Classic Pop

Classic Pop magazine is the ultimate celebration of great pop and chart music with star interviews, features, news and reviews. From pop to electronic and new wave, dance and indie – it's all here…

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Soft Cell reunion gig will get album and DVD release

Tom Bailey to revisit iconic Thompson Twins LP on stage

BIRMINGHAM’S LEGENDS SHINE AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES SHOWS

JOHN HUGHES BOXSET COMPILES 80S CLASSICS

OBITUARY OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

Q+A MARIAN GOLD • THE ALPHAVILLE FRONTMAN TALKS SHAKESPEARE, ORCHESTRAS AND WHY HE’S AFRAID TO WRITE MUSIC FOR THE CINEMA

MADONNA REFUSES TO SIGN BIG MONEY COPYRIGHT DEAL

OBITUARY PAUL RYDER

BIRD OF PARADISE

Q+A HOWARD JONES • THE ELECTRO-POP PIONEER IS BACK ON THE ROAD PLAYING SOLD-OUT LIVE SHOWS AND WITH A RAZOR-SHARP NEW STUDIO ALBUM TO BOOT – AND HIS LATEST OFFERING DIALOGUE SAYS WE NEED TO TALK. SO LET’S DO IT…

SMITH GET HIS WISH WITH CURE REISSUE

CONTEMPORARY REFIT FOR WHAM’S SUMMER ANTHEM

GIVING YOU THE BEST THAT I GOT

IAN PEEL‘S A TO Z of POP • STRANGE BUT TRUE: SOME OF THE BIGGEST AND BEST CLASSIC POP ‘HITS’ – AND SOME A-LIST HIDDEN GEMS – WERE NOT RELEASED AS SINGLES BUT AS TV THEMES

POP SEPTEMBER 1982 • A HIGH-CLASS SELECTION WITH CULTURE CLUB ON THEIR WAY UP, STEVE MILLER CASTING HIS SPELL, QUEEN’S FINAL STATESIDE TV PERFORMANCE WITH FREDDIE – AND A LARGELY FORGOTTEN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CALIFORNIAN FESTIVAL CURATED BY AN APPLE EXEC…

“INNOVATION IS PROBABLY OUR GREATEST STRNGTH„ • GENERALLY A BAND DETERMINED TO LOOK FORWARD, EVEN BLONDIE CAN’T H ELP REVISITING THEIR PAST WHEN FACED WITH A LONG-PLANNED, GIGANTIC BOXSET MARKING THEIR I MPERIAL FIRST PHASE. WITH DEBBIE HARRY, CHRIS STEIN AND CLEM BURKE IN UNUSUALLY REFLECTIVE MOOD, THEY REVEAL THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POP AND PUNK, HOW THEY COULD HAVE KEPT GOING LONGER – AND RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH ORSON WELLES…

MUSIC FOR THE MASSES • 35 YEARS ON FROM ITS RELEASE, WE REVISIT THE MODE’S GAME CHANGER – AN ADVENTUROUS, HEDONISTIC DRIVE INTO UNCHARTERED TERRITORY THAT BROUGHT THEM BOTH CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL ACCLAIM

A BRUSH WITH GREATNESS • THE PRODUCER OF LANDMARK MUSIC FOR MADONNA, ALL SAINTS, BLUR, PINK AND BRITNEY SPEARS, MAVERICK MUSICIAN WILLIAM ORBIT ENJOYED AN INFLUENTIAL CAREER AS AN AMBIENT PIONEER, CLASSICAL REINVENTOR AND RAVE MAINSTAY. THEN HE ENDURED A CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE AND DRUG-INDUCED BREAKDOWN. AFTER EIGHT YEARS AWAY, WILLIAM IS BACK AND FINALLY READY TO ENJOY HIS SUCCESS. “I’M A POP TART FOR DIVAS” HE REVEALS...

LEVEL 42 • CHANNELLING THEIR LIVE PROWESS INTO HITS WAS NO EASY TASK, BUT THE BRITFUNK KINGPINS MANAGED BOTH CRITICAL ACCLAIM AND CHART GLORY

BARING THEIR TEETH • THE REID BROTHERS RETURN WITH A “DON’T BORE US, GET TO THE CHORUS” BITE ON THEIR MOST POLITICAL ALBUM TO DATE. “THE TURBULENCE OF THE TIMES ARE AT LEAST AS GREAT NOW AS THEY WERE IN THE LATE 60S OR EARLY 80S” THEY TELL US…

The Best of Roxy Music • BRYAN FERRY GUIDES US THROUGH THE CAREER-SPANNING COMPILATION OF THE LEGENDARY ART-ROCK INNOVATORS

OUR FRIEND IN THE NORTH • EARLIER THIS YEAR, PAUL HEATON CELEBRATED HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY IN UNIQUE FASHION BY PUTTING £60,000 BEHIND THE BAR IN PUBS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. NOW BACK WITH HIS LATEST ALBUM ALONGSIDE JACQUI ABBOTT, N.K-POP, HE’S THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING…

POPARAZZI • READERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE PHOTOS AS THEY GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN PLANET POP Send your Poparazzi pics now to steve.harnell@anthem.co.uk

It Bites - Once Around The World • THE 80S POP-PROG REVIVAL WASN’T ALL GENESIS AND MARILLION – IT BITES ALSO HIT BIG WITH CALLING...