Dear Catherine Wheel - another winner from Team Philpott!

One of the most endearing and enduring pop journeys of the last few years has been the epistolary odyssey undertaken by the redoubtable members of Team Philpott, who have been firing off missives to some of the most famous and infamous musicians of the last forty years, feigning confusion and asking for clarification on the lyrical content of their most memorable hits.

The enquiries are amusing in and of themselves and they are complemented perfectly by the replies from the actual popstars. This latest volume is a collection of correspondence between the Philpotts and the luminaries of the C86 generation, so readers are treated to the likes of Bis, Fuzzbox, Helen Love, The Men They Couldn't Hang, Utah Saints and many more explaining their songs to a slightly bemused older gentleman who appears to be slightly out of step with the youth of today....and yesterday.

One of the great things about Smash Hits was that the magazine took music very seriously and usually didn't take musicians seriously at all. Something similar happens in these books: the Philpotts take a comically earnest approach to the songs, whilst the musicians are great sports about deflating their own egos.

It's delightful, of course, and will remind some readers of some great bands they might have forgotten, as well as introducing other readers to some great music they haven't heard before - no finer legacy for any book. There's some talk that this will be the last in the series: a shame, if true, but a finale every bit as entertaining as all the previous volumes.

It's nearly Christmas: don't just tell your friends and family that you love them - demonstrate how much you love them by popping a copy of Dear Catherine Wheel in their stockings. As before, a donation from the sale of each book will be made to charities helping people experiencing homelessness - a cause which is even more laudable now than ever before - so Dear Catherine Wheel will ease your conscience whilst tickling your funny bone.

Get your copy of Dear Catherine Wheel here or here!

October 27 - November 9, 1983

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Cover: Roddy Frame
Centrespread: Limahl (Only For Love)
Back cover: Tracey Ullman
Interviews: Siouxsie Sioux; Aztec Camera; Marilyn; King Kurt; UB40; Madness
Lyrics: Right By My Side – Eurythmics; Superstar – Lydia Murdock; The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats; Mess Of The Blues – Status Quo; Uptown Girl – Billy Joel; Oblivious – Aztec Camera; Sister Surprise – Gary Numan; Cry Just A Little Bit – Shakin’ Stevens; Puss ‘N’ Boots – Adam Ant; I Made It Through The Rain – Barry Manilow; Only For Love – Limahl; Synchronicity II – The Police; Sun And The Rain – Madness; That Was Then But This Is Now – ABC; Working With Fire And Steel – China Crisis; New Dimension – Imagination
Start: personal file - Howard Jones; Simon Le Bon, "Union Of The Snake", Simon Milne; Madonna, "Lucky Star", John "Jellybean" Benitez, Freddie De Mann; Saturday Superstore, Boy George, Claire Brownjohn 
Bitz: Men Without Hats: Ivan, Colin, Stephen Doroschuk, "The Safety Dance", Tim Pope, Al McDowell; Royal Variety Show: Rock Steady Crew, Twiggy, Gene Kelly; Steve Levine to produce Beach Boys; David Bowie to play Abraham Lincoln?; ABC, "Beauty Stab"; Screen 3; Siouxsie live LP and video, Albert Hall; Wham! £12.50 pocket money; Wham tour sponsored by Fila; Musical Youth tour sponsored by Nike; David Sylvian, Mark King; Bananarama in Japan; Paul McCartney gives Stevie Wonder a £50,000 bed; Simon LeBon receives 65-foot letter from two Sheffield girls; Pete Townshend on the cover of Time: "I'd much rather be on the cover of Smash Hits"; Virgin "Rock Yearbook Volume IV", Omnibus "Rock's Family Trees", Pete Frame; The Big Store: Jimmy, Tich, Tina, "The Price Of A Secret"; Style Council, "A Solid Bond In Your Heart"; Duran Duran; "Pop Goes Guy Fawkes": Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Carmel, Roman Holliday, Gary Byrd; Lydia Murdock, "Superstar"; ABC; Revillos, "Bitten By A Love Bug"; Billy Idol, "Dancing With Myself", Tobe Hooper; Ultravox, "Monument"; Eddy Grant, "Going For Broke"; The Undertones compilation; Tom Robinson, "Listen To The Radio: Atmospherics", Peter Gabriel; five most embarrassing moments - Nick Heyward; Will Powers, Lynn Goldsmith, "Kissing With Confidence", Carly Simon; New Order, "Blue Monday" the biggest selling 12" of all time; The Group: Mrs Julie Fletcher, "Technology", Thomas Dolby, Mike Hedges; Paul Young
Single reviews (Peter Martin): That Was Then But This Is Now - ABC; Right By Your Side - Eurythmics; Calling Your Name - Marilyn; Only For Love - Limahl; Oblivious - Aztec Camera; New Dimension - Imagination; Mess Of The Blues - Status Quo; Sister Surprise - Gary Numan; Cry Just A Little Bit - Shakin' Stevens; Flaming Sword - Care; Love Will Tear Us Apart - Michael John / Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division; Puss 'n' Boots - Adam Ant; The Entertainer - The Belle Stars; Till I Can't Take Love No More - Eddy Grant; 007 - Musical Youth; Upfront - Diana Ross; She's Got Sex / Jealous Love - JoBoxers; White Man's Hut - It's Immaterial; Synchronicity II - The Police; Metal Dance - SPK; Micro Kid - Level 42; Sun And The Rain - Madness
Album reviews (Ian Birch / Lisa Anthony / Mark Steels / Peter Martin / Josephine Hocking / Linda Duff / Dave Rimmer): North Of A Miracle - Nick Heyward; Love Is The Law - Toyah; Different Style! - Musical Youth; Rhythm Of Live - Paul Haig; Gonna Get You - Freeez; Out Of This World - Shakatak; David Grant - David Grant; Wild Style - Various Artists; Working With Fire And Steel - China Crisis
Nights Out: Depeche Mode; Wham!
Other: Five Years Of Smash Hits

October 13 - 26, 1983

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Cover: Jimmy The Hoover
Centrespread: The Cure (The Lovecats)
Back cover: Paul Young
Interviews: Lotus Eaters; Jimmy The Hoover; Adam Ant; The Alarm; Paul Haig; Gary Numan; Cliff Richard
Lyrics: The Union Of The Snake – Duran Duran; Say Say Say – Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson; (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew – The Rock Steady Crew; You Don’t Need Someone New – Lotus Eaters; Please Don’t Make Me Cry – UB40; Superman – Black Lace; The Boxer – Simon And Garfunkel; Midnight At The Lost And Found – Meat Loaf; Sixty Eight Guns – The Alarm; Kiss The Bride – Elton John; Kill Me Kwik – Jimmy The Hoover; In Your Eyes – George Benson; The Lovecats – The Cure; All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie; Over And Over – Shalamar
Start: personal file – David Grant; Bucks Fizz, "London Town" video shoot; Culture Club, Jon Moss hurts his finger; The Assembly: Vince Clark, E.C. Radcliffe, Feargal Sharkey; Bowie World Convention '83: "It's utter rubbish" 
Bitz: Elton John: "Kiss The Bride", "Song For Guy", "Ego"'; Time Zone: "Wildstyle", Rusty Egan, Afrika Bambaata, Grand Mixer D.S.T., Paul "Groucho" Smykle, Francois Kevorkian; Madness, "Sun And The Rain"; Duran Duran, "Seven And The Ragged Tiger"; Julian Cope, "Stop The World I Want To Get Back On"; David Bowie asks Suggs for autograph; King Kurt at Brixton Fridge - audience males must wear skirts; Gary Numan, Joe Hubbard, "slapping bass", Nick Beggs; Jeremiah Fantayzee; Lotus Eaters, "First Picture Of You" - most played record on Radio 1 ever; Julian Lennon signs to Charisma; General Public: Dave Wakeling, Rankin Roger - and Mick Jones?; The Cure, "The Lovecats" - 'It's the final instalment of a trio of fantasy singles born out of one of my cat jazz parties on Brighton Pier"; Tracey Ullman, "Three Of A Kind", "Say Goodbye To Broad Street", "The Grass Widow", Snoo Wilson, Royal Court Theatre; Imagination, "New Dimension", "Scandalous"; Marilyn; Carmel, "Willow Weep For Me"; ABC, "That Was Then But This Is Now"; Hot Chocolate; Space Monkey, "Can't Stop Running", Paul Goodchild; Kirsty MacColl, "They Don't Know", "Terry"; The Specimen, "The Beauty Of Poison"; "Monster Halloween Ball", Lyceum Ballroom: Lords Of The New Church, Beast, Flesh For Lulu, Crown Of Thorns; Gary Numan, "Sister Surprise"; Street Sounds, "Electro", Newcleus, "Jam On Revenge", G-Force, "Feel The Force"; Dee Harris, Rick Wright; Sex Gang Children, "Mauritia Maye"; The Alarm; The Truth; all time top ten - Peter Hook
Single reviews (Ian Birch): The Lovecats – The Cure; Please Don’t Make Me Cry – UB40; Gypsy Girl – Cruella De Ville; Kiss The Bride – Elton John; Till You Come Back To Me – Leo Sayer; Can’t Shake Loose – Agnetha Faltskog; So Tired – Haircut One Hundred; Party Games – Hey! Elastica; Me Or You? – Killing Joke; Over And Over – Shalamar; Out Of This World – Shakatak; You Don’t Need Someone New – Lotus Eaters; Be-Pop – Antena; Joe Orton’s Wedding – David J; Say Say Say – Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson; Working With Fire And Steel – China Crisis; Voices – Passion Puppets; The Union Of The Snake – Duran Duran; I Need You Tonite / Don’t You Worry Bout A Thing – A Certain Ratio; Love The One You’re With – Steve Grant With Tight Fit
Album reviews (Peter Martin / Lisa Anthony / Ian Birch / Linda Duff / Claire Sheaff / Jo-Anne Smith): Colour By Numbers – Culture Club; Cookin’ On The Roof – Roman Holliday; Genesis – Genesis; Live In Tokyo – Public Image Limited; Forrest – Forrest; The Best Kept Secret – Sheena Easton; The Golden Section – John Foxx
Nights Out: Siouxsie & The Banshees; Paul Young; The Rock Steady Crew
Other: The Things People Said: Thirty Years Of Trendy Talk

