CLASSIC Why we loved the

CLASSIC POP

Now compilations

eighties
electronic HAPPY WHITNEY
DECEMBER 2017

eclectic
MONDAYS HOUSTON
The bad boys A celebration
of baggy of the 80s diva
TEARS FOR FEARS DURAN DURAN HAPPY MONDAYS CHINA CRISIS THE BLOW MONKEYS WHITNEY HOUSTON BJRK OMD LISA STANSFIELD

THE BLOW MONKEYS

The Doctor will see you now
CHINA CRISIS
Playing Mr & Mrs
with the legends
of synth-pop

UNSEEN
PHOTOS

THEYRE BACK
AND READY TO
RULE THE WORLD
BUT COULD THIS BE THE LAST TIME?
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35

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OMD Lisa Stansfield Rozalla Chris Difford Bjrk
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CLASSIC POP
DECEMBER 17
ISSUE 35
PRICE 5.99

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 WELCOME TO
CLASSIC

YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF IT, BUT THE

VAST MAJORITY OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY
EXPERIENCED THE REMINISCENCE BUMP.
IN FACT, AFTER READING THROUGH THIS
LATEST ISSUE YOU MAY EVEN NOTCH UP 35
A FEW MORE. NOW THIS MIGHT COME
AS A SURPRISE TO YOU,

F
BUT I DONT SPEND or her 40th birthday, instead
of accepting gifts from
MUCH OF MY SPARE TIME friends she asked them to
PORING OVER COGNITIVE jot down their 10 favourite
NEUROPSYCHOLOGY songs with a brief explanation.
When Catherine looked through
RESEARCH PAPERS. the answers, a pattern emerged
NEVERTHELESS, A RECENT even those with the most eclectic
ARTICLE BY DR CATHERINE music tastes gravitated towards
their teenage years. And that is
LOVEDAY CAUGHT the reminiscence bump in action.
MY ATTENTION... Psychologists argue that we
return to this teenage era more
than any other point in our lives
as the brains memory system is
at its most efficient during late
adolescence and early adulthood.
Its often when we make crucial
life-changing decisions and nail
down our belief systems. The music
that surrounded us during these
years becomes inextricably linked
with those milestones and garners
all kinds of positive associations.
So Im particularly excited
this month with two personal
reminiscence bumps contained
in Classic Pop. Weve been after
them for the past year and finally
pinned down Tears For Fears
Roland and Curt for an in-depth
cover feature. Ive loved TFF since
first hearing Songs From The Big
Chair back in the mid-80s.
Happy Mondays are another
band that have stayed with me
since my teenage years not
literally, of course, I dont have
the room as constant musical
companions following my
introduction to Pills n Thrills
And Bellyaches in 1990. Theres
probably not a week that goes
by I dont dip into their back
catalogue. Ive also based my
dancing style on Bez for the past
quarter of a century and still stand
by that decision. My chat with
the Manc legends proves theyve
still got more bite than that snake
Shaun Ryder tangled with in the
Im A Celebrity jungle.
For the Duranies and we know
there are plenty of you out there
we offer up a sneak peek of a
forthcoming book on Simon Le Bon
and Co just as they were on the
cusp of superstardom.
And while were on the subject
of nostalgia, our fond look back
at the Now Thats What I Call
Music! compilation series doesnt
just serve up the odd bump, itll
provide an avalanche of them.
Enjoy the issue!
Steve Harnell, Editor
Follow me on Twitter:
@AnthemEditor

S U B S C R I B E

With our unique mix of features, interviews,

playlists and reviews, Classic Pop is
unmissable. Get yours delivered to your door
and save yourself some cash by subscribing.
@ClassicPopMag Turn to pages 102-103 for details.

CP35.Welcome.print.indd 3 13/11/2017 11:52

 CLASSIC

CONTENTS
26
48
52
Getty Images

35
66
Follow us F E A T U R E S HAPPY MONDAYS 52 N E W S
TEARS FOR FEARS 26 We talk to Shaun Ryder, Mark Day and POP-UP 08
Rudy Bolly talks to Roland Orzabal and Rowetta of the Madchester legends All the latest news from the pop world
Curt Smith about the elusive duos past, about the bands rise, fall and rebirth featuring Lisa Stansfield, Robbie Williams,
@ClassicPopMag present and future NOW THATS WHAT I CALL MUSIC 60 Bananarama, Mel C, Tony Hadley, ABBA,
CLASSIC ALBUM: Join us as we remember the Now Marti Pellow, Prince, Marc Almond, Franz
SONGS FROM THE CHAIR 36 compilation series phenomenon Ferdinand, Bryan Ferry, Boy George, Alison
Classic Pop celebrates Tears For Fears POP ART: BRUCE GILL 66 Moyet, Kylie and more...
best-selling 1985 sophomore album Andrew Dineley chats to the celebrated ONE HIT WONDER 10
DURAN DURAN 42 designer about his Green Ink studio Summer Fun with The Barracudas
We check out a new book of unseen CHINA CRISIS 74 BURIED TREASURES 12
photographs that charts the rise of the Andy Jones puts the questions to Rarities from Tears For Fears, Whitney
pop superstars Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon in a Houston, Duran Duran and Rick Astley
WHITNEY HOUSTON 48 game of Mr & Mrs LOST & FOUND 12
David Burke looks back at the incredible BLOW MONKEYS 82 Hazell Deans Heart First
recording career of the much-missed pop The Blow Monkeys main man Dr Robert GODFATHER OF POP 17
diva in The Lowdown talks to Douglas McPherson Chris Difford talks to Douglas McPherson

CP35.Contents.print.indd 4 10/11/2017 16:03

 60
74

42 109
82
98
GODMOTHER OF POP 19 POPARAZZI 80 REISSUES 94 Subscribe
The Everybodys Free (To Feel Good) Classic Pop readers with some of the Includes INXS, Sex Pistols, Elton John, Subscribe to Classic
hit-maker Rozalla biggest names on planet pop Throbbing Gristle and Ray Parker Jr Pop and save cash
CLASSIC POP MOMENT 114 COMPILATIONS 98 (UK readers only)
R E G U L A R S George Michael dominates the US singles The Hit Factory Ultimate Collection, Pages 102-103
A TO Z OF POP 21 charts in 1987 Twelve Inch Nineties and more
B is for... B-side LONG LIVE VINYL 100
THIS MONTH IN POP 22 R E V I E W S The best new releases and reissues on vinyl
News from December featuring Elton SINGLES 88 including Tears For Fears, George Michael,
John, Morrissey, John Lennon, Matthew Rudd on the latest releases from Culture Club, Madness, Billy Idol and more
Duran Duran and more N.E.R.D, Nick Heyward, Squeeze, The Fizz, BOOKS AND DVDS 104
SUPERFAN 41 Tom Chaplin and more The Jacksons, Bowie, Stevie Nicks and the
Classic Pop reader John Archbell, from NEW RELEASES 89 story of Mute Records

Suffolk, shows us his Duran Duran collection
TOP 10: 21 NOVEMBER 1982 72
Featuring Wham!, The Human League,
Blancmange, Rene And Renato and more
89
Featuring Bjrk, U2, Billy Bragg, LIVE 109
Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds, Featuring OMD, Marc Almond, The Fizz,
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Yello, Captain, Liam Gallagher, The Waterboys, Midge
Sam Smith and Sia Ure, The Christians and Altered Images

CP35.Contents.print.indd 5 10/11/2017 16:12

 CLASSIC
WHOS WHO
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TEARS FOR FEARS SONG OF ALL TIME?
EDITOR
Steve Harnell
steve.harnell@anthem-publishing.com
Sowing The Seeds Of Love *1
PRODUCTION EDITOR
Dan Biggane
dan.biggane@anthem-publishing.com
The Hurting
ART EDITOR
Alex Duce
alex.duce@anthem-publishing.com
Cold *2
SENIOR ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE
Sam Willis
sam.willis@anthem-publishing.com
Shout
FOUNDER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Ian Peel
ian.peel@anthem-publishing.com
Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Jenny Cook
jenny.cook@anthem-publishing.com
Mad World
MARKETING MANAGER
Gemma Bailey
gemma.bailey@anthem-publishing.com
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
CONTRIBUTORS
Laura Williams (Social Media)
Head Over Heels
O U R C O N T R I B U T O R S
Paul Lester has been
Features Editor of Melody
Maker, and later Deputy
Editor of Uncut. Since
2007, he has freelanced
for The Guardian, The
Sunday Times, The Independent, MOJO,
Classic Rock, Prog and Classic Pop, where
this issue he helms our reissues and vinyl
section. Look out for a controversial take on
the Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks...
SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES 0844 8560642 (Calls cost 7 pence per minute plus your phone companys access charge) or +44 (0)1371 853609 shop@anthem-
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Anthem Publishing
Suite 6, Piccadilly House,
London Road, Bath, BA1 6PL
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www.classicpopmag.com
WATERCOOLER
MOMENTS
Wyndham Wallace *1 The greatest Beatles song the Fab Four
I Believe never wrote. Noel Gallagher would have given
Paul Lester his right arm for it.
Secret World *3 *2 Curt may have done a runner, but Roland
Paul English didnt miss him one little bit.
Listen *4 *3 A killer melody, with an orchestral
Andrew Dineley arrangement by the late Paul Buckmaster
(Elton, Stones) that elevates it to the realms
The Working Hour
of the rapturous and sublime.
Douglas McPherson
*4 It gave me goosebumps at 13 and still
Change *5 weaves its magic on this 45-year-old.
Rudy Bolly *5 Gotta love a song led by a xylophone!
Elemental *6 Its mesmerising, imaginative,
Mark Lindores experimental and the vocal stylings make me
Sowing The Seeds Of Love bloody shiver!
Matthew Rudd *7 Not just the best Tears For Fears song but
Listen *6 the best cover song of all time
Richard Purden *8 The kinda big ballad todays X Factor
Head Over Heels winners could easily decimate.
Andy Jones *9 Roland and Curt go all semolina
Ready To Start (Arcade Fire cover) *7 pilchards with this prime I Am The Walrus
Dave Freak pastiche. Goo goo ga joob!
Woman In Chains *8
David Burke
Change
Johnny Black
Mad World All content copyright Anthem Publishing Ltd 2017, all
rights reserved. While we make every effort to ensure
Ian Ravendale that the factual content of Long Live Vinyl magazine is
Sowing The Seeds Of Love *9 correct, we cannot take any responsibility nor be held
accountable for any factual errors printed. Please make
CEO Jon Bickley every effort to check quoted prices and product
jon.bickley@anthem-publishing.com specifications with manufacturers prior to purchase.
Mad World No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or resold without prior consent of
Anthem Publishing Ltd. Long Live Vinyl magazine
MANAGING DIRECTOR recognises all copyrights contained within the issue.
Simon Lewis Where possible, we acknowledge the copyright holder.
simon.lewis@anthem-publishing.com
Woman In Chains
Andy Jones has been Wyndham Wallace
writing about synth music is formerly a publicist,
possibly longer than the label representative
instrument has been around. and artist manager who
In this issue he unleashes his has written for Uncut
inner Derek Batey when he and The Guardian. His
plays Mr & Mrs with Gary Daly and Eddie first book, Lee, Myself And I, was about
Lundon from synth-pop legends China Crisis singer-songwriter Lee Hazlewood.
and checks out OMD on their latest He oversees our new albums reviews
hotly-anticipated UK tour as they play section, which this issue features the
Bristols Colston Hall. challenging latest long-player by Bjrk.
10/11/2017 15:34
CP35.News.print.indd 8 09/11/2017 10:19
CP35.News.print.indd 9
UP
A new Lisa life for Stansfield
isa Stansfield is putting the finishing touches to a
new studio album titled, Deeper. Rochdales finest
hopes to release the follow-up to 2014s Seven in
the first half of 2018 to coincide with a massive
European tour. It sounds great, reveals Lisa. I just
L
hope you think the same, I hope you like it as much as
we do. Im just excited I think it is going to be a great
ride. Im looking forward to it.
Fans can get a taste of the soulful material online.
Lisas 12-date 2018 tour kicks off in Northamptons Royal
and Derngate Theatre on 6 April and visits Guildford,
Bournemouth, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Gateshead,
Scunthorpe, Salford, Birmingham, York and Southend
before finishing up at the London Palladium on 21 April.

09/11/2017 10:20
 UP
Doctors note
from Robbie
Robbie Williams was admitted
to intensive care earlier this year.
Stokes favourite son cancelled
the final dates of his Heavy
Entertainment Tour in the summer
due a mystery illness.
Now he has revealed the gravity of
his condition via a video message to fans.
Ive been recovering from an illness now
for the past five weeks, he said from his
home in Los Angeles. there, and know Ill soon be feeling better
I got some test results, they were very than ever.
worrying and I ended up in ICU (Intensive The ex-Take That star, who is due to

No.35
SUMMER FUN
Care Unit). I havent pulled out of a tour for
bad health since 1998, so you know if I
cant do it then theres something going on.
tour Australia in the New Year, has since
become a vegan and taken up daily pilates
as part of a health drive, but did admit:
THE BARRACUDAS Im not feeling 100 per cent but Im nearly I have a really big burger on Sundays.
The Barracudas were from the
surf rock flurry of late-70s guitar
bands, with the instant melodies
and clattering guitars of harder-
sounding groups, but wanting to
revive the psychedelic sounds of a
decade before. Formed in London
when Jeremy Gluck (vocals) and
Robin Wills (guitar and vocals)
met at a gig by Hull punks Dead
Fingers Talk, they made the Top
40 once, in the summer of 1980.
Summer Fun was an edgy but
delightful seaside anthem, simple
in its chord sequence, replete
with tremendous harmonies
and a hook made for power
pop that could have come out
of any 60s song factory, such
was its immaculate simplicity.
Traditionally brief in length, the
band stretched it by topping it
with an extended pastiche of
a radio ad for American car the
Plymouth Barracuda, with the
announcer struggling to pronounce
the autos name properly while Really playin something
T
a colleague tried to assist. he original Bananarama line-up warmed up for their forthcoming
Up to this point, the tour with a show-stopping performance at BBC Children In Need
Barracudas had been Rocks the 80s. The reunited trio were joined by Boy George, Jason
underestimated due to perceived Donovan and many more famous faces for the televised fundraising
flighty songwriting, but Summer concert hosted by Fearne Cotton and Sara Cox.
Fun peaked at No.37 and made The Nanas are about to hit the road for a full tour and its an entirely
them chart stars. Sadly, they new experience for returning member Siobhan Fahey. At the height of the
couldnt follow up the singles success, the record company were not really bothered about us touring, says
success with sales of their album Sara Dallin. They just shipped us round the world to do TV appearances. By
Drop Out, and their label ditched the time we did get the chance to go on the road properly, Siobhan had left.
them. They split in 1984, but According to Fahey, there could be more concerts in 2018: The plan is to
interest in the band endured and do this tour and see how it goes. Maybe some festivals and gigs in the States
they reformed several times. next year. Lets see what happens.
Matthew Rudd is the host of Forgotten
80s on Absolute 80s

10

CP35.News.print.indd 10 09/11/2017 11:29

 Getty Images
THE BEST IS YET TO COME
Tina Turner has come out of retirement to launch a new stage
musical about her life.
The 77-year-old made a surprise appearance at Londons
Hospital Club in October where the new production, Tina,
opens next year. I didnt want to do it, joked the singer
who now lives a quieter life in Switzerland. I am very
excited to be a part of this. This took me out of retirement.
Retirement is wonderful, its easy to sleep long. Do what you
want, decorate the house two or three times. Easy things
that you dreamed about when you were working.
Tina last toured in 2009 and she hopes the musical will
satisfy those fans who are desperate for her to return:
I have to pass it on. I really want it to be a success. I hope
it will travel the world and serve what the people need from
me as a reminder of my work. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd,
Tina will open at the Aldwych Theatre in Londons West End
in April. Previews start next March.

Famous five return?

Could this be a new dawn for the Spice Girls?
Melanie Cs video for her single, Room For Love,
features cameos by three former bandmates Emma
Bunton, Geri Horner and Victoria Beckham. Sadly,
fellow Spice Girl Mel B is absent.
But as Classic Pop went to press, news broke
that all five members of the Spice Girls could be
reuniting for a one-off TV special and album in
2018. Previously, Victoria rejected attempts at a
full reunion but is now said to be on board. As yet,
it is not confirmed if the
rumoured LP would be
a new studio album
or compilation.

A Tony Hadley Lifeline?

T
ony Hadley may yet rejoin Spandau Ballet if an unlikely
fan can persuade him. EastEnders star Shane Richie is best
mates with the singer who officially quit the line-up earlier
this year. The actor best known for playing Alfie Moon
in the soap instigated the first Spandau reunion in 2009,
following years of acrimony. I helped them get back together all
those years ago, Richie revealed to the Daily Star newspaper.
Id love to sit down with Tony, Gary and Martin Kemp and try
to do it again get them back together. Tony is one of my closest
mates and for me there is no Spandau without Tony. Its like theres
no Culture Club without Boy George. I didnt work with Martin on
EastEnders but I know him and Im a big fan of the band. Id love
to think I could do it.
Spandau Ballet have been trying out different singers in
Hadleys absence.
Richie realised his own musical dream by issuing a country
album titled A Country Soul recently, but ruled himself out:
No, I couldnt audition. Tony is my mate and all our kids
are friends with his.

11

CP35.News.print.indd 11 13/11/2017 12:41

 UP
L OS T BURIED TREASURES

R
& F O U N D ooting around those boxes of junk in your loft may turn up more
than you bargained for. While many vinyl releases from the 70s, 80s
and 90s are worth next to nothing (nostalgic value aside, of course),
some could land you a small fortune should you choose to part with
them. Here, we take four rare artefacts to the experts at 991.com and
ask them for a valuation. Browse their online store at www.991.com, or tweet
them about your own buried treasure @991dotcom.

CHANGE ALL AT ONCE

TEARS FOR FEARS
The 1982 UK Mercury label three-track
12 vinyl single including an extended
version plus The Conflict. This copy has
the withdrawn black and white fishing
WHITNEY HOUSTON
Rare 1986 Italian wide-centred 7 vinyl
single, also includes Hold Me. This single
was issued in a unique sleeve for Italy,
with catalogue number 108858. If you can

No.35
HEART FIRST
net picture sleeve and is by far the most
desirable and collectable sleeve in the
track one down in mint condition (virtually
unheard of) then you might expect to pay
TFF back catalogue. around 75 for it.
HAZELL DEAN
Sedulous touring singer Hazell
VALUE 200 *MINT VALUE 75 *MINT
Dean hit the Top 10 in 1984 with
the marvellous Hi-NRG anthem
Searchin (I Gotta Find A Man).
It was the lead single from a very
assured, glitzy debut album.
Next came the ecstatic Whatever
I Do (Wherever I Go), the albums
standout, which gave producers
Stock, Aitken and Waterman
their first Top 10 hit, exploiting
her formidable voice with a Blue
Monday-esque superbeat.
Heart First knows its place,
and Dean gives both barrels
to a succession of sentimental, SAMPLER 1997 12 COLLECTION
pounding, chuckaway floorfillers. DURAN DURAN RICK ASTLEY
Happily, a highlight comes with The Japanese promotional-only 10-track The 1989 Japanese-only five-track CD single
one of her two compositions, retrospective compilation CD, includes tracks includes Take Me To Your Heart (Autumn
Devil In You, more frenetic a Electric Barbarella, Hungry Like The Wolf, Leaves Mix), She Wants To Dance With Me
melody than anyone claiming to White Lines, Planet Earth etc. Issued in (Extended Mix), It Would Take A Strong
be a dance pop artist would ever 1997 to Japanese radio, this sampler with Man (Matt's Jazzy Guitar Mix), Never
sing, but with menace, too. The catalogue number PCD-0888, has a unique Gonna Give You Up (Cake Mix) and Together
third single, Back In My Arms four-page inner. Forever (Lover's Leap Extended Remix).
(Once Again) was popular enough Unique picture sleeve with lyrics and an
to warrant the addition of a one- VALUE 150
obi-strip that welcomes Rick to Japan!
minute reprise, and Deans chance
to slow things down with earnest VALUE 35
ballads Harmony and Everything
I Need.
Record label Proto was skint
and even the successful singles
couldnt help, meaning the album
went underpromoted and failed
to chart. Dean started afresh,
reuniting with S/A/W, and
eventually found her way back
into the Top 10 in 1988. Now 65,
she remains an icon of the gay
club scene, appearing at Pride
events every year.
Matthew Rudd

12

CP35.News.print.indd 12 09/11/2017 13:23

 buying
explore or
our selling vinyl?
buried treasure!

since 1987, the 991.com team has been buying & selling
vinyl. we always want mint condition LPs, EPs, 45s, CDs,
Pellows Private posters, programmes, music memorabilia & more.
performance from the Classic Pop to the obscure: 80s, 70s, 60s
Marti Pellow embarks on his first solo tour since
quitting Wet Wet Wet next Spring. The Private pop & rock prog, psych, blues, folk & jazz.
Collection Tour visits 14 UK venues starting
at Swanseas Brangwyn Hall on 17 May. The
Scottish crooner is hoping to recreate some of the
atmosphere witnessed at his final concerts with the
Wets. Playing live is about sharing a connection
with your audience, said Pellow. I was just
blown away by the amazing response from fans
after we did our big concert tour earlier this year...
I want to hear my audience singing and laughing
with me and walking away that night knowing me
just that bit better.
He is promising to play all the hits and much
more: Heres a show for those that just would love
to hear an extraordinary evening of music from
the hits you love the most, with massive brass-
driven soul numbers to intimate acoustic ballads
and maybe a wee bit of chat along the way.

Simon Fowler

selling? bring your mint items to monthly Kent or London buying days
or other times by appointment. free appraisals given - check the site
for dates, venues & directions.

buying and collecting? fill the gaps in your collection with 15% off
at 991.com - use code CPSUMMER15 at the checkout.

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991.com answer the call

CP35.News.print.indd 13 09/11/2017 15:20

 UP

1Which female vocalist appears

on the Tears for Fears track
Woman In Chains?

2 Name the internet meme that

reintroduced Rick Astley to
the world.
ANSWERS 1 Oleta Adams; 2 Rickrolling; 3 Nile Rodgers; 4 Sigala; 5 Blancmange; 6 Should I Stay Or Should I Go; 7 INXS; 8 Morrissey; 9 John Waite; 10 Q-Tips; 11 Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds; 12 Pete Sinfield; 13 Stephen Fry; 14 Pearson; 15 Kim Basinger

3 Which legendary hit-making

guitarist co-produced Duran
Durans Notorious album?

4 Bruce Fielder is the real name

of which superstar DJ?

5 Which band have been touring

the UK supporting the release
of their excellent new album
Unfurnished Rooms?

6 Which Clash song features

prominently in the first
series of 80s-set TV show
Stranger Things?

7The Farriss brothers are

founder members of
which band?

8 Who has recently Spent The

Day In Bed?
PROTECTION
9 Who was Missing You in
October 1984? FOR PRINCE
Princes legendary vault has been emptied
10 Name Paul Youngs blue-
eyed soul band who had
a novelty hit with Toast
to protect its contents says his sister.
The material, including master tapes of
unreleased music, was moved from his

11 Whose forthcoming album

will be titled Who Built
The Moon?
Paisley Park complex in Minnesota and
shipped to California earlier this year.
At the launch of London exhibition My

12 Who wrote lyrics for both Name Is Prince, the late stars sister Tyke
King Crimson and Bucks Fizz? Nelson told Classic Pop: There are issues
with water so we had to move the songs
13 Which comedian features as
Prof. Joseph Yupik on Kate
Bushs 50 Words For Snow?
to preserve them. We will get that music
out there in some type of form, you will
hear all of the music.
14 What is the family name of
the members of Five Star?
However, three of Princes other heirs
half siblings Sharon, Norrine and John

15 Name the Hollywood actress

who sang on a re-recorded
version of Shake Your Head by
R. Nelson are reportedly unhappy with
the decision and filed a motion to remove
Comerica Bank & Trust as estate executor.
Was (Not Was). In the meantime, fans can enjoy
Princes legacy at the exhibition in
Londons O2 Arena. Highlights include his
Purple Rain-era wardrobe and the Hohner
Telecaster-style guitar he purchased for
just $30 from a petrol station. My
favourite is the shirt he wore to the
opening night at The O2 in 2007, Tyke
added. And Ive always loved the chain
HOW DID YOU DO? hat from the My Name Is Prince video;
13-15 Atomic when I saw it I was like I want one.
Getty Images

10-12 The Only Way Is Up Fans with larger wallets can purchase
6-9 Too Much Too Young souvenir replica cloud guitars for more
0-5 Leave in Silence than 2,000.

14

CP35.News.print.indd 14 09/11/2017 10:22

 N E W S

Franz are
on the up
A
Parisian
electronic legend
has helped
Franz Ferdinand
continue
broadening their horizons.
The Scottish bands next
studio album, Always
Ascending, lands on
9 February featuring
production by French studio
whiz and DJ Philippe Zdar
(Cassius, Phoenix, Beastie
Boys). Its their first material
since Sparks collaboration
FFS, plus the arrival of new
bandmates Julian Corrie
and Dino Bardot. Frontman
Alex Kapranos calls the
music, simultaneously
futuristic and naturalistic.
Franz Ferdinand tour
the UK and Ireland next
year commencing at
Galway Leisure Centre
on 10 February.

Own
a piece
of music
history
Get exclusive discounts on signed,
limited edition art prints in our
Record Store Promo with the
code POP2017.

Hypergallery_Advert-quarter-page-v1.indd 1 15
20/10/2017 14:50:56

CP35.News.print.indd 15 09/11/2017 13:26

 Positively Kylie
Pop princess Kylie Minogues
upcoming new album is super
UP
positive. The Aussie is due to
release her first record for BMG
in 2018 and her first since splitting
with fianc Joshua Sasse. It was
cathartic, she said. Theres a
Almond opens up
Finding fame in the 80s was bittersweet for Marc
little bit of heartbreak. I try to
Almond. The former Soft Cell singer was one of the first
reflect where I am. Definitely, in
openly gay pop stars to perform on TV, but the reaction
the last year, theres been some
was not all positive. My first Top Of The Pops experience
of that but we bounce back. Most
changed my life completely, explained Almond to Attitude.
of it is super positive and inspiring.
I encountered the worst homophobia Ive ever experienced at that time. It was a
Im feeling great right now.
fearful time; I was still living in Leeds in a little house and I got the press knocking on
If youre working with good
my door, I got people knocking on my door threatening to bash me all the time, to kill
people its the perfect place to deal
me. All because Id been so uber gay in my Top Of The Pops appearance.
with stuff.
The abuse he suffered wasnt solely at the hands of the general public. I remember
The singer was speaking at
the people on TV taking the mickey out of me, he recalls. I remember on Juke Box
the Attitude Awards where she
Jury (that theyd brought back in the early-80s), they had an artist on who shall remain
collected the icon prize and bumped
nameless, who got up and did this horrible homophobic impression of me. And then
into Prince Harry. The new album
you got Rowan Atkinson as well on Not The Nine OClock News doing some kind of
features a variety of collaborations
weird take-off of me. You got Russ Abbot at one point doing gay impersonations of me.
ranging from DJ Fresh to Nashville
I just thought it was terrifying.
country stars.
See our Marc Almond gig review on page 112

Ferry, cross
the UK
Next year will mark Bryan Ferrys
first full UK tour since 2016. The
former Roxy Music man plays
eight dates starting at Cardiffs St
Davids Hall on 9 April, followed
by shows in Liverpool, Newcastle,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol,
Oxford, Birmingham and finally
Londons Eventim Apollo on 3 May.
While there are no plans for a
new studio album, Ferry has been
working on material for a German
TV series called Babylon Berlin.
He revealed: Its a period piece
based in 1920s Berlin so thats
been an interesting project for
me, doing things with a Kurt Weill
flavour. Ive also been mixing a
live album, from a show I did at
the Royal Albert Hall in 1974
another period piece!
Visit bryanferry.com for further
information and ticket details.
No stillness in time for Jay Kay
J
amiroquai are already working on new music, just months after the
release of Automaton. Speaking to Classic Pop at the BMI Awards,
Jay Kay revealed: Weve got a whole load of stuff that didnt make
it onto Automaton, Ive got four or five tracks that I want to start for
the new album.
Kay was honoured to receive the BMI Presidents Award for services to
songwriting: its an important one, the singer added. It was also his first public
appearance since cancelling concerts due to a chronic back condition. It was
the worse thing that happened to me, he recalled. I didnt think I was going
to get through the festivals this year. So Im kind of taking it easy, you realise
coming up for 48 that you cant do leaping around on stage anymore thats
gone out of the window. Ive got to be careful of the way I move certain things
twisting and stuff. At the moment, its linked in with the nerves sciatica and stuff.
I just went for the big needle right into the nerve.

16

CP35.News.print.indd 16 09/11/2017 15:40


S
queeze have always been
among the most literate of bands.
Their biggest hits, the kitchen
sink drama Up The Junction and
the country-style Labelled With
Love, are like three-minute novels
in terms of the depth of their
storytelling. Other songs
like Tempted, Pulling Mussels
(From The Shell) and Cool For Cats are
sublime slices of pop.
Such luminaries as Jools Holland and
Paul Carrack have passed through the
bands ranks over the years, but its core
has always comprised the vocal duo and
songwriting team of Glenn Tilbrook and
Chris Difford.
Where did you get your love of
words and storytelling?
I got my interest from The Beatles, Bob
Dylan and Donovan, really. Those were
the main people I used to listen to. I was
interested in short stories, poetry and
people who could tell a story lyrically.
I think all those people could do that
standing on their head.
You famously met Glenn when
you put an advert in a sweetshop
window. What were your first
impressions of him?
I kind of recognised him, although I didnt
really know him. I cant remember my
impressions other than that I was interested
in him. Something struck me about his
intent. He appeared to be really into music
and we just seemed like an obvious mix.
The first song we wrote together was
rubbish. I think out of the first 100 songs we
wrote, only five of them were any good. I
guess Take Me Im Yours was the first one
that floated everybodys boat.
Is it true that you will just give
Glenn your lyrics and he then
writes the music?
It was as simple as that an Elton John
and Bernie Taupin kind of relationship.
Glenn has always had the freedom to
CP35.Godfather_Squeeze.print.indd 17
GODFATHERS
of
C H R I S D I F F O R D
Rob OConnor
roam wherever he wants to, musically, and
Im always grateful for what hes written.
Sometimes I go boss-eyed when I look
at the chord sheets, but Im sure he goes
boss-eyed when he looks at the lyrics. One
where it happened the other way round
was Cool For Cats. Glenn had the music
for that one and didnt have a lyric idea,
so he gave it to me and I started writing an
idea. I sang it and it became a hit but, like
all things in Squeeze, it wasnt planned, it
just happened.
How did you recruit the rest of
the band?
Jools had been at school with Glenn, so
thats how it began. It took some line-up
changes but eventually we had the band
we needed, with Gilson Lavis playing
drums. Hes the most poetic drummer Ive
ever played with, and a wonderful human
being as well.
What was the music scene like in
London when you started out in
the mid-70s?
In the pub rock days you could go and
see anybody you liked, like Nick Lowe,
Elvis Costello or Ian Dury at places like the
Marquee or local pubs in Greenwich. Dire
Straits were very local to us. There were
a whole lot of people you could go and
see, and I dont think its like that anymore,
which is a shame. I sort of fell out of love
with London and I live in the country now.
In 2015 you released Cradle To
The Grave, your first album of
new material in 17 years and
your highest charting. How did
it feel to come back?
I had no idea that we were going to come
back with a record like that and be on the
telly and radio again. What can I say? I
was just very grateful.
What can you tell us about your
new album, The Knowledge?
I think Glenns production has probably
reached its pinnacle on this album. Hes
done a great job and he often doesnt get
the applause that he should. He spends
hours making records. Its a gift that I
certainly dont have and he is also writing
some of the lyrics now. Hes got things to
say and get off his chest, so we both have
the Squeeze soapbox that we can stand
on at any time. His lyrics are very different
from mine, but they still sound like Squeeze.
Youve also been touring. Does
playing the old songs make you
feel young again?
It certainly doesnt make me feel young!
But the good thing about playing songs in
a band is that your mind has to shut down
and shut out all the other voices that are
in your head for that three or four minutes
that youre in the song. Thats what I enjoy
about performing being completely
immersed. I find the travelling harder as I
get older and hanging around in dressing
rooms can be boring. But hey, Ive got a
good job being on stage, being that guy
who sings Cool For Cats. Douglas McPherson
Squeezes The Knowledge is out
now on Love Records.
17
09/11/2017 09:49
 Getty Images
Video Tech UP
THREE CHOICE STILL SUPER
ABBA have confirmed their much mooted Virtual
CUTS FROM THE Reality tour will launch in 2019. The legendary
HAPPY MONDAYS' Swedish foursome, who split in 1982, are being
PROMO VAULT brought back in digital form using cutting-edge
3-D technology.
It will take a bit of time, it takes time to
digitalise a face. Benny Andersson said
recently. Its fun that its so technologically
advanced. It will be interesting. The tour
will follow a new immersive exhibition,
ABBA: Super Troupers which opens
at Londons Southbank Centre on 14
December. Andersson also shed more
WROTE FOR LUCK light on what fans can expect from
movie sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go
1988
Again out next summer. He teased: Its
A seminal dance-rock crossover more of a prequel really, because its about
moment a clearly chemically- everything that happened before they ended
enhanced Shaun Ryder gurns along on up on Kalokairi island. Its Donna when she was
the dancefloor and establishes himself young, Meryl Streep when she was young, and
as the key figure for the E generation. what happened when she met the three dads. As
Lo-fi, low budget, but high impact. The well as what happened after the previous film.
Mondays were beginning to turn heads. Pierce Brosnans attempts at singing ABBA
bit.ly/2zls4oP classics in the first movie were much-maligned,
but Andersson insists: hes a good singer.

