan Biggane Freedom John Earls Club Tropicana *3 Paul Kirkley Everything She Wants Mark Lindores I’m Your Man Jon O’Brien Wham! Rap *4 Barry Page Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go Felix Rowe Careless Whisper  Matthew Rudd…

Instrumental project Held By Trees are following up their Classic Pop-approved debut album Solace with a pair of EPs recorded at Peter Gabriel’s studios in Bath. Released via Sound Canyon Records on 11 August, Eventide/Solace – Live At Real World finds the six-piece live iteration of Held By Trees bringing together three of the Talk Talk/Mark Hollis alumni that contributed to their debut album including guitarist Robbie McIntosh. Led by Held By Trees mainstay David Joseph, the band were recorded playing in the Big Room at Real World in November 2022, a week after their debut live performances. Entitled Eventide, the second EP is an entirely new suite of music themed on the transition from daylight to darkness that was tracked live at Real World before overdubs were added by…

6 Bob Dylan performs at the Frederick Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, supported by The Alarm. 9 Tracy Chapman begins a three-week run at No.1 on the UK Albums Chart with her eponymous debut LP. 9 Cheap Trick hit the summit of the Billboard chart with The Flame, the group’s only US No.1 LP. 9 GlennMedeiros goes to No.1 on the UK hit parade with the George Benson cover, Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You. 12 Former Beach Boy Brian Wilson releases his self-titled debut solo record. Among the album’s contributors are Nick Laird-Clowes, Jeff Lynne, Christopher Cross and Terence Trent D’Arby. 18 Ike Turner is sentenced in Santa Monica to one year in jail for possessing and transporting cocaine. Police had stopped the one-time husband of Tina Turner in…

"Frankie Goes To Hollywood? They were good boys, it’s lovely to see them back. I had a messy show with them in Paris once. I got up to play with them in the encore. When I put my guitar on, they’d put an elastic strap on it. There were 10,000 people in the arena, while I was trying to play Relax with an elasticated guitar bouncing up and down on my body. Frankie were pissing themselves.” This is how Andy Taylor introduces himself to Classic Pop, over Zoom from his home in Ibiza the afternoon after Frankie’s comeback performance at Eurovision. Given how his terminal cancer was so publicly revealed during Duran Duran’s induction at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last year, you might expect Taylor to appear…

Six years ago Classic Pop asked Stephen Duffy if he’d ever considered reteaming with his old Duran bandmates, to which he replied: “The 40th anniversary is coming up in 2018, so I’m keeping the year free, because obviously it’s what everyone’s waiting for!” Nothing did happen in 2018, but has there ever been talk of some kind of reunion? “No,” he laughs, “but it would be amusing. I mean, they would lose their fans so quickly. People often say, ‘Do you regret leaving Duran Duran?’ thinking that the regret would be that I didn’t share in their success and their wealth. But it was kind of a weird thing that we were doing and it would have been good to have done another year of that, to see where that…

Eleven years since their last album of original music, the celebrated One Day I’m Going To Soar, Dexys are back with The Feminine Divine, a creative celebration of womanhood and a complex exploration of masculinity. A deeply personal, almost autobiographical, portrayal of a man whose views have matured over time, the nine new songs will leave the listener both spellbound and surprised in equal measure. “The record tells a story,” band leader Kevin Rowland tells Classic Pop. “It’s a journey which starts with The One That Loves You, a song where the narrator pretends to be macho because that’s what he’s been brought up to believe. He’s a guy that would threaten to beat you up if you touched his girlfriend. Jim Paterson [trombone] and I first wrote that track…

★★★★ Having maintained the same line-up since reforming in 2009, John Lydon’s best gang of miscreants each get to daub mischief all over this third album since their return. End Of World was first previewed with its closing song Hawaii, put forward as a contender for Ireland’s Eurovision entry. Too tasteful and restrained for Eurovision, its sweet “Hello there” refrain works better as valediction for Lydon’s wife Nora, who died shortly after the album was completed. For anyone who thinks Lydon might be mellowing in his old age, fellow single and opening track Penge is more aligned with PiL’s typically absurdist gestures, extravagantly theatrical rock matched by North West Passage. More streamlined thrills arrive in the shape of Car Chase while Being Stupid Again‘s propulsive dance music is worthy of…