The first issue of Just Seventeen, given away with this issue of Smash Hits:



(click on the image to see the full issue)

September 28 - October 12, 1983

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Cover: Culture Club
Centrespread: Modern Romance
Interviews: Toyah; Howard Jones; Freeez; Culture Club; Dennis Greaves
Lyrics: There's Something Wrong In Paradise - Kid Creole & The Coconuts; Love In Itself 2 - Depeche Mode; This Is Not A Love Song - PiL; Rebel Run - Toyah; Love Will Find A Way - David Grant; New Song - Howard Jones; Pop Goes My Love - Freeez; This Is The Way - Bruce Foxton; They Don't Know - Tracey Ullman; Thriller - Michael Jackson; Tahiti - David Essex; Go Deh Yaka (Go To The Top) - Monyaka; London Town - Bucks Fizz; Hell Raiser - The Sweet; Tears On The Telephone - Hot Chocolate
Start: personal file - Rick Parfitt; Sting, "The Police", Lynn Goldsmith, Will Powers; David Bowie, Madame Tussaud's; John Travolta, Janice Long, "Stayin' Alive"; King Kurt, "Destination Zulu Land", Dave Edmunds; Tracie's Soul Squad: Kenn Regan, Kevin Miller, Steve Sidelnyk
Bitz: Steven Jansen, Ippu-Do, Masami Tsuchiya, Richard Barbieri, David Sylvian, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ronnie Drayton, Jon Hassell, Holger Czukay, "Expressions"; Bow Wow Wow split; Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, "Say Say Say", The Belle Stars, "The Entertainer", Jimmy The Hoover, "Kill Me Kwik", Shakin' Stevens, Shalamar, "Over And Over", Duran Duran, "Union Of The Snake"; "His Masters Voice", Wally Burke, Steve X. Hippy; Simple Minds; Kid Creole; PiL, John Lydon, "Live In Tokyo", "Order Of Death"; Malcolm McLaren, "Duck For The Oyster"; Marilyn signs to Phonogram, "Cry And Be Free"; Jamming fanzine: Elvis Costello, The Truth, The Bunnymen, Bruce Foxton, Carmel; Starzone, Bowie fanzine; Limahl, "Only For Love", Dee Harris; Kate Garner, "Love Me Like A Rocket"; Tom Brown, "Rockin' Radio", Maurice Starr, Michael Jonzun; Ultravox, "Monument; all time top ten - Martin Ware; Street Sounds, "Electro", Newcleus, G-Force, Weststreet Mob; Boy George; Helen Terry, Kashif, Nike Rodgers; Rik Mayall, Jools Holland; Gary Numan; Shalamar split?; Men At Work split?; Mick Jones not joining Spear Of Destiny; Steve Norman; Paul Humphries on a diet; Pete Wylie; Michael Jackson, Sting, Ralph Richardson; "Thriller" video, Vincent Price, Richard Franklin, Culture Club; Gladys Knight; Alice Cooper; Jimmy The Hoover, "Tantalise"; Dead Or Alive attack Nick Heyward with fire extinguishers; JoBoxers; Eddie & Sunshine, "There's Someone Following Me"; Rick Wakeman, "The Cost Of Living", "She" soundtrack, "Triumph Of Death"; Adam Ant, "Puss In Boots"; "The Tube", Leslie Ash; Ryan Paris, Fabio Roscioli, "Dolce Vita", "Once Upon A Time In America", Sergio Leone, Signore, Giombini; Passion Puppets, "Voices"; Amazulu; Great: Dave Mortimer, George Michael, "Golden Soul", Steve Brown; Vice Squad's new singer: Lia
Single reviews (Lenny Henry): Love In Itself 2 - Depeche Mode; This Is The Way - Bruce Foxton; Love On A Farmboy's Wages - XTC; Thriller - Michael Jackson; Rebel Run - Toyah; Keep It Confidential - Nona Hendryx; One Minute Every Hour - JB's Allstars; Stone Heart (Stone Woman) - I-Level; Autodrive - Herbie Hancock; Recognition - Europeans; Love Will Find A Way - David Grant; Nightline - Randy Crawford; They Don't Know - Tracey Ullman; Kill Me Kwick - Jimmy The Hoover; Wild Style Theme Rap - Grand Master Kaz & Chris Stein; London Town - Bucks Fizz; Pop Goes My Love - Freeez; Working With Fire And Steel - China Crisis; I Need You - F.R. David; This Affair / Sky Again - The Maisonettes; This Is Not A Love Song - PiL
Album reviews (Lisa Anthony / Peter Martin / Tim De Lisle / Fred Dellar / Peter Martin / Dave Rimmer): Like Gangbusters - JoBoxers; Bent Out Of Shape - Rainbow; Warriors - Gary Numan; Born To Love - Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack; Land - The Comsat Angels; Blow Your Own Horn - Herb Alpert; Born Again - Black Sabbath; Madonna - Madonna; Work For Love - Ministry
Nights Out: Futurama Festival, Leeds: Real Foo Foo, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, John Cooper Clarke, Comsat Angels, Richard Jobson, John McGeoch, Bay City Rollers, Les McKeown
Other: What's Going On In Your Record Shop?

September 15 - 28, 1983

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Cover: Roman Holliday
Centrespread: David Bowie
Back cover: Culture Club
Interviews: Roman Holliday; The Special AKA; Def Leppard; Kajagoogoo; Hanoi Rocks
Lyrics: Soul Inside - Soft Cell; Let Them All Talk - Elvis Costello; If You Could See Me Now - Shakatak; Motor Mania - Roman Holliday; Ol' Rag Blues - Status Quo; Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles; Racist Friend - The Special AKA; Tonight I Celebrate My Love - Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack; Dear Prudence - Siouxsie & the Banshees; Modern Love - David Bowie; Blue Hat For A Blue Day - Nick Heyward; Big Apple - Kajagoogoo; Secret Messages - ELO; Dolce Vita - Ryan Paris; Change Of Heart - Altered Images
Start: personal file - Stuart Adamson; Boy George, Marilyn, "When Cameras Go Crazy", Kasper de Graaf, Malcolm Garrett; Jeffrey Daniel, Zingari, "Everybody's Waiting", Joyce, Tish, Sue Wan, Gary Hutchings, David Morris; Capital Radio's Junior Best Disco in Town: Kelly Temple, Mike Brown, Gary Crowley, Andy Polaris (Animal Nightlife), Phil Fearon, Graham Jones, Chico, Nick Beggs, Wham!, Pepsi, Modern Romance
Bitz: Madness; The Clash: Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon sack Mick Jones; World David Bowie Convention; Duran Duran world tour; Fun Boy Three split, Terry Hall; Rock Around The Clock; Japan: Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri form group; Marc Almond; Aztec Camera sign to Warners, Scritti Politti sign to Virgin; Rolling Stones sign with CBS; Limahl, Ed Bicknell, Dire Straits; John McEnroe, Vitus Gerulaitis; The Police: Falklands gig cancelled; Madness, "It Must Be Love"; Siouxsie evicted; Special AKA; George Michael, Jerry Wexler, Wham! sued by Wham; Bucks Fizz, "London Town"; Special AKA, Jerry Dammers, "Racist Friend" / "Bright Lights"; Cable Music: Mike Read, Nicky Horn, Tommy Vance, Pat Sharp, Curlyman; Echo & The Bunnymen play the Royal Shakespeare, "The Killing Moon", "Silver"; new TV music programmes: "Eight Days A Week", "Rock School", "Showbusiness", "Play At Home"; Haywoode, "A Time Like This"; The Jam, "Snap!"; "Ziggy Live"; Toyah, "Rebel Run", "Love Is The Law", "The Ebony Tower; Escape magazine; PiL, John Lydon; "This Is Not A Love Song"; all time top ten - Gerry Darby, Carmel McCourt, Jimmy Paris;
Single reviews (David Hepworth): The One Thing - INXS; Motor Mania - Roman Holliday; Promises Promises - Naked Eyes; Ol' Rag Blues - Status Quo; Superstar - Lydia Murdock; Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence - Ryuichi Sakamoto; Let Them All Talk - Elvis Costello & the Attractions; On A Journey - The Peech Boys; Telefone - Sheena Easton; Someone Belonging To Someone - The Bee Gees; Maybe This Day - Kissing The Pink; Soul Inside - Soft Cell; Boogie Down - Al Jarreau; Tell Me Why - Barb; This Is The Day - The The; Runaway - Freur; Dear Prudence - Siouxsie and the Banshees; (You Said) You'd Gimme Some More - K.C. And The Sunshine Band
Album reviews (Peter Martin / Dave Rimmer / Neil Tennant / Claire Sheaff / Johnny Black / Ian Birch / Lisa Anthony): Blue Sunshine - The Glove; Doppelganger - Kid Creole & The Coconuts; Mike's Murder - Joe Jackson; Hard - Gang Of 4; Mummer - XTC; Labour Of Love - UB40; The Fireman's Curse - Hunters & Collectors; Jammin' - The Gap Band V
Nights Out: Kid Creole & the Coconuts
Other: Where Is Everyone?