Georges lack
STEP ON of Freedom
B
1990 oy Georges duet with the
As the sun sets, the Mondays swagger late George Michael will
about on a hotel roof with Shaun never see the light of day. The
hanging off the E of its sign (geddit?). two recorded a song called
Bez steals the show, though, with his Freedom, not the much-missed
trademark freaky dancing and odd singers hit, but a different number
choice of eyewear. They never looked intended for Boy Georges 1987 album,
cooler. This John Kongos cover made Sold. The duo first performed the track
the Top 5, a feat equalled by Kinky at an AIDS benefit show the same year
Afro later in the same year. before going into the studio. We sang
bit.ly/2j2xDV1 it together in the studio but he wasnt
happy with it, so it was never released.
I know what he was like. Its one of the
things I admired about him. I always
imagined him in the laboratory with a
white coat his vocals, the production,
the harmonies, they were so perfectly
executed. Maybe that song is lying
around somewhere, unless he wiped it!
Boy George is recording a new album
STINKIN THINKIN for BMG which will be a collection of
1992 covers including at least one song by
Not many bands are happy to cast David Bowie. He revealed to news.
themselves as pimps and petty thieves com.au: Ive always wanted to do my
in their videos, but the lads play up version of Bowies covers album Pin Ups.
Dean Stockings

their sleazy image to the max for this I have my eye on Where Are We Now?,
Getty Images

stand-out from Yes Please!. Bezs scary the first Bowie record to make me cry.
clown may give you nightmares.
bit.ly/2iyYNil

18

CP35.News.print.indd 18 09/11/2017 15:20


A
s a young girl in her native
Zambia, Rozalla began singing
in clubs and made her television
debut aged 13. When her family
relocated to Zimbabwe, she
fronted several R&B cover bands
before, as a solo artist, clocking
up eight hits on that nations
chart. In 1988, she teamed up
with the production duo Band of Gypsies
and, two years later, had a club hit with
Born To Luv Ya. Then came the dance
anthem, Everybodys Free (To Feel Good),
which peaked at No.6 in the UK. It made
her an international star and she supported
Michael Jackson on the European leg of
his Dangerous Tour. Rozalla is currently
working on fresh material, and hopes
to release a new album in 2018.
You first enjoyed success in
Zimbabwe. How did this help
launch your international career?
UK producer Chris Sergeant saw me
on a local TV show in Zimbabwe. He
got in contact and said he wanted to
work with me. He had a record studio in
Wolverhampton, and it was my dream to
become an international singing artist.
Chris introduced you to Nigel
Swanston and Tim Cox [Band
of Gypsies]. How did they help
develop your sound?
At the time we were sending round
cassettes (thats how long ago it was!) to
record companies and producers. Tim and
Nigel loved my voice and said they had
the perfect sound for me. They were very
significant in helping to develop my sound.
Was London a big culture shock?
The cold was the shock for me, and, of
course, missing my family made me feel
homesick quite a lot.
Did you know that you had a hit
with Everybodys Free?
Nigel had this up-tempo music, and asked
me to go into the booth and sing the words
CP35.Godmother_Rozalla.print.indd 19
GODMOTHERS
of
R O Z A L L A
over and over again. We kept making up
the melody to the chorus of Everybodys
Free until we were happy we finally had a
chorus. Then the verses followed to make a
story from it. I didnt have a clue, but I knew
it was a good dance track. It was electric
on the dancefloor, and still is 26 years
later. I wanted lyrics that were positive and
uplifting. I believe thats what we achieved.
Was there a particular point at
which you realised it was going
to be huge?
For me, it was when I was invited to
perform on Top Of The Pops. I thought,
This can only be good.
It went Top 10 in several European
territories, and made the US
Top 40. What was it like being
recognised and feted wherever
you went?
Being recognised at the time was exciting
and put a smile on my face. I couldnt
believe people wanted my autograph and
picture. I still dont. But I prefer now not to
be recognised when Im doing my own
thing. I enjoy my privacy.
What were your most memorable
moments from that time?
The whole rave scene was incredible. That
dance scene was massive in the UK and
performing in those giant warehouses,
in the middle of nowhere for 10,000
screaming fans was amazing.
And you also played a part on
Michael Jacksons Dangerous Tour...
Id just signed to Sony and Michael was
looking for a dance artist that was doing
well across Europe. Someone had sent him
my stuff, as well as other artists. I remember
at the time I was in New York at the Sony
offices, and they called to say he chose me
and I had to fly back for rehearsals. I met
him a couple times and took pictures with
him. He really was a top guy. I will always
believe in my heart that he was the most
talented artist ever.
You reunited with Band of Gypsies
on 1998s Coming Home. Was the
old magic still there?
I dont think we can ever recreate another
Everybodys Free, but I loved working with
the guys again. Their sound had changed
and had moved with the times.
There was a significant shift in
direction on 2009s Brand New
Version. Was that move into jazz/
soul a conscious decision to escape
your past on the club scene?
It was always a dream of mine to do
something that was more mid-tempo and
mellow, as I felt as a singer I had more to
offer then just dance tracks.
Earlier this year, you were part of
the Rewind 80s Music Festival. Why
do you think theres such nostalgia
for that period in music?
You hear people say that 80s music was
the best, or 90s music was the best, but
I believe its all to do with nostalgia and
the memories those times bring back
to ones life.
David Burke
19
08/11/2017 16:22
 I predict a rival
The Kaiser Chiefs have a new chart
rival in the form of ex-bandmate
Nick J.D. Hodgson. The groups
former drummer is launching a solo
career and his first single, Suitable
is out now. Of course, Hodgson
isnt just any former member, hes
the man who wrote all of Kaisers
biggest hits. Since quitting he has
helped write and produce music
for Mark Ronson, Hurts, John
Newman and even Shirley Bassey.
Now he feels compelled to focus
on himself: Suddenly (it) felt
like I was writing for myself. Id
spent years writing music for other
people to sing and collaborate on,
but this was a strange feeling: I
was gonna write this for me.
An album is due in 2018 but in
the meantime Suitable is about,
my wife and also my post-Kaiser
life, which is much calmer and more
serene than it was... I love lush
production and dreamy imagery.
The next Level
Level 42 are hitting the road with
The Blow Monkeys. Next years
19-date Eternity Tour kicks off at
Glasgows Royal Concert Hall on
2 October and wraps up at
Londons Royal Albert Hall on
25 October. Mark King said:
The band is ever evolving, and
reinvention, both musically and in
the way we present ourselves, has
become something of a tradition
for Level 42. The Eternity Tour will
be a chance for us to showcase this
once again, and well be playing
all our best material as well as
some new tracks, and maybe a
few deeper cuts, too. We are also
very happy to welcome The Blow
Monkeys as special guests for the
tour, how cool is that!
King has hinted new Level 42
music may be forthcoming prior to
the dates.
For more on The Blow Monkeys,
see page 82
20
CP35.News.print.indd 20
UP
The time is
now for Alison
A
lison Moyet has
a love/hate
relationship
with the 80s.
The vocalist
first found chart success
with Yazoo more than
30 years ago, an era
when being different was
a prime commodity. It
was so much easier to do
everything in the 80s in
terms of making records,
and putting them out, and
being the freak that you
are, she explains.
Moyet recently reissued
her first four solo albums
Alf, Raindancing, Hoodoo
and Essex on 180g
heavyweight vinyl, but
she dislikes looking back
too much.
Now they do a lot
of those kinda reunion
tours, but Ive always
steered clear of those,
she explained to themusic.
com.au. Whereas I do
80s material in my set
its not the only decade
Ive been a singer in,
which is one of the most
frustrating things about
being called an 80s
singer. Ive been doing
it every decade since.
So the idea of my just
only ever being the act
that I was 35 years ago
every minute Im onstage
has no appeal at all.
As well as her own
current headlining world
tour this winter, Moyet
tours with Tears For Fears
Steve Gullick
next May.
09/11/2017 15:20

YOU CAN KILL A FORMAT, BUT YOU CANT KILL AN IDEA
20 YEARS AFTER 7 SINGLE SALES FELL OFF A CLIFF, ITS TIME TO
PAY HOMAGE TO AND MAYBE BRING BACK? THE B-SIDE.
B
y the very nature of the 7
format, every A-side has to
have a B-side. And while some
artists simply filled them with
off-cuts, most used it as an
experimental playground that
allowed pop music to flourish
in new directions, growing
and diversifying audiences
in the process.
Everyone gets their introduction to
B-sides from their first love, so for me
it was Adam And The Ants. Adam
and guitarist/songwriter Marco Pirroni
served me well: the first 7 I ever bought
was Antmusic and, if that wasnt enough
of a musical manifesto, the B-side went
even further with Fall Ins 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Youre gonna listen to the
Ants now! chorus.
Even when their A-sides had gone
from anomaly to novelty Prince
Charming and Ant Rap they were
still opening their audience up to
new worlds with classic punk B-sides
Christian Dor and Friends.
Like Adam, the B-side was so special
to some artists that they made it almost a
genre in itself, a running commentary on
their evolving sound and style.
So much so that they could later go
back and collect and collate them into
a distinct album that could stand up in
its own right.
My favourite examples, of both
the pro-B-side artist and of such
retrospectives would be R.E.M.s Dead
Letter Office and XTCs Beeswax: Some
B-Sides 19771982.
Pet Shop Boys perfected the genre
with Alternative in 1995 (and OMD
followed suit six years later with
Navigation). More recently, the equally
aptly-titled The Other Side Of The Moon
by The Cardigans and Songs From The
Other Side by The Charlatans.
CP35.IanPeel.print.indd 21
IAN PEELS A TO Z
of
B IS FOR... B-SIDE
The The album, so in the end these
Didnt The Smiths How Soon
Is Now?, Oasis Acquiesce,
XTCs Dear God and New
Orders 1963 all originally
begin life as B-sides?
If The B-52s were to join this list,
theyd need a double album. Remember
how the B-side of Love Shack played at
33rpm to accommodate live renditions
of both Planet Claire and Rock Lobster?
Likewise Roam, which was backed with
both Whammy Kiss and Dance This
Mess Around.
Sometimes the B-side became even
more special, and received more love,
than the lead track it backed. There are
some songs which were either B-sides
(remember them?) or tucked away on
an album, that I am secretly proud of,
Mike Stock told us back in Issue 3. And
I always remember the reader who
once wrote in to say how much I love
the Me Me Me single Hanging Around
(One Hit Wonder, Issue 8). Stephen
Duffys songwriting is just sublime and
the single features one of my favourite
B-sides ever: the romantic and wistful
Hollywood Wives.
And didnt The Smiths How Soon
Is Now?, Oasis Acquiesce, XTCs
Dear God and New Orders 1963 all
originally begin life as B-sides?
I was never really happy with the
CBS re-recordings of The Pornography
Of Despair, Matt Johnson once told me
of what would have been the first ever
re-recordings were used as B-sides
for the Soul Mining singles. Further
evidence that, without the B-side, the
world would have been denied some
fascinating music.
It would also have denied many a
group the chance to let their hair down
and throw off the (ahem) mental chains
of delivering A-sides.
Did Haircut One Hundred approach
Pelican Wests three non-album tracks
Boat Party, Ski Club and October
Is Orange as a chance to show a
different side of the band, I once asked
Nick Heyward?
Absolutely. Wed go in to the studio
especially to do the B-side. With Ski
Club, it started with Les Nemes on bass,
Blair Cunningham on drums and I. Id
start playing a riff and Blair would
because hes so natural, hes gifted just
start to play in his drums. And there it
was. I remember Marc Fox then plying
the whole thing with mad stuff: he
was into Kraftwerk and started putting
Kraftwerk stuff over it...
Haircut One Hundred meets
Kraftwerk? Thank the B-side for that.
21
08/11/2017 16:28
 T H I S M O N T H I N...

2016
D
ecades after their 80s heyday, Duran

B e r
Duran were still embroiled in the

eCe
MORRISSEY AND THE JAM PLAY LANDMARK LIVE
SHOWS AND JOHN LENNON IS MURDERED IN
NEW YORK... WE LOOK BACK AT A SELECTION
OF DECEMBERS MOST IMPORTANT
MOMENTS IN MUSIC HISTORY
J O H N N Y
expensive after-effects of signing a
song publishing agreement at the start
of their career. For 35 years, their
British publisher, Gloucester Place Music, owned
by Sony/ATV, had reaped all of the profits for
the bands songs on their early albums in the
US. On this day, a High Court Judge ruled that
the company still had those rights, despite US
copyright laws giving songwriters an inalienable
right to call for a reversion of copyright after 35
years. Responding to the verdict, Duran vocalist
Simon Le Bon seethed: Sony/ATV has earned
B L A C K
a tremendous amount of money from us over the
years. Working to find a way to do us out of our
rights feels like the ugly and old-fashioned face of

1982 imperialist, corporate greed.

Michael Jackson releases the album
Thriller in the US. It will sell more
than 50 million copies worldwide
and solidify him as the 80s king of
pop. It will also make history as the
first and only album to be Americas
top-seller for two years running.
Keyboardist, Nick Rhodes (pictured), pointed
out that: We signed a publishing agreement as
unsuspecting teenagers, over three decades ago,
when just starting out and when we knew no
better. Today, we are told that language in that
agreement allows our long-time publishers, Sony/
ATV, to override our statutory rights under US law.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Getty Images

1980
John Lennon is shot
dead by Mark David
Chapman at the
entrance to the building
where the former
Beatle lived,
The Dakota, in
New York City.

1982 1985
The Jam play their Tonights edition
last ever gig together of TV cop series

1993 when they appear

at The Centre in
Miami Vice,
entitled Phil The

W
hen Elton John plays the first of four nights Brighton. Songwriter Shill, guest stars
at The Superbowl, Sun City, South Africa, Paul Weller will Phil Collins in the
he is warned by venue staff not to wear his be the only one of title role.
white suit, as it will attract insects in the dark, the trio to go on to
especially with stage lights being focussed on significant further
it. Elton ignores the advice, and then has to halt the show when success, first with
swarms of flying bugs descend on him. The Style Council
and then as a
solo performer.

22

CP35.monthinpop.print.indd 22 10/11/2017 14:59

 1989 TOP FIVE
ALBUMS
I Fought The Law by The Clash
and Panama by Van Halen are
blasted at mind-numbingly high
volumes through loudspeakers NME CHART
pointing at the Papal Nuncios
residence in Panama City, 3 DEC 1983
Panama, Central America. This
alfresco rock disco is actually 1 COLOUR BY
Operation Nifty Package, a NUMBERS
CULTURE CLUB
psychological warfare tactic
employed by US military forces
aimed at demoralising besieged
General Manuel Noriega until
he surrenders to them.

1981
Uncle Sams, a failing 2 CANT SLOW
disco in Minneapolis,
DOWN
Minnesota, changes its LIONEL RICHIE
name to First Avenue.
Three years later, local
artist Prince will put
it at the forefront of
Minneapolis music
venues by using it as
Getty Images

the location for many

scenes in his movie,
Purple Rain.
3 UNDERCOVER

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
THE ROLLING STONES

1986
1988 Elton John attends the
3rd Test Match in Sydney,
This first solo Morrissey show
Australia, and is so
was also unofficially meant as a
delighted when the
farewell Smiths concert. Entrance
English cricketers defeat
to the Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Australia that he pours 4 TOUCH
gig is limited to fans wearing
Champagne all over himself EURYTHMICS
Smiths or Morrissey t-shirts.
and players in celebration.

1982
T
he Tube was the most unmissable TV show of the week for every 80s
music devotee but, on this day, it departed from its standard fare of
classic pop to delve into the murky undergrowth of hard rock. Things got
off to an unpromising start when guitarist Brian Robertson
of Motorhead learned that Iggy Pop was on the show. 5 AN INNOCENT
That wee fucker bit me in The Marquee Club, fumed MAN
BILLY JOEL
Robertson. If he comes near me Ill kill him. Smash Hits
photographer Virginia Turbett ran afoul of Twisted Sister
who demanded her film when she photographed them
rehearsing without their make-up on. Even after the show,
on the train back to London, Iggy accused Smash Hits scribe
Johnny Black of being possessed by demons. To exorcise the
demons, Iggy insisted on arm-wrestling Black and, when the
hapless journo bested him, drew a pentacle on the table between
them to ward off the evil spirits. Then, mercifully, Mr Pop drifted off
Getty Images

into the land of nod, muttering ominously to himself.

All data supplied by
www.MusicDayz.com

23

CP35.monthinpop.print.indd 23 10/11/2017 16:10

 MASTER
LIVE!
W itH E
Br U C
e n
K
S P O N SOR E D BY

THE ULTIMATE
MUSIC QUIZ
3 MARCH LONDON
POPMASTERLIVE.EVENTBRITE.CO.UK

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 P O P M A S T E R L I V E !

years
N e il B a
nd this
rker a llect their
c o
CLASSIC POP IS EXCITED
g team owned
winnin er being cr r
pr iz e s a ft
Pops
Po p m a ste TO ANNOUNCE THE
Classic mpions
ha
Live! c
RETURN OF POPMASTER LIVE
IN MARCH 2018!

F
ollowing the
success of this years
inaugural Popmaster
Live! Classic Pop is
looking forward to
the events return on
3 March 2018. Once again we will
be teaming up with BBC Radio 2s
Popmaster himself Ken Bruce and
Phil The Collector Swern for
a fun-filled night of pop trivia and
top quizzing.
The DJs weekday show regularly
attracts a listenership of more than
eight million, and this live version
of his daily Popmaster quiz will be
carefully crafted by Phil to test all
levels of expertise.
Consisting of 11 rounds, including
Intros & Outros, Guilty Pleasures
and Missing Words, Popmaster Live!
will test your knowledge on a wide
range of pop music from the
late-70s, iconic 80s and early-90s.
SELECT A DREAM TEAM
This years event attracted quizzers
from across the country and was
heralded as a huge success.
A total of 32 teams went head-
to-head with Neil Barker, from
Manchester, and his team walking
away triumphant.
Winner Neil said: Popmaster Live
was a thoroughly enjoyable and
well-organised event. The team and
I are all listeners to the Forgotten
80s radio show on Absolute
80s and Id be lying if
I said we didnt enjoy
winning. However, I really WIN!
EYES ON THE PRIZE!
There will be many surprises and
prizes up for grabs on the night,
and its not just the honour of
walking away the winner at
Popmaster Live! Each member
of the top team will receive a pair
of Audio-Technica headphones
worth 169. The ATH-AR5BT
headphones are Bluetooth, high-
resolution audio compatible, have a
compact over-ear design with up to
30 hours battery life.
GET QUIZZING
Earlybird tickets are available now
and cost 25. For those who want
the full VIP treatment, special
earlybird tickets can be bought
for 55. This VIP package gives you
the opportunity to meet Ken and
Phil in person at an intimate drinks
reception before the quiz.
You will also receive a
complimentary copy of the
Popmaster Quizbook worth 9.99,
which you can get signed on the
night as well as front row tables.
Popmaster Live! takes place
on 3 March at 155 Bishopsgate
in London and runs from 7pm
to 10pm.
For further information and
to book tickets, visit popmasterlive.
eventbrite.co.uk.
Each member of the winning
team at Popmaster Live! will
receive a pair of these stunning
Audio-Technica ATH-AR5BT
headphones worth 169!

HEADPHONES
wasnt expecting it.
With teams, such as WORTH
the Revenge Of Table 13, 169
already signed up for next
years event, the competition
for 2018 is hotting up.
So start selecting your
dream team now and
join us in London.
Teams can feature
up to eight people
per table. You can
also enter the quiz
as an individual or a
couple and we will
allocate you to
a team.

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 T E A R S F O R F E A R S

Eric Watson

26

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 Reclaiming their
THRONE ITS ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR
TEARS FOR FEARS AS THEY
RELEASE HITS COMPILATION
RULE THE WORLD AND PLAN A
NEW STUDIO ALBUM FOR 2018
AS WELL AS A HOTLY-ANTICIPATED
UK TOUR. CLASSIC POP CATCHES
UP WITH THE ELUSIVE DUO
FRESH FROM THEIR RECENT
TRIUMPHANT LIVE SHOW AT
THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
R U D Y B O L L Y

ears For Fears are finally

ready to rule the world
again, if a little reluctantly.
One of the UKs biggest
pop exports of the 80s,
Roland Orzabal and Curt
Smith developed at such
a staggering rate that
theyd transformed themselves from bedroom
synth miserablists to internationally-renowned
stadium rockers in the space of seven years.
Since then theres been a messy break-up,
a handful of Orzabal-led records, the unlikely
reunion followed by another,
mostly inactive decade. Now,
after signing a record deal with
Virgin, the band are back with a
new career retrospective, Rule The
World, ahead of further concerts
in 2018 and a brand new studio
album to follow.
Leaders of the so-called Second
British Invasion of the US, the
band scored hits across the world
while alternating lead vocal duties.
While their music was familiar in

27

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 Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith celebrate
T E A R S F O R F E A R S
three decades of hits at a sold out
Royal Albert Hall in October

It feels like people

are excited to have
us back C U R T S M I T H

homes everywhere, Roland and Curt largely managed to

swerve the spotlight, expertly orchestrating a successful
career mostly from the shadows. Even ardent Tears For
Fears fans might admit they dont know an awful lot
POP_UP Rule The World The Greatest Hits, released by Universal

about the pair.

previous Tears For Fears albums alongside two brand new tracks

And for those only just discovering the music theres

Music on 10 November, includes 14 Top 40 hits from all six

scant literature to immerse themselves in. Good, laughs

Curt. He adds dryly: Its all on Wikipedia, you can
get everything you need to know there. Sure, you get
a brief overview of the duos chart triumphs perhaps,
but theres very little detail on the inner workings of one
of pops most enigmatic double acts. I dont think its
intentional, offers Curt clearly still uncomfortable at the
idea of his privacy being invaded. We tend to lead
quiet and sedate lives outside of the times when were
releasing music, so you arent going to really read about
us or see us. So in that sense, its really been since our
last record in 2004 that people havent heard from us.
When playing live, theyve also made a concerted
effort to avoid the nostalgia circuit. Hardly surprising
when you consider Tears For Fears were a scene unto
themselves; they were never New Romantics, regarded
too pop for the indie crowd and a far cry from hair rock.
Roland is actually a hair rock band, Curt cheekily
quips, gesturing towards his partners still resplendent
mane. Me not so much. Yes, we exist in our own little
bubble. We have been invited to do some of those retro
tours but always said no because we dont feel tied to an
era. We dont want to do that to ourselves. We generally
go out when we feel we have something to say and
feel like playing. People dont get too much of us, which
is a good thing trust me. It all adds to the mystique
surrounding Tears For Fears. Its just the way we are,
the bassist clarifies, I dont think we are ones to want the
spotlight, even when we are doing music.
ALL AROUND ME ARE FAMILIAR FACES
Whether they like it or not, a considerable amount of
attention is very much back on the duo. Their huge and

Hits from the

ears for Fears second album The song became their first US No.1 and
built upon the huge success of has since earned more than six million radio

BIG CHAIR
the bands landmark debut,
The Hurting in 1983. Released
two years later, Songs From The Big Chair
spent 80 weeks in the UK album chart and
SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT... INSIDE THE catapulted the band to international acclaim
MULTI-PLATINUM SOPHOMORE ALBUM THAT
with three signature hits.
Today, Tears For Fears open their live
SPAWNED FIVE INTERNATIONAL SMASH HITS shows with arguably the biggest track of
the lot, Everybody Wants To Rule The World.
It helps that you come on stage to a song
that everyone knows, its amusing and very
powerful, comments singer Curt. We actually
come out to Lordes version. That darkness
makes ours seems brighter already... luckily, it
doesnt go downhill from there.
With its instantly likeable melody and
pleasing rhythmic shuffle its easy to forget the
songs message about the dangers of warfare
and power a theme possibly even more
pertinent today. On a global scale, it is still
relevant, nods Curt. For me, Id be thinking
of American politics because its where I live
now. But it can translate to any country. Pick a
leader that you disagree with.
plays. Had it been released today you could
imagine even greater success, trumping the
likes of Ed Sheeran with billions of streams.
How do the pair feel about the changing face
of music consumption? There are two sides
to streaming, answers Curt carefully. They
get to discover you and you get to discover
new bands. The downside is they havent
worked out how the artists get paid yet, or
if they get paid. Record companies seem to
be getting paid, but the artists not so much.
Hopefully, that works itself out.
There was, of course, a second version of
the song re-recorded in 1986 as Everybody
Wants To Run The World for the Sports Aid
charity appeal. Curt smiles: That took a long
time to do, I had to go in a studio and just sing
run those were the days.
If Rule The World is unashamedly upbeat
then Shout is the polar opposite, but no less
rousing. When Shout was written it was just
a chorus, recalls Roland. My idea not a
very good idea would be to sing it like Give
Peace A Chance, and we just go round and

CP35.TFF.print.indd 28 13/11/2017 10:45

 Getty Images

unusually balmy show to 60,000 people at Londons
Hyde Park supporting The Killers last summer was
followed by a rapturous headline set at the capitals
Royal Albert Hall in October. Did the palpable sense
of euphoria and love for Tears For Fears translate onto
the stage? Definitely, articulates Roland slowly. We
were really surprised by the response. Hyde Park was
extremely hot and the Albert Hall was phenomenal.
It certainly feels as if the sun, moon, wind and rain have
aligned perfectly for the latest TFF comeback, although
its just a happy accident as far as they are concerned.
We really dont decide these things, explains Curt
modestly. Were moved into the general direction when
people think its the right time for us, they sort of usher us
Summer loving: Above, along. But the timing feels good, it feels very welcoming,
Roland and Curt on like people are excited to have us back.
stage, supporting
The Killers, at the
Next year sees them embark on a series of huge
Barclaycard Presents headline shows. Weve been touring arenas in the
British Summer Time States since the beginning of May so were kind of
Festival in Hyde Park
used to the size of the venues, says Roland. We will
be headlining, so thats new, plus playing some new
material, which is going to make it fresh for us.
FULL-STOPS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
That new material has been a long time coming. Many
had hoped 2004s comeback LP, Everybody Loves A

The Songs From The Big Chair six-disc

super deluxe edition boxset that
features radio sessions and early mixes
round and round. When I took it into the studio
and pushed play on the Linn drum and pressed
the bass drone on the Prophet-5 (synthesizer)
everybody said, oh no no, thats a hit song,
you have to write a proper verse. We were
working with Ian Stanley at his house and Chris
Hughes our producer. They had found a way
of arranging Shout that sounded huge and, for
us, pretty rocky. It took us a while to get our
heads around it, we were thinking, can we do
this? Luckily we did.
It became their second US No.1, released a
good six months after charting at No.4 in the
UK. Weve heard it an awful lot and sung it an
awful lot, Roland reflects. But the greatest
thing about that song is hearing other people Curt. I think the idea started with the whole
sing it. You get to take the microphone into the them of their vocals, are fascinating to listen hear no evil, see no evil thing; just weird
audience and literally get a singalong. to. Head Over Heels just was not like that. abstract ideas thrown in. We shot it in Toronto,
Arguably the biggest fan favourite off the We ended up having to do it very simply, the day that Everybody Wants To Rule The
album is Head Over Heels. It was a really but as you say, people really love that song. World went to No.1 in the US. I dont know
big struggle to make that song, because of Its one of the few happy things weve done, where Zippy came from but he lived up there.
its simplicity, reveals Roland. We werent very few. Curt laughs: Is it happy? I got thrown out of a hotel bar because they  We celebrate
attracted to it, maybe as a song, yes; but we Something that does make people happy is wouldnt let me in with him. And he came and Tears For Fears
were trying to put everything into the backing the chimpanzee who guest stars in the Head performed with us at Radio City Music Hall in magnificent Songs
track to kind of pull it in line with songs like Over Heels video. He was called Zippy and New York. Roland looks baffled: I seem to From The Big
Mad World and Shout, which, even if you strip became a good friend of mine, deadpans have blanked that from my memory. Chair on page 36

29

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 T E A R S F O R F E A R S
Roland (left) and Curt admit to being
initially surprised by their record
companys choice of the songs I Love You
But Im Lost and Stay, for their current
Rule The World compilation
Its an amazing thing to listen
to somebody elses interpretation
of your song...
30
CP35.TFF.print.indd 30
Happy Ending would signal the start of more consistent
output. That seemed like a final album really, reveals
Roland. We joked about possibly doing Everybody
Loves A Happy Addendum. At the time I felt it was like
the full-stop at the end of a sentence. And a nice ending
for how the history of Tears For Fears played out; the
fact that we split maybe a little bit acrimoniously back
in 1990, got back together and made the album. There
was talk of another album but I was doing other things
trying to write a novel. It wasnt until we hooked up
with new management and they suggested it would be
a good idea. Plus, we were playing live a lot, touring
consistently in the US since 2004, so it really was the
search for new material to keep us interested.
Two new tracks have emerged on the bands current
Rule The World collection. There must have been some
pressure coming up with the first new Tears For Fears
songs in 13-odd years?
Well we presented the record company with 12
songs, Roland says, and I think we were kind of
surprised by the two that they picked, but having
heard I Love You But Im Lost on the radio Im
pretty happy with it. That song came by
bouncing word ideas around a recording
studio with the band Bastille. Its also a
refreshingly real title for a 21st century
love song. Its brilliant in as much as
its something thats a really poor
excuse, agrees Roland. Its
R O L A N D O R Z A B A L
13/11/2017 11:00
 Caption
something that a man should
never say to a woman and
vice versa. It is a love song,
but really about a lack
of commitment.
The other new song, Stay,
is more introverted, a beautiful
electronic ballad. I sent it to
Roland, then he put more rhythm
parts on it and took it to another
Xxxxx
level, explains Curt who has
spent the past 30 years living
in the US. The song is basically
about change, being in a relationship
and not knowing when to end it because
you are leaving behind a whole bunch
of history. Its about how painful change
can be but necessary at the same time.
STANDING THE TEST OF TIME
Tears For Fears gained a new
generation of fans when New Zealand
starlet Lorde covered Everybody Wants
To Rule The World for the Hunger Games:
Catching Fire soundtrack. Its
an amazing thing to listen to
somebody elses interpretation
of your song and hear it in a
completely new way, songwriter
Roland comments. Like its the
first time you ever heard the song.
Weve been very very lucky, in 2003
with Gary Jules and Michael Andrews
doing Mad World which is so sad
way more sad than the version we did.
Likewise, with Lorde, thats a lot more
Getty Images
CP35.TFF.print.indd 31
dark than we would ever have dared to go
with Everybody Wants To Rule The World.
Lordes take on their music encouraged
them back into the studio to record some
covers of their own including songs
by Animal Collective and Arcade Fire.
We listen to a lot of music but I think we
discover new bands primarily through
our children most of the time, says
Curt. There is so much out there, The
1975 and Twenty ne Pilts I like a lot,
exciting new acts.
above a pizzeria in the city... I could look out onto the centre of the city.
Another cover, Creep has
Not that Bath is very mad I should have called it Bourgeois World
become a staple of the live TFF
POP_UP Hailing from Bath, Roland wrote Mad World while living
set. Experiencing the bands
version makes it apparent how
they have more in common with
Radiohead than say Hall & Oates
who they toured with in the US
recently. Musically, I guess that
could be true, chuckles Curt. In
the States, when we were touring
with Hall & Oates it was more
about the fact that people are still
listening to that music. It was interesting
because when I told one of my
daughters she pulled up a Hall & Oates
track on her phone immediately. She
knew the songs so they are another
band whove stood the test of time in
terms of quality of songwriting.
Indeed, quality songwriting is
the key to the Tears For Fears
legacy, rubber-stamped by the
success of 2013s reissue of debut album,
The Hurting.
Hurting Reassessing his songwriting at the
During the 80s, on albums
such as The Hurting,
Songs From The Big
Chair and The Seeds Of
Love, Tears For Fears
gained a reputation as
perfectionists and masters
of the studio
31
13/11/2017 10:48
 time, Roland gave his teenage self a pat on the back.
Im still thanking him, smiles the guitarist. Thank God
he was introverted, depressed and Im not quite sure
what else. I was all those raw emotions that went into
that album. It made for a special record.
More than three decades on, songwriters are only
starting to catch up with the emotional honesty Tears
For Fears were tackling back then. If you want to use
mental health as an example, I imagine its more talked
about now, Curt reflects. Certainly in Britain you were
supposed to keep that stiff upper lip. Thats the general
premise for English people. The thing is with those
emotions, we thought they were just things we were
going through, and nobody else understood us.
Then, of course, you make a record and discover
an entire generation of people your age feels the
same way. I think the reason its really stood the test of
time is because each generation coming up can relate
to that album. When we play live now we have part
of our audience who are 18-25 just discovering The
Hurting and they relate to it; even though they werent
born then.
The duos influence is so wide-ranging that they have
also become unlikely darlings of the hip-hop and RnB
world. Kanye West, Drake and more recently The
Kanye West,
Drake and more
Weeknd have sampled their music. You know youve
recently The made it when youre big in hip-hop, whispers Roland
Weeknd have keeping a straight face. I think a lot of it stems from the
sampled TFF... drum beat on Shout,, which I believe Run-DMC thought at
You know
youve made it the time we were copying them. Curt concurs: Nas has
when youre big used Everybody Wants To Rule The World, too. I think its
in hip-hop, just people appreciating music.
admits Roland

PRIMAL SCREAM THERAPY

Its an amusing by-product of their understated profile that
so many people remain surprised when Tears For
Fears play their own signature hits. Weve
had people come up to us after Memories
Fade saying, I think its wonderful that you
do a Kanye West song. Its amusing and
interesting when they do eventually hear the

A Psychedelic
MASTERPIECE
BEATING THE BEATLES AT THEIR OWN GAME ...

he third Tears For Fears album
was a huge stylistic leap and
one that put a strain on the
working relationship between
Curt and Roland.
Despite their problems (Curt only plays
bass on a handful of tracks) they still
managed to produce a magnificent piece
of work, particularly its heroic first single,
Love Musically, its the
Sowing The Seeds Of Love.
most complete piece of work weve done,
agrees Curt proudly. We were really pushing
ourselves to do something that was big but
interesting. Far more musical than anything
wed done before. Bar The Beatles, wed been
listening to a lot of Steely Dan and Little Feat
and were broadening our musical horizons.
Making Sowing The Seeds Of Love was a joyful
exercise in creating something that was very
grand, its a six-minute journey that goes all
over the place.
Indeed, its a sprawling slab of nostalgia
that goes on and on, but never at the expense
of the listener. Blatantly still enthused with the
result Roland adds: There were more parts
that werent on the record, it just kept going
on. We wanted to do something that wasnt
Tears For Fears. Interrupting, Curt adds: Not

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 T E A R S F O R F E A R S

primal scream therapy, Arthur Janov and all his Debut album The Hurting,
books. After The Hurting, because we were released on 7 March
1983, peaked at No.1
successful, I think we were rushed into making on the UK album chart
Songs From The Big Chair, we didnt think at the in its second week
time that it had the same feeling. We didnt feel it of release
was as cohesive, but it was the people around us
who were forcing us to think more globally, to sound
bigger and put guitars on it. Then we just hit the jackpot.
We worked our arses off, throughout that
year 1985. Going around
the world with touring, I think
it was inevitable that we wanted
to draw back a little and look
for a completely and utterly
different style of music to come
back with which we did with
The Seeds Of Love.
Each TFF record is markedly
different but theres a sonic clarity
that ties them all together. Its about
being extremely fussy and knowing
what you want, says Roland. Not

POP_UP The duo recorded Everybody Wants To Run The

relief in Africa, the single was the bands sixth Top 5 hit
originals. It happens mostly with Mad World over here, stopping until you get there.

World in 1986 for Sport Aid. Raising funds for famine

but we dont mind.
Mad World was the song that kick-started their chart
career and Roland fondly remembers its incubation: I
was living in a two-bed apartment in the centre of Bath
near the Theatre Royal. My girlfriend, who became my
wife, was running three jobs to support us, plus a little bit
of unemployment benefit 14 every two weeks. She
allowed me to sit at home with my guitar and sort of sing
this melancholia all day and feel sorry for myself. I was
a big fan of Paul Simons Still Crazy After All These
Years I fear Ill do some damage one fine day was
one of his lyrics. Mad World is my take, sitting in the
window of this apartment and not understanding people
going about their daily business, their 9-5.
The songs success has allowed Roland to avoid that
regular 9-5 job his entire life. I think The Hurting was
really our calling card, he adds. It was the thing we
most wanted to do at the time. Being influenced by
Revisiting the music inevitably encourages a look back
at the sartorial style back then, too those big knits in
particular. Thats with a K by the way, Curt informs
a puzzled looking Roland who is literally scratching his
head. My children are annoyed that I didnt keep half
the stuff because they would like to wear it now.
WORKING AN OCEAN APART
With the hits collection out of the way, next year will be
all about a brand new TFF studio album. Produced with
Sacha Skarbek, whose credits include James Blunt and
Adele, its rumoured to be called The Tipping Point.
Thats the title right now, Roland details. We
thought we had finished the album, we certainly had
12 tracks finished and mixed in April. It was called The
Tipping Point. Then it was decided that to have more of
an impact, wed release the greatest hits with two new
tracks from that album.

just that, but make something that wasnt

being heard. It was very much the time of
the three-minute pop song, we wanted to do
kids thought it was. They did the same when
Songs From The Big Chair came out, and then
when Seeds Of Love came out we didnt get
Yes, it is a
something that wasnt.
Its an obvious nod to the Fab Four but it
begs the question
another letter. Curt smiles at the irony:
I think the person who should be more
annoyed is Ringo.
Beatles pastiche,
an extremely
has Paul McCartney Or The Rutles,
ever commented on continues Roland.
it? Yes, it is a Beatles The single was

good pastiche...
pastiche, an extremely kept off the top spot
good pastiche, smiles by Janet Jacksons
Roland. I dont know Miss You Much
what Paul thinks about in the US. Not
R O L A N D O R Z A B A L
it. We kept bumping sales-wise, adds
into him when we were Roland quickly. But
doing The Hurting. by a combination
We were in the same of sales and radio
recording studio. We play, yes, because
would finish at 8am and hed be coming in to we missed out on the radio play I think. Curt
start his day, so we became quite friendly with feigns dejection, But its the story of our lives,
him and Linda. They sent us a letter after The certainly in Britain being kept off No.1
Hurting came out thanking us and telling us weve never had a No.1 single in the UK...
how great they thought it was, how great their yet. Mad World made it, but not our version.