★★★★★ Stephen Duffy’s journey through pop music is a long, picaresque odyssey that touches Duran Duran, mid-80s chart success, Britpop and Robbie Williams. Along the way, there’s his on/off band The Lilac Time: an outfit which, even during their supposed peak in the late 80s, appeared out of time, serving up a kind of English pastoral pop that, despite critical plaudits and a major label record deal, was stubbornly unsuccessful – not one of their singles broke the Top 75. Duffy seems to have poured all that life experience into this 12th album bearing their name, which is laden with hard-won wisdom and sighing 60-something regret. Its nearest comparison point is probably Richard Hawley’s tender reflections on love. But Duffy is far more pointed, with lyrics mixing quiet anger at…

★★★★ Having replaced Ellen DeGeneres as the queen of US daytime TV, Kelly Clarkson returns to what she does best for her 10th LP – and Chemistry would give any chatshow host plenty to discuss. Indeed, ex-husband Brandon Blackstock’s ears must have been burning throughout Chemistry’s recording. Lead single Mine is a slow-building revenge song which proves hell hath no fury like an American Idol winner scorned. Adding to Clarkson’s arsenal of self-empowering anthems, Rock Hudson takes aim at a man pretending to be the perfect romantic lead. There’s even a distinct Spaghetti Western showdown vibe to the opening whistles of Red Flag Collector. Magic, though, is a more optimistic ode to movie love, while Favorite Kind Of High is a sweet origins story which explains why this album was…

★★★ Partly named after the Greek god who was renowned for his superhuman musical prowess, Orpheus Descending is the 25th studio album release from John Mellencamp, the muchloved singer-songwriter who, in heartland rock circles at least, has pretty much reached deity status himself. Luckily, the second half of the album’s title isn’t as apt. Indeed, just like last year’s predecessor Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, these 11 tracks prove that the former “Cougar” is still as razor-sharp in his 70s as he was back in his Jack And Diane 80s commercial heyday. The rousing slide guitar-led opener Hey God takes aim at America’s refusal to deal with gun violence (“Laws written a long time ago/ No-one could imagine the sight/ Of so many dead on the floor”), while – inspired by…

★★★★ ‘Going disco’ has been a well-worn route for indie bands ever since New Order first switched on a sequencer, but what’s impressive about this North London trio’s third LP is the attention to detail. Poppy Hankin has Nile Rodgers’ choppy guitar style down pat, Iris McConnell’s hi-hat is constantly fizzing, while strings and keyboard shadings embellish Up and infectious single Everyone’s Saying That. Producer Ben Allen adds some of disco’s warmth and lightness, so Prestige is redolent of long European evenings, rich with romance and possibility. BS…

★★★★ The Dundee scamps’ first album for eight years has been overshadowed by an on-stage fight which caused both their first comeback gigs to be scrapped. Thankfully, they kept it together in the studio with producer Youth long enough to turn in their most complete LP to date. Feels Like and Shovel In His Hands have the scrappy energy that sent Same Jeans huge, but they now also add vintage synth-pop, the wistful calm of singer Kyle Falconer’s solo music, and an older gang mentality in anthemic glam chant Allergic To Mornings. JE…

★★★★ Reborn after 2021’s middling Glowing In The Dark, album five really expands their horizons. Unlike the current vogue for calling half-baked demos a mixtape, these 21 tracks have the air of the best compilations. Standouts are longtime associate Self Esteem topping Complete Me’s vintage rave, Japanese rapper Yuuko going into battle with the Mory Kante vibe of Don’t Touch That Dial and Jack Peñate reminding listeners why he should be far bigger than George Ezra on No Time. That it all stays exciting shows just how good the collective can be when in tune. JE…

Missing its own 40th anniversary by a year, one of the best albums humanity has ever been gifted with gets a vinyl-only boxset that’s a chance to reassess just how good The Lexicon Of Love is. Let’s be honest, if you’ve ever picked up a single issue of Classic Pop, you already know ABC’s debut is one of the greats. All nine full songs are instantly familiar, perfectly chiselled headrushes. ABC’s songwriting and Trevor Horn’s production working together in literally perfect harmony, Anne Dudley’s incredible feat of having this as the first album on her orchestral arrangement CV... it’s such a constant since 1982 that it’s most tempting to try to spot the flaws. So, er, um: The “Love has no guarantee” vocals in Date Stamp are maybe a tiny bit…

★★★★ It may surprise some that David Sylvian released any music after leaving Virgin, let alone enough over a decade on his own label for this lavish 10CD set. Having secured his freedom, however, Japan’s former singer frequently pursued the path least trodden, retreating from TOTP’s bright lights into the avant-garde. Still, Sylvian understood what he was doing, and Blemish from 2003 was only released physically after online sales advocated wider availability. Sylvian’s distinctive voice remains velveteen on this cathartic document of his marriage breakup, but its dense melodies hover over amorphous soundscapes and trip over broken musical skeletons. Little on remixes album The Good Son Vs. The Only Daughter is more accessible – nor, indeed, on Grönland’s recent ethereal Wandermüde, where Stephan Mathieu remoulds its tracks – and things…