September 1 - 14, 1983

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Cover: Heaven 17
Centrespread: Madness
Back cover: The Lotus Eaters
Interviews: Cliff Richard; Robert Plant; Big Country; The Police at Shea Stadium
Lyrics: Warriors - Gary Numan; Like An Animal - The Glove; Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry - Heaven 17; Never Say Die (Give A Little Bit More) - Cliff Richard; For Ever And A Day - Classix Nouveaux; Karma Chameleon - Culture Club; The Great Dominions - Teardrop Explodes; Dance It Up - Matt Fretton; Dr Heckell & Mr Jive - Men At Work; Confusion - New Order; Rock Of Ages - Def Leppard; Mama - Genesis; Chance - Big Country; Come Back And Stay - Paul Young; Riders On The Storm - Annabel Lamb; (She's) Sexy and 17 - Stray Cats
Start: personal file - Shirley (Wham!); Gary Numan, Tina Clamp; Frank Bruno, JoBoxers; break dancing, Wildstyle!, Rock Steady Crew, Grandmaster Flash
Bitz: Marc Almond - "I no longer wish to sing"; TDK Battle Of The Bands; A Flock Of Seagulls, "(It's Not Me) Talking", Bill Nelson, Robert Palmer; "Duran Duran Scrapbook"; Monyaku, "Go Deh Yaka"; The The, "This Is The Day"; A Craze, Mark Chester, Respond Package Tour, Tracie And Her Soul Squad, Vaughn Toulouse And The Main-T Posse, The Questions; Siouxsie And The Banshees, Royal Albert Hall; Level 42; "War Games", "Computer War"; Planet Patrol, "Cheap Thrills", New Order, "Confusion", Freeez, "IOU", Arthur Baker, John Robie, John "Jellybean" Benitez, Irene Cara, "Flashdance", Europeans, "Flashdance", Hot Streak, "Body Talk"; The Kinks, "Come Dancing", Ray Davies, Chrissie Hynde; Air Studios, George Martin; Freur, "Riders In The Night" Booker Newbury III, "Teddy Bear"; "Come With Club" - Kool & The Gang, Central Line, Tania Maria; The Beatles, Jimmy Page, The Velvet Underground, AC/DC, "The Jam: A Beat Concerto", Paolo Hewitt, "Kid Creole: Indiscreet", Vivien Goldman, "Rockspeak", Tom Hibbert, "Essential Guide To Rock Records", Barry Lazell, Fred Dellar; Belle Stars, "The Entertainer", Anne Dudley; Gary Numan, Tik & Tok; Duran Duran, "Union Of The Snake", Alex Sadkin, Ian Little; The Saturday Show, Isla St. Clair, Tommy Boyd; Captain Sensible buys "How To Play Synthesizer"; Paul Simon marries Carrie Fisher; David Jay, The Sinister Ducks; Steve Fairnie, The Technos, hypnotizing chickens; Twisted Sister; Wham!; The Style Council; The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards; Mark Ellen; all time top ten - Harry Casey
Single reviews (Tom Hibbert): Chance - Big Country; Straight From The Heart - Bonnie Tyler; Runnin' - Junior; Karma Chameleon - Culture Club; You're Lookin' Hot Tonight - Barry Manilow; If You Could See Me Now - Shakatak; Come Back And Stay - Paul Young; Rock Of Ages - Def Leppard / Street Of Dreams - Rainbow; Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry - Heaven 17; Warriors - Gary Numan; Your Dress - John Foxx; (It's Not Me) Talking - A Flock Of Seagulls; Rum And Coca-Cola - Julio Iglesias; Dr Heckyll & Mr Jive - Men At Work; Secret Messages - Electric Light Orchestra; Never Say Die (Give A Little Bit More) - Cliff Richard; Diamonds - The Shadows; Confusion - New Order
Album reviews (Peter Martin / Jo-Anne Smith / Johnny Black / Ian Birch / Mark Steels / Neil Tennant): Construction Time Again - Depeche Mode; Standing In The Light - Level 42; Rant And Rave With The Stray Cats - Stray Cats; Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence - Ryuichi Sakamoto; Alpha - Asia; Duet Emmo - Or So It Seems; Flick Of The Switch - AC/DC; From Gardens Where We Feel Secure - Virginia Astley; Candy Girl - New Edition
Other: A Day At The Racecourse: Perfect Crime, Steel Pulse, Big Country, Eurythmics, Simple Minds; pop star self portraits

August 18 - 31, 1983

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Cover: Wham!
Centrespread: The Style Council
Back cover: Sting
Interviews: Spandau Ballet: Readers' Q & A; Carmel; Ian MacCulloch; Limahl, Kajagoogoo; Strawberry Switchblade; Wham!
Lyrics: A Step In The Right Direction - The Truth; What Am I Gonna Do (I'm So In Love With You) - Rod Stewart; Wings Of A Dove - Madness; Guilty Of Love - Whitesnake; Bad Day - Carmel; Come Dancing - The Kinks; The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) - Level 42; Red Red Wine - UB40; Put Our Heads Together - The O'Jays; Fantastic Voyage - David Bowie; Tour De France - Kraftwerk; Popcorn Love - New Edition; Johnny Friendly - JoBoxers; Prime Time - Haircut One Hundred; Wait Until Tonight - Galaxy; Watching You Watching Me - David Grant
Start: personal file - David Gahan; Mike Oldfield nude, Einsturzende Neubaten nude, Bruce Dickinson nude; David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence"; Phil Collins, "Illegal Alien"; Boy George, Helen Terry
Bitz: Herbie Hancock; Classix Nouveaux, "For Ever And A Day", Alex Sadkin; Weekend, "Live At Ronnie Scott's"; Freeeze, 12" acapella mix of "IOU"; The Glove, Banshees, "Dear Prudence"; Kid Creole tour; "The Beat's Greatest Hits" video LP; all-day pop festival at Corby Boating Lake; Double Dutch; Castle Donnington Monsters Of Rock, Whitesnake, Dio, Twisted Sister, ZZ Top, Diamond Head; Imagination tour; David Bowie, "Modern Love"; Silent Running, "When The 12th Of Never Comes"; Eurythmics; Style Council, Tracey Thorn, "Head Start To Happiness"; all time top ten - Mike Read; Bruce Foxton; Shakatak, Norma Lewis; "Rock Around The Clock": Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Roman Holliday, Mark Ellen, David Hepworth, Annie Nightingale, Steve Blacknell; Drums Over The Mersey, Joe Musker, Jon Moss, Gary Dwyer; Steve Strange impersonator; Matt Fretton, "Dance It Up"; George Michael's Ray-Bans, Andrew Ridgeley's Fila B tracksuit, Gary Numan "getting into leather", Orange Juice to split?, Bruce Foxton's dad, Koo Stark, Paula Yates, Tracie Young and Andy Kyriacou, Lee from Madness, Boy George and Marilyn in Cairo, Jon Moss in Corfu, Curt Smith; Bauhaus split, David Jay, "Joe Orton's Wedding", Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins, "Tones On Tail", Peter Murphy
Single reviews (Johnny Black): Wings Of A Dove - Madness; Oh! That Love Decision - Coati Mundi; Red Red Wine - UB40; Party Time - Kurtis Blow; Save A Little Love For Me - Dennis Brown; Women Of The World - Ivor Cutler And Linda Hirst; Riders On The Storm - Annabel Lamb; Rhythm Of The Jungle - Girls Can't Help It; Popcorn Love - New Edition; Like An Animal - The Glove; Fallen Angel - Trevor Herion; Cosmopolitan - Joe Jackson; Sunkissed - Friends Again; Ticket To The Tropics - The Coconuts; Fake Friends - Joan Jett And The Blackhearts; Too Much Mister - Natalie Cole; Will You Stay Tonight - Comsat Angels
Album reviews (Dave Rimmer / Peter Martin / Steve Bush): Bring It On - James Brown; The Crackdown - Cabaret Voltaire; Close To The Bone - Tom Tom Club; Torment And Toreros - Marc And The Mambas
Nights Out: The Camden Palace