33

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Woman
UNCHAINED
HOW TEARS FOR FEARS TURNED OLETA ADAMS FROM
A HOTEL SINGER INTO AN ACCLAIMED SOLO STAR...
he bands second single
from The Seeds Of Love
is a masterclass in studio
expertise. Long before
household laptops with music software
were the norm, TFF were painstakingly
cutting and pasting pieces of tape to
achieve the sounds and loops they
wanted. One of the longest elements
to complete was the Woman In Chains
drum track performed by Phil Collins.
Curt asked him to play drums, we
thought it was purpose-built for the big
Phil Collins drum fill, recalls Roland.
He said: Ill do it, but I need to be
finished by midday. So we booked
the studio he
worked in
Townhouse 2
in the Stone
Room (where
Phil recorded In
The Air Tonight)
and booked
his engineer. He
came in and we
even told him
what to play,
here we go,
this is the Phil
Collins big fill! But he really didnt want
to do it. What we had to do afterwards
was nick bits of other fills and put them
all together. It took about three weeks
to edit. Curt laughs: It took us much
longer than it took him to play it, but
his timing and feel were amazing.
The song is also famous for
introducing Oleta Adams to the wider
world. Plucked from relative obscurity,
the singer became a key member
of Tears For Fears live shows before
launching a successful solo career.
She was the key to that song, insists
Roland. We discovered her in Kansas
City, the Peppermint Duck Lounge in
the Hyatt Regency. Curt searches his
memory banks: We were in the middle
34
CP35.TFF.print.indd 34
of the Songs From The Big Chair Tour
and were disillusioned with the process
at that time because wed been playing
live for ages and doing interviews all
day. We thought is this it?.
Roland nods: Well, we were tired of
doing our own music, tired of playing
the same set. We were tied to it because
we had a Revox at the side of the stage
that had the running order of the songs,
so unless you actually took out the
scissors and razor you couldnt change
the running order. We were very tired
and walking into this bar, on a Sunday,
it was like walking into a church. There
was so much reverence in the audience
and the
odd reverend.
And Oleta was
incredible, she
was in tears as
she sang and
we were soon
in tears as well.
It didnt make
sense that
this woman
with so much
talent and
this incredible
voice was playing a hotel bar and we
were playing to 15,000 people and
were No.1 in America. So we slowly set
about righting that wrong but it didnt
happen until the writing of Woman In
Chains. The idea mooted at the time
was that we should get a famous singer
to do a duet with us. We said: No, lets
go back to Kansas, find Oleta and ask
her to sing it. Which is exactly what we
did. In November 1987, we both flew to
Kansas to a different bar and saw Oleta
on her own and she was still amazing.
Roland later co-produced her album,
Circle Of One and Oleta has joined the
band at other events ever since.
Incredible
Oleta Adams
was discovered
by Roland and
Curt while she
was performing
in a hotel bar in
Kansas City
Getty Images
We will probably go back and add a couple more
tracks and refresh that album. Weve probably recorded
about 26 songs over the last four years, so there is a lot
of material lying around.
The two new tracks weve heard so far are markedly
different from the material TFF were making on their last
studio LP. Listening to social media, we were keen not to
sound like The Beatles again, agrees Roland hinting at
a more electronic direction. I think Everybody Loves A
Happy Ending sounded like it was close relative to Seeds
Of Love. The idea or discussion at the time was to go
listen to the emotional intensity of our earlier albums and
perhaps focus on that, maybe make it not so political...
far more personal. In fact, its not political at all.
Sometimes your personal situation seems more important
than the things that are going on in the world.
Living on two continents must hamper the process.
How do they work these days? Slowly, by email,
Roland replies. Its difficult because when we used to sit
in a recording studio together there was less discussion
but you could look at each other and someone could pull
a face. You cant say that even on 10 emails. [Before]
youd understand exactly what the other person thought,
and everything was created around quickly shared
opinions. So, its a lot more difficult to do nowadays.
For someone who clearly loves the recording studio,
making music in the 21st century seems to have lost a
little magic for Roland. He explains: Everybody has the
same music software on their computer so people can
adjust things. That never used to be the case. It used to
be one guy engineering, one guy producing and we
would be sitting back and listening.
Tears For Fears gained a reputation as perfectionists,
masters of the studio process. How are they coping
in a world where playing live is more important than
recording music?
Curt, who quit Tears For Fears in the 90s partly due to
the workload, says: Its not as exhausting as it used to
13/11/2017 10:50
 Jake Walters

Anything could
happen in two
years for TFF
duo Orzabal
and Smith

Your only job is to go on [stage] and

make sure that the audience is left
feeling amazing. R O L A N D O R Z A B A L

be. Roland agrees: We travel in style and have really
nice hotel rooms. Everything is digital and memorised.
We are literally walking into soundcheck and it sounds
exactly as it did the day before, were not changing very
much. Your only job is to go on [stage] and make sure
that the audience is left feeling amazing.
GOING WITH THE FLOW
Hearing all the classics together in
Earlier Roland touched upon that acrimonious split in
the 90s. But the last 17-odd years have been a much
smoother ride for Tears For Fears. Like a marriage, the
dynamic of a duo seems to help maintain a relationship
longer perhaps. Thats the reason we stayed as a duo
initially, nods Curt. Because we didnt work well in
a five-person democracy. Its hard enough to get two
people to agree, let alone five. They fully admit they
are two different people but during
Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Bournemouth and Brighton
POP_UP Next Spring, Tears For Fears tour the UK with

one shiny new collection is a timely those years apart both men started
Alison Moyet, including Dublin, Cardiff, Birmingham,

reminder of how wonderful the TFF
canon is. Are they enjoying their own
back catalogue?
We have our own opinions,
Roland muses. I like it once we get
to Memories Fade from The Hurting
in the live set and the mood shifts it
becomes a little bit more musician-
based, a bit more rocky. Thats
certainly an old song I enjoy playing
now more than I did at the time.
Curt is equally thrilled: The joy
of playing live now is we have a great band. The
technology means you know what you are getting, you
dont have to worry about the acoustics, you are wearing
in-ear monitors that allow you to hear everything like
you are in a studio pretty much. The musicianship and
singing is much better than it ever was.
families and reunited with a different
work ethic because: family comes
first. However, fans should make the
most of them, as they have no desire
to keep rocking into their 70s like The
Rolling Stones. How many years
have we got until we are the same
age as The Stones? asks Roland.
20? Its all about nutrition, people
live longer now, 60 is the new 40.
However, this isnt the final chapter
in the Tears For Fears story, well
probably not. It either will be or it wont, those are
decisions you make as you go, non-committal Curt
sighs. Anything could happen in two years, you have
to go with the flow or your plans will change. The great
contradictor Roland is a little more hopeful: This is the
epilogue... but there may be a sequel.

35

CP35.TFF.print.indd 35 13/11/2017 10:49

 C L A S S I C

ALBUM
SONGS FROM
THE BIG CHAIR
T E A R S F O R F E A R S
AFTER INVITING US INTO THE MAD WORLD OF THEIR DEBUT
THE HURTING IN 1983, TEARS FOR FEARS RETURNED WITH A NEW
SOUND AND OUTLOOK TWO YEARS LATER, BRIMMING WITH THE
BELIEF THAT RULING THE WORLD WAS WITHIN THEIR REACH
M A R K L I N D O R E S

36

CP35.Classic_Album_TFF.print.indd 36 08/11/2017 15:56


H
aving achieved
a level of success
which far exceeded
everyones
expectations
with the synth-pop and
psychoanalysis of 1983s The
Hurting notching up sales in
excess of a million copies and
scoring three Top 5 singles,
pops patron saints of outsiders
found themselves experiencing
pressure of a different kind
when it came to follow it up.
I suppose our whole thrust,
musically and philosophically,
as Tears for Fears came out in
The Hurting, Roland Orzabal
told Las Vegas Weekly. When
we finished that album, it was
almost like, Okay, well, weve
kind of said our bit. What are
we going to do now? But, of
course, we were successful,
and the record company was
pushing us to come up with
another single.
Bowing to record label
pressure to strike while the
irons hot, the band returned
to the studio to work on new
material, the result of which was
standalone single The Way You
Are. Peaking at No.24, it was
a commercial disappointment
following the momentum
theyd achieved from The
Hurting though the band
themselves thought even that
lowly chart position was better
than it deserved, feeling angry
that they had compromised
themselves artistically to fulfil a
commercial obligation.
The Way You Are was the
least favourite song of either
of ours, Curt Smith later
told Consequence of Sound.
Definitely one of the worst
recordings weve done. We
were basically coerced by the
record company to go in and
do something to release quickly
after The Hurting was successful
and thats what we came up
with. The A&R guy behind us at
the time thought it was the best
thing wed ever done. It was
just so fragmented to me and so
not a song; its just something
created in the studio. We
realised for us its the song first
and then you produce it. With
that we definitely produced it,
made it different, made it clever,
and I think it was a failure. For
us personally, I dont think it
was anything we enjoyed. And
I think it was listening to other
CP35.Classic_Album_TFF.print.indd 37
S O N G S F R O M T H E B I G C H A I R C L A S S I C A L B U M
Getty Images/ Peter Noble/Redferns
Tears For Fears
Roland Orzabal
and Curt Smith
achieved multi-
platinum status
in both the UK
and US with Songs
From The Big Chair
people, and what we tend to knew we had to change worried. And then we almost
do, and what we prefer to do, direction, though they were did the same thing with Mothers
is just go away and make our unsure of which direction, Talk, but the record company
own records. feeling unsettled by the failure at that point said: No. Stop.
Writing in the liner notes of the song. It was a stuttering Youre not doing this kind of
to the B-sides and rarities beginning to the whole Big music. We need more oomph,
compilation Saturnine Martial Chair thing, he said. The more of a human side than
& Lunatic, Orzabal describes Way You Are didnt do very what youre doing. We want
the song as, the point we well and that got us a little bit more guitars, we want more
force. And it was like, Oh,
Jesus. We re-recorded Mothers
THE Talk in a much more robust
PLAYERS way, but that set the tone then
for the songs that followed. We
ROLAND CHRIS had sort of broken the back of,
ORZABAL HUGHES in a sense, a new direction,
Tears For Fears principal A former member of Adam which was less precious, less
songwriter, he also sang, and And The Ants, Chris also shoegazing, less moody, less
played guitar and keyboards. produced the Kings Of The black, as in a black mood.
After Curt Smith left the band in 1990, Wild Frontier and Prince Charming albums, In order to create their
Orzabal continued releasing music under the before helming the first two Tears For Fears desired sound described
Tears For Fears name before embarking on LPs. He went on to work with Propaganda, by Smith as, a little more
a solo career. He has also produced albums Howard Jones and Tori Amos as well as bombastic and a little more
for Oleta Adams and Emiliana Torrini and releasing his own material. His most recent proud, the band enlisted new
published his first novel, Sex, Drugs & Opera album, Eirenic Life, was released in July. musicians and worked briefly
in 2014 before reforming Tears For Fears. with Jeremy Green before
IAN reuniting with The Hurtings
CURT STANLEY producer Chris Hughes.
SMITH After offering them free use After the first album was
A founding member of Tears of his recording facility to released, naturally, they went
For Fears, Curt left the group record the Big Chair album, off and did their own thing,
acrimoniously in 1991 and Ian Stanley became a prominent part Hughes told RBMA. They
embarked on a solo career. Since then he has of the band on keyboards. Post-Tears For were young pop stars, so they
released four solo albums as well as writing Fears, he worked with Orzabal on the Mancrab were doing tours, TV, and all
for film and TV and collaborations with other project, releasing a single, Fish For Life, which that kind of stuff. I went off and
artists specifically up-and-coming talent. was made for the soundtrack of the film The did a Wang Chung album.
As well as music, Curt has tried acting and Karate Kid Part II. He went on to work with When I finished that, I got a
hosted an acoustic internet series Stripped a-ha, Natalie Imbruglia, The Pretenders, and call from the group saying that
Down Live With Curt Smith. The Beautiful South. they were looking to start their
second album. They asked me
37
10/11/2017 13:19
 C L A S S I C A L B U M
THE
SONGS
1 SHOUT
Shout was one of the first songs started
for the album and one of the last to
be completed given the complexity of
the finished track and its many layers.
Beginning as a simple drum machine pattern
with a synth line and the mantra-like
Shout, shout, let it all out vocal hook,
Orzabal arrived at the studio on a Monday
morning having come up with the outline of
the number over the weekend.
Sparse in structure, Shout reveals itself
over a sprawling six-and-a-half minutes
in which the songs repetitive lyric is
compounded by a cacophony of crashing
drums, synthesized flute and keyboard licks,
which help the track build as it progresses.
Although it was perceived to be a
continuation of Tears For Fears fascination
with primal scream theory, Orzabal has said
it was actually inspired by the Cold War and
was intended to encourage people to protest
and stand up for their beliefs a universal
message which helped Shout become an
international smash. It was Tears For Fears
sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at No.4. In the
US, it reached No.1 and stayed there for
three weeks.
2THE WORKING
HOUR
Kicking off with a saxophone solo from a
pre-Goldfrapp Will Gregory, The Working
if I wanted to hear some songs
and to become involved again.
It was quite easy, because by
then, I knew them very well.
When youve shared some
success, those dialogues are
always easier.
To create something so
different to The Hurting, the
environment in which it was
written and recorded was also
markedly different.
Making The Hurting had
been a very, very painful
process, Orzabal reveals to
Las Vegas Weekly. We were
young kids and spending a lot
of time away from home. And
it was just the way we were
recording with Chris Hughes
and Ross Cullum; there was
so much analysis on every
aspect of the recording, it just
became a little bit too tedious.
This time around, I bought a
recording console and we put
it in our keyboard player Ian
Stanleys house. And then all of
a sudden we were going home
38
CP35.Classic_Album_TFF.print.indd 38
S O N G S F R O M T H E
Hours pounding piano and harmonic guitar
riff makes up a simmering soundscape
over which Orzabals lyrics, such as:
This is the working hour/ We are paid by
those who learn by our mistakes/ And fear
is such a vicious thing/ It wraps me up in
chains takes on big corporations, namely
the music business, which favours
commerce over creativity thus compromising
artistic integrity.
One factor to which the bitterness of
the lyric has been attributed to is record
company pressure to produce another hit
while riding high on the success of The
Hurting, the result of which was standalone
single The Way You Are, a track Curt Smith
described as, the worst thing weve done
and Orzabal said was the catalyst for the
bands change of musical direction.
3 EVERYBODY WANTS
TO RULE THE WORLD
The final song to be written and recorded
for the album, Everybody Wants To Rule
The World (the title came from The Clashs
Charlie Dont Surf) came to fruition in just
a week a direct contrast to the tracks
they had meticulously constructed and
deconstructed over the course of months.
Based on a shuffling, driving beat,
the feelgood nature of the number was a
departure for the group and the reason
why Orzabal wasnt sure it would fit on the
every night and had familiar
surroundings, surrounded by
our girlfriends, wives, whatever.
It was just so much easier.
It was a kind of hobby
studio, really, producer Chris
Hughes told RBMA. It wasnt
like a professional recording
Making The Hurting had been a very, very painful
process. We were young kids and spending a
lot of time away from home. There was so much
analysis on every aspect, it just became a little bit
too tedious. R O L A N D O R Z A B A L
studio. We just built the record
up over time at his place. It was
essentially Roland, Ian and I
working together as a three-
piece. Then, Curt would come
in and be involved with vocals
and other ideas, but essentially,
the day-to-day operations on
that record was Roland, Ian,
and I with Dave Bascombe who
was the engineer.
B I G C H A I R
album. The shuffle beat was alien to our
normal way of doing things, he said. It
was jolly rather than square and rigid in
the manner of Shout, but it continued the
process of becoming more extrovert.
The upbeat nature belied the bleakness
of its lyric which documented warfare,
financial greed and the ruthless quest for
power and misery it ultimately brings.
Despite the dark meaning, it became the
groups biggest hit, reaching No.2 in the UK
and topping the US chart. A year later it was
adopted as the official single for Sport Aid
and re-recorded as Everybody Wants To Run
The World, becoming a Top 5 hit again.
4 MOTHERS TALK
The first single released from the album,
Mothers Talk had already been a part of
Tears For Fears live repertoire since 1983
and had undergone a series of incarnations
before arriving in its released form.
Along with Shout, Mothers Talk is another
track which took months to complete due to,
as Chris Hughes says the fact that there was
so much going on in it.
Boasting crisp production that falls
somewhere between The Art Of Noise and
Jam & Lewis, the songs experimentation
was ahead of its time, being an early
exponent of sampling (from Barry Manilow,
no less) and, as the song reaches its
conclusion, heavily affected vocals.
As well as having a base
where they were surrounded by
family and friends, the fact that
they werent in an expensive
studio paying by the day lent
the sessions a laid-back feeling
and allowed the song ideas to
develop organically.
Some of this music was
worked out on a sofa, Hughes
recalls. We werent in a big
corporate recording studio,
there would be people hanging
around, our friends would come
by the house was quite large.
During the evenings, girlfriends
and friends would turn up. It
wouldnt be party time, but
there was a good social scene
Inspired by the notion of mothers
warning their children against pulling
faces and Raymond Briggs nuclear fallout
graphic novel When The Wind Blows, this
protests against nuclear war but is ultimately
optimistic, thanks to its dominant: We can
work it out! vocal refrain.
5 I BELIEVE
Often considered one of the weakest songs
on the album, I Believe is a victim of record
sequencing, its shortcomings highlighted
by its placing after the incredibly strong run
of tracks which made up Side One.
A gentle ballad which evokes the groups
love of prog rock, the song was influenced
by singer-songwriter Robert Wyatt, with
Orzabal initially planning to offer it to
the former Soft Machine drummer before
deciding to keep it for Tears For Fears,
dedicating I Believe to Wyatt in the albums
sleevenotes (if hes listening). When it was
decided to release I Believe as the albums
fifth and final single, a cover of Wyatts Sea
Song was recorded as the B-side.
6 BROKEN
Having originated in 1983 as We Are
Broken, the B-side to Pale Shelter, Broken
was rearranged and deals with Arthur
Janovs primal scream theory of how
childhood pain and trauma manifests itself
and informs adult behaviour if it is not dealt
the vibe working on the album
was great.
We would start working in
the studio around 10am, and
would finish around supper time
at about 7 or 8pm. It would
depend, though obviously,
if we were on to something
and didnt want to let it go or
finish a section of [a track], our
session would go on later and
then we all might hang
out and have a beer and
maybe play some board
games or something.
Although Tears For Fears had
evolved musically and adopted
a much more upbeat sound for
the record, they continued using
psychotherapy as a source
for their lyrics. Having been
heavily influenced by Arthur
Janovs primal scream therapy
for The Hurting, they continued
the theme of catharsis on the
second album.
Feeling that each of the eight
songs (as some were over six
minutes long they could only
10/11/2017 13:19
 with accordingly. Between the searching
and the need to work it out/ I stop
believing everything will be alright.

7 HEAD OVER HEELS/

BROKEN (LIVE)
Although it eventually became one of
Tears For Fears best known and biggest
hits, Head Over Heels began as a segue
in Broken (hence its placing on the
albums tracklisting bookended by
Broken and a live reprise of the latter as
a nod to its origin).
Described by Orzabal as a romantic
love song that goes a bit perverse at the
end, it is the only track on which Curt
Smith has a writing credit.
Having reached No.12 upon release,
the song received a new generation of fans
when in 2001 it was featured in the cult
film Donnie Darko the second Tears For
Fears song included alongside Gary Jules
cover of Mad World.

8 LISTEN
Bringing the album to a close is the
majestic Listen. With a lyric that contrasts
political unrest with personal turmoil, Listen
is a sprawling, multi-layered soundscape
which fuses ethereal electronica, world
music choruses and an electric guitar riff
evoking the work of Peter Gabriel and
Talking Heads.

fit eight onto a vinyl album)

that made the albums final
tracklisting had its own unique
personality so different to the
other songs, they decided to
title the album Songs From
The Big Chair after the 1976
film Sybil in which Sally Field
played a woman with multiple
personality disorders whose
only place of comfort is her
therapists big chair.
The title was my idea,
Curt Smith told Melody Maker
upon the albums release in
1985. Its a bit perverse but
then youve got to understand
our sense of humour. The Big
Chair idea is from this brilliant
film called Sybil about a girl
with 16 different personalities.
Getty Images/ Peter Noble/Redferns

Shed been tortured incredibly

by her mother as a child and
the only place she felt safe,
the only time she could really Songs From The Big Chair featured
be herself, was when she was two US No.1s, Shout and Everybody
sitting in her analysts chair. Wants To Rule The World the
She felt safe, comfortable and latter winning the Brit Award for
Best British Single in 1986
wasnt using her different faces

39

CP35.Classic_Album_TFF.print.indd 39 10/11/2017 13:19

 C L A S S I C A L B U M S O N G S F R O M T H E B I G C H A I R

Getty Images/Mike Prior

THE BIG
PICTURE
T H E V I D E O S

MOTHERS TALK
Director: Nigel Dick
After the band were unhappy with the original Mothers Talk video, they called on Nigel Dick
to shoot a low-budget hasty alternative. Shot partly in Curt Smiths back garden and the
remainder in rural countryside, the lack of
money led to nature providing the effects
with Curt and Roland performing at sunrise
and sunset to create perfect lighting. The
performance was interspersed with TV news To mark ...Big
Chairs 30th
footage. A third promo was shot specifically
anniversary in
for the US to compensate 2014 a six-disc
for the video not being Super Deluxe
visually stimulating enough Edition, which
for MTV. youtu.be/ includes four CDs
R9cS7LaEAYY and two DVDs,
was released

SHOUT
Director: Nigel Dick
Once again made on a minimal budget of just 14,000, the video for Shout was shot The Big Chair idea is from this brilliant film called
on location around the Dorset countryside and with Curt and Roland at the Durdle Door
landmark before the promo switched to a
Sybil about a girl with 16 different personalities.
performance clip in which they play the song Shed been tortured by her mother as a child
while surrounded by an audience made up of
members of their families and friends who join
and the only place she felt safe was sitting in her
in the chant-like chorus at the songs climax. analysts chair. C U R T S M I T H
Plans to shoot a US video as they had with
Mothers Talk were shelved
when the original video
was picked up by MTV and
as a defence. Its kind of an over six months and spawned
received heavy airplay. up yours to the English music two further hits in Head Over
youtu.be/Ye7FKc1JQe4 press who really fucked us up Heels and I Believe.
for a while. The success of the album
EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Although Orzabal flippantly translated internationally,
Director: Nigel Dick
remarked that he believed fans with massive sales following
didnt listen to their songs across Europe, Australia, New
Theres no trains but theres planes and automobiles aplenty as Tears For Fears flee Dorset and
message, his refusal to dumb Zealand and the US, where
their back gardens for the slightly more glamorous locations of Cabazon and Salton Sea in
Southern California for the third release from down his lyrics when the band it topped the Billboard album
the album (the first US single from the album, gravitated to a sound with the chart and gave them two US
hence the big budget video). Dirt bikes, dancing unabashed goal of trying to No.1 singles in Shout and
soul boys and a desert performance ensue as sell more records ensured his Everybody Wants To Rule The
well as driving across the US in a classic car songcraft maintained its integrity World, dictating the itinerary
and flights on a small plane before the band however it was packaged. On of a world tour that lasted
convene for a performance. face value, Songs From The Big almost a year.
The video played a huge Chair contained upbeat happy Returning home in 1986,
role in securing them their material, but under analysis, the band picked up the Brit
first US No.1 hit. youtu.
themes of war, loss, power and Award for Best British Single for
be/aGCdLKXNF3w
corruption remained prevalent. Everybody Wants To Rule The
Released on 25 February World, a song which returned
HEAD OVER HEELS 1985, after Mothers Talk and to the charts later that year as
Director: Nigel Dick
Shout had become hits (No.14 Everybody Wants To Run The
Continuing the theme of shooting in exotic locations, the band find themselves in Toronto for and No.4 respectively), Songs World, a re-recording of the
Head Over Heels though the location is largely irrelevant as the video predominantly takes From The Big Chair was met track which was the official
place in the Emmanuel College Library. by a string of begrudgingly single for Sport Aid, something
Based on a concept from Orzabal in which he
positive reviews from critics the band agreed to do after
falls in love with a woman and the pair grow
old together, the video is much lighter in tone whod been sharpening their being forced to cancel their Live
than previous efforts with Roland lovestruck knives for the almost unheard of Aid performance.
for a librarian as a cast of weird and wonderful two-year gap between albums. The pinnacle of Tears For
characters appear. There The huge success of the LPs Fears success, Songs From
is also a memorable nod third single, Everybody Wants The Big Chair went on to
to Ghostbusters when the To Rule The World sent it to achieve eventual sales of
library cards go flying. its peak position of No.2 and more than eight million copies
youtu.be/CsHiG-43Fzg ensured its omnipresence in the definitely something worth
Top 10, where it remained for shouting about.

40

CP35.Classic_Album_TFF.print.indd 40 08/11/2017 15:56

 FAN
SUP
ER

DEVOTED FANS
SHOW US THEIR
COLLECTIONS AND
POP MEMORABILIA

No.2
DURAN DURAN
JOHN ARCHBELL,
SUFFOLK, UK

Q When did you first become

a Superfan of your favourite
artist and why do you like them?

A I was a New Romantic in my teens,

but my loyalties turned to the band
after a gig in Bournemouth during the
1989 Electric Theatre Tour. I became
a Superfan in 1990 after I started to
co-edit the Lake Shore Drive fanzine. I
launched the Notorious Duranzine and
worked on unofficial projects like the
40th Anniversary of Duran Duran. We
are on Twitter @DD40_2018

Q What do you have in

your collection?

A I concentrate on CDs and vinyl

but have a soft spot for Japanese
imports and rarities associated with The
Wedding Album. Im also partial to shop
displays and posters. The walls in my
hallway are decorated with posters...
my Duran Duran Hall of Fame!

Q How much have you spent

on your collection?

A Ive made some big purchases

including Careless Memories, Denis
ORegans luxurious coffee table book
signed by Denis and the band.

Q Whats your favourite item

in your collection?

A I have several favourites. If pushed,

I would have to namecheck Hear
It Here First! which is a HMV in-store
promo CD that was pressed exclusively L L Y...
F I N A
A N D
emorabilia
for stores in Canada.
G ra il item of m
eH oly nds on?
Is there on ve to get your ha o 12 called
Q Have you ever met any
members of Duran Duran? Q I am des p era
lo
that youd ly seeking a Dutch pro sampler
te
an early 12 D
m
J

A I was very fortunate to interview

Simon Le Bon while I was at college A W ith Com p liments. Its
s Planet Eart
h (N ig ht Ver si
and contain net Earth and Careless on the market,
o n) and album
Memories.
in 1993. I was incredibly nervous and Pla ble
versions of of this availa Im finding it
he picked up on that, so he put me at any copies
ease. To take time out from his life for There are m to its plain white cover, also common to
s
me was very humbling. Apart from the however, due find one that is clean. It company name
s
day that I got married and the birth of impossible to scrawled on, or the DJ ry frustrating!
ls ve
my children, that was the greatest day find DJ initia e vinyl labels. Its really me on Twitter
on th re a ch
stamped , you can
of my life. can help out
If anybody l.
el
@johnarchb
41

CP35.superfan.print.indd 41 10/11/2017 14:24

 Nick Rhodes and Andy
Taylor, pictured in April
1982, playing Knees Up
Mother Brown during a
break from recording the
album Rio at Air Studios
in London

Roger Taylor looking cool during

Duran Durans first photo
session for Sounds magazine
in The Rum Runner Club,
Birmingham, on 18 May 1981

42

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 D U R A N D U R A N

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 T H E L O W
DOWN
SHE WAS THE
ORIGINAL 80S POP WHITNEY HOUSTON
W
DIVA, ONE OF THE hitney Houston was born to be
MOST SUCCESSFUL famous. Daughter of gospel
FEMALE ARTISTS singerEmily Cissy Houston and
first cousin of soul sensations Dionne
EVER, BUT WHITNEY and Dee Dee Warwick, she made
HOUSTON DIED her singing debut aged 11 before
ALONE AT THE AGE the congregation at the New Hope
Baptist Church in New Jersey. After
OF 48. CLASSIC POP flirting with a fashion career, Houston
CHARTS A MIGHTY got her big break when she signed to
Arista Records in 1983.
MUSICAL LEGACY.
Two years later, following the release of the
D A V I D B U R K E
album, Whitney Houston, The New York Times
hailed her an exceptional vocal talent. Record
buyers concurred, as Houston clocked up three
No.1 singles and scooped her first Grammy
Award [Best Female Pop Vocal Performance] the
first of many for Saving All My Love for You.
The difficult second album proved anything
but, with four singles from 1987s Whitney all
claiming top spot in the Billboard Hot 100, and I
Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
bagging Houston her second British chart topper.
She made a seamless transition from the 80s
into the 90s, with further hits like Im Your Baby
Tonight, All the Man That I Need and the track
48
CP35.Whitney_Houston_Lowdown.print.indd 48
Getty Images
that will forever be associated with her, Dolly
Partons I Will Always Love You.
I was blown away, said Parton. The way
she took that simple song of mine and made it
such a mighty thing, it almost became her song.
Houston performed I Will Always Love You on
the big screen in The Bodyguard, where as a first-
time actress she held her own alongside Oscar
winner Kevin Costner.
A turbulent marriage to Bobby Brown, and
increasing drug dependency, led to erratic
behaviour that undermined her girl next door
image and adversely affected her career in the
new century.
She eventually split from Brown in 2006, telling
Oprah Winfrey that the estranged couple would
lace marijuana with rock cocaine, as doing
drugs was an everyday thing.
On 9 February, 2012, Houston joined Kelly
Price on stage in Hollywood to sing Jesus Loves
Me. It would be her final performance. Two days
later, she was found unconscious in her suite at
the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in a bathtub.
Paramedics were unable to revive her. The
cause of death was drowning and the effects of
atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.
13/11/2017 09:38