★★★★ Casual music fans will associate Landscape with two 1981 hits: the pogoing Einstein A Go-Go and Numan-esque Norman Bates. However, this 5CD set underscores how the London quintet fronted by Spandau Ballet/Kim Wilde producer Richard James Burgess are much more serious than those early singles let on. Bolstered by 22 previouslyunissued tracks, this compilation traces their history via expanded versions of the band’s first three albums, plus two more discs crammed full of self-released EPs, single edits, extended versions, remixes and B-sides. Landscape initially favoured keyboard-driven instrumental jazz-funk, an approach that’s illuminated by a red-hot selection of little-heard live tracks recorded in the late 70s. These end up as this collection’s highlights, with the ominous, avant-garde Watt Is Knott and funky, discofied Kaptin Whorlix especially connecting. But even when…

★★★★ Four UK Top 10 hits in a total of nine Top 40 entries: it’s fair to say Bad Manners were one of the most ubiquitous bands of the early 80s, but who talks about them now? Unjustly forgotten, while their 2-Tone associated peers – The Selecter, Madness, The Specials – are feted and celebrated, Bad Manners seem to have been struck from the cultural conversation. This 3CD set, then, is a chance to reacquaint yourself with their unruly, impish brand of ska. Debuting in 1980 with an infectiously frisky cover of Dicky Doo And The Don’ts’ 1958 novelty hit Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu, Buster Bloodvessel and chums followed it with a string of similarly rambunctious 45s, including the No.15- charting single Lip Up Fatty, the…

★★★★ Six years after she released her previous studio album, 1997’s Girl, Dannii Minogue finally returned to pop duty with a selection of turn-of-the-century flavoured dancefloor bangers in the form of the marvellous Neon Nights. To celebrate the record’s 20th anniversary, it’s been given a massive expansion: you can now choose from a 2CD set, picture disc and a whopping 7CD box containing more than 100 tracks, with no end of remixes such as the stellar Begin To Spin Me Round which mashes together I Begin To Wonder with – as you may have guessed – (You Spin Me Round) Like A Record. Working with producers including Korpi, Dutch duo Riva and Blackcell, Jewels & Stone, as well as longtime collaborator and pop mastermind Ian Masterson, Neon Nights was precision-tooled…

★★★★ Given the reports of stabbings and murders outside nightclubs in recent years, it’s hard to believe now that the media’s portrayal of the rave scene in the late 80s bordered on hysteria. A generation of young people who wanted nothing more than to dance – but were forced to take to farmer’s fields and warehouses – were vilified on a weekly basis via greatly exaggerated reports. The fact that any actual criminal behaviour was minimal compared to today, shows exactly how skewed the portrayal was. Kirk Field’s fantastic account of the dance revolution from the inside does a superb job of setting the record straight. After literally falling into his role as “raving reporter” for clubbing bible Mixmag, Field set off on a transcendental trip that took him all…

1984 PUBLISHING ★★★★ It’s easy to forget what a force Roxette were when they arrived in the late 80s. Thanks to a string of hits including The Look, Listen To Your Heart, Joyride and It Must Have Been Love, the Swedish duo of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson achieved international success lasting 30 years and remain the second most successful act in their homeland behind Abba. From 2002 until her tragic death in 2019, Marie navigated life in Roxette alongside a solo career whilst battling severe illness brought on by her diagnosis of a brain tumour. Originally published in Swedish in 2015, Marie’s autobiography Listen To My Heart is now finally translated into English to celebrate her remarkable achievements but also her determination to sustain that career for as long…

16 JULY 1984 Few debut records ever walk away with the BRIT Award for Best British Album, but then few are as assured and accomplished as Diamond Life. Sade had formed from the ashes of another band, the Latin-soul outfit Pride, performing their first gig in 1982. By 1983, the band – consisting of frontwoman Sade Adu, plus Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denman, Andrew Hale and Paul Anthony Cooke – had signed to Epic and started work on recording what would become their masterpiece. Amazingly, the ink was barely dry on their contract when they assembled at London’s Power Plant with producer Robin Millar, having never even been in a recording studio before. Four singles would be spun from the album, Your Love Is King (UK No.6), When Am I Going…