August 4 - 17, 1983

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Cover: Duran Duran
Centrespread: Spandau Ballet
Back cover: Bananarama
Interviews: Iron Maiden; TinTin; Kim Wilde; Motorhead; Duran Duran
Lyrics: Right Now - Creatures; Freak - Bruce Foxton; Club Tropicana - Wham!; Do It Again / Billie Jean - Club House; Love To Stay - Altered Images; War - Bob Marley & The Wailers; Love Blonde - Kim Wilde; Gold - Spandau Ballet; Shine - Motorhead; I'm Still Standing - Elton John; Long Hot Summer - Style Council; Big Log - Robert Plant; Disappearing Act - Shalamar; Just Outside Of Heaven - Shalamar; Give It Up - KC & The Sunshine Band
Start: personal file - Derek Dunbar; Clare and Cathy Grogan; Ligotage: Beki Bondage, Linc, Momo Sex, Steve Roberts; Robert Marlow 
Bitz: ABC, "Mantrap", Stephen Singleton; "The Young Person's Guide To Compact", Mari Wilson, Virna Lindt; Dave Stewart, Barbara Gaskin, "Busy Doing Nothing"; The Fixx; Tom Robinson; The Anti-Nowhere League, "So What", "Live In Yugoslavia"; Tight Fit, Julie Harris, Chopper Harris, "Escargot A La Bongo"; Denise, Michael and Paul Gyngell, He-She-Him, "Try A Little Tenderness"; Errol Kennedy, Grace Kennedy, "All I Want Is You"; The Style Council, "A Paris", Kraftwerk, "Tour De France"; Paul Young; Fun Boy Three split, The Beat split, General Public, Shalamar don't split, Chris Bell and Lascelles James leave Spear Of Destiny, Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers; Gary Byrd, "The Crown", Stevie Wonder; Midge Ure, The Police, Bunnymen, Bananarama, John Taylor's gold-plated Aston Martin D85; Paul Weller, Jeffrey Daniel and Kate Haysi, Miranda Belle Star and Dig JoBoxer, S-J Belle Star and James Guthrie, Brian McGhee; New Order, "Taras Shevchenko"; Club House, Stephano Scalero, Mauro Interlandi, Sylvio Pozzoli; Duran Duran making a movie, Nick Rhodes; all time top ten - Jon Moss
Single reviews (Peter Martin): Trees And Flowers - Strawberry Switchblade; Disappearing Act - Shalamar; The Style Council A Paris - Style Council; For You - Farmer's Boys; The Man With The 4 Way Hips - Tom Tom Club; Gold - Spandau Ballet; Bad Day - Carmel; Burning Down The House - Talking Heads; Rock It - Herbie Hancock; Club Tropicana - Wham!; Green Light - Mtume; Wait Until Tonight - Galaxy featuring Phil Fearon; Love Hurts - Q-Tips featuring Paul Young; Indian Summer - Belle Stars; Guilty Of Love - Whitesnake / Shine - Motorhead / The Sun Goes Down - Thin Lizzy; Light Years From Love - Martha; Johnny Friendly - JoBoxers; (She's Sexy) + 17 - Stray Cats; Just Outside Of Heaven - H20; The Face Of Dorian Gray - Robert Marlow; The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) - Level 42 / Lovely Day - Central Line
Album reviews (Peter Martin / Tim De Lisle / Dave Rimmer / Mark Steels / Josephine Hocking / David Hepworth / Jo-Anne Smith / Fred Dellar): Burning From The Inside - Bauhaus / Going West - The Members; Future Shock - Herbie Hancock; Apollo - Brian Eno; Field Day - Marshall Crenshaw; Glad To Be Here - Bernard Edwards; Jerky Versions Of The Dream - Howard Devoto; Punch The Clock - Elvis Costello & The Attractions; Jazzateers - Jazzateers; Stop! Please Stop! - Rocky Sharpe And The Replays
Nights Out: Mike Oldfield; Echo & The Bunnymen; Altered Images / Roman Holliday / White Savage
Other: When I'm Sixty-Four

July 21 - August 3, 1983

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Cover: Tracie
Centrespread: Depeche Mode
Back cover: Eurythmics
Interviews: Tracie; Shakin' Stevens; The Bloomsbury Set; The Cure; The Lotus Eaters
Lyrics: Don't Try To Stop It - Roman Holliday; It's A Mistake - Men At Work; Ackee 1-2-3 - The Beat; Give It Some Emotion - Tracie; Walking In The Rain - Modern Romance; It's Late - Shakin' Stevens; Tell Me Why - Musical Youth; Heaven - Talking Heads; Everyday I Write The Book - Elvis Costello; The Walk - The Cure; Wrapped Around Your Finger - The Police; Everything Counts - Depeche Mode; The First Picture Of You - The Lotus Eaters; All Night Long - Mary Jane Girls; Feel Like Making Love - George Benson
Start: personal file - Greg Ham; Spandau Ballet, Tears For Fears, Rob JoBoxer; Japan; Marilyn
Bitz: Mary Jane Girls (Jo Jo, Candi, Maxi, Cheri); La Famille, "All Night Long"; Animal Nightlife, "Native Boy", Dee, Karol Kenyon; Culture Club Tour; videosingles - Kajagoogoo, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd; The Truth; Honor Blackman, "Everything I've Got"; Mick Karn opens art gallery; Paul Young's suit, Phil Collins produces Adam Ant single, Glenn Gregory, Andy Taylor opens restaurant, Lotus Eaters, "Never Stop" recorded six times, glasses thrown at Nick Heyward, Kirk Brandon leaves Spear Of Destiny, Alf, Vince Clark, Stewart Copeland, Shalamar to split?, Bauhaus to split?; all time top ten - Steve Lambert; James Brown; George Michael, Clare Grogan, Jon Moss, Steve Strange, Spandau Ballet, Phil Lynott, Bruce Foxton, Cliff Richard, Thompson Twins, Duran Duran, Stuart Adamson, Sarah and Keren, Tears For Fears, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Mike Oldfield, Haysi, Marc Almond, Blancmange, Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, David Ball, Ginny Hewes, Andy McClusky, Paul Weller, Mick Talbot; Haircut One Hundred, Mark Fox; Thompson Twins; Wham!
Single reviews (Deborah Steels): Love Blonde - Kim Wilde; Right Now - The Creatures; Big Log - Robert Plant; Freak - Bruce Foxton; It's Late - Shakin' Stevens; Smiley Stylee - Amazulu; Nightmare - Saxon; Radio (Turns Her On) - Tokyo Olympics; Everything Counts - Depeche Mode; The Star Sisters - Stars On 45; Stop The World - Captain Sensible; Watching Me Watching You - David Grant; Beer Barrel Banjos - Chas & Dave; AEIOU Sometimes Y - Ebn-Ozn; Love To Say - Altered Images; The Woman In You - Bee Gees; Money Lover (Bite The Dust) - Dolly Dots; Walking In The Rain - Modern Romance; Dressed To Kill - The Nolans; Prime Time - Haircut One Hundred; Wonderland - XTC; Give It Some Emotion - Tracie; Wrapped Around Your Finger - The Police; My Boyish Days - Care
Album reviews (Dave Rimmer / Fred Dellar / Peter Stockton / Tim De Lisle / Deborah Steels / Claire Sheaff / Jo-Anne Smith / Neil Tennant / Karen Mundell / Peter Martin / Josephine Hocking): The Look - Shalamar; Saturday Night - Oliver Cheatham; Fire Dances - Killing Joke; Get It Right - Aretha Franklin; The Crossing - Big Country; Rebel Songs - The Decorators; Private Collection - Jon And Vangelis; Ross - Diana Ross; You And Me Both - Yazoo; Bruiseology - The Waitresses; Secret Messages - Electric Light Orchestra; Pigbag - Pigbag; XL 1 - Pete Shelley; Rust Red September - Eyeless In Gaza; Chimera - Bill Nelson
Nights Out: Peter Gabriel / Thompson Twins / Undertones; Nick Heyward
Other: Gimmicks

July 7 - 20, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Paul Young
Centrespread: Shalamar
Back cover: Duran Duran
Interviews: Marc Almond; Echo & the Bunnymen; Jimmy The Hoover; Paul Young; Marillion
Lyrics: Watching - Thompson Twins; I Love You - Yello; The Trooper - Iron Maiden; Black Heart - Marc and the Mambas; Never Stop - Echo & the Bunnymen; It's Over - Funk Masters; Slow Motion - Ultravox; After A Fashion - Midge Ure & Mick Karn; Tantalise (Wo Wo Ee Yeh Yeh) - Jimmy The Hoover; Who's That Girl? - Eurythmics; I.O.U. - Freeez; Double Dutch - Malcolm McLaren; Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) - Paul Young; Rock 'N' Roll Is King - ELO; War Baby - Tom Robinson
Start: personal file - Ian Donaldson; Double Dutch (Alisa, Renee, Tisha, Monica, Dave Rimmer); Annie Lennox; Jackie China, Mike Smith
Bitz: Mike Oldfield; Japan fan club; Gary Numan tour; "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby, "Always Something There To Remind Me" - Naked Eyes, "That's When (We'll Be Free)" - State Of Grace; "Night And Day" - Everything But The Girl; "Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles" - Jo & Tim Rice, Paul Gambaccini, Mike Read; "Stiff: The Story Of A Record Label" - Bert Muirhead; Jamming fanzine: Aztec Camera, Dexys, Crass, The Alarm, Paul McCartney; Dame Edna Everage; Tom Robinson; Yello; "Punch The Clock" - Elvis Costello And The Attractions, Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas, Bruce Thomas; Freeez: John Rocca, Peter Maas; The Death Cult, Ian Astbury; Hold Tight!, Alton Towers, Musical Youth, Thompson Twins, Depeche Mode, David Grant; Starzone: David Bowie fanzine; Blancmange; George Michael, Jackie Hadley, Irene Cara, "D.C. Cab", Musical Youth, Grandmaster Flash, Steve Strange, "The Picture Of Dorian Gray", David Sylvian grows a beard, Bow Wow Wow cancel American tour, Matthew Ashman, Lee Gorman, 57 Men, Glenn Gregory, Huang Chung, Wang Chung, Eurythmics, Leah, Animal Nightlife, "outernational", Simon LeBon, Jools Holland; "Street Sounds", "Wired For Sound Vol. 1", "Dance Mix….Dance Hits Vol. 1"; all time top ten - Dennis Greaves
Single reviews (Dave Rimmer): Never Stop - Echo & The Bunnymen; I Don't Remember - Peter Gabriel; Ackee 1-2-3 - The Beat; Between The Sheets - Isley Brothers; Intelligence - Virna Lindt; Sebastiane - Sex Gang Children / One Good Reason - Poison Girls; Pieces Of Ice - Diana Ross / You Make It Heaven - Terri Wells; Just Fascination - Cabaret Voltaire / The Man Whose Head Expanded - The Fall; Damage Is Done - One The Juggler; Lions In My Own Garden - Prefab Sprout; Uniform - Icehouse; Love Is - Troy Tate; Working Girl - Members; Every Day I Write The Book - Elvis Costello And The Attractions; Tell Me Why - Musical Youth; Black Heart - Marc and the Mambas; London Bridge Is Falling Down - Newtrament; Cruel Summer - Bananarama; Who's That Girl? - Eurythmics; Three Minutes Later - Sense
Album reviews (Fred Dellar / Jo-Anne Smith / Claire Sheaff / Peter Stockton / Peter Martin / Josephine Hocking / Mark Steels / Johnny Black / Tim De Lisle ): Flashdance - Various Artists [Laura Branigan, Donna Summer, Shandi, Irene Cara, Kim Carnes]; Inside Lookin' Out - Junior; Two By Two - Blue Zoo; Conversations - Brass Construction; The Kids From Fame Songs; Grind - Will Sergeant; Any Trouble - Any Trouble; I-Level - I-Level; Outside Inside - The Tubes; Crises - Mike Oldfield; Perfect Strangers - Eddie And Sunshine; Synchro System - King Sunny & His African Beats; Don't Take My Coconuts - The Coconuts
Nights Out: Rod Stewart; Bauhaus; Eddy Grant
Other: Smash Hits Who's Who - part 3; video map: where your favorite videos were shot