T H E M U S T- H AV E A L B U M S
WHITNEY HOUSTON
1985
Headed for stardom
Arista chief Clive Davis had a hard time
finding producers to work on Whitney
Houstons debut album.
Despite elaborate showcases by the
singer in New York and Los Angeles, several
passed on the opportunity to shape Whitney
Houston, before Jermaine Jackson, Michael
Masser, Narada Michael Walden and Kashif
signed up to the project. Jackson produced
three tracks, Masser four (including Saving
All My Love For You and Greatest Love Of
All), while Walden did How Will I Know and
Kashif You Give Good Love.
The whole thing took two years to record,
and spawned a trio of Billboard chart-toppers
in the aforementioned Saving All My Love
For You, Greatest Love Of All and How Will
I Know. The critics loved it, too, with The
Globe And Mail lauding some of the loveliest
pop singing on vinyl since the glory days of
Dionne Warwick, and Rolling Stone calling
Houston one of the most exciting new voices
in years.
She was, Don Shewey wrote: headed for
stardom, and if nothing else, her album is an
exciting preview of coming attractions. He
wasnt wrong.
AND THE REST...
THE PREACHERS
WIFE
1996
Houstons second soundtrack
album in four years accompanied her starring
role in Penny Marshalls romantic comedy.
The Preachers Wife not only gave her
another US Top 5 hit single (with a version
of The Four Tops classic I Believe In You And
Me), but also went on to become the biggest
selling gospel album ever, logging 26 weeks
at No.1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums
chart, and a remarkable 117 weeks on the
chart altogether.
It finds Houston reconnecting powerfully
with her formative self as a soloist in the
junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist
Church in Newark, New Jersey, proving that
you can take the girl out of gospel but you
cant take gospel out of the girl.
For the first time in her 12-year
recording career, Houston sounds genuinely
moved by her material, wrote People
magazine of the album.
CP35.Whitney_Houston_Lowdown.print.indd 49
WHITNEY
1987
Into the stratosphere
If Whitney Houston spectacularly launched the
career of its subject, the follow-up, Whitney,
sent her into the stratosphere.
Not only did it enter the Billboard chart at
No.1, staying there for 11 weeks, but it also
made history for Houston, with its first four
singles I Wanna Dance With Somebody
(Who Loves Me), Didnt We Almost Have
It All, So Emotional and Where Do Broken
Hearts Go claiming pole position in the US,
the first time any female artist had achieved
that feat. She got to the studio and took
one day to rest. Once shed done that, she
was ready, said Narada Michael Walden
(who co-produced with Michael Masser,
Jellybean Benitez and Kashif) of the sessions.
So Emotional was recorded at Right Track
Studios in New York, where Houstons powerful
vocals caught the ear of Mick Jagger. He was
recording next door and he had to come in
and witness it, recalled Walden. He started
jumping around, as he does, and he just
couldnt believe the sound.
Walden credited the success of Whitney
to Houstons inherent understanding of R&B,
adding, The rhythms and the melodies, thats
what makes the thing live.
MY LOVE IS
YOUR LOVE
1998
The first proper Whitney
Houston album in eight years excluding
the soundtracks The Bodyguard and The
Preachers Wife is an eclectic mix of
R&B, hip-hop, urban dance, reggae and
the inevitable big balladry. Once again,
production duties were shared among a
collective, including The Fugees Lauryn Hill
and Wyclef Jean, and rapper Missy Elliott.
The standout tracks are My Love Is Your
Love itself, Heartbreak Hotel (featuring
Kelly Price and Faith Evans) and When You
Believe, a two-hander with Mariah Carey that
appeared in the animated movie, The Prince
Of Egypt, and won the Best Original Song
Oscar. Rolling Stone described it as easily
her most consistent album ever, adding that
the former ingnue has some grown-up
scars now, singing the marital blues with a
bite in her voice that shes never come close
to before.
W H I T N E Y H O U S T O N
IM YOUR
BABY TONIGHT
1990
A new direction
Houston returned to the studio with her
record label concerned that she was failing to
connect with her black audience.
Houston herself baulked at such concerns,
declaring: I dont sing music thinking this
is black, or this is white. I sing songs that
everybodys going to like.
While her previous two albums had
featured material mostly picked by Arista,
Houston asserted greater control over the
content of Im Your Baby Tonight.
Walden and Masser were retained as
part of the production team, now expanded
to include LA Reid, Luther Vandross, Ricky
Minor and Stevie Wonder. We wanted to
come up with something that was different
than anything Whitney had sung, so we
approached it from that angle. We wanted to
give her a new direction, and pick up where
we felt she was lacking. We felt like she
needed more of a black base, said Reid.
The result is a funkier collection, what
Rolling Stone described as: a case study in
how much Houston can get out of her luscious
and straightforward vocal gifts within a
dancepop framework.
JUST WHITNEY
2002
Having inked a new
$100 million contract
with Arista, Houstons objective on Just
Whitney was to make a very soul-oriented
album, something she believed radio was including divorce from Bobby Brown and
missing. Antonio L.A. Reid was drafted in
as executive producer, overseeing a team
including the returning Babyface and Missy
Elliott, and Houstons husband, Bobby Brown.
We really wanted to re-establish a
core urban base for Whitney, said Reid.
We made records that were black pop for
years. And now that same black pop doesnt
work well.
It doesnt quite work out, largely
because the soul element is diluted by R&B
and dance. But Houston was happy with the
end result.
This album for me is about surviving, Billboard 200. However, her Million Dollar
raising a family, being a wife or girlfriend,
and all the challenges that go with those
things, she asserted.
T H E L O W D O W N
THE BODYGUARD
1992
Career defining performance
In The Bodyguard, Houston made her big
screen bow as Oscar-nominated singing
superstar Rachel Marron, object of a stalker
and recipient of several death threats, who
hires Kevin Costners former Secret Service
agent to protect her.
On the soundtrack album she delivers
an astonishing, career defining performance
on a version of Dolly Partons I Will Always
Love You. Just like on Im Your Baby Tonight,
Houston had carte blanche as executive
producer. She initially wanted to record
Jimmy Ruffins What Becomes Of The Broken
Hearted as the theme song, but plumped
for Partons composition upon learning that
it would be used in the film, Fried Green
Tomatoes. Theres also a stonking rendition
of the Ashford and Simpson-penned Im
Every Woman (a 1978 hit, of course, for
Chaka Khan), the big ballads, I Have Nothing
and Run To You, and a consummate pop
take (with Bebe Winans) on the spiritual,
Jesus Loves Me recognition of Houstons
gospel roots.
She then passes the baton to other
performers, among them Lisa Stansfield,
Curtis Stigers and Joe Cocker.
I LOOK TO YOU
2009
I Look To You was Houstons
final studio album, seven
years after Just Whitney. It came out of
a turbulent period in her personal life,
a custody battle over their daughter.
That makes it real, she told journalists.
The changes that we go through, the
transitions that we go through, the tests that
we go through, being a mother, becoming
a single mother. It all had its ups and downs,
but for the most part, I kept my faith and
I kept my head up. I took my time. All the
triumphs and the ups and downs and stuff,
its all incorporated on the album, and
hopefully not only does it inspire me, but
inspires a whole lot of people.
I Look To You debuted at No.1 on the US
Bill single, written and co-produced by
Alicia Keys, only just about made it onto the
Billboard Hot 100.
49
13/11/2017 09:38
 T H E L O W D O W N
THE ESSENTIAL SINGLES
SAVING ALL MY
LOVE FOR YOU
1985
Pure romance
The story goes that Michael Masser who
co-wrote Saving All My Love For You with
Gerry Goffin heard Houston perform
another of his songs, Greatest Love Of All, at
a club in New York, and offered her this one,
previously covered by Marilyn McCoo and
Billy Davis Jr. This is going to make women
cry its a womans song, Masser told the
singer. Her mother, Cissy Houston, wasnt
keen for her daughter to sing about adultery.
But Houston herself felt she could bring
personal experience to the track.
I was going through a terrible love affair.
He was married, and that will never work out
for anybody, she confessed years later.
Whatever about its muddy morality, Saving
All My Love For You is four minutes of pure
romance. Goffin wasnt wrong when he called
it a great tune that could have been written
in the 30s.
DIDNT WE ALMOST
HAVE IT ALL
1987
Emotional blockbuster
The second single from her second album saw
Michael Masser join forces with Will Jennings
on the writing credits and gave Houston her
fifth consecutive American No.1.
It almost wasnt the case, as Arista had
initially plumped for her version of The Isley
Brothers For The Love Of You, only to change
their minds in favour of original material.
Good job, too, for as LA Times editor Robert
Hilburn judged it a blockbuster with the kind
of big, emotional finish that will make Liza
[Minnelli] and hundreds of other singers wish
they had been given first crack.
Like Greatest Love Of All the previous
year, it received a Grammy nomination for
Song of the Year.
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W H I T N E Y H O U S T O N
HOW WILL I KNOW
1985
Range, power and beauty
George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam (Boy
Meets Girl), actually wrote How Will I Know
for Janet Jackson, who passed on it while
recording her Control album. The track then
found its way to Houston and, after some
revision by Narada Michael Walden, followed
Saving All My Love For You to the No.1 spot
in the US. I said: The songs only half done.
Will it be OK if I mess with it? So I rewrote
it, recalled Walden. And it was all because
when I met her, she was just mind-blowing.
All that range and power and beauty and
sex appeal coming at you with a kind of
confidence youve never known before.
Cissy Houston contributed backing vocals.
According to Gerry Griffith of Arista: Clive
Davis heard it and gave it a 10, which is
outrageous for him, because he doesnt
like anything!
Rolling Stone described the song as
perky synth-funk.
I WILL ALWAYS
LOVE YOU
1992
Record-breaker
It was Kevin Costner, Houstons leading man
in The Bodyguard, who suggested she record
Dolly Partons 1974 country hit for the
soundtrack, much to the bemusement of
Clive Davis.
But Costner, who also produced the film,
was adamant... This is a very important
song in this movie, he recalled. I didnt
care if it was ever on the radio. I said:
Were also going to do this a cappella at the
beginning. I need it to be a cappella because
it shows a measure of how much she digs this
guy that she sings without music.
He called it right, as Houston went to No.1
everywhere, making I Will Always Love You
the best-selling single ever by a woman.
GREATEST LOVE OF ALL
1986
Vocal tour-de-force
Love it or hate it and it is that divisive
you cant deny the profundity of the lyric and
the spiritual uplift of the melody that coalesce
on this vocal tour-de-force.
It was written by Michael Masser and
Linda Creed as the main theme of the 1977
Muhammad Ali biopic, The Greatest, and
performed on the soundtrack by George
Benson. However, when Houston got hold
of it, she made the song her own. It was
originally released as the B-side of You Give
Good Love in 1985, but transformed into
an A-side the following year because of
unprecedented radio airplay. The New York
Times hailed Houstons performance for its:
forceful directness that gives its message of
self-worth an astounding resonance.
Houston won the American Music Award
for Favourite Soul/R&B Video Single, and
was nominated for Record of the Year at
The Grammys.
ONLY FOR THE BRAVE
COULD I HAVE
THIS KISS
FOREVER
2000
WITH ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
Houston underwhelms in trying her hand
at a Latin crossover. The pair recorded the
song in separate studios, a remoteness
audible in the absence of any charisma.
NEED TO KNOW
S H H H
Given her musical lineage, it
seems inevitable Whitney Houston
would become a singer. Her mother
is gospel great Cissy Houston (who
sang with Elvis as part of The Sweet
Inspirations), herself a first cousin
to Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee
Warwick. Houstons godmother was
Darlene Love, a US chart topper in
1962 with Hes A Rebel, and her
honorary aunt was Aretha Franklin
Before she made it as a singer,
Houston turned down the role of
Sondra Huxtable in hit American TV
I WANNA DANCE
WITH SOMEBODY
(WHO LOVES ME)
1987
Feelgood anthem
When Houston scored a US No.1 single with
How Will I Know, she returned to the same
writers Merrill and Rubicam in search of
another hit. They obliged with this feelgood
anthem. I pictured somebody single wishing
that they could find that special person for
themselves, Rubicam explained.
Narada Michael Walden was drafted
in as producer, though he did take some
persuading. It reminded me of a rodeo
song with Olivia Newton-John singing, he
said. But for Whitney it didnt seem right.
I felt the song needed a much more funkier
feel. I slept, dreaming about it, woke up in
the morning thinking about it, wondering
what to do. So, we just jumped in the water
and a magic record was born. Houston just
knocked it out and then I knew we had a
good record.
WHATCHU
LOOKINAT
2002
An ill-advised riposte to
media snipers who were tryin to dirty
up Whitneys name, this Bobby Brown
and Muhammad 2G-produced misfire
(co-authored by Houston) should be filed
under Instantly Forgettable.
sitcom The Cosby Show. Director Jay
Sandrich offered her a contract after
she auditioned, but Houston refused to
sign, declaring: I want to be a singer.
I cant be in every show. I have to be
in every tour.
While she was honing her
vocal skills (which included backing
vocal gigs with Chaka Khan and
Lou Rawls), Houston was one of
Americas top teen cover girls,
appearing on the cover of Seventeen
magazine, and in the pages of
Glamour and Cosmopolitan.
13/11/2017 09:38
 T H E M U S T- WAT C H V I D E O S
SAVING ALL MY
LOVE FOR YOU
Director STUART ORME
Filmed in London, where Houston was on
a promo tour, the video for her first smash
sparked considerable controversy at the
time because of its adulterous theme.
Her character is, ahem, a recording artist
emotionally involved with her married
producer. I could never see myself in that
position, said Houston. I wouldnt just
take whatever someone wants to give me,
especially if I am giving a lot to him but not
getting that much back. I could never find
myself in that situation, but someone else
might. The video tells a story, but its by no
means my story.
Thats not quite consistent with what she
revealed in another interview (see Saving
All My Love For You entry in The Essential
Singles)... Anyway, by the end of the video
the man returns to his wife and family,
leaving Houston out in the cold.
youtube.com/watch?v=ewxmv2tyeRs
HOW WILL I KNOW
Director BRIAN GRANT
Directed by Brian Grant, who was also behind
the lens for Olivia Newton-Johns Physical
and Donna Summers She Works Hard For
The Money, How Will I Know finds Houston
playfully demonstrating some elementary
moves while surrounded by more energetic
dancers, in a routine choreographed by
Arlene Phillips, a former judge on Strictly
Come Dancing.
She looks stunning in a tight-fitting dress
of grey metal mesh and honey-coloured hair
offset by a big grey bow. She was apparently
apprehensive at first about the dance theme,
but soon relaxed, as the final cut reveals.
The video exposed Houston to a wider
audience and was nominated for a brace
of honours at the 1986 MTV Video Music
Awards, winning Best Female Video.
Watch out for the cameo by her Arista
label-mate and fully-fledged soul legend,
Aretha Franklin.
youtube.com/watch?v=m3-hY-hlhBg
I WANNA DANCE
WITH SOMEBODY
(WHO LOVES ME)
Director BRIAN GRANT
Grant and Phillips are once again the
creative forces behind I Wanna Dance With
Somebody..., a video that has had more than
92 million viewings on YouTube thus far.
As with How Will I Know, dance is a key
element here. Although she was never the
most confident hoofer, Houston looks at ease
among a troupe of dancers, thanks in large
part to Phillips keeping it minimal.
It would be stretching credibility to
suggest theres a cohesive narrative. Houston
finishes a performance onstage, walks
backstage and the screen explodes into
a series of vivid images of her draped in
various outfits against different backdrops.
Towards the end she manhandles a poor guy
whose face registers both shock and awe as
Houston sings the coda: Dont you wanna
dance? Say you wanna dance.
youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA
I WILL ALWAYS
LOVE YOU
Director NICK BRANDT
Nick Brandt wasnt particularly enamoured
with how Clive Davis re-edited his video for
I Will Always Love You, so had his name
removed from the credits and replaced with
Alan Smithee, a pseudonym often used
by directors disgruntled with the finished
product. And while admittedly its standard
movie promo stuff, who wouldnt want to see
Houston lip synch this powerhouse of a song?
The video begins with the performance
she gives at the end of The Bodyguard,
before cutting to Houston pregnant at the
time with her daughter, Bobbi Kristina in a
smart dark suit, sitting in an empty theatre,
a scene spliced with footage from the film.
Davis the meddler knew what he was doing.
Despite Brandts reservations, the public
went for it, as I Will Always Love You won
the Favourite New Music Video prize at the
Peoples Choice Awards.
youtube.com/watch?v=3JWTaaS7LdU

This is a very important song in this movie. I said:

Were also going to do this a cappella at the LISTEN UP! 8 I Know Him So Well

Graceful duet with mother Cissy.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary
beginning. I need it to be a cappella because it of The Bodyguard, a new 9 One Moment in Time

album of previously unreleased Inspirational anthem.

shows a measure of how much she digs this guy recordings, is out now. 10 So Emotional
that she sings without music. KEVIN COSTNER I Wish You Love: More From Whitney rocks out.
The Bodyguardincludes alternate
11 Im Your Baby Tonight
versions and live performances

WHATS NEXT?
Five years after her death, Whitney
recorded duringthe Bodyguard
World Tour. We review it on page
92. If you havent got your hands
on a copy yet, heres our essential
playlist to keep you going
However, they have given their 1 I Will Always Love You
Funkier, harder-edged Houston.
12 All The Man That I Need
Uplifting ballad.
13 The Star-Spangled Banner
The benchmark version.
14 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)

Houstons irrefutable artistry and seal of approval to Kevin Macdonald, Spirit, power and technique. Elegant and mature.
terrible sadness continue to fascinate. the man behind the excellent Marley, 2 Saving All My 15 Im Every Woman
Documentary maker Nick to oversee the official account Love For You Nice take on Chakas original.
Broomfield said he of her life. Ive not had Whitney captures our hearts. 16 When You Believe
wanted to change BROOMFIELD any sense of pressure 3I Wanna Dance (with Mariah Carey)
the conversation to conform to a
around the singer SPENDS MUCH OF certain vision of
With Somebody The Oscar-winning hit.
Dont you wanna dance?
in Whitney: Can I THE FEATURE CHRONICLING who this person 17 Heartbreak Hotel (with

Faith Evans and Kelly Price)

Be Me. She was, is in particular,
4 How Will I Know
he claimed: So
HER RELATIONSHIP WITH Macdonald Irresistibly exuberant. Emotionally soaring.
harshly judged for NARCOTICS AND TACKLING stressed. We talk 5 Didnt We 18 Its Not Right But Its Okay

Art imitating life.

her drug addiction. RUMOURS ABOUT HER about the negative Almost Have It All
Yet Broomfield spends and all the toxicity, Retrospectively poignant. 19 My Love Is Your Love
much of the feature SEXUALITY but what about the 6 Greatest Love Of All Sexy nod to Bob Marley.
chronicling her relationship genius? And what about the Big song, big performance. 20 Million Dollar Bill
with narcotics and tackling rumours social context and the simple question 7You Give Good Love The last song released
about her sexuality. Houstons estate of why somebody so brilliant as she Mellifluously soulful. in her lifetime.
was not impressed. was, ended up as she ended up?

51

CP35.Whitney_Houston_Lowdown.print.indd 51 13/11/2017 09:38

 The Happy Mondays
Bez and Shaun Ryder
ringleaders of the
Madchester baggy
generation

52

CP35.HappyMondays.print.indd 52 13/11/2017 10:29

 BLE
DOU DOUBLE

GOOD TALE S O
C

F

S
H I N
T H R

BELLYA TIME HAP NE OF TH

BUT IT AUDED AS BANDS OF
L
WERE MPORTANT POP MEET
I
P
I L

O
L
PILLS, OLE THE HE YS
G ST Y MONDA
S AND DLINES,
A

S
C
MOST RA. CLASSI RY DER,
E N
THEIR MAN SHAU Y AND
T A
FRON IST MARK D A...
R T
GUITA IST ROWET
L
VOCA H A R N E L
L

E
E V
S T

E
very decade gets the double
bill of bands it deserves. The
60s gave us The Beatles and
Stones; the 70s spat out the
Sex Pistols and The Clash while
the 90s served up Oasis and
Blur. For the baggy generation
of the late-80s, The Stone
Roses and Happy Mondays
positioned themselves at the forefront of
a new dance rock movement that united
the head, heart and feet. Both bands were
led by unconventional frontmen the
Roses had the mesmeric Ian Brown while
the Mondays trump card was the laconic
Shaun Ryder a surrealistic double-
speaking lyricist and main focal point
alongside boggle-eyed talismanic
dancer Bez.
Like Noel Gallagher, Ryder was happy to
wear his influences on his sleeve, routinely
dropping in snatches of other artists songs
and creating smash and grab mash-ups.
When we started, kids were listening to
Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture
Club, but we were throwing music into
our tunes from our childhood, Shaun tells
Classic Pop. You could say we ripped off
or stole from those artists, but we saw it as
a homage. I wouldnt dream of doing some
of the things now musically that I did then,
just the naivety of taking a David Essex tune
and sticking it in the middle of one of ours
for a laugh.
[Guitarist] Mark Day was the only
musician among us who could really play
his instrument. He was into Rainbow and
Deep Purple, but was up for anything that
would make his playing sound different.

53

CP35.HappyMondays.print.indd 53 13/11/2017 10:29

 H A P P Y M O N D A Y S
THE KEY
ALBUMS
SQUIRREL AND
G-MAN TWENTY
FOUR HOUR PARTY
PEOPLE PLASTIC FACE
CARNT SMILE
(WHITE OUT) (1987)
Producer: John Cale
Mutant angular funk from a band still
learning the ropes. Packed with Ryders
inscrutable lyrics, brother Pauls fat
basslines and Mark Days scratchy,
unconventional guitar playing.
BUMMED (1988)
Producer: Martin Hannett
The band find their feet on a darkly
humorous sophomore LP. The
songwriting is more coherent and
Ryders surreal non-sequiturs start
making sense. Key songs emerge
including Performance, Mad Cyril,
Lazyitis and most pertinently, Wrote
For Luck, which shows them how their
future could sound.
PILLS N THRILLS
AND BELLYACHES
(1990)
Producers: Steve Osborne
and Paul Oakenfold
The Mondays at their most focused,
polished and commercial. A nigh-on
perfect blend of eminently danceable
indie that elevated them to major
players. Theyve built their legacy
on its stand-outs Step On, Kinky Afro
and Loose Fit. A melon-twistin classic.
YES PLEASE! (1992)
Producers: Chris Frantz
and Tina Weymouth
Much maligned at the time typical
waggish headlines read No Thanks!,
there are diamonds among the rough
here, though. Dont write it off.
54
CP35.HappyMondays.print.indd 54
Day now back with the band after the Signed to Factory Records, the skewed
original line-up reunited in 2012 agrees: I post-punk of the Forty Five EP (often
was into heavy rock. Shaun and his brother incorrectly called the Delightful EP) was
Paul invited me around to have a jam at
theirs. I did have a Queen t-shirt on, which
their first flowering, followed by debut
album (deep breath) Squirrel And G-Man
was not the thing to have in them days. Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face
They were into people like Joy Division. Carnt Smile (White Out) produced by
Anything that had guitars from the 70s, Velvet Underground legend John Cale.
that was me all over. Then I got into Frank Tony Wilson came up with the idea of
Zappa I was always changing, listening using John Cale as they were friends. John
and learning. Then the 80s came along did that album for 6,000. It was a favour
and I got used to keyboards taking to Tony, really, explains Ryder.
over from the guitar. Long guitar solos Each Mondays album saw a
went out of the window. I had distinct change in direction. The
to adapt. rough-around-the-edges funky
Formed in 1980, it post-punk of their debut
was five years before mutated into an acclaimed
the Happy Mondays follow-up Bummed
released any material. a year later, which saw
But even then, Ryder Joy Division producer
believes it was too Martin Hannett at
much, too soon. the controls.
We got to making Dropping in
records way too references to Mick
early, he says. I was Jaggers cult movie
still learning how to Performance and swiping
write songs and the melodies from Lennon
lads were learning and McCartney on
how to play.
re
Moo
lspeth
E
PEOPLE
STARTED
CALLING ME
A NATIONAL
TREASURE.
ITS BETTER
THAN BEING
LABELLED
A JUNKIE
NOBHEAD
S H A U N R Y D E R
13/11/2017 10:28
 Getty Images
In 1990, Happy
Mondays joined forces
with DJ Paul Oakenfold
and producer Steve
Lazyitis, by now the band were Osborne for the
fully hitting their stride. Ryder classic Pills n Thrills
could see they were at And Bellyaches

a crossroads and needed to

make commercial headway:
Wed made two great indie
albums that were getting written
about in the music press, but we
needed to make a record that
would cross over, one to make
some money and get us on to Top
Of The Pops. There was nothing
bigger than being on Top Of The
Pops. It was big for The Beatles, it
was big for the Stones. It was the
real big fucking thing.
Day adds: It was funny that just
a couple of years earlier journalists
rejected us cos we looked like
hooligan scallies.

HALLELUJAH MOMENT
The Madchester Rave On
and Hallelujah EPs were the
breakthrough releases, with the
latter title track being performed
on the same edition of Top Of The
Pops in November 1989 that saw
The Stone Roses swagger through
Fools Gold.
Erasures Vince Clarke got
involved as a remixer but it was DJ
Paul Oakenfold who would prove
to be the next major player in the
bands upward trajectory.
Vince had five fucking tunes in
the charts at the same time, but they all
had his stamp on it, adds Ryder. A few
really cool on it DJs started playing the
Oakenfold remixes of us instead. We heard
about Paul mixing The Woodentops in with
Balearic Spanish gay dance music. If wed
have been on a major label they would
never had allowed someone like him to
produce us.
As leaders of the E-ed up generation, the
Mondays melting pot of dancified indie
rock made them chart stars something
they fully capitalised on with the Oakenfold
and Steve Osborne-produced classic
album Pills n Thrills And Bellyaches in
1990. Another key component in their
breakthrough? The inimitable co-vocalist
Rowetta Satchell.
Id been a fan of the Mondays for years
since I saw them on [Granada TV show
The Other Side Of Midnight] doing a live
version of Performance, she explains.
Tony Wilson had called them the greatest
band in the world and said the same thing
about the Sex Pistols years before. I always
wanted to be in a punk band Ive been
a punk since I was a teenager but my
voice doesnt really lend itself to that
type of music.
I was determined to sing with them.
I had to persuade them, though. Getting
all the different remixers involved really
changed their sound. The rock guys were
all taking drugs the summer of love was
a particularly happy time in Manchester.
Everybody was raving and dancing no
fighting at all.
All of a sudden it was more soulful and
dancey. I saw myself like when Gloria
Jones joined Marc Bolan and T.Rex. When
you hear Get It On with her vocal on it, too,
it lifts the whole thing.
Despite the pills and thrills alluded to
in the albums title,
recording sessions were
productive, smooth and
relatively chaos-free. That
was to come later...
We were doing
interviews for magazines
like Smash Hits and youd
never have seen bands
like the Mondays in there
previously, Rowetta
adds. I realised this cult
band that Id joined was
becoming more commercial.
Satchell had managed to seamlessly
infiltrate what appeared on the outside like
the most laddish of bands.
Ive always gone around with the boys
so that bit was easy, she laughs. But they
could be a bit crude a lot of Manchester
lads are. I went to a posh school, Bury
Grammar. I just didnt understand a lot of
what they were talking about. They were
all from Salford. Shaun would joke: go on,
give us a nosh. I thought he wanted me to
cook! I just told them not to treat me like a
girl and put the kettle on every two minutes.
They were actually more respectful than
some of their girlfriends.
The Osborne and Oakenfold partnership
worked perfectly on Pill n Thrills as
Rowetta adds: Steve who doesnt get
a lot of attention really was running the
studio every day and Oakey would be
DJing all the time. It was
all done in the day when
Paul wasnt there. It was
more about his ear for it
all. Steve was the proper
music man that did
everything with us.
The album featured the
singles Step On, Loose
Fit and Kinky Afro, all
seminal hits. By now a
major chart act whod
broken through (at least
on a minor level) in the States, too, the
cracks (pun intended) began to show when
a follow-up was needed. Then it gets dark.
TOTALLY TROPICAL TASTE
As Ryders heroin habit began to become
an increasing problem, Factorys boss Tony
Wilson decided to send the Mondays to
record their new album on the smack-free
island of Barbados. Two things made that a

55

CP35.HappyMondays.print.indd 55 13/11/2017 10:28

 Its been a
bumpy ride,
BACK TO LIFE but Happy
Mondays are
BACK TO REALITY now celebrating
30 years since
The on-off nature of Happy Mondays has seen various members embrace reality their debut
album with a
TV to keep the wolf from the door. With former managers taking 100 per cent of greatest hits
his earnings in a legal dispute, Shaun Ryder handed over an offer to take part tour of the UK
in the 2005 series of Celebrity Big Brother to Bez and the maraca-wielding
vibemeister duly walked away with the title.
Rowetta finished fourth in The X Factor in 2004 and also appeared in a
celebrity rehab series where she laid bare her battle with alcoholism.
The only new material of the reconvened Mondays line-up came from a
Watch documentary Singing In The Rainforest, which saw the band travelling to
Panama to record a track (Ooo La La To Panama) with an isolated tribe called
the Embera.
And who could forget Shaun Ryders appearance in the 10th series of Im A
Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! where he was famously bitten by a snake? He
certainly wont.

major tactical error. Firstly, Ryder smashed
his supply of methadone in the airport en
route to the Caribbean; secondly, the island
may not have provided a ready supply of
heroin, but crack cocaine was rife. Ryder,
though, is quick to deny the now legendary
stories that the druggy excesses during the
recording of 1992s Yes Please! ultimately
led to Factorys demise.
Fleetwood Mac did more fucking drugs
than we did, he argues. Pink Floyd, Led
Zeppelin they had more fookin money.
Those stories about us in Barbados...
yes, we smoked a bit of crack. Crack
in Barbados costs 2.50 an ounce. In
England, it was 20 for a little stone. So,
there wasnt this large amount of money
spent on anything its bullshit. We didnt
ruin Factory. We went platinum.
The thing that Factory didnt have was
a massive PR department behind it like all
major labels do as that costs money. So, we
made our own fucking press with the drugs
stories and rave thing.
When I hear that Tony
Wilson wasnt a good
businessman, its bullshit.
He would have put all
the other fucking muppets
to bed. If he was still
alive today, hed be
sitting next to Simon
Cowell on The X Factor.
We didnt feel that
much pressure at first,
Rowetta adds about the
atmosphere surrounding the Yes Please!
sessions. It was only when it all went
wrong in Barbados that we started to feel it.
We realised there was nothing that Shaun
did out there vocals-wise that could be
used. When he came back, he went into
rehab. I got a call asking if I could be free
for six weeks it was going to be just me
and Shaun in the studio with the producers
Tina [Weymouth] and Chris [Frantz].
Shaun lost his confidence a bit but we
were in a lovely manor house studio in
Surrey. The worst we did was go into the
kitchens to see if there was any sherry in
there. But the tour that followed was really
not good and the band didnt know the
songs that well.
Previously, on a good night something
like Wrote For Luck could go on for 15
or 20 minutes and wed get the crowd
on stage with us. All that seemed to have
gone. Shaun started using an autocue.
The Mondays split for the first time in
1993. For Mark Day, those final moments
in the original line-up still sound traumatic:
I dont know whether it was not being
used to fame or not being told how to
deal with it, but psychologically I had real
problems with the band. I was always upset
and miserable, thinking it was madness,
that it couldnt carry on. When we went to
Barbados, it was a drain. The first day we
got there I was in tears, just thinking this
is mental. I woke up the first morning we
were there and there was a crack dealer
waiting outside...
It was when we lost a potential record
deal with EMI and the
only one on the table
actually when Shaun
went for his infamous
KFC. You could just tell
everything was crumbling
all around us. That old
saying about when the
going gets tough, the
tough get going, with
us it was the opposite.
People just stopped
talking to each other.
I never thought about leaving the band.
But everyone had their own personal
problems and demons to fight against. I just
couldnt walk into another band because
I had such a distinctive style.
Me and Bez fought to death to keep
our friends and little gang together, says
Ryder. Jealousy crept in it was a case of
the door stays open for me and Bez then its
let go of when the rest of the band walk in.
You know what, thats how it was. Were all
older and wiser now. But the rest wanted to
split up that band and cut their own noses
off to spite their face.
RETURN TO THE SOURCE
Ryder kept hold of the band name and
various incarnations resurfaced with a
rotating membership. Fans were thrilled,
though, when a full reunion of the original
members was announced in 2012.
Keyboardist Paul Davis made the
opening tour but was the first casualty
of the comeback, leaving after a year:
Paul Davis cant play keyboards, Ryder
says bluntly. He never could. I like Paul,
hes a boyhood friend, but when we got
really successful, Tony [Wilson] would take
things on board that Paul would say. But
Paul was an absolute fookin fruitcake.
The only bullshit that Tony ever told me
was to split everything equally with the
writing royalties so that there wouldnt be
any arguments. And I did. I didnt take
what was mine.
But do you know what, did it stop the
arguments? Did it fuck. Its not frustrating
now, cos everyone gets a tickle in terms of
the songwriting.
Its great that were all getting on and
playing better than ever now, though. Its
quite difficult to talk about how it was in
the past without still rubbing people up the
wrong way.
Rowetta, who now also appears with
the Hacienda Classical touring band and
has a forthcoming collaboration with Fun
Lovin Criminals on the way, agrees that
the reunited Mondays finds them older but
wiser: Its a pleasure to be with each other
and play. We remember the shows now!
Back in the day because of the
adrenaline youd go straight to a party and
be up all night drinking. You can only do it
so much.

56

CP35.HappyMondays.print.indd 56 13/11/2017 10:29

 Paul Husband
H A P P Y M O N D A Y S

ITS A PLEASURE
TO BE WITH
EACH OTHER. WE
REMEMBER THE
SHOWS NOW! BACK
IN THE DAY YOUD
BE UP ALL NIGHT...
YOU CAN ONLY DO
IT SO MUCH.
R O W E T T A

For Mark Day, his situation was rather

different. I set my own company up selling
crap for 10 years and ditched the music
business. Then I applied to teach music with
the local council once they found out who
I was I had to audition.
I hadnt played in 17 years and had to
perform in front of three classically-trained
people. I just about managed to scrape
Xxxxx

my way through Blackbird by The Beatles. I was determined

I ended up teaching in high schools and to sing with the
Mondays, but I
playing in orchestras. I still do that now. had to persuade
When I got the phone call [about the them... Rowetta
reunion] I was pretty skint and my company joined the band in
1990 singing on
went under. In the end, my daughter made Pills n Thrills...
the decision for me after shed bumped and Yes Please!
into Shaun. Angie Wynne
I love it now. I havent looked back and
enjoy it more than ever.
Hints of a new album have surrounded
the band since the 2012 reunion but to
date nothing has surfaced and could be
delayed by the success of the latest Black
Grape album, Pop Voodoo.
Mark Day says hed do it tomorrow,
but Ryder hints that after the forthcoming
winter tour, there will be a lengthy hiatus.
A new Mondays album is still a possibility
but other than a few festivals, the band
have got to go to bed for a couple of years.
Well be promoting the Black Grape album
around the world for the next two years.
Work has been started, though, as
Rowetta reveals: Ive still got all the ideas
on my laptop. Theyre great. I think Alan
McGee who manages us wants an album
in 2019. So as long as were still together,
then it could still be possible.
Busier than ever, Shaun is juggling
two bands and revelling in a new-found
status as being an elder statesman of
indie. After I came out of the jungle,
people started calling me a national
treasure. Its better than being labelled
a junkie nobhead, though, so Ill take
that any day.

Happy Mondays 30th

anniversary Greatest Hits tour
traverses the UK until 23 December.

57

CP35.HappyMondays.print.indd 57 13/11/2017 10:34

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 my
Ala
EN
TH
S
RE LE
P
W EO

G
P
TH E
BI
RY TH NY

E
A

O Y
ST EN M

E
F
S
A
W
H
!

O
TI CE US IC
W
LA RA M US

.
N S T C

..
SE HE
I
P AR L M

ES
RI
PO CH AL
T
C
I

O
T
N HA

T
IC O
Y . C TIO W

PI
D NG UC TS

M
O
A

A SS

H
C
O RO TH

S
LA

LL

I
IN OW

L
G
F
N

he Now Thats
T

E
U

What I Call Music!

D
L
Y

brand is quite simply

A

U
D
A

a phenomenon. Initially
P

launched by EMI and

Virgin in November
1983, its currently
at volume 98 with
spin-offs and other
series bringing the total
number of releases past
the 250 mark.
Right from the beginning, Now looked different
to other compilations with its liner notes, artist
photographs and generally luxurious feel.
For many people, these releases are totally tied
to nostalgia. They represent the building blocks of
a record collection with their contents exposing young
listeners to a wide variety of music hanging together
in a logical sequence. The person responsible for
The first volume of
this was Ashley Abram, who in 1983 was creating
Now Thats What I Call compilations for Ronco, and joined the Now team just
Music was released on before the second volume. He remembers those early
28 November 1983 and 1984 days: The first Now album had the whole year
included Phil Collins,
Duran Duran, The Cure to choose from but there was only a limited period
and The Human League of time to compile Now 2 and a more limited pool

60

CP35.NowCompilations.print.indd 60 10/11/2017 10:37


of tracks. Now 1 had cleared big names like Rod
Stewart and Genesis and coupled them successfully
with current pop acts and we felt it was important to
do this for the follow-up. We managed to get David
Bowie and Eurythmics whod refused permission for
the first one and ended up striking a deal with Queen
on the agreement that they would appear in the TV ad
and be the first track on the album. On the basis that
it would encourage other superstar acts, Virgin and
EMI went to great lengths to clear The Rolling Stones
and Paul McCartney for Now 2 as well.
SOUNDS OF SUMMER
After a hugely successful summer with Now 3, a new
rival entered the market which meant that CBS and
WEA started to refuse tracks for the next instalment
of Now, instead keeping them back for their own
compilation, The Hits Album. However, Now 4 sold
a million copies and, in addition, to the regular vinyl
and cassette also came out as a 15-track CD, which
now sells for over 500. Abram looks back: When
the CD format first appeared, there was no blueprint
for compilation clearances and, as I remember, it
took a long time to get agreement over what royalties
should be paid to the artists etc. We wanted to put out
a CD to test the market but couldnt get approvals on
a number of the tracks on Now 4, so we ended up
with a truncated version and also using tracks from
previous albums. From memory, it sold around 2,000
copies max!
Now 1 had cleared big names like Rod Stewart and Genesis and coupled them successfully with current
pop acts and we felt it was important to do this for the follow-up. We managed to get David Bowie and
Eurythmics whod refused permission for the first one and ended up striking a deal with Queen on the
agreement that they would appear in the TV ad and be the first track on the album A S H L E Y A B R A M
By 1985, the series had settled into a
regular release pattern and started
to diversify into spin-offs with Now
Dance The 12 Mixes and
Now The Christmas Album
both appearing. The first two
Now Dance volumes were
well-received but didnt sell
in massive quantities so it
was put on the back-burner
until 1989. Abram explains:
The original Now Christmas
album was an interesting one.
Lots of record company people
didnt want to release it at the
time because they thought it
would only sell for a week
before 25 December and
then wed be left with
all the stock. Also, at
the time they said
I couldnt put Bing
Crosby and Slade on the
same album and that Jona Lewie
wasnt a Christmas song! However,
we managed to convince the relevant
CP35.NowCompilations.print.indd 61
N O W T H A T S W H A T I C A L L M U S I C !
HOW K-TEL AND RONCO SHOWED
THE WAY FORWARD
By 1980, sales of soundalike compilations such as Top Of The Pops were fading
fast as the public now wanted to hear the original artists. The prime movers were
US companies K-Tel and Ronco, both better known for selling household devices via
television advertising. Their compilations featured a mix of chart hits and
some lesser-known artists, with as many tracks as possible crammed onto each
side. Invariably this meant that some songs were truncated or faded early
often crudely. Space was a common theme; particularly memorable was Roncos
Space Invasion (1980) 20 galactic hits featuring Yellow Magic Orchestra,
Atmosfear and Justin Hayward.
Buy one and get one free was a common marketing ploy: K-Tels annual Chart
Hits was the most successful of these, a top seller for Christmas 1981-1983. Ronco
releases followed suit with the fantastic Disco Daze and Disco Nites package. By
1982, the demand was growing
for unedited tracks and the
seminal Raiders Of The Pop Charts
(see Top 15 panel) was the first to
feature these. 1983 saw a dozen
chart compilations released six
of them coming with BOGOFs.
While none were as slick as the
first Now, they still tell a very
detailed story of the years pop
hits and rightfully deserve their
place in musical history.
people, got the rights to bring it back for the next few
years and a successful version still exists 32 years
later. Sales-wise we were more than vindicated
as Now 6 and Now Christmas dominated the
charts that December.
MONITORING THE CHARTS
The track flow on the Now
albums was key to telling a
story and building the
mood. There are many
examples: the love trilogy
towards the end of Now
13, OMC being followed
by OMD on Now 34 and
the memorable side-long
house and indie sequences on
Now 11 and 17 respectively.
Deciding on inclusions was an
ongoing process for Abram: I was
constantly monitoring the charts
and new releases and obviously
Top Of The Pops as it had a big
effect on chart positions. As the
series developed and became
successful, record companies
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 N O W T H A T S W H A T I C A L L M U S I C !

began suggesting tracks for inclusion, so I had a

COMPETITION FROM THE HITS FACTORY
After the unequivocal success of the first three Now albums, it was inevitable that
competition would emerge. The Hits series began in November 1984 as a joint
venture between CBS and WEA with its first effort stealing a march on Now 4 by
being released a week beforehand. This was a winning strategy as The Hits Album
topped the charts for seven weeks and kept its rival off the coveted Christmas No.1
slot. It came loaded with a number of US acts; indeed the television advert just
focused on Prince, The Cars and Chicago with the four sides loosely divided into
pop, soul, romantic and rock themes. Up until 1988, Hits proved to be a powerful
adversary licensing the likes of Madonna and Bruce Springsteen and was
essential listening for those who wanted a rounder picture of the Top 40. Hits 2, 4
and 6 were particularly strong in their track selections.
With the ninth volume, the compilers decided to omit the numbering, which
resulted in the arguably weaker Now 13 establishing the upper hand. From then on,
momentum was lost. Successive re-brands (Monster Hits, The Hit Pack) and a 1993
re-boot with Telstar on board led to the series having an inconsistent feel. From
December 1995, BMG and Warner
Brothers re-established a regular
release pattern with up to five
volumes per year which certainly
gave the Now! team a serious
challenge particularly as the
Hits spring and autumn releases
would come out before their Now
equivalents. The series bowed out
with Summer Hits 2006, leaving
Now! as the only hits compilation
brand still going in the UK.
good idea of what was around but the albums had to
be mastered around a month before release in those
days, so there was always an element of trying to
predict the hits!
HIT, MISS OR MAYBE
One fundamental flaw of retrospective compilations
is that they tend to cherrypick songs whereas the
Now albums tended to give a snapshot of pop trends
over a four-month period. Sometimes mistakes would
occur or a rare version would be included. Now 4
starts with Arthur Bakers Special Dance Mix of Paul
McCartneys No More Lonely Nights as it was the
only version that his management would approve for
licensing. Meanwhile, Pet Shop Boys were involved
in two such instances: the original Mark Stent Mix
of Go West kicked off CD2 of Now Millennium
Series 1993, while on 1986s Now 7 we got treated
to the Alternative 7 of Opportunities (Lets Make
Lots of Money). Abram recalls: They were done
deliberately at least most of them were! In the 80s
and 90s, the Now albums had long lead times but
there was always pressure to get the mastering done
very quickly. Component parts came into the studio in
large numbers so it was always chaos in Abbey Road
with packages of master tapes arriving the whole
time so not everything always went exactly to plan.
I think on Opportunities..., PSB didnt mind which
mix we used but when they found out wed used the
alternative version they asked EMI for a couple of
boxes of samples of Now 7 as they thought it might

I was constantly monitoring the charts and new releases and obviously Top Of The Pops as it had a big
effect on chart positions. As the series developed, record companies began suggesting tracks for inclusion,
so I had a good idea of what was around but the albums had to be mastered around a month before
release in those days, so there was always an element of trying to predict the hits... A S H L E Y A B R A M

become sought after at some point because of

Now Smash Hits was the alternative mix!
released in 1987 and
Now Thats What I Call More time capsules of long-forgotten tracks include
Music! 1993 was a part novelties like The Commentators N-N-Nineteen Not
of The Millennium Out on Now 5, a parody of Paul Hardcastles 19,
Series
which describes the poor performances of Englands
cricket team. Another is Karel Fialkas synth-and-drum
combination Hey Matthew which graced Now 10
and deals with a father questioning his sons television
choices. For many years, the only way you could
obtain a CD version of Tears For Fears Everybody
Wants To Run The World (recorded to promote
Sport Aid) was on the spin-off CD-only Now 86
released that year. Flying the flag for obscure
sophisti-pop were The Ward Brothers Don
Was-produced Cross That Bridge on Now 9
and Waterfronts superb Cry on Now 15. And
back to Paul Hardcastle: his Top Of The Pops
theme, The Wizard, appeared on Now 8.

NOW! UNTIL THE END OF TIME

After five years of uninterrupted success,
compilation albums ended up being placed
in their own chart from January 1989. Abram

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 Now Thats What I Call
Music 5 was the last
Now! release to feature
the trademark pig logo
while Now 35 was the
last in the series to be
released on vinyl

THE BEST OF THE REST

There was still room for other compilations many of whom were short lived. K-Tels swansong Hungry For Hits
came out between Now 2 and Now 3 and is stuffed with also-rans, follow-ups to successful hits and long-forgotten
pop memories like Sandie Shaws Smiths cover Hand In Glove. Chrysalis and MCAs Out Now! appeared in 1985
and lasted two volumes: the first is most enjoyable as it lurches from Billy Bragg to Killing Joke. There were also
magazine tie-ins, both compiled by Ashley Abram: Just Seventeens Heartbeats (1989) is an impeccable selection
of frothy pop and breathless romantic numbers while Smash Hits numerous compilations were perfect summations
of the years pop action and also came with great sleevenotes. Telstars rather predictable annual Greatest Hits Of
series commenced in 1985 but one of their unsung jewels was a one-off: The Dance Chart (1987), which includes
rare single edits from The Concept, Timex Social Club and Whistle.

attributes this to, pressure from US companies on 2.3 million copies many of them
their UK counterparts i.e. Warner/Sony as they purchased to soundtrack New
couldnt understand why their superstars were being Years Eve Millennium parties.
kept off the top by Now! From then on, the series Some 34 years later, the brand
went from strength to strength as the CD format finally shows no sign of stopping with
took a foothold in the public consciousness. After Now 100 expected during
truncated CD releases of volumes 8 and 9, Now July 2018. Ashley Abram
10 was the first to include the same songs across is no longer involved his
all three formats. Meanwhile, Now 16 offered three last compilation was Now
bonus tracks to purchasers of the silver discs which 81 in 2012 with Jenny
went some way towards compensating against the Fisher taking over. After I
complete absence of any No.1 singles. stopped doing Now, I had
The series dropped back to two annual releases a run of big compilation
for 1990 and 1991 (there were three Now Dances albums with Sony such as
in 1990) before settling into a thrice-yearly pattern Sugar Sugar, Be My Baby and Im
from 1992 onwards. While it continued to come out Every Woman but I havent done any new
on vinyl, sales of that format from Now 21 onwards comps for a couple of years and have no plans
were very low and continued to decrease. Now to do anything more as things stand so I guess
35 emerging in November 1996 was the last Ive retired!
double LP and regularly fetches up to 100 due to
its scarcity. Its certainly the only compilation where Paul English reviews pop and dance
youll find Boyzone and Bjrk sharing vinyl space. compilations every week on A Pop Fans Dream
As the end of the decade approached, Now 44 www.apopfansdream.wordpress.com turn over
became the best-selling volume, shifting a massive for Pauls Top 15 Pop Compilations rundown.

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 POP
COMPILATIONS
1980 1999
15
NOW DANCE 92
1992
Released when the format was at
its lowest ebb, the double vinyl
version of Now Dance 92 gives you serious
bang for your buck. Of the 20 tracks on
N O W T H AT S W H AT
offer, 14 appear in extended form while
W E R E TA L K I N G
theres also 10 extra tunes that arent on
ABOUT! CLASSIC POP the CD and includes East 17s House Of Love
COMPILES A BEST (Pedigree Mix), The Shamens Ebeneezer
Goode (Beat Edit) and Erasures Voulez Vous
OF COUNTDOWN (Abba-esque Version). Madonna originally
OF THE BEST OF auditioned for the co-vocal on Shake Your
Head in 1983 but Kim Basingers voice was
C O M P I L AT I O N S . . . E V E R
recorded for the 1992 remix. The version
P A U L E N G L I S H here restores Madonnas pre-fame take.
14
NOW THATS WHAT
I CALL MUSIC! 17
1990
The first Now album of the new
decade is a near-perfect snapshot
from the spring 1990 charts. Side 2 of
the vinyl is loaded with era-defining indie
favourites by Primal Scream, Happy
Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, Jesus Jones
and House Of Love. Elsewhere theres a host
of dance classics ranging from fiery house
bangers like Everything Starts With An E
to gems from Orbital, Adamski, Beats
International and Candy Flip. Most
memorable of all is Electribe 101s
sublime Talking With Myself.
13
THE GREATEST HITS
OF 1987
1987
Telstars Greatest Hits series
usually had few surprises. However,
the 1987 entry bucks the trend with the
compilers widening the net outside
the Top 10. Here the emphasis is firmly
on the dancefloor with the inclusion
of rare-on-CD 7 edits like Boogie Box
Highs Jive Talkin, Freddie McGregors
Just Dont Want To Be Lonely, Housemaster
Boyz House Nation and Vesta Williams Once
Bitten, Twice Shy. Throw in SAWs Roadblock
and the Fatback Bands infectious groove
I Found Lovin and youve got a real winner.

Modern Dance totally nails the New Romantic sound of 1981. It starts with Joan Of Arc, moves on to
Quiet Life and then Love Action. Later theres a wonderfully downbeat sequence taking in John Foxxs Europe
After The Rain, The Cures Charlotte Sometimes and Gary Numans Shes Got Claws. The grand finale
comes from the band who defined the year, The Human League, and Open Your Heart.

O8
NOW THATS WHAT
I CALL MUSIC! 26
1993
To keep things fresh, the compilers
of Now 26 decided to go for almost
25 per cent of new or just about to be
released tunes a decision that paid off. The
first half is chock-full of heavy hitters (UB40,
M People) before settling into an indie/rock
sequence which includes The Levellers,
James, REM and Crowded House. CD2 is even
better, switching from full-on dance anthems
(Leftfield & Lydon, Culture Beat) to a chilled
downbeat selection (Bjrk & David Arnold,
Lena Fiagbe, Soul II Soul).
O7
NOW THATS WHAT
I CALL MUSIC! 29
1994
A perfect snapshot of the period
when pop music started to branch
out. The seeds of Britpop are here with Oasis
first appearance and Blurs Parklife. Theres
a rare appearance by The Rolling Stones and
some fantastic euro dance highpoints from
Whigfield and Corona. We also get gorgeous
pop by 2wo Third3, Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories,
Sophie B Hawkins and some genuinely
leftfield tunes from Sparks and Erasure.
Finally, a forgotten charity single from Music
Relief Whats Going On.
O6
MODERN DANCE
1981
Unlike any other compilation then
or since, Modern Dance totally nails
the New Romantic sound of 1981. It starts
with Joan Of Arc, moves on to Quiet Life
and then Love Action. Later theres a
wonderfully downbeat sequence taking
in John Foxxs Europe After The Rain,
The Cures Charlotte Sometimes and Gary
Numans Shes Got Claws. The obscure
alternative is A World Without Love by The
News. The grand finale comes from the
band who defined the year, The Human
League, and Open Your Heart.
O5
THE HITS ALBUM 2
1985
Hits 2 starts with a bang: You Spin
Me Round the first of four No.1s
before taking in smashing pop like
Stephen TinTin Duffys Kiss Me, Kirsty
MacColls A New England and Strawberry
Switchblades Since Yesterday. Big Sound
Authoritys mod stomper This House (Is
Where Your Love Stands) is also preserved
here. Let it all blow with a top drawer soul
and funk selection including Prince,
Ashford & Simpson, The Commodores and
Amii Stewart. As well as Art of Noises Close
(To The Edit)... Fantastic stuff.

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12
NOW THATS WHAT
I CALL MUSIC! 7
1986
Now 7 was the last volume to come
out on vinyl and cassette only.
Released in August 1986, it has the pick of
almost nine months worth of chart action.
The selection includes established acts like
Peter Gabriel (Sledgehammer) and David
Bowie (Absolute Beginners) mixed with
brilliant one-offs from Furniture (Brilliant
Mind) and Stan Ridgway (Camouflage).
Other highlights included an unlisted
Queen track, A Kind Of Magic (the only
clue is a sticker on the sleeve) and a rare
version of Pet Shop Boys Opportunities...
Now 3 was massive during the summer of 1984. Its packed with classics including the daring We Dont
Want To Die 7 mix of Two Tribes and Bronski Beats corking debut Smalltown Boy. Most inspiring are
the leftfield choices like Propagandas Dr Mabuse and the closing 1-2 punch of Madness One Better Day
and David Sylvians Red Guitar
O4
RAIDERS OF THE
POP CHARTS
1982
Ronco meant business with this the
sleeve stated that these were the
unedited single versions. Abrams sequencing
is fabulous Madness Our House followed
by Modern Romances Best Years Of Our Lives
and theres a marvellously diverse
selection. Highlights include Incantations
Cacharpaya, Clannads Theme From Harrys
Game, Japans Nightporter, Whodinis Magic
Wand, Pale Fountains Thank You and Lene
Lovichs Its You, Only You, cleverly placed
after Yazoos Only You.
CP35.NowCompilations.print.indd 65
11
THE HITS ALBUM 10
1989
Hits 10 was the last one to follow the
chronological number sequence
before the series imploded into repeated
rebranding. Were served up a tasty menu of
pop and dance from the spring of 1989.
Theres peak SAW Pat & Mick (I Havent
Stopped Dancing Yet), Rick Astley (Hold Me
in Your Arms) and Donna Summer (This Time
I Know Its For Real), some great house led
by Ten City (Thats The Way Love Is) Coldcut
featuring Lisa Stansfield (People Hold On)
alongside forgotten gems like Aussie
pop-rockers 1927s Thats When I Think Of
You and Fuzzboxs glorious Pink Sunshine.
O3
NOW THATS WHAT
I CALL MUSIC 11
1988
Now 11 kicks off with two massive
No.1s Always On My Mind and
Heaven Is A Place On Earth before moving
from genre to genre: Morrisseys Suedehead
to TPaus Valentine via Johnny Hates Jazz.
But the last quarter is what makes it
extraordinary the utterly amazing house
side. Beginning with Beat Dis and running
through House Arrest, The Jack That House
Built, Rok Da House and ending with the
hip-hop remix of Climie Fishers Rise To
The Occasion.
N O W T H A T S W H A T
1O
NOW DANCE
THE 12 MIXES
1985
With the springs big tunes
carved up by Hits 2 and Out Now!,
EMI and Virgin decided to release a
spin-off compilation of 12 mixes.
Theres a definite underground feel to
a lot of these choices many were
successes on the Record Mirror and Music
Week disco charts rather than on the
standard Gallup listing. The real diamond
in the mine is the RAH Bands monstrously
sad Clouds Across The Moon its even
more harrowing in extended form... Space
age soul.
O2
NOW THATS WHAT
I CALL MUSIC 2
1984
A record stays at No.1 for five weeks
and they dont play it on Top Of The
Pops. For many people, the inclusion of Relax
on the second Now album was key. Unlike
the first volume, this was a proper look at the
previous four months hits. Established 80s
treasures from Thompson Twins, Nik Kershaw,
Howard Jones and Nena rub shoulders with
forgotten diamonds like Julia & Companys
Breakin Down (Sugar Samba). Also notable
for The Smiths sole appearance What
Difference Does It Make?
I C A L L M U S I C !
O9
SMASH HITS 92
1992
This is my favourite entry in the
Smash Hits franchise. Compiled by
Ashley Abram, the 1992 instalment is a
perfect snapshot of the years pop action and
also comes with razor-sharp sleevenotes.
Starting with a boy band double whammy
Take That (It Only Takes A Minute) and
East 17 (House Of Love) theres gold from
Utah Saints (Something Good), Undercover
(Baker Street) and The Shamen (Ebeneezer
Goode) before a cracking indie sequence on
Disc 2. In amongst the collection you can find
Erasure doing Abba (S.O.S.) and Bjrn Again
then covering Erasure (Stop!).
O1
NOW THATS WHAT
I CALL MUSIC 3
1984
The greatest pop compilation of them
all. Now 3 was massive during the
summer of 1984, selling over a million and
topping the charts for eight weeks. Its
packed with classics including the daring We
Dont Want To Die 7 mix of Two Tribes,
Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mels White Lines
(Dont Dont Do It) and Bronski Beats debut
Smalltown Boy. Most inspiring are the
leftfield choices like Propagandas Dr Mabuse
and the closing 1-2 punch of Madness One
Better Day and David Sylvians Red Guitar.
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 G R E E N I N K

BRUCE GILL DEVISED GREEN INK DESIGN STUDIO IN

THE EARLY 80S AND WORKED WITH SOME OF THE
GREATEST NAMES IN POP. WE CAUGHT UP WITH
HIM FOR A FLICK THROUGH HIS STELLAR PORTFOLIO.
A N D R E W D I N E L E Y

Classic Pop: Where did at the time knew Bill Smith who design work, and my company
your design career begin was then art director at Polydor blossomed from there.
and how did you get Records and this is where I worked
involved in the notoriously on my first record sleeve design What was your creative
competitive world of record This Is The Modern World by The set-up like when you were
sleeve design? Jam, in 1977. All of the design working on these early
Bruce Gill: I graduated from team were made redundant in sleeve designs?
Cambridge Art School in 1975 1981, so I started my own studio Part of what makes them worth
after studying vocational graphics. leaving with about half a dozen appreciating is the limited
My first job was with a company clients, one of which was Polydor equipment of the era.
called Hedgehog Design. We Records. The art director was All artwork at the time was
were predominantly designing Alwyn Clayden, who had been in mechanical paste-up, I certainly
coffee table books; cookery books, the year below me at Cambridge; did not start equipping the studio
war books and I mainly provided sadly he passed away a few years with Apple Macs until 1990. To
illustrations and artwork. My boss ago. He gave me some initial give some comparison now,
I can remember being so hard up for cash at that time that
I couldnt afford the typesetting for the back sleeve of
The Anvil that was actually artworked and laid out by me,
no matter what the sleeve says! B R U C E G I L L

This Is The Modern

World, the second
studio album by
The Jam, was Bruce
Gills first record
sleeve design

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According to Gill, Visage are a good
example of a pop group transforming
from a band to a brand as highlighted
with the vivid artwork for The Damned
Dont Cry and Love Glove
each workstation, computer,
screen, software, fonts etc cost
about 12,000, a huge amount.
The repro houses couldnt even
accept digital artwork so we
had to reduce all colour artwork
back to black and white, print
it out and paste it up in the
old-fashioned way!
Certain artists seemed
to appreciate, from
their inception, just how
important record sleeve
design could be. It was a
key moment in pop history,
with pop groups and artists
transforming from a band
to a brand with their own
distinct visual identities...
Visage was a good example of
this. Steve Strange and Rusty Egan
were heavily involved with the
final images that were used and I
remember we had style meetings
with Steve.
A lot of the photographs were
shot by Helmut Newton who was
a master of the craft, so there was
no reason for me to be involved
with that. I can remember being so
hard up for cash at that time that
I couldnt afford the typesetting
for the back sleeve of The Anvil
that was actually artworked and
laid out by me, no matter what
the sleeve says! I used Letraset
transfer lettering for the whole lot,
including the logo. Im sure I also
worked on The Damned Dont
Cry, Love Glove, Pleasure Boys
and later, the Fade To Grey singles
collection, which was based on the
original singles sleeve.
In 1984, Bronski Beat
arrived out, loud and
proud. Your sleeve designs
for them fused elements of
gay iconography with that
CP35.PopArt.print.indd 67
G R E E N I N K P O P A R T
angular design style of the
80s. How much direction did
you get from the band?
With Bronski Beat I had far
more creative freedom. I worked
together with Jimmy Somerville
and Colin Bell. For the sleeve
of Smalltown Boy we ended up
working with a mix of people
friends of the band, myself and the
record company. The pink triangle The pink triangle was a prominent feature of Gills designs for
was obviously the main theme with Bronski Beats Smalltown Boy, Why? and The Age Of Consent
album. The record sleeves listed European laws regarding
that singles logo. minimum age for lawful homosexual relationships between
For The Age Of Consent album men and a telephone number for gay legal advice, leading to
I adapted this by adding the circle a run-in with one typesetting company
and square in bright primary
colours as an icon to continue the
gay theme.
For those that may not be
aware, the pink triangle
thats such a prominent
feature of these designs
was originally devised by
the Nazis in World War
II to identify gay men in
concentration camps. It was
later re-appropriated and
worn as a symbol of pride.
It was a defiant gesture at
a difficult time in politics for
the gay community...
Yes, and there were some issues
with typesetting the inside sleeve
of the album. As well as
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08/11/2017 16:43
 Clockwise, from
left, The cover
of Bronski
Beats Hundreds
& Thousands
featuring a
specially baked
cake; Bronski
Beats spooky
With Everybody Wants To Rule The World, we based
the promotional imagery around different language versions
of Monopoly and also used board games imagery in the
press advertising. B R U C E G I L L

update of
Dorothy and her
friends from
The Wizard Of
Oz on the cover
of the It Aint
Necessarily So
single; The cover
of The West
India Companys and they certainly were different. It
Indian-infused may have been that Pete was too
dance version of busy to take the rest of the work
Ave Maria; and
The Bluebells
on or they just wanted a different
Young At Heart approach. I know we also revisited
12 cover this single later on when it was
used in VW car advertisement.

In 1984, Vince Clarke and

the lyrics, we also listed European
laws regarding minimum age for
lawful homosexual relationships
between men with a telephone
number for gay legal advice.
One of the companies we
commissioned for typesetting
objected to the content and refused
to do it. We eventually moved
companies, but at this time the
NGA Union had huge power.
The illustration on the cover of
the single Why? was provided by
a friend of the band and I worked
the design around that.
For Hundreds & Thousands we
had a cake baked specially using
the triangle logo and for the cover
of It Aint Necessarily So we used
an airbrushed piece by a friend
of mine, Alan Brooks. He created
a spooky update of Dorothy and
her friends from The Wizard Of
Oz skipping along the yellow brick
road. Thankfully, I dont remember
any copyright problems, like most
items, all designs were passed
through the record companys
legal department.
The Bluebells hit single,
Young At Heart, curiously
had two completely different
sleeve designs for its 7
and 12 formats and you
designed the latter. Can you
remember why two different
designs were used?
Young At Heart had many different
covers, including a childs drawing
by my six-year-old son. I know
it went to proof stage although I
dont think it ever saw the light of
day. Pete Barrett did the 7 sleeve
Blancmange collaborated
with Bollywood singer
Asha Bhosle using the
band pseudonym of The
West India Company. You
designed the sleeve of their
Indian-infused dance version
of Ave Maria...
Part of the brief was to not really
show who was behind the release,
to keep the collaboration a
distinctly different entity from its
core members. The brief was also
fairly obvious in its use of Indian
imagery, I can remember hand-
lettering the logo and the image
was a stock photo, it was certainly
a quick turnaround job.
A year later, you took over
design duties for Tears For
Fears. How was it working
with the chart-topping duo?
Their logo had already been
designed and we used this for
continuity. Its a long time ago

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 G R E E N I N K P O P A R T

In 1985, Green Ink took over design

duties for Tears For Fears when they
were literally ruling the pop world
and was involved in the appearance of
singles Head Over Heels and Everybody
Wants To Rule The World

now and we worked on a lot In 1987, Green

of material for the band, but I Ink worked with
genuinely cant remember if we The Mission
on their designs
worked on the album [Songs From for Children
The Big Chair]. and Masque
I certainly designed the sleeves
for the singles Everybody Wants
To Rule The World, I Believe and
Head Over Heels.
Andy Murray was the product
manager at Phonogram and we
had a good working relationship.
He was heavily involved with the
Tears For Fears brand and we
produced some really different
advertising and point of sale work
using specially commissioned
photography. For example, with
Everybody Wants To Rule The
World, we based the promotional
imagery around different language
versions of Monopoly and also
used board games imagery in the
press advertising.

In 1987, Green Ink started

working with The Mission
on their sleeve designs. How
was that relationship?
Lead singer Wayne Hussey was
always a gentleman and a
delight to work with. He was
heavily involved with the style of
the sleeves.
If you follow the design
progression you will see we were
responsible for many sleeves, but
other designers came in and then
we were brought back.
Children was a particularly
challenging sleeve technically,
a metallic bronze ink plate was
produced that had to register with
the embossed plate, it took many
proof attempts to get right.
Masque was, believe it or not,
all shot in-camera by Andy Earl
with no retouching at all. We
sourced the masks, which were
Gill worked a held up by invisible wire, the graphics for The Desperate Hours
lot with Marc background lighting effects were and Waifs And Strays. For the
Almond at the created by moving various lights singles from The Stars We Are
end of the 80s
on a number of
and pinholes. album, a simpler design style was
sleeves whose required and we created a series
styles varied As the 80s came to an of etched picture discs that came in
considerably end, you worked quite beautiful die-cut sleeves.
and included
Pierre et extensively with Marc
Gilles imagery, Almond on a range of Dusty Springfield was back
including the sleeve designs incorporating in the charts again, courtesy
singles, The
Desperate
imagery provided by Pierre of the Pet Shop Boys, in
Hours, A Lover et Gilles (see Classic Pop 1990 and you worked on
Spurned and Issue 28). her Reputation album cover.
Waifs And Strays
How can you go wrong with What are your thoughts
taken from the
1990 album a Pierre et Gilles image? Marc looking back?
Enchanted and his product manager, Tris This is a personal favourite of mine
Penna commissioned those sleeve but, of course, it was particularly
images for Enchanted and A Lover sad, too, as she was very ill by
Spurned and I was given free rein this time. I did meet her once and I
with the design. think she liked the sleeve.
Marc was delighted with the Despite it being a very pop
end results. I also worked on the album, the brief was to create a

69

CP35.PopArt.print.indd 69 08/11/2017 16:43

 P O P A R T G R E E N
Above, the understated and sombre cover art design for Dusty Springfields
1990 album Reputation and, below, sleeve artwork for Morrisseys mid-90s singles
Interlude and Boxers
design that was understated and
sombre. Having said that, I believe
it was Dusty herself who requested
we use some pink in the design.
When EMF burst into the
charts Green Ink packaged
their power pop records...
Their first hit, Unbelievable, while
certainly a simple sleeve was
designed to meet the brief of a
vibrant new band and no one
had the slightest idea of how they
would be received!
For the album cover of their
album, Schubert Dip, the band
originally wanted to use an actual
Joan Mir image, this obviously
was not forthcoming so my brief
was to create an image in the style
of, but not a copy. The drawing is
another favourite of mine.
In 1994-1995, you worked
on a quartet of sleeve
70
CP35.PopArt.print.indd 70
I N K
designs for Morrissey,
including the artwork for a
single that was a duet with
Siouxsie Sioux.
I met him a couple of times and
although very shy, he was very
prescriptive in what he wanted.
My memory is that all images
were briefed and chosen by him,
though we may have had to source
some. For example with the single
Boxers, a photo library archive
was used.
I also remember Siouxsie coming
into the studio when we were
working on the sleeve of Interlude
and she wanted to check the
design she was probably the
most stylish person I had ever met.
In the mid-90s you also
worked with Radiohead on
several sleeve designs.
The whole band was involved, but
especially Thom Yorke. He would
Green Ink was
responsible
for the cover
illustration of
EMFs debut
album Schubert
Dip (right), and
Gill can see
similarities
between it and
a piece designed
for Radioheads
1995 single High
& Dry (below)
often visit the studio to approve,
I gradually moved the studio away from the music business and towards
the DVD/film industry as Ive always maintained that the digital age
was both a blessing and a curse... I count myself lucky to have lived
through a golden age of record sleeve design B R U C E G I L L
make comments or reject! We
would start producing images and
he would come down to the studio,
look at them on screen and even
manipulate them there and then.
Fake Plastic Trees is a particular
favourite of mine. Its a striking
image and the digital manipulation
works. The sleeve we created for
High and Dry actually reminds me
of EMFs Schubert Dip.
What of Green Ink today?
I gradually moved the studio
away from the music business and
towards the DVD/film industry as
Ive always maintained that the
digital age was both a blessing
and a curse.
Design gradually became
cheapened in my opinion, with
cost becoming the biggest criteria
in many cases. Repro houses
would offer to produce the design
for free if they could get the print
work and you cant compete with
that, but I count myself lucky to
have lived through a golden age
of record sleeve design.
My son, Bruce is now creative
director at Green Ink and still
working with clients in the music
industry and beyond.
Check out more of
Bruces design work at:
www.green-ink.co.uk.
09/11/2017 12:25
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CP35.USSubs.print.indd 71 08/11/2017 16:45

 I Dont Mirror Man
Wanna THE HUMAN LEAGUE
(VIRGIN)

CP35.Top10.print.indd 72
Dance Synthpop goes Motown. Fresh from the
EDDY GRANT
success of their Dare world tour, Mirror Man
(ICE)
was conceived as Human Leagues stomping
A protest song by
tribute to the soul classics of the Motor Citys
stealth, this was written
most celebrated label. After much speculation,
and produced by
Phillip Oakey revealed the title and lyrics
Grant, becoming his first No.1 since the
were inspired by Adam Ant and the Leagues
superb Baby Come Back when he was part
perception that he was believing his own
of The Equals way back in 1968. What
hype and losing touch with reality. The video
sounds on the face of it a straightforward
includes footage of the speedboat crash
break-up song does, in fact, also have an
and death of John Cobb while attempting
open-ended alternative meaning. The refusal
to break the world
aspect of the lyrics could also be taken to
water speed record
refer to being unwilling to go along with an
on Loch Ness in
idea, philosophy or political belief. Grant has
September 1952. A
since gone on to say that its his farewell to
powerful and rather
Britain being divided by class and race as
bleak image of over-
a multicultural and egalitarian new country
reaching your limits
emerged in the 80s.
before crashing
and burning.

Young Guns (Go For It)

WHAM! (INNERVISION)
A classic case of being in the right place at the
right time, it could all have been very different
for Wham! and George Michael if they hadnt
been drafted in as last-minute replacements for
a cancelled band on Top Of The Pops. Their
first release Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)
failed to chart in 1982 it was, of course, a
Top 10 hit when re-released the following year.
But when a producer of TOTP saw George,
Andrew and Co on Saturday Superstore,
he spotted their potential. Even though they
werent in the Top 40 at the time with Young
Guns, the producer marked them out as
ones to watch. And thus one of the 80s most
important pop bands were launched onto the
world stage. An instant classic from George
about a male friend seemingly throwing his
youth away by getting
married too young
Death by matrimony!
features ex-Mrs
Paul Weller, Dee C. Lee
Heartbreaker
DIONNE WARWICK (ARISTA)
It may have been her biggest hit in the UK, but
Dionne Warwick was never a fan of her most
famous song of the 80s I cried all the way
to the bank, she once quipped. Guided by
the fact that anything written by the Bee Gees
WEEK ENDING 21 NOV 1982 was likely to be a chart-friendly smash, she
put her musical principles to one side and got
on board. Those unmistakable Gibb Brothers
COVER STARS TEARS FOR FEARS INTRODUCE US harmonies kick in on the chorus for this slice
TO THEIR MAD WORLD WHILE AN UNSUSPECTING of easy listening soul pop. Co-writer Maurice
Gibb said: I cried my eyes out after we wrote
PUBLIC WELCOMES WHAM! WITH OPEN ARMS it. I drove home and thought, We should be
S T E V E H A R N E L L
doing this one, and when she did it, it was
brilliant. We sang on it, and it became
like a duet between
the Bee Gees and
(1) I Dont Wanna Dance Dionne Warwick.
EDDY GRANT (ICE)
The Bee Gees went
1 7TH WEEK ON CHART
on to record it for
themselves, placing
a

on backing vocals (9) Mirror Man it on a greatest hits

rather than Helen THE HUMAN LEAGUE (VIRGIN) and their Love
Pepsi DeMacque. 2 2ND WEEK ON CHART Songs compilation.

10/11/2017 10:54
 (Sexual) (2) Heartbreaker Mad World
Healing DIONNE WARWICK (ARISTA) TEARS FOR
MARVIN GAYE
3 6TH WEEK ON CHART FEARS

CP35.Top10.print.indd 73
(CBS) (MERCURY)
Variously described (10) Young Guns (Go For It) Like Wham!, this
as Americas hottest WHAM! (INNERVISION) is the song that
pop-culture turn-on since 4 7TH WEEK ON CHART announced the
Olivia Newton-John arrival of another
suggested she wanted to get Physical, (4) (Sexual) Healing massively important 80s band. Written above
and a polemic for the power of rampant MARVIN GAYE (CBS) a pizza restaurant in Classic Pops home city
humping, Gayes first hit since leaving 5 5TH WEEK ON CHART of Bath, Mad World was originally an attempt
his Motown label remains one of the most by Roland Orzabal to create a new wave
renowned of his overt loverman phase. (3) Mad World song that was a nod to Duran Durans Girls
Newly divorced and plagued by tax TEARS FOR FEARS (MERCURY) On Film. I could look out onto the centre of
problems, drug addiction and suffering 6 9TH WEEK ON CHART the city. Not that Bath is very mad I should
depression, Marvin had relocated to Ostend, have called it Bourgeois World, added
Belgium, in 1981. Mixing soul, post-disco (12) Living On The Ceiling Orzabal. Like Plastic Ono Band-era John
and funk, the songs title was inspired by BLANCMANGE (LONDON) Lennon, the lyrics including the memorable
Rolling Stone reviewer David Ritz. The promo
7 5TH WEEK IN CHART lines the dreams in which Im dying are
video mixes an on-stage Marvin performing the best Ive ever had were influenced
the track alongside a remarkably un-PC (5) Theme From Harrys Game by controversial US psychologist Arthur
scene where the singer gets it on at his CLANNAD (RCA) Janovs Primal Scream therapy technique. A
8 4TH WEEK ON CHART cover version by Gary Jules, taken from the
doctors surgery.
soundtrack for the Donnie Darko movie, shot
(24) Save Your Love to No.1 in 2001.
RENE AND RENATO (HOLLYWOOD)
9 5TH WEEK ON CHART

Living On The Ceiling (6) Maneater

BLANCMANGE (LONDON)
Peak position here then at No.7 for DARYL HALL AND JOHN OATES (RCA)
Blancmanges third single taken from their
10 5TH WEEK IN CHART Theme From
debut album Happy Families. Critical Harrys Game
reception of the album and the emergence CLANNAD (RCA)
of Blancmange was mixed Melody Maker The theme song for a three-part TV drama
lambasted them as an 80s parody of Sparks Save Your Maneater series depicting The Troubles in Northern
and Joy Division and aping Depeche Mode Love DARYL HALL AND Ireland remains the only UK hit single
too closely. Meanwhile, the NME labelled the RENE AND JOHN OATES to be sung entirely in Gaelic. The chorus,
band calmly assured. When Blancmange RENATO (RCA) Fol lol the doh fol the day, Fol the doh fol the
performed the song on Top Of The Pops, the (HOLLYWOOD) This finger-snapping day, is ancient Irish mouth-music. Launching
line up the bloody tree had to be replaced One of the most pop soul anthem Clannad onto the world stage, it has since
with up the cuckoo tree. The offending word unlikely No.1s originally started gone on to be featured in several Hollywood
did manage to sneak in when Living On The of the decade, life written in a movies, most notably the 1992 spy thriller
Ceiling was used Save Your Love was co-written by Johnny reggae style. While many assume its a Patriot Games starring
as the play-out track Edward creator and voice of TV robot Metal straightforward ode to a tough woman, Harrison Ford.
for another TOTP. Mickey and his wife Sue. This ballad saw Oates has explained that it actually refers to Band member Moy
Despite the shock to Italian-born and West Midlands-living the grittiness of New York City at the start of Brennan recorded
the masses, society did Renato Pagliari teaming up with Brit singer the decade: Its about greed, avarice, and a new version of
not collapse overnight. Hilary Lester (aka Rene) after impressing the spoiled riches. Personalising it by turning the track, which
It remains a staple of nation on the popular TV talent show New the city into the character of a woman, was incorporated into
Blancmanges live set Faces. And check out Renato in the video, though, made it more relatable across the the song Saltwater by
35 years later. only Nick Heyward can compete with him in world. Co-writer Sara Allen was a regular Chicane in 1999.
the 80s knitwear stakes. collaborator with the duo.