June 23 - July 6, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Matt Fretton
Centrespread: The Police
Back cover: H2O
Interviews: Flashdance / Irene Cara; The Truth; Bananarama; Matt Fretton; Ultravox
Lyrics: When We Were Young – Bucks Fizz; Baby Jane – Rod Stewart; Come Live With Me – Heaven 17; Flashdance….What A Feeling – Irene Cara; Pills And Soap – The Imposter; I Won’t Hold You Back – Toto; Garden Party – Mariliion; Confusion (Hits Us Every Time) – The Truth; Edith And The Kingpin – Joni Mitchell; Cruel Summer – Bananarama; Forbidden Colours – Sylvian & Sakamoto; It’s So High – Matt Fretton; Love Lasts Forever – Kissing The Pink; Moonlight Shadow – Mike Oldfield
Start: personal file - Alannah Currie; The Lotus Eaters; Jimmy The Hoover; Mick Karn and Midge Ure in Egypt, "After A Fashion"; Steve Strange's birthday party: Martin Kemp, Shirley, Andrew Ridgeley, George Michael; Steve Strange; Leee John 
Bitz: Malcolm McLaren, "Double Dutch"; "Making Music", George Martin, Adam Ant, Sting, Paul McCartney; Paul Weller, "Paris Match", John Foxx first UK tour; Time UK" Rick Buckler, Nick South, Danny Kustow; Men Without Hats, "Living In China", Hu Na, Margaret Trudeau; computers: Pete Shelley / "XL1", Chris Sievey/"Camouflage", Mainframe; David Bowie; TinTin, Stephen Duffy, "Hold It"; David Ball, Ginny Hewes, "Suddenly Last Summer", "The Soul Inside", Virgin Prunes; Paul Young; Robert Wyatt, "Nothing Can Stop Us"; Kim Wilde; Duran Duran, Villa Park, Robert Palmer, Prince Charles And His City Beat Band, Peter Powell; Nick Heyward; Cliff Richard, "Silver Cliff"; all time top ten - Jeffrey Daniel; A Craze; The Undertones split up; Michael Jackson; Peter Gabriel; Andy Summers, Sting, Stewart Copeland burn their clothes; Kevin Rowland's grey Cortina; Sex Pistols to reform?; Annabella Lwin, Walt Disney, "Return To Oz"; Icehouse; British acts in US charts: Culture Club, Duran Duran, A Flock Of Seagulls, Kajagoogoo, Eddy Grant, Madness, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Thomas Dolby, Naked Eyes
Single reviews (Wham!): Don’t Try To Stop It – Roman Holliday; We Become One – Fastway; Get Down Saturday Night – Oliver Cheatham; Disco Bond – Frank Barber Orchestra; Garden Party – Marillion; Razor’s Edge – Meat Loaf / Have You Ever Seen The Rain? – Bonnie Tyler; It’s A Mistake – Men At Work; Come Live With Me – Heaven 17; Forbidden Colours – David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto; All Night Long – Mary Jane Girls; B-Boys – Nona Hendryx; Love Lasts Forever – Kissing The Pink; Subtitled Remix – The Honeymoon Killers; Body-Language – The Kids From Fame; Transfer Affection – A Flock Of Seagulls; Don’t Let It End – Styx; Time Has Come Today – Ramones; Teacher – I-Level; When We Were Young – Bucks Fizz; IOU - Freeez
Album reviews (Fred Dellar / David Hepworth / Dave Rimmer / Mark Steels / Tim De Lisle / Peter Stockton): Synchronocity – The Police; Bite – Altered Images; Fantastic – Wham!; Speaking In Tongues – Talking Heads; Catching Up – Mezzoforte; Last Night A DJ Saved My Life – Indeep; Body Wishes – Rod Stewart; Too Low For Zero – Elton John; Southern Death Cult – Southern Death Cult
Nights Out: David Bowie; JoBoxers
Other: Smash Hits Who's Who - part 2

June 9 - 18, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Leee John (Imagination)
Centrespread: Edwyn Collins / Orange Juice - Flesh Of My Flesh
Back cover: The Beat
Interviews: Eurythmics; H2O; Imagination
Lyrics: Take That Situation - Nick Heyward; Dead Giveaway - Shalamar; Walk Out To Winter - Aztec Camera; We Came To Dance - Ultravox; China Girl - David Bowie; Love Town - Booker Newbury III; If You Really Want To - Meat Loaf; Johnny And Mary - Robert Palmer; Dream To Sleep - H2O; Wonderful - Mari Wilson; Flesh Of My Flesh - Orange Juice; Lady Love Me (One More Time) - George Benson; Waiting For A Train - Flash & The Pan; The Kids Are Back - Twisted Sister; The Heat Is On -Agnetha Faltskog
Start: personal file - Dee Snider; David Sylvian; Honor Blackman, Patrick MacNee; The Residents; Sting, Samantha Archer, Bev Hillier
Bitz: Tony Hadley; Southern Death Cult; Pauline Black; Flash And The Pan, The Easy Beats: Harry Vanda, George Young, Steve Wright; The Tube all-nighter: David Bowie, Duran Duran, Marillion, Wham!, Shalamar, Robert Palmer; Nick Heyward; Rod Stewart, JoBoxers, Gary Glitter; Sting begins filming Dune; George Benson, Al Jarreau, Booker T. Newbury III, Brass Construction, Dynasty, Stephen Harvey; all time top ten – Mick Talbot; “The Hunger” – David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve; Sex Pistols; David Palmer quits ABC; Elvis Costello; Undertones split; Twisted Sister; David Ball marries Ginny Hewes(The Mambas); Steve Norman and Leonie Hadley; Visage (Steve Strange and Rusty Egan) recording with Mulligan; John Gordon Sinclair in Altered Images video; Fad Gadget angry with Under The Flag; Imagination; Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill in Katmandu; Duran Duran, Dire Straits, Bonnie Tyler;Eurythmics; Birthday Party split; Yazoo; Kajagoogoo; “What Is Beat?”, The Beat; Russell Grant, TheStarlettes, “No Matter What Sign You Are”
Single reviews (Mark Steels): Matters Of The Heart - freur; Tantalise - Jimmy The Hoover; She Works Hard For The Money - Donna Summer; Misty Circles - Dead Or Alive; Malibu Beach - Hanoi Rocks; Where You Gonna Run - Peter Tosh; Sister Friction - Haysi Fantayzee; Drifting - Sheila Walsh and Cliff Richard; I Won't Hold You Back - Toto; Send Me An Angel - Blackfoot / Gimme All Your Lovin' - ZZ Top / We Become One - Fastway; Heatstroke - Man Parrish; Baby Jane - Rd Stewart; Perfect Stranger - Eddie & Sunshine / Lost Without Your Love - Intro / Dr. Sex - Pleasure And The Beast; Confusion - The Truth; Kinky Boots - Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman; Anxiety - Leisure Process; We Came To Dance - Ultravox; First Picture Of You - Lotus Eaters; I Get Along Very Well Without You - Durutti Column; Fickle Public Speaking - The Main T. Posse; Pills And Soap - The Imposter 
Album reviews (Deborah Steels / Fred Dellar / Peter Stockton / Mark Steels / Jo-Anne Smith / Tim De Lisle / Dave Rimmer): Naked - Kissing The Pink; Wrap Your Arms Around Me - Agnetha Faltskog; Advantage - Clock DVA; Jarreau - Al Jarreau; Mary Jane Girls - Mary Jane Girls; In Outer Space - Sparks; Oil On The Canvas - Japan; In Your Eyes - George Benson; You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess
Nights Out: China Crisis; Men At Work; Motorhead
Other: Smash Hits Who's Who - part 1; What Would You Do If You Were Prime Minister?