09/11/2017 15:29
 ITH
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74

CP35.ChinaCrisis.print.indd 74 08/11/2017 15:50

 !
trucks
b e fixing ow that
d n
ght I c to k ly
o I thou en ecstati absolute
u , n e b e t Im v en
yo av tha y, e
e b e lieved I would h omething ic anywa ut of it
hav fs us o
ughs. out o laying m g a living
C hina E ddie la a career e p k in g
fr o m de . Id b em a layin
a d Eddie o top TV I d ma ate about y, so to b b e still p
st h et o on bb s t o m e
as ju e tun one t passi s just a ho ation. selve beco res
s ic Pop h the them wn the ph ome t w a s itu g in e d our e would s co
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Crisi ow Mr & oment tha w both h is jus d never . I imagi oundtrac g in t
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Following the
success of their
Autumn In The
Neighbourhood
Pledge Music
campaign, China
Crisis have
expanded and
reissued their
classic albums

75

CP35.ChinaCrisis.print.indd 75 09/11/2017 16:40

 After forming in Kirkby, Merseyside,
in 1979, China Crisis charted with
singles including Christian, Wishful
Thinking, Black Man Ray and King
In A Catholic Style (Wake Up)
The h n saved
Christ risis baco
China die Lundo
says
in the room I was like oh aye, whos
this? I then realised he had his own
thing about him and that he loved
music as much as I did. We bonded
by instantly disliking each others tastes
but then realised that yeah we might not
like each others music but were the only
two people in this room who actually like
music more than history or biology
or whatever.
With Ed on guitar and Gary taking up
bass they started out in a local cabaret
band in Kirby. We did Eagles and Thin
Lizzy songs, says Gary, but were pretty
awful and were never rebooked anywhere,
but we got a fiver each for a gig which was
amazing at the time. But after three months
we thought fuck this, we cant even play
this music so we left and started making
our own because we were no good at
playing anybody elses.
Both enjoyed brief stints in the band
Glass Torpedoes before China Crisis
started properly in 1980. After doing a
demo of the track African And White at
Amazon Studios, the owner Jerry Lewis
put it out on his label Inevitable Music.
He basically loved African And White,
Gary recalls, and he set up some meetings
with big labels in London and let me and
Ed go down with four songs on a cassette
including Christian and African And
White. We went to see A&M, Chrysalis,
all manner of people. Virgin were the last
ones we went to see. Nobody wanted us
but Virgin were under the impression that
everyone wanted us and we signed a
production deal!
HAT-TRICK OF HITS
The three albums that followed Difficult
Shapes & Passive Rhythms (1982),
Working With Fire And Steel Possible Pop
76
CP35.ChinaCrisis.print.indd 76
it sin
gle
ia
n (It nearly broke us, notes Eddie) but
C n
Ed
We were very fortunate that Simon Draper, who was MD of Virgin,
and a few others, were massive fans. They were happy to put singles
out and not really get a hit. Christian was our last release from the
album at the time and luckily it was huge. It was the girls in the sales
office that loved it and told their boss to put it out... G A R Y D A L Y
Songs Volume Two (1983) and Flaunt The
Imperfection (1985) spawned hit singles
including Christian, Wishful Thinking, Black
Man Ray and King In A Catholic Style,
so its not surprising that they make up the
latest China Crisis Pledge Music campaign
[see page 76]. With Gary and Eddie as
the linchpins of each record later joined
by Gary Gazza Johnson and Kevin
Wilkinson they are three albums that
share some incredible pop moments, but
offer very different bundles of listening joy
thanks to the various producers that Virgin
Records threw at each project, not always
successfully. With the first album, Difficult
Shapes, Virgin wanted to do the best for
us in their minds, Eddie recalls, so they
put us with [Culture Club producer] Steve
Levine. At the time they had just exploded
with Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, and
it was a massive hit on both sides of the
Atlantic. So we went in the studio with
Steve, but he was just wrong for us.
We walked out of Steves session one
time, says Gary, taking up the story. He
was doing three or four songs and his
treatment of one of them was not right. We
werent huge fans of Culture Club back
then and we were just young lads, 19 or
20, thinking its not like Talking Heads, Eno
or Bowie, so lets just get out of here!.
We didnt realise the financial
implications of that, says Eddie. Wed
block-booked the studio for three months
with the producer and we walked out after
a week not thinking about the studio time
or the producer. Virgin went absolutely
bananas with us.
After racking up the bills, China Crisis
could easily have fallen out with Virgin
luckily we got back on track with producer
Pete Walsh to produce the single Christian.
It was going back to what we really
were, says Eddie, playing real
instruments and just using technology as an
aid, programming drum machines, but on
top having layers of beautiful harmony and
instrumentation. But in hindsight if that track
hadnt done it for us Virgin could have
walked away from the deal, especially
as theyd put us with this world famous
producer and wed walked out on it.
Gary added: We were very fortunate
that Simon Draper, who was MD of
Virgin at the time, and a few others were
massive fans. They were happy for us to put
singles out and not really get a hit. Christian
was our last release from the album and
luckily for us it was a huge hit. It was the
girls in the sales office that all loved it and
told their boss to put it out...
It was a hit here and around the world,
finishes Eddie. It kinda saved our bacon.
STEEL TO STEELY
Not only was it a hit, it led to a second
album Working With Fire And Steel...
that, prolific as they are, China Crisis had
already half written. And with just one
producer on board this time, its an album
with a much more unified sound.
Thats because of the producer Mike
Howlett, Gary agrees, and we also
08/11/2017 15:51
 C H I N A C R I S I S

had Kevin Wilkinson and Gary Gazza

Johnson whod joined the band. They C L A S S I C P O P R E C R E AT ES T H E
were already experienced making albums
D E R E K B AT E Y GA M E S H OW W H E R E
and touring. Kevin had worked with
Robert Fripp, Mike Howlett had played GA RY A N D ED D I E T RY TO A NSWER
bass with Gong, so suddenly we had this Q U ESTI O NS A BO U T O N E AN OTH ER
amazing rhythm section. Everyone was
W H I L E T H E OT H E R WA S
incredibly at ease with one another and I
dont remember one minute of pressure to M E TA P H O R I C A L LY S P E A K I N G S AT I N A
get the next hit single. It was a wonderful G L A S S RO O M W I T H H E A D P H O N ES O N ...
working experience, a magical time. We
were at The Manor Studio in Oxford in
the summer, in the building where Tubular CP: So Gary what is What is Eddies
Bells and Tangerine Dreams Rubycon were Eddies best trait? favourite band?
made. We were like for fucks sake, this is Gary: Generosity. Gary: His favourite song
amazing! We used to play five-a-side at Eddie: Ill take that. is one by Todd Rundgren...
6 oclock every day, go and have our tea Band might be Steely Dan.
before returning to the studio until 10. It Eddie, what is Garys Eddie: Todd Rundgren
was our Camelot really, a bit special. best trait? is amazing but probably
Eddie adds: I think its still a fantastic Eddie: In a work capacity Steely Dan and David
album and quite revolutionary for its time. hes a wonderful writer, Bowie. Bowie was the
It had a great blend of electronic and its great to work with person who made me
programmed instruments with natural him and we bring out the pick up a guitar.
instruments, real horns and strings. It had best in each other. In a
a really nice balance and continuity and Gary Daly finds his life capacity weve known What is Garys
an overall sound from song one to song feet gigging with each other for so long, favourite band?
China Crisis and,
10. We got on so well with Mike, he has below, the band
hes like my best friend Eddie: He can change.
a great sense of humour and it connected with Steely Dan and proper family. Weve Hell like anything, hes
well with our Scouse humour. I have co-conspirator Walter grown up together and so broad. Eno?
nothing but great memories. Becker at Parkgate hes hilariously funny. No, although he did
Studios in 1985
Im also incredibly surprised at how recording Flaunt say Eno should have
English it is, offers Gary. We play quite The Imperfection Whats Eddies most produced you
a few songs from it live now, annoying habit? Eddie: That was one of
Here Comes A Raincloud, The Gary: Radio 5 Live. Enos biggest mistakes, not
Soul Awakening, and theres Eddie: Yeah, producing us!
something about it, I dont thats right. Gary: Yeah, I change my
know what it is. I suppose we I love current mind a lot and actually
were lucky to work with the affairs, news and my favourite artist at the
likes of Mike. He did so much sport and if we moment is Owen Polette.
great stuff OMD, Tears For travel anywhere It would have been
Fears, Flock Of Seagulls he together I have Magazine back in
should get more credit. He that on for the the day.
actually defined a lot of entire journey!
what that 80s sound was. What is Eddies
On the third album, And what is favourite China
Flaunt The Imperfection, Garys most Crisis track?
it was producer Walter annoying habit? Gary: Flaunt The
Becker, who sadly passed Eddie: When he Imperfection is his
away earlier this year, gets his teeth into favourite album and
who brought a something he has very favourite track possibly
little compromise! Bigger The Punch
Gary: Yeah, he Eddies answer: I do
always says that Im love Bigger The Punch
miserable, too but my favourite is
actually Sweet Charity
What is Eddies In Adoration.
favourite pastime?
Gary: Football. What is Garys
Correct answer! favourite China
Crisis track?
And what is Garys Eddie: He can change
favourite pastime? with that, too, so maybe
Ed: Obviously the art, he Jean Walks In Fresh Fields.
adores his doodles and Maybe Temptations Big
his painting. Hes very Blue Eyes?
passionate about it. Gary: Its actually
Correct answer! Red Sail.

77

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 After sell-out tours
of the UK and
America, China Crisis
are currently on the
road with their latest
album Autumn In The
Neighbourhood and,
following a handful
of Christmas shows,
the band will tour
with Paul Young
in February

different kind of unity to the recording,

but this only came about after a bit of
bluffing and good fortune. Warners were
A W H O L E N E W W AY O F T H I N K I N G contracted to put the third record out,
PledgeMusic (www.pledgemusic.com) is the route that an increasing number of Gary explains. They were keen to see
bands are choosing to release new and repackaged music and its worked very who we were going to work with and
well for China Crisis. Eddie jokingly said [producer] Gary Katz
They are amazing, says Gary. Its an incredible platform to connect with and they said we can do better than that,
fans and get more involved. Weve been doing everything from home concerts weve got Walter Becker on the books. But
to hand-written lyrics. With the home concerts we play in the living room or the they did get in touch with him and it turned
garden we have a little electronic three-piece with guitar, vocal and synths out he had Working With Fire And Steel...
and take a little PA so we can fit in someones Hed actually bought the album,
house. We played a great one in Putney for says Eddie. Hed buy loads of
this guys 50th birthday it was by the river albums by people hed never heard
and absolutely one of our best gigs of the last of and I think he bought ours because
few years. Its just completely strange, lovely of the cover it was something that
and odd! intrigued him. He loved the album
China Crisis are releasing their first three and we got to work with him.
albums through Pledge Music, too, with plenty Eddie was, and still is, a huge fan
of extras, as Eddie details... of Beckers Steely Dan, but Garys
Were really pleased with them, the whole first choice would have been Eno
packaging, he says. Theres some real treats every time. We were always keen
for people there. We dug out a lot of on soundscapes and all about the
B-sides and instrumental stuff future and not looking back at the
that people had never past, he explains, and that was
heard. Working ironic because as soon as we
With Fire And Steel got involved with Walter
is a triple album and we embraced his ethic
the other two are of older school session
doubles, so theres musicians and arrangements.
plenty of stuff like It was incredible, Eddie
piano versions and adds. It was very different from
BBC sessions. Its working with Mike. It was quite
great value. intense. He was such a perfectionist,
definitely the referee who kept us in
check. But he really liked the songs

78

CP35.ChinaCrisis.print.indd 78 09/11/2017 16:41


and knew that it was his duty to get the
best out of them with everything from the
instrumentation to the arrangements. And
he worked us hard! Even though wed had
hits off the first and second albums, it was
the first time that I ever sat in the studio
thinking this sounds amazing and the first
time I thought this is going to be a hit.
Gary said: I knew Walter was amazing
but I wasnt overawed as we had a
confidence in our songs. When I played
him a four-track demo of Black Man Ray
I thought, this is as good as any song on
the planet! We werent cocky, it was just
confidence in the music and the songs.
Flaunt The Imperfection was the Chinas
biggest hit, a Top 10 LP in the UK and,
along with Working With Fire And Steel...,
it has such a rich sound and roundness to
it that they both still stand up incredibly
well today. The influence of the people
that we were listening to stands out,
Gary explains. Me and Ed didnt grow
up on The Beatles, we were influenced by
prog-rock and new wave, everyone from
Magazine and early Ultravox to Eno and
his solo records and Bowies Berlin period.
Wed very much use The Beatles formula
intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle
eight, verse, chorus, chorus, out but then
apply it to those Eno-isms and prog-isms.
Eddie agrees: I absolutely know they
have stood the test of time. Nothing can be
more of a barometer than when you have
Action Bronson [on the track 9-24-7000]
and French Montana [Go Hard] rapping
over our tracks, songs that are 25 to 30
years old. Action Bronsons new single
loops Strength Of Character from the Flaunt
album and hes massive in the States and
French Montanas just had a No.1.
So, yeah they have stood the test of time.
CP35.ChinaCrisis.print.indd 79
We never used solely electronic sounds,
which I think makes some tracks more
dated. At the time, The Human Leagues
Dare album was revolutionary but because
it was all synths it sounds a little dated now
even though the songs are great.
PROLIFIC, BUT
Three further China Crisis album followed,
with decreasing chart returns, ending with
1994s (rather good) Warped By Success.
It was over 20 years between that and
2015s comeback
Pledge-funded album
which doesnt instantly
conjure up the word
prolific even though
Gary and Eddie insist
they are.
You know what,
says Gary, it took us
10 years just to find
our feet gigging. Kevin
had passed away and
Gazza had started
running a dance
shop while playing in another band, so it
was just me and Ed. Eddie got a job with
the Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts
and my wife started training to become
a teacher so I was a house husband. We
were writing, recording and people were
saying do an album!
I didnt really want to do another one to
be perfectly honest, says Ed. Gary was
doing some solo stuff and I was saying go
C H I N A C R I S I S
I knew Walter was amazing but
I wasnt overawed as we had a
confidence in our songs. When
I played him a four-track demo
of Black Man Ray I thought, this
is as good as any song on the
planet! We werent cocky, it
was just confidence in the music
and the songs. G A R Y D A L Y
for it but I didnt want to do another China
Crisis album, I just thought: What have we
got to prove? Weve done that, it sounded
brilliant so whats the point? But then we
got together and listened to some of the
songs wed been doing and thought yeah,
maybe give it a go.
Then the crowd-funding thing came
about, Gary jumps in. So we said: why
dont we do it and if it reaches the target
well make the record... if it doesnt then
people obviously dont want us. We beat
the target and it was amazing.
Eddie continues: If you get under 60 per
cent of your target its like a get-out clause
and you dont have to do the album. So we
set a target and within a few weeks wed
hit 287 per cent so we thought: We cant
get out of it now! Im really proud of the
album, I think its a great record.
And its the first record that we actually
own in 35 years, reflects Gary. Weve
still not released it through a label or put it
online, but we will do at some point.
It sounds like the experience has changed
Eddies mind for good about releasing
more China Crisis music as there is
even more planned. He said: It was so
motivating with the
Pledge thing. I can see
us doing it again.
We have written
the songs, have
a concept and
everything, Gary
reveals. Well be
ready to go with it
soon. Well probably
go with Pledge again,
maybe next year. We
just have to record it
but it wont happen
quickly. I dont mind that though. Im not in
a hurry theres enough China Crisis music
out there already!
China Crisis are on tour playing
something from every album
and will be at festivals including
Rewind and Lets Rock next year.
The bands first three albums
are available now through
Pledge Music.
79
09/11/2017 16:40
 P P
(

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-publishing.com

MIDGE URE
WITH KERRY CALLITSIS
This picture of Midge Ure and me was taken during the Retro
Futura tour in 2014 in Toronto, Canada. It was a bit nerve-wracking
to meet someone you admire so much who has written so many
fantastic songs and who is also a great humanitarian. He was a
true gentleman and put me at ease.

N I C K H E Y WA R D
WITH HELEN
PHILLIPS
I was thrilled to finally meet
Nick at his solo concert at the
Harlequin Theatre, Redhill, in
November 2016. It meant a lot
to me as I grew up in Beckenham
like Nick and Haircut 100. I went
to the bands free concert in their
school in the 80s. I remember
vividly screaming Niicckkkkk!!
and trying to catch his towel!
I relayed this to him when
I met him and he was very
BOO H surprised! Im pleased to say he
BETTY NGOUG
I T H K A REN BE r al m os t 28 years it is extremely friendly, down to
W B oo fa n fo eat
After being
a Bet ty IP by the gr earth and talented.
ht to be in vited as a V ol in 2 015.
was such a
delig
to Le t s Rock Brist e
when I wen
t hung out lik
lady herself e I d m et her and we es om e.
e first tim she was just
aw
This was th so at ease and t meet
s. I fe lt ol s w on
old friend e fe ar th at your id d down
ays th sincere an
OMD WITH KIM TILLER Theres alw , bu t she was so n for so
at io ns g a fa
This photograph of myself with Andy your expect e su rr ea l, after bein
was quit experience.
McCluskey and Paul Humphreys was taken at to earth. It tr uly the best
Rough Trade East in London. I am a member of t it w as
long, bu
the OMD Facebook Fan Page and this intimate
event was limited to fans only. They put on a
great show and had everyone singing along to
tracks from their new album (The Punishment
Of Luxury) and older classics. The guys were
great and made time to chat with everyone as
they signed copies of the new record.

BELINDA CARLISLE WITH LOUISE GRIFFITHS

This photograph was taken at a fundraiser in Birmingham for Belindas co-founded
charity Animal People Alliance and also the Her Future Coalition project. She played
a short acoustic set of seven classic hits and was so warm and welcoming. She was
very excited to meet everyone who had come to support the event.

80

CP35.Poparazzi.print.indd 80 09/11/2017 11:02

 HAVE YOU MISSED AN
ISSUE OF ?

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BACK
ISSUES
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or call us on 0844 856 0642*
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CP35.BackIssues.print.indd 81 09/11/2017 10:39

 S H E D

y
F I N I

e
UN

Mo nk
Business

I
n an era of photogenic singers with
dandified dress sense, few cut such
a suave figure in the mid-80s as Dr
Robert of The Blow Monkeys. With
a chin as square as Captain Scarlet,
angular cheekbones and eyebrows,
a piercing gaze and a mass of black hair
tumbling rakishly over his forehead, he
THE BLOW MONKEYS was almost surreally handsome, whether
LEAD SINGER AND shimmering across the Top Of The Pops
stage in an outsize white suit or rocking
SONGWRITER, DR ROBERT, a Noel Coward-style dressing gown and
TALKS US THROUGH cravat in the video for It Doesnt Have To
Be This Way.
THE BANDS ORIGINS, The singers languid body language and
POLITICALLY-CHARGED purred delivery was the perfect partner
CHART SUCCESS AND to Neville Henrys cool saxophone and
the funky rhythm section of bassist Mick
UNDYING HUNGER Anker and drummer Tony Kiley, and made
TO MAKE NEW MUSIC Blow Monkeys hits such as Digging Your
D O U G L A S Scene among the smoothest of their day.
M C P H E R S O N The soulful sound and relaxed demeanour,
however, disguised the fact that The Blow
Monkeys were political animals and sharp
social commentators.
That breakthrough song Digging Your
Scene was a show of support to the gay
community in an era of panic about AIDS.
It Doesnt Have To Be This Way was a
comment on Thatcherism, as was the title
of its parent album, She Was Only A
Grocers Daughter.
(Celebrate) The Day After You expressed
the wish that the Conservatives be
defeated in the 1987 General Election and
was banned by the BBC for its political bias
during the campaign period. Which was

82

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 T H E B L O W M O N K E Y S

The Dr Robert-fronted
Blow Monkeys, fondly
remembered for the
hits Digging Your Scene
and It Doesnt Have To
Be This Way, released
five albums before
going their separate
ways in 1990, only to
return in 2008 with
Devils Tavern

I do. But when youre living in those deeply

a shame as, whatever your politics, it was
a stunning track featuring soul hero Curtis
Mayfield. Compared to the protest songs
of previous eras, they werent angry-
sounding records. But that
doesnt mean I meant it
any less, says Dr Robert,
who has written the bands
lyrics and music from the
outset. The thing that
introduced me to politics
was Oscar Wildes essay
The Soul Of Man Under
Socialism. Thats hardly
a radical pamphlet... so
I always came from the
Oscar Wilde end of things, he laughs.
As much as I like The Clash and Billy
Bragg, if I try to sound like them its going
to appear ridiculous. So I just do what
political times, especially where I lived,
because I was in Brixton for most of the
80s, youre on the front line of whats
happening. How can you do anything
other than reflect that? A lot of people who previously thought
Having written all the songs on The Blow socialism was a dirty word that you had to
Monkeys new album, The Wild River, Dr whisper are now coming out into the open.
Robert is still reflecting his political times. So Especially young people. So I think theres
does he find the age of real hope and Im feeling very positive
Trump and Brexit a bit about it. In that way its not like the 80s.
like being back in the
80s again? JUNIOR DOCTOR BRE
In some ways, but Bruce Robert Howard was born in Scotland
in other ways no, in 1961, but spent most of his childhood in
considers Robert. the Norfolk market town of Kings Lynn. As
Because, depending a schoolboy, he picked up the nickname
on which side of the Dr Robert from The Beatles song of that
fence youre on, theres title, but not because he was a fan of the
real hope. Ive never Fab Four, in fact, the opposite. Unlike the
seen anything like the Beatles-loving boy who gave him the title,
kind of adulation that Jeremy Corbyn got he was into Northern Soul.
during his speech at the Labour Party His earliest influence was Elvis Presley,
Conference particularly given what he who his parents adored to the point of
was saying. turning a corner of their living room into

83

CP35.BlowMonkeys.print.indd 83 08/11/2017 15:43

 T H E B L O W M O N K E Y S
a shrine to the King, complete with a
cardboard cut-out of the rocknroll icon.
His personal hero was Marc Bolan of
T-Rex, who would be the main influence on
his flamboyant stage persona. The glam
rockers Ride A White Swan was the first
single the young Doctor bought in 1970.
At the age of 15, Roberts life was
literally turned upside down when,
following his fathers death, he reluctantly
emigrated with his mother to Australia,
where his elder sister already lived.
His first taste of the music business
was as a freelance journalist, reviewing
and interviewing bands for RAM (Rock
Australia Magazine), which was the Aussie
equivalent of the NME. His favourite
encounter was with Blondies Debbie Harry:
She didnt answer any of my questions but
was very enigmatic.
He also became a fan of Australian band
the Laughing Clowns, whose mix of punk
guitar, be-bop drums and horn section
would be a key inspiration for the sound
of The Blow Monkeys.
Robert took his first steps as a singer-
songwriter busking on the streets of Sydney.
I couldnt remember the words of other
peoples songs, so I started writing my
own, he recalls.
As a 20-year-old in 1981, he returned
to London. I wanted to be in a band and
had to come back to where everything
was, he explains.
His first port of call was Denmark Street,
home to a plethora of song publishers and
84
CP35.BlowMonkeys.print.indd 84
With The Wild River,
The Blow Monkeys
return with their fifth
studio long-player
since reforming in
2008. I think this
is one of our best
albums, and certainly
the best since we got
back together,
says Dr Robert
Moving forward...
The Blow Monkeys latest album, The Wild
River, opens with a track called Crying For The
Moon that completely captures the sound of
their mid-80s heyday. In the first few bars its
got everything thats recognisable about us:
the guitar sound, then the saxophone and then
my vocals, Dr Robert agrees. Every band
has its sound and thats ours, I guess.
As the disc unfolds with the sumptuous,
string-laden blues of the title track, however,
its clear that the soulful quartet are not
resting on their laurels, musically.
The whole idea when we got back together
was to make new records, the singer,
songwriter and producer continues. Ive never
wanted to be a nostalgia act. That wouldnt
interest me. Were a living, breathing band,
not a museum piece and its all about moving
forward. Were lucky that theres an audience
that wants to come with us.
Its also clear from the ominous-sounding
Landslide Comin, that the Blow Monkeys have
lost none of their political relevance. I live in
Spain right now and with whats been going
on with Brexit, you cant help but be affected
by that. I was getting depressed about the
way things were going the way people were
beginning to divide themselves into tribes and
races again. I thought wed moved on from
that and it felt like we were going backwards.
So the album was definitely informed by that.
I think this is one of our best albums, and
certainly the best since we got back together.
music shops, where he bought a copy
of Melody Maker and looked for a band
to join.
Neville, the saxophone player, had
placed an ad. He had a band in Highgate
and within a couple of weeks wed pretty
much sacked the rest of the band and
started our own. We advertised and found
Mick, our bass player, very early, in 1981.
Tony, the drummer, joined in 1983, just
before we signed to RCA.
MR MOONLIGHT
The record deal came through old
fashioned hustling. Robert said: When
I came to London, I didnt know anybody in
the business, so we started from scratch. Me
and Neville used to walk around the West
End with a cassette in our hands, knocking
on doors, talking to publishers and finding
out the right parties to go where we could
make the best connections.
The bands launching pad was a four-
week residency at the Moonlight Club,
a famous venue above the Railway Tavern
pub in West Hampstead, where artists
from Jimi Hendrix to Joy Division had
played. That was where everything started
changing. The crowds were getting bigger
and at the end of that four weeks, we had
a deal, Robert recalls.
Success did not follow overnight,
however. Although The Blow Monkeys
debut album Limping For A Generation has
since been acclaimed as a classic, none
of its singles, beginning with Go Public,
reached the charts. It was not until Digging
Your Scene, from second album Animal
Magic, that they shot to No.12 on the UK
09/11/2017 13:30

charts and No.14 in the US. It was quite
simply because Radio One decided to play
it, Robert says of the change in the bands
fortunes. Thats how powerful they were.
If they ignored you, as happened with
our singles before that, only a very small
amount of people would hear the record.
I dont know whether
Digging Your Scene
was better than the one
before it. Its just that
everybody jumped on it
at the same time.
Proving the fickleness
of Radio One airplay, the
follow-up single, Wicked
Ways, bombed at No.60.
It didnt bother me, says
Robert. I dont think it
should have been a single,
to be honest. But we
were off and running by
then. Digging changed
everything. We went from
playing to 200 people
a night to three or four
thousand, overnight. Thats
how powerful it was to
get on Top of the Pops or
Wogan in those days.
The band, meanwhile,
had another ace up their sleeve. Id written
It Doesnt Have To Be This Way about six
months before it came out and that was
the only time Ive ever written a song and
thought, Yeah, that is a hit!
CP35.BlowMonkeys.print.indd 85
THERED BEEN NO COURT CASES, NO
NASTINESS, NO BAD FEELING. IT WAS
FANTASTIC GETTING BACK TOGETHER AND
WE JUST STARTED WHERE WED LEFT OFF.
The Blow Monkeys
finish 2017 with a
handful of UK dates
in December, before
embarking on an
extensive 19-date tour
with Level 42
His intuition was spot on. The single hit
No.5 in 1987 and became the quartets
biggest success.
As the decade progressed, the bands
music became more dance-oriented and
Roberts later solo career was gradually
foreshadowed. Under his own name,
Robert Howard, he recorded a hit duet with
Chicago house diva Kym Mazelle called
Wait! He also describes the Blow Monkeys
fifth album, Springtime For The World, as
pretty much a solo album because it was
me sitting down with loops at the computer.
It felt less like a band at
that point.
STARTING OVER
When the groups record
contract expired in 1990,
The Blow Monkeys split
amicably. It felt like things
were changing, and I
wanted to do something
different, Robert reflects.
The Stone Roses and
Happy Mondays, that
whole scene was starting
up. Plus, all four of us had
young families. It felt like
a good place to stop,
while we were at the top
of our game.
Over the next 16 years,
Dr Robert released five solo
albums, including Realms
Of Gold (1994), Other
Folk (1996), and Flatlands
(1999), that found him exploring a more
acoustic style of music.
I started putting my guitar in the boot
of my car and me and my wife would just
take off and play small gigs. A hundred
Dr. Robert
quid here, a hundred quid there. I really
loved doing that. Im not saying it was
easy, because there were times when it was
difficult to get by. But it was something that
I had to do.
By 2008, however, he was ready to
regroup The Blow Monkeys for the album
Devils Tavern. I wanted to be in a band
again and there was no point starting
a new one because I already had one
with all this history. Thered been no court
cases, no nastiness, no bad feeling. It was
fantastic getting back together and we just
started where wed left off. I had no idea
whether anybody would be interested in
hearing us, but I wasnt really bothered. The
idea was to just go out and play.
Almost a decade later and five albums
in and The Blow Monkeys have now been
back together for as long as they were
together the first time around. The difference
now is that were really enjoying our time
more, being in the here and now. You
never know in life when something will
have to stop and Im really aware that at
any point this could be our last gig. Thats
true at any time in your life but I think its
more acute now and that gives it a new
sense of purpose and a new kind of depth.
So why stop, just when were getting back
into our stride again?
The Blow Monkeys new
album The Wild River is out now
on Monks Road Records. Visit
theblowmonkeys.com for details.
85
09/11/2017 13:20
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CP35.App_ad.print.indd 86 08/11/2017 15:38

 Santiago Felipe
C L A S S I C P O P M A G A Z I N E

Bjrk continues
her experimental
assault on our
senses with
ninth studio
album, Utopia

R E V I E W S

NEW RELEASES p88

Bjrk, U2, Billy Bragg, Noel Gallaghers
High Flying Birds, Charlotte Gainsbourg,
Yello, Captain, Sam Smith and more...
REISSUES p94
INXS, Sex Pistols, Elton John, Throbbing
Gristle, Ray Parker Jr and more...
COMPILATIONS p98
The Hit Factory Ultimate Collection,
Twelve Inch Nineties and more...
LONG LIVE VINYL p100
Tears For Fears, Culture Club, A Certain
Ratio, Madness, George Michael, The
Carpenters, Sister Sledge, Saint Etienne,
Billy Idol and more...
DVDS & BOOKS p104
The Jacksons: Legacy, David Bowie:
A Life, Mute: A Visual Document and
Gold Dust Woman: A Biography of
Stevie Nicks
LIVE & EVENTS p109
OMD, Midge Ure/The Christians/
Altered Images, Marc Almond, The Fizz,
The Waterboys and Liam Gallagher

R A T I N G S

EXCELLENT
VERY GOOD
AVERAGE
PATCHY
POOR

CP35.Reviews Opener.print.indd 87 09/11/2017 10:20


MATTHEW RUDD
OUR REGULAR SINGLES REVIEWER AND
HOST OF FORGOTTEN 80S ON ABSOLUTE 80S
RADIO CHECKS OUT A TEMPTING BATCH OF
RETURNING HEROES INCLUDING TEARS FOR
FEARS, NOEL GALLAGHER, U2 AND N.E.R.D
SQUEEZE
PATCHOULI
Its never a chore to listen to a new
Squeeze recording. We get the
jollification of the DiffTil power pop
songwriting journey with bright vocals
on sometimes mordant lyrics, aided by
a wild keyboard solo, and its exactly
how we expect it. The duos cleverness
is never-ending.
88
CP35.singles.print.indd 88
N.E.R.D. FEATURING
RIHANNA
LEMON
Mad, wide open hip-hop collaboration
with an irritated Rihanna joining in via
the spoken word and some rather choice
phrases. The wait a minute motif
keeps the sceptics interest alive while
the rest devour the raps and decipher
the contortionists moves in the video.
TEARS FOR FEARS
I LOVE YOU BUT IM LOST
The goodwill for Tears For Fears never
seems to dissipate, even though they
leave every comeback a lot longer than
the previous one. Roland and Curt have
returned with a hefty, tuneful, strident
new single to remind the world why
theyre so easy to love. The new studio
album should be worth waiting for.
THE FIZZ
AMEN
The ex-Bucks Fizz regularly topped the
charts in the 80s without being cool, yet
now are deservedly cooler than they
could ever have believed possible. This
brilliant new single is moody, pounding,
melodious, backed by a rhythm du jour,
with Cheryl and Jay on ominous form.
U2
GET OUT OF
YOUR OWN WAY
Bonos voice is on its best form for some
time here, and for a second straight
single, his vocal dominates what starts as
a stripped back, mellifluous bit of smart
gentle rock. Then in comes Larry Mullen
Jnrs drums, and we have U2 turned
right up to 10.
S I N G L E S
TOM CHAPLIN
UNDER A MILLION LIGHTS
Keanes holidaying singer turns up here
with a new single of poignancy and
introspection that only a voice like his
can pervade. Its a pleasant experience
but gives off the vibes that hes rather
lacking in stylistic range. Its natural
timidity makes it neither forgettable
nor memorable.
NICK HEYWARD
PERFECT SUNDAY SUN
With an intro reminiscent of If It Makes
You Happy by Sheryl Crow, its a harder,
more earnest rock voyage that Nick
goes on in a sharp, harmonic new single,
hitting just the right heights in the
chorus to keep you involved. Different,
but pretty good.
NOEL GALLAGHERS
HIGH FLYING BIRDS
HOLY MOUNTAIN
Look, the chorus really does revive
memories of a cavorting Ricky Martin
doing She Bangs. Quirky therefore, but
Noel turning up the drums and hitting
his guitar hard is harvesting a mighty
industrial rock tune. As such, its more
appealing than his other recent stuff.
08/11/2017 17:05

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7
CLASSIC
BEST NEW RELEASE
BJRK
UTOPIA
ONE LITTLE INDIAN
ALL IS FULL OF LOVE, APPARENTLY, ON BJRKS NINTH ALBUM, BUT FOR WHOM ITS
NEVER QUITE CLEAR. WHAT THEYLL MAKE OF IT, TOO, IS ANYONES GUESS
themed she sounds happier and
more positive. Shes even called
it her Tinder album. So does
happy Bjrk mean hit-making
Bjrk? Nah, those days are long
gone. This is similarly taxing.
One reason is her decision
to employ Venezuelas Arca
as co-producer again. His CV
may include work with Kanye
West and FKA Twigs, but the
dancefloors not his destination.
B
His shadowy, menacing
jrks work has become soundscapes twisted beats
increasingly demanding seemingly dropped at random,
these past dozen years, sonics glistening like a knife are
and 2015s Vulnicura remarkable, but also frequently
inspired by her break-up confounding. Fortunately, this
with artist Matthew time Bjrk and Arca allow
Barney was as colourful surges of amorphous
challenging as anything cheer to overwhelm most of the
shes done. On Utopia, gloom. Thats as true on opener
though described as Arisen My Senses as anywhere.
environmentally and politically Beginning with birdsong, the
CP35.reviews.print.indd 89
(no doubt symbolic) sound of
a tape being rewound, and
confidently struck harp chords,
its arrangement slowly expands
to accommodate layers of her
inimitable voice. The structure,
too, is recognisably rhythmic, and
the luminous atmosphere of the
tracks that follow sucks one in:
Blissing Me boasts more plucked
harp, its fluttering, creaking
rhythms a reflection of excitement
rather than agitation, while
ecstatic flourishes of flute-like
synths complement the sentiment
If you care for me, then Ill
care for you of the otherwise
sparse The Gate.
But as these abstract
constructions keep coming,
Utopia starts to feel intimidatingly
impenetrable. At the very least,
with melodies sliding out of ones
grasp and lyrics battered out of
N E W R E L E A S E S
Santiago Felipe
reach, it insists on substantial
commitment. Nevertheless,
its compellingly rewarding,
with lines like These cliffs are
just showing off or the word
Kafkaesque emerging from the
mist of Body Memory a dense
landscape of choral voices,
animal noises, thuds and thumps
and, on Courtship, birds cooing
and flutes flickering like butterfly
wings. Tabula Rasa, on which
the beats relent, underlining the
elegant flutes and strings, finds
her singing of not repeating
the fuck-ups of the past, but on
Loss which features additional
production from Rabit those
beats sound like an avalanche
flattening a school orchestra.
Its difficult, in other words.
But, of course, it is: its Bjrk.
Expanding horizons is what she
does. Wyndham Wallace
89
09/11/2017 10:06
 U2
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
ISLAND RECORDS

painful. Songs Of Experience

failed to materialise. U2 looked
lost without a paddle.
As they re-evaluated their next
move, world politics also shifted
right, forcing them to reconsider
the tone of their new songs. By
2017, instead of promoting a