May 26 - June 8, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Stuart Adamson (Big Country)
Centrespread: Paul Weller
Back cover: The Creatures
Interviews: New Edition; Blancmange; Kajagoogoo; Elvis Costello; Big Country;
Lyrics: Bring Me Closer - Altered Images; Music - D Train; Looking At Midnight - Imagination; Every Breath You Take - Police; Feel The Need In Me - Forrest; Hang On Now - Kajagoogoo; I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - Elton John; I Got Mine - Motorhead; Money-Go-Round (Part 1) - Style Council; Me And Mrs Jones - Billy Paul; What Kinda Boy You're Looking For (Girl) - Hot Chocolate; Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley & The Wailers; Shipbuilding - Robert Wyatt; In A Big Country - Big Country; Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael Jackson
Start: personal file - Bonnie Tyler; David Bowie; Dexys Midnight Runners; Pop Quiz: Mike Read, Dave Gilmour, Mari Wilson, Mick Ralphs, Martyn Ware, John Taylor, Andy Fairweather-Low
Bitz: Aztec Camera: Roddy Frame, Campbell Owens, Dave Ruffey, Craig Gannon; Tears For Fears; WOMAD at ICA: Rip Rig And Panic, 23 Skidoo, Orchestre Jazira; Hot Chocolate: Errol Brown, Tony Connor, Patrick Olive, Harvey Hinsley, Larry Ferguson; The Armoury Show: Richard Jobson, John McGeoch; Countdown [Australian TV programme]; Glastonbury CND Festival: Fun Boy Three, Jimmy Cliff, Sunny Ade; Olivia Newton-John, Weber State University Hall, Ogden, Utah; Vaughan Toulouse, Main-T-Man, "Fickle Public Speaking"; Nick Rhodes book of polaroids, "Interference"; Chris Sievey, "Camouflage", computer game, "Flying Trains"; Peter Gabriel awarded the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music; The Batcave, "Young Limbs" compilation: The Specimen, Sexbeat, Meat Of Youth, Brilliant, The Venomettes; Castle Donnington: Meat Loaf, Whitesnake; Soft Cell touring Spain; Tony Hadley writes a book of poetry; "Beat It" and "Kiss The Girl" videos censored; Neil Arthur designed BBC Breakfast Time logos; Brooks: Limahl, Mike Nolan; David Steel uses Kajagoogoo's tour bus; David McClymont and Malcolm Ross record single at Eddy Grant's studio; Zeke Manyika; Heaven 17 "Vote Labour"; Abba, Agnetha: "Wrap Your Arms Around Me", Benny and Bjorn writing musical with Tim Rice; all time top ten - Michael J. Mullins; Imagination; "The Music Box" on cable TV; Yazoo split, "You And Me Both"; David Sylvian's face scratched in car accident; Anti-Nowhere League in Yugoslavia, Peter Mlaka translates lyrics into Serbo-Croat
Single reviews (Gary Kemp): Dead Giveaway - Shalamar; Money-Go-Round - Paul Weller; Take That Situation - Nick Heyward; Be A Winner - Sugarhill Gang / Rockin' It - Fearless Four / New York New York - Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five; In A Big Country - Big Country; Hang On Now - Kajagoogo; Looking At Midnight - Imagination; Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael Jackson; Walkin' The Line - Brass Construction; I Got Mine - Motorhead / The Kids Are Back - Twisted Sister; The Wheel - Spear Of Destiny; Lady Love Me (One More Time) - George Benson; Magician - Dee Sharp; Every Breath You Take - The Police; Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning - Phil Collins; Wherever I Lay My Hat - Paul Young; The Hayrick Song - Tenpole Tudor; China Girl - David Bowie; Bring Me Closer - Altered Images; Canton (Live) - Japan
Album reviews (Jo-Anne Smith / Deborah Steels / Tim de Lisle / Neil Tennant / Mark Ellen / David Hepworth / Mark Steels): Feast - Creatures; Duck Rock - Malcolm McLaren; Piece Of Mind - Iron Maiden; Lost In Space - Jonzun Crew; Whammy! - B-52's; Live - The Steve Miller Band; The Former 12 Year Old Genius - Coati Mundi; Another Perfect Day - Motorhead; Danseparc - Martha And The Muffins; Confrontation - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Nights Out: Jazz/Funk All-Day Spectacular: Prince Charles & The City Beat Band; Sex Gang Children, Brilliant; Iron Maiden

May 12 - 25, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: JoBoxers
Centrespread: Heaven 17
Back cover: Tony Hadley
Interviews: Culture Club - readers' Q & A; JoBoxers; Heaven 17; The Alarm; Wham!
Lyrics: Blind Vision - Blancmange; Power And The Glory - Saxon; Tragedy And Mystery - China Crisis; Bad Boys - Wham!; Street Cafe - Icehouse; Don't Stop That Crazy Rhythm - Modern Romance; Stop And Go - David Grant; Dancing Tight - Galaxy; Anarchy In the UK - Sex Pistols; Nobody's Diary - Yazoo; Just Got Lucky - JoBoxers; Can't Get Used To Losing You - The Beat; Faster Than The Speed Of Night - Bonnie Tyler; Our Lips Are Sealed - Fun Boy Three
Start: personal file - Terry Hall; Miranda Joyce & Suggs in 1978; Camden Palace birthday party: Steve Strange, Jennie Matthias, Stella Barker; Eddie Tudor; David Grant
Bitz: Meat Loaf; Kool & The Gang, "Greatest Hits"; pirate cassette albums; Glastonbury CND Festival: JoBoxers, Marillion, UB40; Peter Shelley, "XL One", Sinclair ZX81 / Spectrum computer code; Boy George, Dee Snider, Apollinaires, NALGO, Midge Ure and Billy Curry quit Visage, Mulligan refuses to join Visage, Blancmange, "Dancing Around Our Handbags", Martin Fry, Human League, Martin Rushent, Tony Benn LP, Musical Youth record backing vocals for Donna Summer, "2-Tone Chartbusters", Kevin Rowland to marry Helen O'Hara; Sony Radio Awards: Jane Way, Lisa Wilkinson, Andrew Morris, Jane Davey; all time top ten - Todd Carty; Shockabilly, "Earth Vs. Shockabilly"; Spandau Ballet; David Bowie, Icehouse, Murrayfield; J. Walter Negro, Nicky Tesco, "The Cost Of Living"; Stevo signs Cabaret Voltaire; Prince Charles And The City Beat, "Stone Killers"; Kajagoogoo, "Hang On Tight"; Phil Fearon is Galaxy; Devo, Penetration, Magazine, Skids, Sparks; Bruce Foxton, Jake Burns
Single reviews (Neil Tennant): In The Bottle - C.O.D.; Bad Boys - Wham!; Walk Out To Winter - Aztec Camera; Just Got Lucky - JoBoxers; Don't Go - Sylvester; Weekend - Class Action; Nobody's Diary - Yazoo; Candy Man - Mary Jane Girls; Living In Sin - Rupert Hine; If She Doesn't Smile - Fantastic Something; Milk From The Coconut - Toto Coelo; Breaking My Heart - Roni Griffith / Passion - The Flirts; Did You Have To Love Me Like You Did? - The Coconuts / Como Esta Usted? - Coati Mundi; I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - Elton John; We're Celebrating - Language; Great Fire - XTC; Dreamer Devane - Hazan; What Kinda Boy You're Lookin' For (Girl) - Hot Chocolate; Forgive And Forget - Blue Zoo; Burning Boy - Cava Cava; Palm Of My Hand - Pale Fountains; When Boys Talk - Indeep
Album reviews (Neil Tennant / Fred Dellar / Dave Rimmer / Jo-Anne Smith / Deborah Steels / Mark Steels / David Hepworth): Power, Corruption And Lies - New Order; Cargo - Men At Work; The Luxury Gap - Heaven 17; Music - D Train; Reach The Beach - The Fixx; We Are One - Maze; You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll - Twisted Sister; Midnight At The Lost And Found - Meat Loaf
Nights Out: Respond Posse Tour: The Questions, Tracie; Belle Stars; Animal Nightlife; OMD
Other: Stage fright

The Scarlet Hour - Oceans!

I wrote the lyric to Oceans, a song on Warnings, the new album by The Scarlet Hour: I hope you like it!

April 28 - May 11, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Human League
Centrespread: Bauhaus
Back cover: Tracey Ullman
Interviews: Human League; Roman Holliday; Kissing The Pink; The Birthday Party; The Creatures
Lyrics: Pale Shelter - Tears For Fears; Overkill - Men At Work; Sweet Memory - Belle Stars; (Keep Feeling) Fascination - Human League; Beat It - Michael Jackson; War Party - Eddy Grant; I Am (I'm Me) - Twisted Sister; Friday Night (Live) - Kids From Fame; Price You Pay - Questions; Family Man - Hall & Oates; Pull Up To The Bumper - Grace Jones; Candy Girl - New Edition; Twist (Round 'N' Round) - Chill Fac-torr; Flight Of Icarus - Iron Maiden; Miss The Girl - Creatures; Heartbreaker - Musical Youth
Start: personal file -  Annie Lennox; Joe Strummer runs London Marathon; Jonathan Melton, The Specimen, Batcave; Gary Numan flies a plane
Bitz: all time top ten - Dig Wayne; Indeep, "When Boys Talk", "Passion", The Flirts, Bobby "O"; David Bowie; Bauhaus; "Come On Eileen"; Meat Loaf, "Midnight At The Lost At Found"; Bob Marley, "Confrontation", Big Youth, U-Roy, "Crucial Cuts"; After The Fire, "Der Kommissar"; Youth CND concert: Madness, Style Council, Damned, Hazel O'Connor, Clint Eastwood and General Saint; May Day Show For Peace And Jobs; Glastonbury: The Beat, Curtis Mayfield, Aswad; F.R. David; Labelled With Love: Chris Difford, Glen Tilbrook, The Long Honeymoon, "The Amazoon"; Duran Duran, Nick Rhoses; Geoff Deane, Utopia, "Navy Lark", Geoff Deane And The Valley Girls; Perfect Beat: Afrika Bambaataa and Soul Sonic Force, Planet Patrol, Jonzun Crew; Michael Jackson bathes in Perrier Water, Paul McCartney, Jacksons, Freddie Mercury; Ian Gillan joins Black Sabbath; JoBoxers, Suzanne Sulley, Human League, Clare Grogan, Russell Grant, Ian McCulloch marries Lorraine Fox, Sweet Dreams's stools insured for $250,000, Jerry Dammers moves into Dave Rimmer's old flat; Dee, Wham!, Style Council; The Police, "Every Breath You Take", "Synchronicity"
Single reviews (Deborah Steels): Our Lips Are Sealed - Fun Boy Three; Faster Than The Speed Of Night - Bonnie Tyler; If You Really Want To - Meat Loaf; Family Man - Hall & Oates; Young Americans Talking - David Van Day; Resistance - Clock DVA; Stop And Go - David Grant; Love's Gonna Get You - UK Players; 24 Hours From Tulsa - Claire Hammill; Heaven Sent - Paul Haig; Como Esta - Coati Mundi; Street Beat - Toni Basil; Future Generation - B-52's; Communication Breakdown - Junior; Terry - Cindy And The Saffrons; Ragin' Eyes - Nick Lowe; Street Cafe - Icehouse; Easy Come, Easy Go - Piranhas; That'll Do Nicely - Bad Manners; War Party - Eddie Grant; Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - Fat Larry's Band; Let Yourself Go - Helen Shapiro; The Stand - The Alarm; Pale Shelter - Tears For Fears
Album reviews (Jo-Anne Smith / Dave Rimmer / Peter Martin / Peter Stockton / Johnny Black / Fred Dellar / Tim de Lisle): White Feathers - Kajagoogoo; Prelude's Greatest Hits Volumes One And Two - Various Artists; The Kitchen Tape - The Raincoats / Too Much Junkie Business - The New Johnny Thunders / Wild Things - Bush Tetras; Trick Of The Light - Modern Romance; Grapes Of Wrath - Spear Of Destiny; Mistress - Gabi Delgado; Brave Tales - Richard Bone; Fastway - Fastway; Listen - A Flock Of Seagulls
Nights Out: Spandau Ballet; Joan Armatrading; Twisted Sister; Tears For Fears
Other: Top Of The Pops

April 14 - 27, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Thompson Twins
Centrespread: Big Country
Back cover: JoBoxers
Interviews: Thompson Twins; Robert Palmer; Twisted Sister; Jonathan King; The Belle Stars;
Lyrics: Telegraph - OMD; Rosanna - Toto; Muck It Out - Farmer's Boys; True - Spanda Ballet; You Are In My System - Robert Palmer; Snot Rap - Kenny Everett; I'm Never Giving Up - Sweet Dreams; Yesterday - The Beatles; Nightmares - A Flock Of Seagulls; Words - F.R. David; Let's Dance - David Bowie; Temptation - Heaven 17; We Are Detective - Thompson Twins; True Love Ways - Cliff Richard; I'm In Parties [sic] - Bauhaus
Start: personal file - Limahl; The Questions; Chubby Checker, Chill Fac-Torr, "The Twist"; Grace Jones, Dig Wayne, Simon Le Bon, Nash The Slash; Kevin Rowland shops at Harrods; Nick Heyward, Glen Tilbrook 
Bitz: David Van Day, "Young Americans Talking"; Duran Duran, Princess Diana; The Maisonettes: Carla Mendonca and Elisa Richards replace Elaine Williams and Denise Ward quit; Cherry Red Records, "Pillows & Prayers"; Statik Records, "The Best Of Your Secret's Safe With Us"; Kajagoogoo, "White Feathers", Colin Thurston, Nick Rhodes; Paul Weller, Riot Stories; The System, Mic Murphy, David Frank, "S.W.E.A.T."; all time top ten - Stuart Adamson; Sweet Dreams, Bobby McVey; Phil Collins produces Adam Ant, Verdine White and Larry Dunn produce Level 42; Roxy Music, "The High Road", "Like A Hurricane"; Ian Lindsey quits Southern Death Cult, forms The Death Cult with Billy Duffy; Psychic TV, "homophonic recording"; David Bellamy, "Brontosaurus Will You Wait For Me"
Single reviews (Dave Rimmer): Money's Too Tight - Valentine Brothers; Beat It - Michael Jackson; Overkill - Men At Work; She's In Parties - Bauhaus; Temptation - Heaven 17; The Land Of The Good Groove - Nile Rodgers; I'll Slap Your Face - Jonathan King; That'll Do Nicely - Bad Manners; Miss The Girl - Creatures; Candy Girl - New Edition / Space Cowboy - Jonzun Crew; There Ain't No Age For Rock 'N' Roll - Veterans; Out Of Sight Out Of Mind - Level 42; Cash (Cash Money) - Prince Charles and the City Beat Band; Telegraph - OMD; Sweet Memory - Belle Stars; Price You Pay - The Questions; Another Half Hour Till Sunrise - Tall Boys; Now Martin's Gone - Tom Robinson; I'm Freaky - O'Bryan; Nightmares / Talking - A Flock Of Seagulls; Tubeway Army 1978 - Gary Numan; Little Red Corvette - Prince
Album reviews (Steve Bush / Ian Birch / David Hepworth / Mark Steels / Peter Martin / Deborah Steels / Jo-Anne Smith / Neil Tennant): Let's Dance - David Bowie; Pride - Robert Palmer; The One And Only - Billy Fury; Faster Than The Speed Of Night - Bonnie Tyler; Attitude - Rip Rig & Panic; Rainbow Rhythm - Weapon Of Peace; High Land, Hard Rain - Aztec Camera; Words - F.R. David; Heartbeats - Yarborough & Peoples
Nights Out: Kevin Turvey & The Young Ones; Culture Club; Orange Juice, Marine Girls
Other: The Music Centre - the Bronx

March 31 - April 13, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Clare Grogan
Centrespread: Mari Wilson
Back cover: David Bowie
Interviews: Altered Images; Nick Heyward; Tracey Ullman; David Joseph; New Order; The Kids From Fame
Lyrics: My Foolish Friend - Talk Talk; The House That Jack Built - Tracie; Church Of The Poison Mind - Culture Club; Joy - The Band AKA; Stand By - Roman Holliday; The Celtic Soul Brothers - Dexys Midnight Runners; Breakaway - Tracey Ullman; You Can't Hide (Your Love From Me) - David Joseph; Me, I Disconnect From You - Gary Numan; Blue Monday - New Order; When It's Time To Rock; Young, Free And Single - Sunfire; Ooh To Be Ah - Kajagoogoo; Fields Of Fire (400 Miles) - Big Country; You Disappear From View - The Teardrop Explodes
Start: personal file - Edwyn Collins; David Hepworth, Steve Bush; Beki Bondage, "Stop The Seal Cull"; New Edition, "Candy Girl; Thompson Twins, "We Are Detective"; Pete Burns, Dead Or Alive; "Misty Circles" 
Bitz: Teardrop Explodes; Belle Stars; David Joseph, Sunfire, The Band AKA; all time top ten - Pete Wylie; Dollar split, David Van Day, "Young Americans Talking", Thereza Bazar, Tommy J., "Same Time Same Channel"; Culture Club; David Bowie announces Serious Moonlight tour; President Carter's daughter Amy's favourite bands: The Clash, The Jam; "Duran Duran", Russell Mulcahey, Soft Cell, "Non-Stop Exotic Video Show", Cyndy Ecstasy, Mari Wilson; Razzmatazz: Lisa Stansfield replaces Susanne Dando; Shalamar: "Friends" LP sells 300,000 copies; David Sylvian, Riuchi Sakamoto, "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"; Mezzoforte: Eythor Gunnarsson, Gunnlaugar Briem, Frissi Karlsson, Kristinn Svavarsson, Johann Asmundsson; John Wilson, The Heartbeats, "Magic Man", Adam Ant surgery, Peter Murphy pneumonia; "Nipped In The Bud": Young Marble Giants, The Gist, Weekend
Single reviews (Kimberley Leston): Church Of The Poison Mind - Culture Club; The Celtic Soul Brothers - Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners; Johnny B. Goode - Peter Tosh; Ooh To Be Ah - Kajagoogoo; The House THat Jack Built - Tracie; Suck A Little Honey - Hey! Elastica; The Amazoon - The Long Honeymoon; Long Live The National - The Firm; Some Things Don't Matter - Ben Watt; Muck It Out - The Farmer's Boys; You Are In My System - Robert Palmer; Joy (Part 1) - Marvin Gaye; Je T'Aime - Vicious Pink Phenomena; I Am (I'm Me) - Twisted Sister; Navy Lark - Geoff Deane and the Valley Girls; Doot-Doot - ; Sing-Songs EP - The Church; Waiting - Leesha Paradise; Tied Up With Lou Cool - The Tudors; My Jamaican Guy - Grace Jones; It's Gonna Work Itself Out - Rose Tattoo; Oui-Oui - Pulsallama; Snot Rap - Kenny Everett; Rosanna - Toto
Album reviews (Joanne Smith / Ian Birch / Dave Rimmer / Neil Tennant / Jim Shelley / Peter Stockton / Josephine Hocking / Fred Dellar / Mark Steels / Deborah Steels / Ian Birch): Adventures In The Land Of The Good Groove - Nile Rodgers; 10c A Dime - The Flirts; Care - Shriekback; Lazy Ways - Marine Girls; Jungle Jezebel - Divine; Everything Went Black - Black Flag; November Group - November Group; The Sin Of Pride - The Undertones; Touch The Sky - Smokey Robinson; Surface Thrills - Temptations; Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart - Van Morrison; The Final Cut - Pink Floyd; Legendary Hearts - Lou Reed; Before Hollywood - The Go-Betweens; Hunters And Collectors - Hunters And Collectors; In The Mix - Various Artists
Nights Out: Fun Boy Three; Soft Cell; Pale Fountains