If you like Songs of
Innocence, Bono wrote on
U2s website within hours of the
announcement of their 2014
album, stay with us for Songs
Of Experience. It should be
ready soon enough. Oh, how
that note must haunt him.
As people comment of Donald
Trumps older tweets, life comes
at you fast. An outcry at how
their 13th album had been
added, unsolicited, to peoples
iTunes accounts followed, and
the backlash was swift and
new album worldwide, they
were performing a 30-year-old
one, The Joshua Tree. But this
bid to remind us how theyd
become so big they had the
power to violate our laptops
paid off. Nostalgic though they
were, the shows were a triumph.
Furthermore, they reminded
us that U2 are an astonishing
live band, and as tractors are
built for farms, so their songs
are built for arenas. It would be
easy to dismiss Youre The Best
Thing About Me for blunt lyrics
and a clumsy structure, but its
meant to carry to the back of a
stadium, and it will. Get Out Of
Your Own Way, which opens
with a mid-80s flourish, is so
eager to please a crowd that
it even provides its own, and
adds Kendrick Lamar, while
Love Is Bigger Than Anything
In Its Way and The Little Things
You Give Away perform the
unenviable task of highlighting
how U2 taught Coldplay most
of what they know. Even Lights
Of Home, which begins like
Beck playing Bullet The Blue Sky,
succumbs to Bonos missionary
urges, though with a grace
comparable to Elbows One Day
Like This.
Anton Corbijn
Surprisingly, though, 2014s
fiasco is best overshadowed by
the albums subtler numbers:
the Vocoder-wielding Love Is All
We Have Left; the contemplative
Summer Of Love; The Showman
(Little More Better), which recalls
The Sweetest Thing; and the
hushed, reassuring closer,13
(There Is A Light). Its rarely more
than U2 by numbers, but its
numbers that matter with U2.
Experiences count, too, and they
and we have learned from
them. This is the proof. WW

BILLY BRAGG

Murdo McLeod
B R I D G E S N O T WA L L S
COOKING VINYL

Its a pity: Braggs needed

Unquestionably our generations
finest protest singer, Billy Braggs
only real failure has been the
rarity with which hes succeeded
in preaching beyond the choir.
Hes made inroads, but normally
with romantic songs like
Sexuality, or those performed
by others, like the late Kirsty
MacColls A New England.
His politically inclined work,
however, is delivered with a
rawness that booming market
traders voice and battered
electric guitar that tends to
resist mainstream crossover.
more than ever, something he
tacitly acknowledges on this
eloquent, provocative mini-
albums opener, The Sleep Of
Reason. This dormant state, he
argues, produces monsters,
and its monsters he confronts
here in typically articulate
fashion: the rise of right-wing
extremism driving both the
Trump and Brexit phenomena,
and the accompanying denial
of climate change.
Frustratingly if inevitably ought to remind voters from both feels like some kind of defeat/
The Sleep Of Reason leads sides how they actually share an To measure in metres not
with this familiar approach, so enemy in partisan politics, fake feet is cheapened when his
striking lines like Lies ride in news and extreme capitalism. protagonists are caricatures who
style on a big red bus/ While His aim isnt quite so true have kippers for breakfast.
you walk into town are unlikely on Full English Brexit, which Nonetheless, though our
to reach the masses. Its also just attempts to get inside an older, politics are thornier than ever,
him and guitar on the scathing working class Brexiteers head. too few musicians seem driven
fable Why We Build The Wall. Sympathys exhibited, and his to address these complexities.
But the lovely Saffiyah quiet piano accompaniment Even those doing so tend
Smiles warm organ matches its dulls the barbs, but he is, to towards the blunt and
sentiments immortalising racist- a degree, guilty of the very unsophisticated. (Take a bow,
confronting Ms Khan, and the stereotyping he decries. The Mick Jagger.) Complex voices
gentle swing of Not Everything incisive irony skewering petty like Braggs, therefore, are vital
That Counts Can Be Counted conservative attitudes in It and indispensable. WW

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NOEL GALLAGHERS
HIGH FLYING BIRDS
W H O B U I LT T H E M O O N ?
SOUR MASH
Unlikely as it seemed, in 2011
Noel Gallagher was said to
be working on a collaborative
space-rock album with
Amorphous Androgynous (aka
Future Sound Of London).
In the end, he claimed hed
destroyed the master, and just
two tracks made it onto 2015s
Chasing Yesterday. Who Built
The Moon?, however, suggests
his psychedelic tendencies
have resurfaced and Beatles
obsession remains intact.
YELLO
LIVE IN BERLIN
POLYDOR
Few thought the day would
come when Dieter Meier and
Boris Blank would tread the
boards. Aside from two brief
1983 showcases at New
Yorks Roxy, four years after
they formed, theyve remained
proudly studio-bound.
Occasionally this shows on
this summary, recorded two
years ago, of four concerts
in a former Berlin power
station, with Meiers patter
stiffly scripted: This first song
is called Do It, he intones,
following trumpeter Till
CP35.reviews.print.indd 91
Its A Beautiful World borrows
from Tomorrow Never Knows,
while Be Careful What You
Wish For will be familiar from
Abbey Roads I Want You
(Shes So Heavy). Opener Fort
Knox is so thrilling it feels like
theres a rip in the space-time
continuum: no wonder it starts
with the sound of a jet at high
speed. Powered by a breakbeat
that Primal Scream overlooked
around Screamadelica it
has more in common with
XTRMNTR and decorated by
freaky chants and a ruthless
bassline. Holy Mountain
triumphantly pairs T. Rex with
a penny whistle, and She
Taught Me How To Fly is Oasis
supercharged by New Order.
Lyrically unimaginative it
may be The one I love, shes
divine/ Shes out to blow my
mind but its as solid as
younger sibling Liams recent
debut solo output. WW
Brnners protracted opening,
and after 35 years of not
doing it, we decided to do it.
This is how it goes.
That said, plenty of this
performance (also available
as a DVD) is, despite its
programmed nature, rather less
gauche. A sizeable band helps:
a guitarist, five horn players,
a drummer, percussionist
and two vocalists allow for a
lengthy breakdown in Bostich
and a deliciously funky version
of Tied Up, not to mention
the ludicrously entertaining
synth-metal pastiche, Si Senr
The Hairy Grill. They lean
too heavily on recent albums
at the expense of classics
like The Rhythm Divine, but
Oh Yeah and The Race help
shape a climax which might
otherwise be undermined by
what amounts to little more than
an advertisement for Blanks
Yellofier app. Worth waiting for,
then, but less Oh, yeah than
Oh, OK. WW
CHARLOTTE
GAINSBOURG
REST
BECAUSE MUSIC
No ones taking any chances
with Charlotte Gainsbourgs
fifth album: Rest finds acclaimed
French producer SebastiAn in
charge, with Tom Elmhirst at the
controls and string arranger du
jour Owen Pallet responsible
for orchestration. Plus, there are
co-writes with Daft Punks Guy-
Manuel de Homem-Christo and
even Sir Paul McCartney.
But still the shadow of her
parents, Serge Gainsbourg and
Jane Birkin something that
CAPTAIN
FOR IRINI
PLEDGEMUSIC
of The First Picture Of You by
In 2006, Captain briefly
established themselves with a
Trevor Horn-produced debut,
This Is Hazelville, and two Top
40 singles, Broke and Glorious.
These, they acknowledge, sat
somewhere between Smashing
Pumpkins and Prefab Sprout,
terrain that ultimately proved
hard to occupy. Perhaps punters
struggled with the cheeriness
of vocalists Rik Flynn and Clare
Szembek, no matter how many
guitars they piled on.
Their overdue return leans
more towards Paddy McAloon
N E W R E L E A S E S
held her back from music for
two decades after Lemon Incest,
the 1986 debut that her father
penned hangs overhead.
Wisely, here she embraces
their influence, whether in
the way her voice reaches
demurely for its upper register
as her mothers did or
the grandiose strings on the
otherwise Moroder-esque
Deadly Valentine.
Theres even a lyrically
bold, musically baroque
recollection of her fathers
passing, Lying With You, and
this confessional tactic also
leads to recollections of her
late half-sister on the sombre
Kate. The mood is lighter on
Sylvia Says and McCartneys
sparkling, stomping Songbird
In A Cage, but even when she
switches from French to English,
as on Ring-A-Ring ORoses this
is full of quintessentially Gallic
sophistication. WW
than Billy Corgan, something
underlined by a spirited cover
Sprout contemporaries The
Lotus Eaters. Unsurprisingly
given that Flynn was once the
editor of this very publication
a definite 80s vibe colours
songs like Red Lights Coming,
whose keyboards shimmer like
its title, and the floaty synth-
pop of Keep Going, the latter
highlighting Alex Yeomans
fondness for New Orders
bass melodies. These are also
evident on the swashbuckling
Out Of Range, on which
Szembeks vocals are especially
enticing, and Uriel, a welcome
reminder of what Coldplay
might sound like without
blustery choruses.
All told then its a welcome
return, but a bittersweet
one, too: guitarist Mario
Athanasiou passed away
in 2016, so all profits go
to Guys and St Thomas
Hospital Cancer Centre. WW
91
09/11/2017 10:06
 CINDY WILSON
CHANGE
KILL ROCK STARS
Cindy Wilson never earned
the same accolades as her
singing foils in The B-52s, Fred
Schneider and Kate Pierson,
despite apparently being
responsible for more solo vocals
than her bandmates.
A debut solo album delivered
this late in her career stands
only a small chance of
changing that, especially one
released by a label best known
for underground, socially
conscious punk rock releases.
But Change, which only came
MIDGE URE
ORCHESTRATED
BMG
After giving it a Celtic reworking for his
Breathe Tour, Midge Ure continues to
reinterpret his back catalogue, this time
giving a dozen songs a filmic makeover.
His choice of adjective suggests hes a fan
of Hans Zimmer: listen to the introduction
to the opening Hymn and one might think
Ures saved the world, so extravagant are its
kettle drums and strings, not to mention the
ceremonial pace with which it then moves
towards a similarly ostentatious climax. Still,
the strategy works more often than not, and
not only on his more dramatic numbers: If
I Was, for instance, gets an oddly Christmas
bell flavoured, but nevertheless convincing,
workover. But Vienna with that electronic
beat still at its heart, shifts from intimate to
triumphant and a stirring Dancing With
Tears In My Eyes are the real victors. WW
92
CP35.reviews.print.indd 92
about after its musicians
performed at her sons
birthday party, is a truly
charming record.
That said, with her breathy
voice, Wilson sometimes
sounds like Sarah Cracknell.
Its an impression fostered by
similarities with early Saint
Etienne on songs like Stand
Back Time, which pairs a gentle
disco rhythm with quiet stabs
of Motown guitar, and a cover
of cult soft rock act The New
Colony Sixs Things Id Like
To Say.
There are few hints of her
parent group, but plenty
of nostalgic electro-pop:
the bouncy No One Can
Tell You and Sunrise are
particularly delectable, while
the instrumental title track
even nods craftily to French
filter house. As she clearly
recognises, this electronic
direction makes for quite
a Change. WW
WHITNEY HOUSTON
I WISH YOU LOVE: MORE
FROM THE BODYGUARD
SONY MUSIC
Id like to do a song that Ive never sung
before, says the late Whitney Houston at
the outset of this collection celebrating The
Bodyguards 25th anniversary. Its hard not
to snigger: this album alone offers three
versions. Shes in character and her vocal
which no doubt helped sell a billion long-
handled hairbrushes is immaculate, even
if the first minute of the live version here
boasts more notes than Article 50. If thats
your jam, theres five minutes of a capella
Jesus Loves Me, and a live take where her
preaching leads into a jazzy Hes Got The
Whole World In His Hands. Theres also an
energetic, in-concert rendition of Im Every
Woman, as well as a house mix by original
producers Clivills and Cole, in case you cant
hear that sung enough either. WW
JEFF LYNNES ELO
WEMBLEY OR BUST
SONY MUSIC
Its hard to shake off thoughts
of two particular people as one
relives ELOs Wembley Stadium
show this summer... Paul
McCartney and Alan Partridge.
McCartneys influence on
Jeff Lynnes songwriting is
impossible to ignore. Although
it includes less familiar
material like The Moves Do
Ya, The Traveling Wilburys
Handle With Care, and the
more recent, but wonderfully
nostalgic, When I Was A Boy
(from 2015s Alone In The
SIA
EVERYDAY IS CHRISTMAS
MONKEY PUZZLE /
ATLANTIC RECORDS
What are the chances? Classic Pops very own
Scrooge who, it should be said, struggled to
enjoy Sias 2016 album, This Is Acting will,
for the rest of this sentence, concede that a
song inspired by How Much Is That Doggy
In The Window?, with a chorus that goes
Puppies are forever, not just for Christmas,
may be the most fun hes had since only 200
people turned up to Conservative MP George
Freemans attempt to rival Glastonbury.
And theres more: the effervescent Santas
Coming For Us as threatening as that
sounds has all the charm of the Jackson 5s
Christmas Album, Ho Ho Ho is as cheerful as
a cartoon, and theres room for romance on
the title track and Underneath The Mistletoe.
Even better still: the tender Snowflake will
infuriate the alt-right. WW
Universe), this 23-song set of
crowd-pleasing hits underlines
just how much Maccas thumbs
are all over ELOs catalogue.
The second, associated,
image is of Coogans classic
comedy creation, in his olive-
green anorak, jumping on a
hotel bed to Wings Jet. This
is further provoked by a DVD
component full of aging men
pumping the air with dewy-
eyed nostalgia. Their ecstasy,
however, is reasonable, given
this almost uninterrupted
succession of classics: Evil
Woman, Showdown, Cant
Get It Out Of My Head, Dont
Bring Me Down, all delivered
by crack musicians from a
stage dressed exactly like ELOs
album sleeves.
Studio versions are more
refined, naturally, but ELO
shows are so rare this was
worth documenting, and
theres definitely no need to
smell the cheese. WW
VIRGIL AND
STEVE HOWE
NEXUS
INSIDEOUT MUSIC
Virgil Howe was best known as drummer
for cult pysch-rock trio Little Barrie the
band behind Better Call Sauls theme
tune but he was also Yes guitarist Steve
Howes son. This sadly posthumous release,
completed just before his September passing,
highlights his multi-instrumental skills, with
his father adding guitars to his instrumental
compositions. The mild prog flavourings
arent always Howe Seniors though on
the title track, and Nicks Star, theres no
mistaking that Yes sound and much of it,
especially Infinite Space, instead feels like
a polished, conventional take on what
Durutti Column were doing in the mid-80s.
His piano playing, too, shines on Leaving
Aurura, while Hidden Planet underlines his
rhythmic skills. RIP. WW
10/11/2017 12:31
 N E W R E L E A S E S

FEVER RAY SAM SMITH

PLUNGE THE THRILL OF IT ALL
RABID RECORDS CAPITOL RECORDS

Still, the abstruse text of But I have seen this all

Karin Dreijer doesnt make
it easy to enjoy her music.
She does, however, ensure
its thought-provoking. Take
the comeback single To The
Moon And Back. It is full of
joyfully bubbling synths and
dominated by a frisky keyboard
melody, yet its video looks like
a grotesquely stylised slasher
movie, and its otherwise
harmlessly flirtatious lyrics
suddenly culminate with, well,
something you wouldnt say
to your mother.
her statement accompanying
the albums announcement
offered lines like: The song is
a prosthesis that extends like a
limb into the gut and pulls out
the half-digested heart, so she
forewarned us. Its there from
the start: on Wanna Sip, she
squeals: I kinda got hooked on
your scent over horror movie
synths. There are further hints
elsewhere on the minimal IDK
About You and the particularly
gothic, Banshees-go-electronic
Red Trails, which opens with
Dreijer declaring Blood was
our favourite paint/ You were
my favourite pain.
This confrontational approach
applies musically, too: her
exotically produced avant-
synthpop belongs next to
Bjrks more recent releases,
with An Itchs whirrs and rattles
especially thrilling, and as
blood-curdling as the albums
disquieting cover. WW
You must think that Im stupid,
Sam Smith sings as his second
album gets underway with Too
Good At Goodbyes, but
I certainly never said that. You
must think that Im a fool, he
adds, and again, I wonder
why hes so defensive. You
must think that Im new to this,
he continues, and I shake my
head, well aware of his hugely
successful debut album,
2014s In The Lonely Hour,
which has sold 24 million
copies worldwide.
before, he concludes, and
at last we have something in
common: Smiths very good at
what he does, but its nothing
new. What he does, of course,
is sing like hes won a TV talent
show. He has got the pipes,
and hes going to keep flushing
them with soulful tales of love
and heartbreak delivered with
the force of a firemans hose.
When he hits the high note
in One Last Song, you can hear
audiences scream. When he
pours his heart out on Burning,
you share his agony, if partially
at the prosaic confession hes
been smoking, oh, more than
20 a day. And when Yebba
joins him for No Peace, you
remember how Bill Medley &
Jennifer Warnes had the time
of their lives.
If only Midnight Train really
was the cover of Radioheads
Creep it first appears. No one
expected that. WW

KELLY CLARKSON BARENAKED LADIES GEORGE MAPLE YELLOW DAYS

MEANING OF LIFE FAKE NUDES LOVER IS EVERYTHING OK
ATLANTIC RECORDS UMC VIRGIN EMI IN YOUR WORLD
GOOD YEARS

Freed after seven (seven!) albums from the
contract she signed following her American
Idol victory 15 (15!) years ago, Nashvilles
Clarkson is finally free to draw upon the
love of soul she sacrificed when she was
reconstructed for pop-rock crossover. Her
comeback starts intriguingly, her voice set
against a tinny R&B groove, but this nostalgic
atmosphere is soon replaced with more
conventional, polished production, though
this does nothing to reduce Clarksons evident
pleasure. The body-positive, celebratory
Whole Lotta Woman pairs her Southern
roots Im a strong, badass chick with little Eurotrash will boost their career. By the
Earth, Wind & Fire, while the title track
showcases more old school R&B (if also,
disappointingly, attitudes). This feels like a
convincing reinvention from an eminently
likeable star. WW
In case youve forgotten where Barenaked
Ladies come from, they stress this with
their 12th albums opener, Canada Dry. Its
production not only recalls Neil Youngs
early-70s releases, but also finds Ed
Robertson mimicking Young. These Ladies
regularly borrow other peoples styles,
however: the playful Invisible Fence, with
vocals by keyboardist Kevin Hearn, could be
They Might Be Giants, and the soothing Flying
Dreams sounds like an 80s Art Garfunkel
tune, in stark comparison to the hyperactive
Lookin Up, which suggests they believe a
begging Free me from the shackles of your
time they finish, with The Township Of King,
theyve been lent an Irish whistle,
so maybe those reminders of their Canuck
roots are necessary after all. Its a clever
title, too. WW
Theres something unsettling in this
hopefully post Harvey Weinstein world George van den Broek is adamant this
about hearing someone (apparently 13-track collection isnt his first album. The
George Maples flatmate) boast how, as a 18-year-old Haslemere-based producer insists
15-year-old, she played with an older its merely a full-length project. Whatever:
man: I said I didnt want him, but I quite this admirable hour of soulful sketches bodes
liked it. Australian Maples debut revolves well, recalling London OConnors underrated
around sex and love, but its politics seem O, as well as King Krules 6 Feet Beneath
underdeveloped. The shuddering Hero, The Moon. His scratchy, gobby vocals are
which lifts from Mylos In My Arms, asks, in as responsible for that as the mischievous
an old-fashioned manner, Do you wanna mix of influences, but there are also subtle
be a hero? Can I lay in your arms? and reminders of Massive Attacks ground-
she plays helpless victim on the title track, breaking Safe From Harm, not least his
sluggish beats and radical approach. So hes
lips. Corsets are torn off, too, on Hold Me stoned as a gourd on A Bag Of Dutch, broken
By The Waist. Still, the albums garage and but defiant on Nothings Going To Keep Me
dance influences pull it into the 21st century, Down, wide-eyed and romantic on I Believe
even if a cover of Jeff Buckleys Everybody In Love, and simply magnificent on Ive Been
Here Wants You is a highlight. WW Thinking Too Hard. Lo-fi pop magic. WW

93

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INXS
KICK
UMC
40 YEARS SINCE THEY FORMED, 20 YEARS SINCE MICHAEL HUTCHENCES DEATH,
COMES THIS 30TH ANNIVERSARY, THREE-DISC DELUXE VERSION OF INXS BEST ALBUM
the defining sounds of the era.
A funked-up slew of dance-pop,
Stones-y rocknroll, horn-driven
soul and 80s R&B.
In a way, it was a culmination
of what Duran Duran were trying
to achieve on 1986s Notorious
(hardly surprisingly, Nile Rodgers
had produced INXS 1984
album The Swing) and the sound
essayed by The Power Station on
their 1985 self-titled debut.
K
Everything about the album
ick was INXS sixth and its sound is brash and
album, and the one that bold, helped not a little by the
established the Aussie production skills of Chris Thomas
rockers on the world (Sex Pistols, The Human League)
stage. With its scything, and the mixing talents of Bob
slashing guitars, big, Clearmountain (Rolling Stones,
bombastic drums and Roxy Music). And now its even
bass, spacey production, brasher and bolder, thanks to
searing sax and Michael the new surround sound mix in
Hutchences cutely Dolby Atmos courtesy of Giles
raunchy sexuality, it was one of Martin at Abbey Road Studios.
94
CP35.reissues.print.indd 94
The new mix appears on a
Blu-ray disc (along with all the
promo videos), an immersive
sound technology... that delivers
the best listening experience on
any device with a new dimension
of clarity, fidelity and space.
The test of any classic album is
the quality of the songcraft and
the way it holds up. Kick sounds
as good blaring out of a pair of
tinny laptop speakers as it does
through a pair of Backes & Mller
BM 100s.
Guns In The Sky is almost
dub-like in its spaciousness,
the two-note riff providing the
basis for Hutchences Jagger-
like exultations. New Sensation
introduces that INXS rhythmic
rock sound and was one of five
singles on the album.
The other tracks lifted off for
single release were the sultry
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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7
CLASSIC
Getty Images
BEST REISSUE
Devil Inside, the seminal funk
strut of Need You Tonight, Never
Tear Us Apart with its stunning
pizzicato string arrangement, and
Mystify, another catchy number
which posited Hutchence as the
Aussie Elvis, and inarguably their
biggest mainstream rocker. Hard
to believe that this swaggering,
planet-bestriding narcissus
was barely a decade from an
ignominious death.
Four of those five singles
became Top 10 US hits. As for
the album, it had reportedly sold
20 million copies worldwide
by 2012. Every song here was
built for stadiums, designed to
be shared by tens of thousands
under a night sky. And now
with two CDs of extras (demos,
remixes, extended edits) and that
revelatory new Atmos mix, more
is... more. Paul Lester
09/11/2017 10:02

SEX PISTOLS
NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS
UMC
40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION OF ARGUABLY THE MOST NOTORIOUS
ALBUM EVER MADE, NOW WITH A HOST OF MUSICAL AND VISUAL EXTRAS
T
here have been numerous
reissues of the Sex Pistols
seismic in terms of
impact if not quality
debut album, but this is
about as comprehensive
as were likely to get. Its
a revisit of the out-of-print,
limited-edition super
deluxe version of the
long-player from 2012. It includes
CP35.reissues.print.indd 95
three CDs the studio album plus
a disc of rarities and B-sides, and
one disc of live material as well
as a DVD and 48-page hardback
book with rare photos.
Originally released in October
1977, Bollocks, featuring all
four (albeit epochal) singles,
was another conventional album
when the world was expecting
insurrection and change. It was
more of a punk epitaph than a
radical statement of intent: within
months, the likes of Public Image
Limited (PiL), Hong Kong Garden
(Siouxsie And The Banshees) and
Shot By Both Sides (Magazine)
would be signalling the advent of
the next stage in rocks dialectic.
Today, Bollocks In The UK, Pretty Vacant, God
agglomeration of riffs and Chris
Thomas bright, bold production
sound like simple fare compared
to predecessors the New York
Dolls eponymous first foray and
The Stooges Raw Power.
This was basic three-chord rock
with Johnny Rottens immortal
whine on top. It sounds dated,
especially next to other 1977
developments, from Bowie in
Berlin to Summer/Moroder and
Kraftwerk. Still, it remains a
perfect artefact of its age, and of
the social and political conditions
that spawned it.
Holidays In The Suns marching
jackboots, bovver-boy chanting
and new Belsen lyric still have Holidays are most invaluable,
the power to provoke. But the
shock of Bodies lies in how
conservative its seemingly pro-life
message is. The singles (Anarchy
Save The Queen, Holidays In The
Sun) are the standouts.
Elsewhere, its weird having
deep cuts Problems, Liar, stuck quite rigidly to it. PL
R E I S S U E S
Getty Images
Getty Images
New York on what is ostensibly
one of the best-known albums
ever made. No Feelings captures
punks anti-emotion credo but
musically it merely reiterates the
singles while Liar exposes Rottens
narrow range of verbal tricks.
Seventeen (Im a lazy sod)
offers a 2D misrepresentation of
punk it was about action, not
inertia and EMI would have
been the obvious fifth single.
Of the extras, the promo videos
for Vacant, Queen and
showing Rotten in all his hunched,
Dickensian urchin glory, Cook/
Jones the Carry On miscreants,
and Sid the human time-bomb.
The album would have made
a stupendous EP, but that would
have meant ripping up the
rulebook, whereas Bollocks
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10/11/2017 11:20
 THROBBING GRISTLE
SECOND ANNUAL
REPORT/20 JAZZ
F U N K G R E AT S
UMC
Punk, depending on your view
of these things, was born or
reached its peak in 1977. Less
reported is how that year also
saw the dawn of industrial
music, with the release of
The Second Annual Report,
by those notorious wreckers
of civilisation, Throbbing
Gristle. Now a double CD, it
remains a disturbing mess of
mesmeric mantras and atonal
THE JAMES
TAYLOR QUARTET
QUICKFIRE: THE AUDIO
NETWORK SESSIONS
CHERRY RED
Quickfire: The Audio Network
Sessions is the overarching
name of the two albums
House Of Funk Parts 1 & 2
recorded live in James Taylors
home studio in Kent in 2015 by
the feted jazz-funk troupe, for
the independent library music
company Audio Network.
Following on from Taylors
2015 Cherry Red release
The Rochester Mass, these
recordings, produced by Taylor
96
CP35.reissues.print.indd 96
interference, with titles such as
Slug Bait and Maggot Death.
Their third studio album, 20
Jazz Funk Greats (1979), finds
the transgressive ensemble
in dislocating form, offering
a subversive type of proto-
electronic subterfuge. Among
the menacing drones (Beachy
Head), sickly death rattles (Six
Six Sixties) and selected illbient
works (Exotica and Tanith),
are signs, especially on the
almost indecently decorous Hot
On The Heels Of Love, that
Throbbing Gristle could have
fashioned a synthpop hit had
they so desired. Also being
released is The Taste Of TG: A
Beginners Guide To The Music
Of Throbbing Gristle, to be
followed in January and April
2018 by further examples of
Xxxxxx
TGs fascinating oeuvre or
rather, eurgh-voila! PL
himself, are now available on
CD for the first time. Part of
the small canon of JTQ library
music albums alongside
2000s Swinging London,
2004s The Hustle and
2007s The Cinema Sessions
Quickfire are troves of
Hammond swirls, trumpet and
flugelhorn parps, sax blasts,
guitar filigree, jazzy percussion
and quirky bass creativity.
Naturally, Taylors
keyboards and vibes dominate
on self-penned numbers
such as Whiskey Attitude,
Rubbernecking and Hot Gelato.
Nail It is music for 70s
American cop shows, designed
for detectives in casual
cardigans to jump over the
bonnets of Cadillacs.
Jerk Stuff is, as are many of
the tracks here are, funk-pop
soundtrack music for movies yet
to be made. PL
ELTON JOHN
DIAMONDS
UMC
Released to coincide with
the 50th anniversary of his
songwriting partnership with
Bernie Taupin, this isnt the
first Elton John greatest hits
collection, nor, doubtless, will it
be the last. But it is one of the
more varied ones, coming as it
does in multi-form guises.
Its available as a two-CD
set, a triple-CD limited edition
box set and a two-LP gatefold
vinyl package.
The three-CD deluxe iteration
contains 51 tracks and a
bonus CD personally curated
by Elton, with a 72-page
RAY PARKER JR
AND RAYDIO
FOR THOSE WHO
LIKE TO GROOVE
CHERRY RED
Ray Parker Jr is an unsung
hero of 70s and 80s pop
and R&B. He first emerged
as a songwriter for Marvin
Gaye, Barry White and Rufus
& Chaka Khan and session
guitarist for The Detroit Spinners
and Stevie Wonder (on the
seminal Talking Book), before
creating Raydio in 1977 as
a vehicle for his songs. And
what songs they were: smoothly
melodic and richly textured,
hardcover book featuring words
by John and Taupin and track-
by-track notes on each song. You
also get a series of postcards in
a card wallet.
The 17-track CD1 starts in
1970 with Your Song and ends
in 1980 with Little Jeannie;
in between are all the 70s
highlights you could want. CD2
lingers in the 80s and 90s but
brings things up to date with
Electricity and Looking Up, and
also includes, for the first time on
an Elton hits collection, his duet
with George Michael, Dont Let
The Sun Go Down On Me. PL
sung in his distinctive voice
he was the mature craftsman to
Prince and Michael Jacksons
wunderkinder. Jack And Jill,
Is This A Love Thing and You
Cant Change That introduced
Raydios gentle funk-pop sound.
A name-change to Ray Parker
Jr With Raydio led to further
hits with Two Places At The
Same Time, For Those Who
Like To Groove and A Woman
Needs Love (Just Like You Do)
before he went solo. You may
have heard of his biggest hit:
the theme song for the movie
Ghostbusters, which became
a worldwide smash in 1984.
There were further chart
entries with Jamie, Girls Are
More Fun and I Dont Think
That Man Should Sleep Alone.
Hopefully, this 35-track set,
featuring an in-depth interview
with Parker Jr, will earn him the
respect that he deserves. PL
09/11/2017 10:02

RICHARD HELL
AND THE VOIDOIDS
B L A N K G E N E R AT I O N
RHINO
There were some great albums
coming out of New York in
1977, such as Televisions
Marquee Moon, Ramones
Leave Home, Suicides debut
and Talking Heads 77 so
many, in fact, that its often
easy to overlook the brilliant
first foray by Richard Hell, the
man who arguably invented
the torn-shirt/chopped spiky
hair punk look. And with the
song Blank Generation he
penned an anthem every bit
THE DURUTTI COLUMN
THE GUITAR AND
OTHER MACHINES
FACTORY BENELUX
This is an expanded three-disc deluxe edition
of the sixth studio album by Vini Reillys
The Durutti Column, originally released in
1987. It was born out of a gift from former
Factory Records boss Tony Wilson to the
underrated, terminally experimental Manc
guitarist a load of electronic instruments
and equipment. Reilly admits he resisted, at
first, any move towards electronics, but he
found their arrival liberating. The Guitar And
Other Machines was produced by Smiths/
Morrissey knob-twiddler Stephen Street and
restores to this version all three bonus tracks
from the original CD, written and recorded
with Jez Kerr and Simon Topping of avant-
funk pioneers A Certain Ratio. It also includes
a wealth of associated recordings and an
in-concert recording taped in New York. PL
CP35.reissues.print.indd 97
as evocative and provocative
as Pretty Vacant, even if it did
mean almost the exact opposite
of the Sex Pistols track. His
band The Voidoids were also
far removed from many of the
UK punks in that they could
play their instruments, and
well that is to say, with jazzy
fluidity and heaps of no wave
skronky attitude. You can barely
move for snotty classics here:
the title track, Love Comes In
Spurts, Liars Beware Theres
even a ballad, Betrayal Takes
Two, which posits Hell as the
new wave Sinatra he actually
covers Franks All The Way
here. Other additions to this
remastered, limited-edition
reissue with a new sleevenote
written by Hell include
a slew of rarities and previously
unreleased alternate takes
recorded during the bands
initial sessions at Electric
Lady Studios. PL
WHITESNAKE
1987
PARLOPHONE
Classic Pop readers will doubtless have
been listening to Wet Wet Wet, Prince
and New Order in 1987, but it was a key
year for classic rock, too, with releases by
Guns NRoses (Appetite For Destruction),
Def Leppard (Hysteria) and this one by
Whitesnake. This is a suitably big, four-CD
super deluxe edition of the big-hair
landmark. You now get the original album
with newly remastered sound, unreleased live
and studio recordings, music videos, concert
footage, a 30-minute documentary featuring
a new interview with frontman David
Coverdale and a 60-page hardbound book.
And once youve absorbed that little lot, you
can bang your head to the multi-million-
selling music, including the hits Still Of The
Night, Give Me All Your Love, Is This Love and
the No.1 hit Here I Go Again. PL
MAXAYN
RELOADED: THE COMPLETE
RECORDINGS 1972-1974
SOULMUSIC
If you like early-70s psych-funk, youll love
Maxayn. Theyre the four-piece formed by
Maxayn Lewis, who long-term soul fans will
know from her days as part of The Ikettes
on a Tina Turner world tour and her backing
vocal work. But it is the three albums for
Capricorn Records that she made, with
her husband, as Maxayn, that merit most
attention, especially as they have never
been issued on CD. Reloaded reproduces the
original albums, from music (both originals
and covers of The Rolling Stones Gimme
Shelter and You Cant Always Get What You
Want as well as Curtis Mayfields Check
Out Your Mind) to artwork, and includes a
booklet boasting a 5,000-word sleevenote
and numerous rare photographs. PL
RUBY TURNER
LIVIN A LIFE OF LOVE
THE JIVE ANTHOLOGY
1986-1991
SOULMUSIC
Livin A Life Of Love... is a retrospective of
the work of soul singer Ruby Turner and her
tenure with the Jive label. There are tracks
on this 2CD set from her 1986 debut LP,
Women Hold Up Half The Sky, including her
Billy Ocean-produced duet with Jonathan
Butler on a cover of The Staple Singers 1973
hit, If Youre Ready (Come Go With Me). That
album gave Turner three further UK chart
entries, notably In My Life (Its Better To Be
In Love). There are six tracks from her 1988
album The Motown Songbook along with
seven from 1989s Paradise, including US
No.1 R&B hit, Its Gonna Be Alright. Finally,
you get six numbers from Turners final
Jive LP, The Other Side, with production by
Womack & Womack among others. PL
R E I S S U E S
MATT BIANCO
MATT BIANCO
CHERRY POP
This is the first expanded, remastered version
of the self-titled second album, from 1986,
by the London jazz-pop outfit born out of
the ashes of the seminal Blue Rondo A La
Turk. New jazz peers of Sade, Working Week,
Carmel and Swing Out Sister, Matt Bianco
brought a Latin tinge to the UK pop charts
with the likes of Get Out Of Your Lazy Bed,
Half A Minute and Yeh Yeh, the latter a cover
of Georgie Fames mid-60s jazz hit, featured
here. Matt Bianco reached No.26 in the UK
and there were three singles lifted from the
album including Yeh Yeh, Just Cant Stand It
and Dancing In The Street. Additions to this
reissue include 21 bonus recordings (singles,
B-sides, remixes, and alternate versions),
13 appearing on CD for the first time. PL
PHYLLIS HYMAN
DELIVER THE LOVE:
THE ANTHOLOGY
SOULMUSIC
This is a fine double-disc testament to the
Pittsburgh soul, funk, disco and R&B star
and actress who took her own life in
1995. It focuses on her releases on Buddah
and Arista, and includes her charting hits
from the late-70s and early-to-mid-80s such
as You Know How To Love Me, Somewhere
In My Lifetime and Thom Bells Betcha By
Golly Wow. It also contains many of her
guest appearances with the likes of Norman
Connors, Grover Washington Jr., Pharaoh
Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Barry Manilow, who
produced her and later dueted with her.
There is also a version of In A Sentimental
Mood, from the Broadway musical
Sophisticated Ladies, based on the music of
Duke Ellington, which earned Hyman a Tony
nomination in 1981. PL
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10/11/2017 11:30
 Getty Images
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7

CLASSIC

BEST COMPILATION

VA R I O U S A R T I S T S
T H E H I T FA C T O R Y
U LT I M AT E C O L L E C T I O N
UNION SQUARE

KYLIE, ASTLEY, DONOVAN, THE NANAS, ETC... STOCK AITKEN & WATERMAN ONCE
DOMINATED THE CHARTS, NOW YOU CAN RELIVE THE HIT FACTORYS GLORY YEARS

T
he subtitle of this 3CD Today, on the back of propelled Dead Or Alives
digipack,50 Classic Astleys and Bananaramas You Spin Me Round (Like A
Hits From A Golden feted returns, and with Kylie Record), Bananaramas Venus,
Age Of Pop, is open now granted national treasure Mel & Kims Respectable,
for debate, especially status, they are praised for that Kylies Better The Devil You
the golden age very Hit Factory approach. Know, Brother Beyonds The
part. But ultimately it Pete Waterman has Harder I Try and Princess Say
all depends on your described SAW as the ultimate Im Your Number One into the
view of the heyday of outsiders punks, in his history books.
Messrs Stock Aitken & words and the half-a-billion- Perfect for your Christmas/
Waterman. In their commercial selling PWL as the most New Years parties, you could
pomp and there are 31 of successful indie label of all simply pop disc one on repeat
their 100 Top 40 hits and time who operated outside all night long... perhaps
Top 5 entries here they were the major labels. There is little choosing to skip Sam Foxs
lambasted for their production denying the sheer irrepressible Nothings Gonna Stop Me
line approach to pop. melodic momentum that Now if you wish. PL

98

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VARIOUS ARTISTS
T W E LV E I N C H N I N E T I E S
DEMON
There are five 3CD digipacks
in this Twelve Inch Nineties
mini-series, each with its own
subtitle: Insomnia, Loaded, Feel
Good, Feels Like Heaven and
Moving On Up. Intrigued? Then
please allow us to elucidate.
Insomnia features 33 12 mixes
from either dance artists or
artists rendered dancey by a
remixer. So theres the Monster
Mix of Faithless Insomnia, the
Terry Farley Extended Mix of
Primal Screams Come Together,
the Lionrock Remix of Manic
VARIOUS ARTISTS
CAN YOU FEEL THE
FORCE? THE JOHN
LUONGO DISCO MIXES
GROOVELINE
One of the pre-eminent disco/
electro DJs and mixers, John
Luongo was a mainstay of the
late-70s and early-80s club
scene along with the likes of
Larry Levan, Tom Moulton,
Francois Kevorkian, Madonna
collaborators Shep Pettibone
and Jellybean Benitez.
This 2CD package contains
some of his finest productions,
mainly 12-inch disco edits
(which is to say, extensions),
CP35.reissues.print.indd 99
C O M P I L A T I O N S
Getty Images
Street Preachers Australia and
the Extended 12 of Belinda
Carlisles I Plead Insanity.
The Loaded 3CD-er covers
similar terrain, although clearly
from the title one is supposed
to discern a laddish night-on-
the-lash quality from: Candy
Flips Strawberry Fields Forever,
Leftfield/Afrika Bambaataas
Afrika Shox, the Richie Jones
Club Mix of Celine Dions
Misled... Celine Dion, laddish?
Moving On Up is very
suburban-nightclub (M Peoples
Moving On Up, Whitney
Houstons Im Your Baby
Tonight, Steps Last Thing On
My Mind).
Feel Good keeps things
bright and bouncy, with
funked-up pop from TLC, Gloria
Estefan, Five and A1. And Feels
Like Heaven despite being
the title of a 1984 hit by Fiction
Factory is full of 90s boy
bands and disco/house/pop
divas. Curious. PL
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including The Jacksons Shake
Your Body (Down To The
Ground) and Blame It On
The Boogie, Dan Hartman
featuring Loretta Holloways
Vertigo/Relight My Fire, The
Real Things Can You Feel The
Force? and Jackie Moores This
Time Baby, all high-charting
dancefloor hits at the time.
The accompanying 24-page
booklet features a brand new
interview with the disco-mix
legend, with a track-by-track
commentary, contributions
from some of the artists whose
music he transformed, as well
as an analysis of his distinctive
rhythmic, percussive style and
focus on the vocalist as the star
of the record, an approach that
apparently proved influential
on a certain Quincy Jones just
ahead of his production of
Michael Jacksons Dont Stop
Till You Get Enough. PL
99
09/11/2017 10:03

R E I S S U E S
A N D B E Y O N D
FROM COVER STARS TEARS FOR FEARS
LATEST COMPILATION RULE THE WORLD
TO THE DELUXE EDITION OF GEORGE
MICHAELS CLASSIC LISTEN WITHOUT
PREJUDICE VOL.1, WE CHECK OUT
SOME NEW ARRIVALS ON THE
VINYL BLOCK...
P A U L
A CERTAIN RATIO
TO EACH
You will, of course, have read all
about the Mancunian punk funksters
in the previous issue of Classic Pop, when
their debut 1979 cassette, The Graveyard
And The Ballroom, originally released by
Factory Records and now reissued by Mute,
was afforded the highly coveted Reissue of
the Month slot. Well, that debut is now
available on limited edition 500-copy vinyl,
as is their 1981 follow-up, To Each, on red
vinyl, and 1986 release Force on yellow
vinyl. Continuing the ACR reissue
programme, February 2018 will see the band
putting out Id Like To See You Again (1982),
Good Together (1989), and acr:mcr (1990)
on vinyl, followed by a new compilation and
rarities boxset in April. Hopefully, the brilliant
Sextet (1982) will also be reissued down the
line, along with 1992s Up In Downsville and
1997s Change The Station.
100
CP35.LLV.print.indd 100
L E S T E R
MADNESS FULL
HOUSE: THE VERY
BEST OF MADNESS
This isnt the first Madness
compilation by any stretch indeed,
Classic Pop remembers their first ever
compilation, 1982s Complete Madness, being
described in the NME by Paul Morley as: one
of the least boring albums ever made. We
think he meant it as a compliment. How could
he not? Full House, like its comp-album
predecessor(s), is a 42-song affair featuring
all their hits as well as some of the bands
favourite album tracks, up to and including
choices from last years Cant Touch Us Now.
Starting with 1979s The Prince and ending
with 2017s Another Version Of Me, its all
been arranged chronologically. As well as
a 2CD set, its being made available as a
special 4LP vinyl package with a special
pop-up gatefold sleeve, along with printed
inner bags.
TEARS FOR FEARS
RULE THE WORLD
This 2LP set for Tears For Fears Rule
The World includes their first new
recordings in 13 years: Stay and I Love You
But Im Lost (co-written with Dan Smith from
Bastille). Elsewhere, its hits all the way,
starting with the actually, Classic Pop was
going to say: early, funny ones, but that
doesnt quite suit Mad World and Pale
Shelter, which resulted from the pairs
experiments with primal scream therapy.
Rule The World proceeds with Everybody
Wants To Rule The World and Shout, which
were essentially principal songwriter Orzabal
getting happy, the Seeds Of Love singles
(Sowing The Seeds Of Love, Advice For The
Young At Heart, Woman In Chains), and
beyond. With more than 30 million albums
sold and a new album, tentatively titled The
Tipping Point on its way, Curt Smith and
Roland Orzabal are as relevant today as ever.
SAINT ETIENNE
CONTINENTAL
You can tell a great band from the
quality of their B-sides. Saint
Etiennes off-cuts are often better than their
official, widely available stuff. For evidence,
look no further than Continental, which was
released in Japan only in 1997. It was then
made available on CD outside of Japan in
2009 but hasnt been reissued since. There
are well-known songs here, such as the hit
single Hes On The Phone, but many of the
other tracks here were from their wilderness
years, between 1994s Tiger Bay and 1998s
Good Humor, when the band members
worked on separate projects, issued
occasional singles and oddities such as the
ones assembled here. Some of them are
curios, such as their cover of the Paul
Gardiner/Gary Numan song Stormtrooper In
Drag. Others, notably Burnt Out Car
(Balearico Mix), are classics.
GEORGE MICHAEL
LISTEN WITHOUT
PREJUDICE VOL.1
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was
reissued in October 2017 as Listen
Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged. The 2CD
version included the original remastered
album from 1990 on the first disc, and the
MTV Unplugged concert recorded in 1996 on
the second disc. The MTV Unplugged CD also
featured the 2017 version of Fantasy,
reworked by Nile Rodgers and released as a
single in September 2017, when it stalled at
No.85, somewhat mystifyingly. The Deluxe
Edition includes two more discs: a CD with
B-sides, remixes and rarities, and a DVD with
a documentary and music videos. The vinyl
version has no edits, remixes or DVD, just the
music, ranging from the funky (Freedom 90,
Soul Free) to the funereal (Praying For Time,
and a cover of Stevie Wonders They Wont
Go When I Go).
THE CARPENTERS
THE VINYL COLLECTION
A&M/UMe are releasing The Vinyl
Collection next month: a 12LP vinyl
boxset celebrating the recordings of the
Carpenters, from 1969s Ticket To Ride to
1983s Voice Of The Heart, released just after
Karens death 1989s Lovelines, largely
comprising songs from their TV specials, is
also included, as is their compilation The
Singles 1969-1973 (as a measure of just how
massive the duo were at the time, the latter
was the UKs biggest-selling album of 1974.
The albums are pressed on 180g vinyl and
the original packaging and related artwork
have apparently been painstakingly
restored. This music including some of the
most beautiful songs ever committed to vinyl,
such as Superstar, Rainy Days And Mondays,
Weve Only Just Begun, Hurting Each Other,
For All We Know and Yesterday Once More
more than merits it.
10/11/2017 15:52
 L O N G L I V E V I N Y L

CULTURE CLUB LIVE AT WEMBLEY

We have been assured by boygeorgeuk.com that a vinyl version is
coming of the new 3CD set, issued by US label Cleopatra (and Wienerworld in
the UK), commemorating Culture Clubs 2016 performance at the SSE Arena (Wembley Arena, in old
money). Fans have shown concern regarding the availability of the vinyl edition. Both vinyl editions WILL be
available in the UK, distributed by RSK Entertainment, and also will be available on both Amazon UK and US nearer the release
date (8 December), so no need for UK/Europe fans to pay steep US postage charges! the website said recently, so now you know. It will be
a 2LP vinyl release, although presumably it wont include the special features you get with the CD such as exclusive interviews with the band
members, unless theyve found a new way to store visual information on vinyl (or they offer a download code with it). But you will get
George, Roy, Mikey and Jon, backed by a horn section and soul chanteuses, covering all the hits (Karma Chameleon, Black Money, Its A
Miracle, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, Ill Tumble 4 Ya, Church Of The Poison Mind), plus an encore of T Rexs Get It On.

SZA CTRL
CTRL is the 2017 debut album proper
from the artist known by her family
and friends as Solna Rowe, and its now
available on black vinyl. This writer asserted
SZAs centrality in a 2013 article for The
Guardian on the new wave of avant-R&B
female musicians that also featured Kelela
and Jessy Lanza. Its pleasing, therefore, to
report that SZA has been receiving
considerable acclaim for CTRL, not to mention
a gold certification in the US. Its a great
album, a step on from her self-released
mixtapes See.SZA.Run (2012) and S (2013),
and 2014s album-length EP Z. Its lyrically
raw and honest (Let me tell you a secret,
the 26-year-old begins album opener
Supermodel: I been secretly banging your
homeboy. Why you in Vegas all up on
Valentines Day? Why am I so easy to forget
like that?). Musically, its adventurous and
by turns angular and lush.
SISTER SLEDGE LOVE
SOMEBODY TODAY
Basically, if you like Chic, and collect
everything they ever did and you
should, because they were disco auteurs and
Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards used each
production job as an opportunity to flex their
creative muscles then you need Love
Somebody Today. Released in 1980, it was
the Sisters second LP collaboration with The
Chic Organization, after 1979s We Are
Family, which featured Lost In Music, Hes
The Greatest Dancer, Thinking Of You and the
title track a veritable greatest hits in all but
name. Love Somebody Today wasnt quite as
hit-laden but it was in many ways the better
album, with even more of a crushed,
heartbroken, rapturously sad ambience than
its predecessor, and even more of Rodgers
and Edwards strange arrangements and
disconcerting chord progressions on You
Fooled Around, Pretty Baby and How To Love.
RANDY CALIFORNIA
KAPT. KOPTER AND
THE (FABULOUS)
TWIRLY BIRDS
Spirit were the West Coast band
for people who wanted something
a little more obscure, esoteric and
wide-ranging than The Doors and The
Grateful Dead. They were the late-60s
psych-rock-jazz band who, arguably, did their
best work in the mid- to late-70s. As for
Randy California, he was Spirits teen prodigy
of a frontman up to and including their
acclaimed 1970 album, The 12 Dreams Of Dr
Sardonicus. By 1972, he was effectively a
washed-up 21-year-old, but he pulled himself
together just enough to record this solo set of
spaced-out covers (Day Tripper, Rain, Mother
And Child Reunion) and zonked-out originals
such as Downer and Devil, whose titles alone
offer sizeable clues as to Californias mental
state at the time.
BILLY IDOL REBEL YELL
Rebel Yell was the second studio
album by the former Generation X
sneer on a stick, originally released in 1983
and the follow-up to the self-titled 1982
debut. With MTV just born to capture that
blond Elvis mug and four singles designed for
maximum exposure the electrifying Rebel
Yell and Eyes Without A Face, which proved
Idol could do wistful, as well as Simple
Minds-alike Flesh For Fantasy and Catch My
Fall Rebel Yell couldnt fail. And it didnt:
just ask the two million punters who bought
it across the US and made Idol the one
punk-era star to enjoy anything like
widespread mainstream success in the States.
Sure, The Clash had cachet, and Lydon did
okay touring with PiL, but no other veterans
of The Roxy managed to make the transition
from London sleaze-hole to Stateside
enormodomes like Stanmores own William
Michael Albert Broad.

101

CP35.LLV.print.indd 101 10/11/2017 15:52

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 THE JACKSONS AND
FRED BRONSON
THE JACKSONS: LEGACY
THAMES & HUDSON
The Jacksons are wrapping
up their 50th anniversary
celebrations with this stunning
retrospective tome that traces their
career from the little-known, pre-
Motown single Big Boy, through
their extraordinary success
as pioneering teen idols, The
Jackson 5, before maturing into
The Jacksons and suffering the
departure, rise to global icon and
later, death of Michael.
Though the Jacksons rags-
to-riches story has been told
TERRY BURROWS WITH STEPHEN DAVIS
DANIEL MILLER GOLD DUST WOMAN:
MUTE: A VISUAL DOCUMENT A BIOGRAPHY OF
STEVIE NICKS
THAMES & HUDSON
Undoubtedly one of the most
important record labels of all
time independent or otherwise
Mute Records history is laid
out in this 320-page exhaustive
retrospective of some of the most
inspiring and innovative pop art
and design of the last 40 years.
From the labels foundation by
art school graduate Daniel Miller
to release his debut single The
Normals Warm Leatherette in
1978, Mute: A Visual Document
delves deep into its archives and
includes the sleeves of every
104
CP35.Reviews Books.print.indd 104
countless times, The Jacksons:
Legacy is the first time it has
been delivered from their own
perspectives with Jackie,
Marlon, Tito, Jermaine and Randy
each giving their side of the story,
lending it an authenticity and
intimacy which has been missing
from previous accounts. While
not shying away from tragedies
and tough times, the book is
ultimately a celebration.
As fascinating as their story
is, the lavishly illustrated books
major strength is the images
featured many never seen
before. Culled from the familys
personal photo albums as
well as five decades worth
of professional portraits, rare
performance shots, backstage
access, magazine covers and
memorabilia, the book is a
treasure trove of captivating
memories. The Jacksons: Legacy
is a perfect tribute.
Mark Lindores
record Mute has released, laying
out entire artist discographies, not
only in their instantly recognisable
form, but also revealing
previously unseen artwork
mock-ups, sketches, alternative
views, press ads, video stills and
storyboards as well as studio
equipment photographs.
As well as Mutes most
successful exports Depeche
Mode, Erasure, Nick Cave & The
Bad Seeds, Goldfrapp, Moby,
Yazoo and New Order, the book
dedicates similar space to lesser-
known artists to provide a concise
view of the label.
As a label that is known for
its groundbreaking aesthetic
almost as much as its audio
output, perhaps one of the
greatest aspects of Mute: A
Visual Document is the fact that
it highlights the unsung heroes
the artists, designers and
photographers whose talent is
often overlooked, and places
them firmly in the spotlight. ML
DYLAN JONES
D AV I D B O W I E : A L I F E
PREFACE PUBLISHING
As the anniversary of David
Bowies death looms, its hard to
imagine that there is anything left
to be said about him that hasnt
already appeared in the countless
books, films, documentaries and
newspaper features that have
surfaced since his passing.
However, by personally
conducting more than 180 new
interviews with subjects ranging
from Bowies nearest and dearest
to one-off collaborators, Dylan
Jones has formulated what is
arguably the most complete
ST MARTINS PRESS
While Stevie Nicks has teased
the idea of penning her
autobiography countless times
over the years but has yet to
commit (her current stance that
she wont write one on account
that she doesnt want to hurt the
people close to her), means that
fans will have to make do with yet
another unauthorised book.
Naturally, a tome with Stevie
as a subject is always going
to be an interesting read, and
portrait of the iconic star yet in
his engrossing book.
Eschewing the traditional
biography format, Jones 500+
page oral history is the perfect
means to cover all bases of the
multi-faceted stars life both
public and private. Although the
tales of debauched and unbridled
hedonism are here in abundance,
they are perfectly in context and
this is far from salacious.
A long-time unabashed
Bowie acolyte, Jones resists the
opportunity to fawn over his
subject, offering a balanced
view of the singers life, from
his childhood, his rise to pop
superstardom and reclusive
retreat from the spotlight to work
sporadically while raising his
daughter and untimely death.
Although there is no doubt
that the oversaturated Bowie
book market has seen a case
of quantity of quality since his
death, as a final word, this is a
wonderful epilogue. ML
Davis attention to detail and
analysis of her career, childhood,
relationships, drug problems and
influence on younger artists, as
well as delving deeper into the
dynamics of Fleetwood Mac,
makes this a much more fulfilling
read than previous biographies.
The fact that most of the
quotes are taken from previously
published interviews with Stevie,
band members and hangers-on
can make this feel over-familiar
and maintain a distance between
reader and subject.
For casual fans, Gold Dust
Woman: A Biography of Stevie
Nicks is a great introduction to
the woman and her work, but
those more ardent followers
may be frustrated at the lack
of something new and are
advised to wait, if not for a
Nicks autobiography, then at
least a book more worthy of its
fascinating subject. ML
10/11/2017 11:55
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Thursday 1st February Sunday 18th February
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SAT 14 APR HULL UNIVERSITY
SUN 15 APR WREXHAM WILLIAM ASTON HALL
TUE 17 APR BRISTOL MARBLE FACTORY
FRI 20 APR LONDON ULU
SAT 21 APR SHEFFIELD FOUNDRY
SUN 22 APR MANCHESTER ACADEMY2
TUE 24 APR PRESTON CHARTER THEATRE
WED 25 APR SALISBURY CITY HALL
FRI 27 APR OXFORD O2 ACADEMY
SUN 29 APR ISLE OF MAN GAIETY THEATRE
FRI 4 MAY WAKEFIELD WAREHOUSE 23
SAT 5 MAY GLASGOW O2 ABC
TUE 8 MAY DUDLEY TOWN HALL
WED 9 MAY CAMBRIDGE CORN EXCHANGE ON TOUR TOGETHER MAY 2018
FRI 11 MAY MARGATE WINTER GARDENS
FRI 18 WREXHAM WILLIAM ASTON HALL
SAT 12 MAY IPSWICH REGENT
SAT 19 PRESTON LIVE
SUN 13 MAY SOUTHEND CLIFFS PAVILLION
SUN 20 TELFORD OAKENGATES THEATRE
WED 16 MAY NORWICH WATERFRONT
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OMD
COLSTON HALL, BRISTOL
30 OCTOBER
ELECTRONIC PIONEERS OMD ROMP THROUGH A CAREER-SPANNING SET, THOUGH
FRONTMAN ANDY MCCLUSKEY HAS TO REIN IN THE INFAMOUS DANCE MOVES
C
olston Hall is changing
its name in 2020 after
a refurb because of its
association with Edward
Colston, a 17th Century
slave trader. This fact
didnt go unnoticed
during my interview
with the bands Andy
McCluskey for Classic
Pop who, when I said Id be
covering this particular gig,
noted Penny Lane in Liverpools
questionable links.
Thankfully, one thing that
has already changed at the
legendary Bristol venue are its
acoustics dire during the early
years that I used to frequent it,
but now absolutely bang on,
and so are OMD...
Well, almost. After the
opening song, Ghost Star,
McCluskey admits to having
CP35.Live_Reviews.print.indd 109
a knee injury from playing in
Liverpool the previous night,
so his infamous dancing will
be reduced somewhat, but
he encourages the crowd to
redress the balance for him and
they duly oblige.
And what a crowd. There
is literally everyone here of all
ages including an elderly lady
dancing in front of me (and
blocking my view as it goes I
didnt like to ask), and another
who throws herself completely
into every massive OMD song,
yet appears to fall asleep
during the slower ones.
Not that there is much on a
low octane level. This band has
a rich, varied and huge back
catalogue and only after seeing
them romp through 21 tracks
do you realise how bloody
good they were, and still are.
The newer tracks from latest
LP The Punishment Of Luxury
stand up very well next to the
old stuff big, searing, melodic
chorus after big, searing,
melodic chorus and between
songs theres some excellent
banter between McCluskey and
co-founder Paul Humphreys.
At one point, all four of the
band line up to play Of All the
Things Weve Made Kraftwerk
style, which is almost as
moving as the hat-trick of
Souvenir, Joan Of Arc and
Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans),
tracks that really must be sung
back to back.
The latter builds to a superb
strobe-lit crescendo just as it
did when I saw the band
decades ago, and its as
effective now as it was then
(when I nearly exploded).
L I V E & E V E N T S
Getty Images
Getty Images
But Andy is saving his knee
and the proper dancing until
last and its punch after punch
of melody and beats So In
Love, Locomotion (never used
to like it, but great live), The
Punishment Of Luxurys title
track, Sailing on the Seven Seas
and, finally, Enola Gay.
The band encore for three
more Walking On The Milky
Way, the excellent Secret
and, returning to their first-ever
release, the sparky Electricity.
Their new album may be
about how rabid consumerism
is making so much of the
objects that surround us in
our everyday life instantly
redundant, but with
performances as vital as this,
OMD are doing a fine job of
future-proofing themselves.
Andy Jones
109
10/11/2017 11:58

MIDGE URE, THE CHRISTIANS
& ALTERED IMAGES
T H E P L AY H O U S E , E D I N B U R G H
22 OCTOBER
CLARE GROGAN PROVES SHE CAN STILL SET PULSES RACING WHILE THE CHRISTIANS
AND MIDGE URE MAKE THE SOUNDS OF YESTERYEAR CURRENT AGAIN
C
lare Grogan certainly
brings a sense of
occasion while tottering
onstage in killer silver
heels and launching
into I Could Be Happy
followed by Dont Talk
To Me About Love.
Were only two songs
into the first of three
tightly packed sets and most of
the audience are on their feet.
The star of cult Scottish
movie Gregorys Girl admits
that some of her enthusiastic
energy has been bolstered after
some drinks and a group of
girls show solidarity by raising
a glass. See Those Eyes is
another swirling joy of hooky
synths and jangling guitars.
Dont Give Up Girl suggests
more grown-up problems but to
110
CP35.Live_Reviews.print.indd 110
look at Grogan fronting Altered
Images, you wouldnt know it
as she pouts, points and struts
during Happy Birthday.
Its 30 years since The
Christians released their self-
titled debut and they open with
the evocative Forgotten Town.
Although written about the
Thatcher era, its sentiment could
easily apply to Brexit Britain.
Garry Christians easy-going
nature and self-deprecating
humour goes down well while
Born Again and Ideal World
reveal his rich vocal textures
are still intact. Papa Was A
Rolling Stone harks back to
the Christian brothers singing
harmonies while emulating
The Temptations growing up in
Liverpool. During Gil Scott-
Herons The Bottle the band
lock into a contagious groove
and the audience show their
appreciation for the impressive
closer Harvest For The World.
Midge Ure has traded the
acoustic approach of recent
years for synthesizers, laptops
and a black Les Paul allowing
him to revisit more Ultravox
material with Band Electronica.
Opening with Yellow Pearl,
its instantly recognisable as
the theme from Top Of the
Pops. Originally co-written
with Phil Lynott, Midge still
channels some of the energy
that he might have picked up
in Thin Lizzy, looking every
inch the guitar hero on Passing
Strangers. The same sonic
energy graces A Friend I Call
Desire. The unmistakable
pulsating intro of Fade To
Richard PurdenGetty Images
Grey reminds us of Midges
omnipresence in early-80s pop,
co-writing some of the eras
most definitive hits.
The familiar heartbeat
drums of Vienna are next and
its perhaps the only song
that could follow Fade To
Grey.Midge digs deep and
musters the vocal from the
depths of his being. The
song also compliments
the strange beauty of this
haunted theatre.
From these tracks to the
likes of Dancing With Tears
In My Eyes and If I Was, his
contribution to European pop
music is clear.
What else but Loves Great
Adventure could close an epic
evening such as this?
Richard Purden
08/11/2017 16:29
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CP35.Page111.indd 111 09/11/2017 13:37

 MARC ALMOND
SYMPHONY HALL,
BIRMINGHAM
17 OCTOBER

A few days before this Sad, and a punchy take on

Midlands show, Marc Almond
hit the headlines after two noisy
audience members prompted
a foul-mouthed rant (to quote
the Ipswich Star). Thankfully,
tonights performance is notable
only for dramas of the musical
Bobby Darins Not For Me.
Standing centre stage, arms
outstretched, the singer throws
himself into every song like its
his last. Wrapped in exquisite
arrangements, his voice
sounds stronger than on the

kind as he introduces two hours
of luxurious, lush, orchestral
pop ballads, brimming with
dalliances and broken dreams.
Backed by an 18-piece band
and orchestra that boasts five
singers, a string quintet and
besuited n bequiffed Sigue
Sigue Sputnik guitarist Neal X,
the night begins with a slice
from Almonds latest album of
predominantly covers, Shadows
And Reflections. The opening
instrumental Overture slides
into the new LPs title track by
The Action, The Young Rascals/
David Cassidy hit How Can
I Be Sure, The Yardbirds
brooding psych Still Im
accompanying long-player, less
detached.
A swirling Days Of Pearly
Spencer is arguably the most
familiar tune in the first half
before Almond delves into
Blue On Blue and Timi Yuros
Interlude. Introducing David
Bowies London Boys, he
recounts the late star once said
he preferred Almonds version
to his own its easy to hear
why as the 60-year-old Marc
inhabits the song in a way the
teenage Bowie never could.
As he heads towards
Somethings Gotten Hold Of
My Heart and the first sets
conclusion, two strong originals
shine through: Embers and No
One To Say Goodnight To, a
John Harle co-write that inspired
Shadows And Reflections loose
narrative concept.
Though Soft Cells Torch,
Tainted Love and Say Hello,
Wave Goodbye all appear in
the second half, those expecting
wall-to-wall hits are instead
presented with another hour
of yearning ballads, big tunes,
heartache, loneliness and
emotions writ large.
All of which make full use
Dave Freak
of that impressive orchestral
line-up including Dustys I Close
My Eyes And Count To Ten),
Jacques Brels galloping Jacky,
and a beautifully delicate and
moving take on Sandy Dennys
Milk And Honey.
Though steeped in nostalgia,
its a night that steers well clear
of the easy listening bargain
basement thanks to Almonds
careful curation. As a song
selector and interpreter, he
continues to surprise.
Dave Freak

THE FIZZ
THE CUSTOMS HOUSE,
SOUTH SHIELDS
22 OCTOBER

Ridiculously restrained from comparing favourably with their

using the Bucks Fizz name,
Jay Aston, Cheryl Baker and
Mike Nolan have rebranded
themselves The Fizz and
drafted in fellow Eurovision
veteran Bobby McVay to
replace Bobby G. McVay
looks eerily so much like his
predecessor that some are
probably none the wiser.
For the first tour under
the new name, venues are
smaller than in the 80s but the
audience is just as enthusiastic.
The dance moves are a little
toned down from back in the
day, the patter is cheesier
and the live band has been
replaced by backing tracks, but
no one seems to mind.
A backdrop of continuous
80s TV and video footage
(with Bobby G as part of
the quartet) is shown with
the contemporary Aston,
Nolan and Baker physically
much-younger selves.
The show aptly kicks off with
New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)
which immediately gets the
audience clapping along. The
strength of the original Bucks
Fizz was the quality of Andy
Hill and Nicola Martins songs
and big hits like Piece Of The
Action, If You Cant Stand The
Heat and Now Those Days Are
Gone gave the group a seven- contemporary songs (including couple of dozen hits of their
year run as a chart act. For My the Beatle-esque Where I Want own and a strong new album,
Camera Never Lies, the quartet To Be) stand up well. to include a selection of
treat us to a slightly more An 80s medley that includes other peoples songs seems
restrained version of the dance You Spin Me Round (Like a redundant. To finish, Baker
routine that the 1982 Bucks Record), Girls Just Want To announces they are going to
Fizz are doing in the video Have Fun and Heaven Is A do that soppy old song... with
images playing behind them. Place On Earth is artfully Velcro, of course. Aston has
The hits are sprinkled with delivered but could easily be a surreptitious fiddle with her
songs from the new Mike Stock- given the heave-ho as several skirt as Making Your Mind Up
produced Fizz album The F-Z Bucks Fizz hits including 1983s begins while the audience wait
Of Pop, including Amen (written Run For Your Life are missing for (and get) one of kitsch pops
by Cheryl Bakers daughter) from tonights setlist. most iconic moments. Those
and Jay Astons Home For My With an audience on their days arent gone at all.
Heart. They, and all of the other side right from the start, a Ian Ravendale

112

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 L I V E & E V E N T S

THE WATERBOYS
SYMPHONY HALL,
BIRMINGHAM
19 OCTOBER

Judging by the seated response to much

of tonights concert, a sizeable chunk of
the audience are here for just one song...
you know, that hit about the moon. But
The Waterboys have a new double (or
triple deluxe) album out so those trapped
in The Big Music days will have to wait
as Mike Scott and company introduce us
to a selection of Out Of All This Blues best
moments, beginning with the shuffling Do
We Choose Who We Love?, Santa Fes road
trip, and the mating call of the Scottish
rocknroller, If The Answer Is Yeah.
An initially misfiring When You Walk
In The Room builds beautifully towards
its Im so in love with you... conclusion
before fiddle player and long-time foil Steve
Wickham takes centre stage for the classic
A Girl Called Johnny. The standout from
their 1983 eponymous debut, its greeted D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7
with cheers of recognition, but then its back
to another run of Out Of All This Blue and
Modern Blues tracks until we hit that old
CLASSIC
Celtic folk song When Ye Go Away from the
1988 masterpiece Fishermans Blues.

Richard Purden
BEST LIVE SHOW
And so the pattern continues as new and
recent tunes (Hammerhead Bar, The Girl In
The Window Chair, The Connemara Fox) are
interspersed with the odd oldie (Medicine
Bow, How Long Will I Love You?) until we
reach a soaring The Whole Of The Moon. LIAM GALLAGHER
The sets final song, the audience are on
their feet before Scott can finish I pictured
RADIO METRO ARENA, NEWCASTLE
1 NOVEMBER
a... In playful mood, he drops cheeky (and
disturbingly accurate) impressions of Dylan,
Bowie, and Chas and Dave. Bows taken, the
band then return for a stomping encore of NEW SOLO SONGS SLUG IT OUT WITH OASIS CLASSICS AS THE
Fishermans Blues title track.
If those unfamiliar with the latest
COMEBACK KING OF 2017 DELIVERS A BIBLICAL PERFORMANCE

Waterboys record, or expecting the hits,
were left lost at sea for much of the night,
those willing to follow Scott on his latest
expedition were well-rewarded.
The lyrical mysticism of those early
days has been replaced with a more
confessional, personal and direct style.
Falling for someone unattainable and strong,
he exclaims simply Man, What A Woman!,
while The Morning Came Too Soon recounts a
night of passion in intimate detail. Recently
married, hes not in love with love... hes in
love. Hes not hanging with Pan... hes in a
restaurant, on a date.
With grinning Hammond organ player
brother Paul a distinct focal point, and
backed by two drummers, Scotts latest
incarnation of The Waterboys is musically
rock solid.
The Irish hills drifting off into the
distance, they covet soul, funk, open roads,
urban bars, and Nashville, and out of that
gumbo comes some of Scotts strongest
original material in recent times.
From 2015s Modern Blues into this
years Out Of All This Blue, Scotts blue
period is looking like a new late blooming.
Dave Freak
A
s Frank Sinatra might
say, its the singer not
the song and this was
a comeback worthy of
Ol Blue Eyes himself.
With a freshly shaven
head and a little stubble,
Liam bristled with
conviction as he took
to the stage, pausing
for a moment to soak up the
adulation before launching into
a swaggering rendition of Rock
N Roll Star.
Gallaghers band, featuring Jay
Mehler (ex-Kasabian) on guitar
and bassist Drew McConnell
(Babyshambles), manage to pull
off the tricky balancing act of at
times delivering a loose groove
reminiscent of the original Oasis
line-up while at others adding the
necessary edge required for the
likes of Morning Glory and Wall
Of Glass the rocking first single
from Liams debut solo album As
You Were.
As the charismatic frontman
checks out the feverish front row
to see how theyre coping, the
anthemic ballad For What Its
Worth is greeted like an Oasis
classic as fans are held aloft on
shoulders, arms outstretched.
Its a cracking single that
simultaneously boasts the kind of
bravado and vulnerability that the
Gallagher brothers have traded
in for so many years. Universal Gleam achieves what
Paper Crown continues the
John Lennon-style balladry before
Liam stretches himself vocally on
Some Might Say, revealing his
best form since the mid-90s.
As a dig at a reference to
brother Noels recent interview,
theres even a shout-out to see if
there are any Parka monkeys
in the crowd. Speaking of which,
if there ever was a caveman
element to Oasis old live
fanbase, they are notable by performances and this was
their absence among the stylish
gig-goers here.
These modern-day folk songs
already span the generations
and a love of Liams old band
seems to have spread to younger
fans, who are perhaps seeing the
singer for the first time. Couples
kiss, mates drape their arms
around shoulders and shouts of
unbelievable and as good as
it gets abound.
The carnal slide guitar of
Fade In-Out aimed for on Be
Here Now and the title track from
that 1997 Oasis album confirms
its place as an overlooked gem
while Supersonic asserts itself as
one of the best singles of the 90s.
An acoustic Live Forever closes
the set, I hope he does one
fan calls out clearly buoyed by
the transformative power of the
night. Biblical is the term Liam
often uses to describe his best
undoubtedly one of them.
Richard Purden

113

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 CLASSIC

Michael Putland/Getty Images

MOMENTS

No.35
T H E S T A T E S H A S
F A I T H I N G E O R G E
1 2 D E C E M B E R 1 9 8 7
George Michael began a four-week reign at the top of the US singles chart with Faith
30 years ago this month, eventually becoming the biggest-selling single of 1988 there.
What started life as a Bo Diddley pastiche has now gone on to become one of the late stars
most-loved songs. Aware of his own impending iconic status, Faiths self-referencing
intro includes a snippet of Wham! track Freedom played on a church organ. Its video presented
the singer as a macho leather-jacketed rocker, or as Liam Gallagher described him in the
recent Channel 4 George Michael documentary, a modern day Elvis Presley.
Steve Harnell

114

CP35.CPM_GeorgeMichael.print.indd 114 08/11/2017 15:59

W E C O U L D B E TO G E T H E R
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celebrating 30 years 1987-2017 and includes
over 200 tracks

Includes Eight albums, a remixes CD,

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classic videos and live concerts on DVD.
Contains rare and unseen pictures
personally chosen by Debbie in the
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