March 17 - 30, 1983

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Cover: Tracie & Paul Weller
Centrespread: Siobhan Fahey; Martin Fry
Back cover: Orange Juice
Interviews: Duran Duran - readers' questions; Big Country; Bonnie Tyler; Hall & Oates; Paul Weller & Tracie; Animal Nightlife
Lyrics: Do You Wanna Hold Me - Bow Wow Wow; The Last Film - Kissing The Pink; High Life - Modern Romance; Whistle Down The Wind - Nick Heyward; Breaking Us In Two - Joe Jackson; Drop The Pilot - Joan Armatrading; Visions In Blue - Ultravox; Hope - Wah!; Speak Like A Child - Style Council; Bomber - Motorhead; Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away - Phil Collins; Orchard Road - Leo Sayer; Is There Something I Should Know - Duran Duran; Don't Talk To Me About Love - Altered Images
Start: personal file - Jeremiah Healey; win Fish's jacket; Les Paul, "How High The Moon", "My Favourite Year"; Roni Griffith, Bobby 'O', "The Best Part Of Breaking Up"; Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Michael Jackson, Michael Grant; Rock Goddess: Julie Turner, Jody Turner, Tracey Lamb
Bitz: Forrest; Joan Armatrading; The Tudors: Bob Kingston, Dick Crippen, Gary Long, "Tied Up With Lou Cool"; Robert Gorl, "Mit Dir", Gabi Delgado, "History Of A Kiss"; Elvis Costello, Madness, "Tomorrow's Just Another Day"; Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, Mandy Aftel, "Death Of A Rolling Stone"; Kissing The Pink, John Hall; Talk Talk, "My Foolish Friend", "A Chameleon Hour", Simon Brenner, Phil Ramacon; Prince, "1999"; Trafford Tanzi, Toyah Willcox, Debbie Harry; Smash Hits on BBC breakfast television; Fastway: Jerry Shirley, Fast Eddie Clarke, David King, "Easy Livin'"; Icehouse, "Primitive Man", "Love In Motion"; all time top ten - Clare Grogan
Single reviews (David Hepworth): She Has A Way - Bobby 'O'; Speak Like A Child - Style Council; Clunk Click - Laurel & Hardy; Breaking Us In Two - Joe Jackson; Breakaway - Tracey Ullman; Tainted Love - Dave Phillips & The Hot Rod Gang; Whistle Down The Wind; Is There Something I Should Know? - Duran Duran; Easy Livin' - Fastway; Hope (I Wish You'd Believe Me) - Wah!; Tied Up - Olivia Newton-John; Siamese Cat Song - Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin; Visions In Blue - Ultravox; Raid - Lakeside; Run Me Down - Higsons; Weak Heart - Ruts DC; Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away - Phil Collins; Cry Me A River - Mari Wilson; Don't Talk To Me About Love - Altered Images; My Foolish Friend - Talk Talk; Got To Have You Back - Undertones; Rap Your Love - Set The Tone; Blue Monday - New Order
Album reviews (Fred Dellar / Kimberley Leston / Peter Silverton / Beverley Hillier / Dave Rimmer / Neil Tennant / Peter Martin / Peter Stockton / Peter Dodd / Mark Steels): The Hurting - Tears For Fears; Rock Goddess - Rock Goddess; Earth - Misty In Roots; Deep Sea Skiving - Bananarama; Love Train - Various Artists (Harold Melvin, Billy Paul, The Jones Girls, Teddy Pendergrass, O'Jays, Gamble and Huff, McFadden and Whitehead); Gang War - Prince Charles and the City Beat Band; Burning Bridges - Naked Eyes; The Key - Joan Armatrading; Love's On Our Side - Jerry Knight; Wreckin' Crew - The Meteors; Overman Underground - Kowalski; Destiny Street - Richard Hell and the Voidoids; Kaivaska - Orchestra Super Mazembe; Pyromania - Def Leppard; Thunder And Lightning - Thin Lizzy; Script For A Jester's Tear - Marillion
Nights Out: Spear Of Destiny; Madness

February 17 - March 2, 1982

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Cover: OMD
Centrespread: Spandau Ballet
Back cover: free badge offer
Interviews: Orchestral Manoeuvres; Thompson Twins; China Crisis
Lyrics: Never Gonna Give You Up - Musical Youth; Genetic Engineering - Orchestral Manoeuvres; Love On Your Side - Thompson Twins; The Harder They Come - Rockers Revenge; The Chinese Way - Level 42; Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar; Soweto - Malcolm McLaren; Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) - Madness; Africa - Toto; Tunnel Of Love - Fun Boy Three; Nature Boy - Central Line; I've Got Mine - UB40; Hey Little Girl - Icehouse
Start: personal file - Linton Beckles; Spandau Ballet, Steve Norman, John Conteh; Toyah, Sharon Dean, Mini Pops; British Rock and Pop Awards: Bev Hillier, Boy George, Belle Stars, Bananarama, Kim Wilde, Geoff Deane, Dave Lee Travis, Mark Fox, Chris Quentin; JoBoxers: Dave Collard, Dig Wayne, Robert Marche, Sean McLusky, Chris Bostock
Bitz: Belle Stars in Japan; James T. Pursey, "Revenge Is Not The Password"; David Bowie signs with EMI, "Yellowbeard"; OMD tour; "No Problem", The Powell Family, Janet Kay, Aswad, John Collins; Eurythmics tour, Clem Burke, Mickey Gallagher, Eddi Reader; Pete Shelley, Martin Rushent, "Telephone Operator"; all time top ten - Fish; Laurie Anderson, United States, ICA; The Creatures, Siouxsie, Budgie, Hawaii, "Feast"; Pink Floyd, "The Final Cut: A Requiem For The Post War Dream"; "Street Sounds": Gwen McCrae, Whodini, Montana Sextet, Nairobi, First Light, Rocket, Sunfire, Mellee Mel & Duke Bootee; Human League video single, "Mirror Man", "Love Action", "Don't You Want Me"; Duran Duran; Kraftwerk, "Techno Pop"; The Style Council, Paul Weller, Mick Talbot; UK acts in US charts: Clash, Phil Collins, Adam Ant, Musican Youth, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Flock Of Seagulls, Joe Jackson, Dexys, ABC, Thompson Twins; Toto
Single reviews (): Boxer Beat - Joboxers; Genetic Engineering - Orchestral Manoeuvres; Perfect - The The; Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler; Waves - Blancmange; Joli Fille d'Alger - Lala; Dizzy Dreamers - Honey Bane; Once Bitten - Annabel Lamb; Downhearted - Australian Crawl; Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This - Eurythmics / Cashflow - Leisure Process / The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats; I Want Out - Matchbox (featuring Kirsty MacColl); Suffering In The Land - Gene October; Passion Killer - One The Juggler; Mexican Radio - Wall Of Voodoo; Anna Letmein Letmeout - Trio; Rip It Up - Orange Juice; Hit The 'O' Deck - Pigbag; Never Too Much - Luther Vandross; Tomorrow's Just Another Day - Madness; Flesh And Blood - Allez Allez
Album reviews (Dave Rimmer / Mark Ellen / Jim Shelley / Peter James / Peter Stockton / Josephine Hocking / Bev Hillier / Peter Silverton / David Bostock / Ian Birch): Once Bitten - Annabel Lamb; Showpeople - Mari Wilson; Lend An Ear - Pigbag; Dancing In Heaven - Walter Steding; Guilty - The Vibrators; Enflame - The Passage; Be With Me - Billy Griffin; Bedroom Album - Jah Wobble; Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson; Beatitude - Ric Ocasek; Sons Of Beaches - Australian Crawl; Battle Hymns For Children Singing - Haysi Fantayzee; Live - UB40; All In A Night's Work - KC & The Sunshine Band; Mathilde Santing - Mathilde Santing; White Heat - Dusty Springfield
Nights Out: The Stranglers; A Certain Ratio
Other: portable gadget reviews: Bananarama, Lee Dury, Mick Mullins, Annie Lennox, Wham!, Gary Tibbs

February 3 - 16, 1983

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Cover: Kajagoogoo
Centrespread: Tears For Fears - Change
Back cover: The Stranglers
Interviews: Kajagoogoo; Aztec Camera; Southern Death Cult; Sharon Redd; Echo & The Bunnymen
Lyrics: Sign Of The Times - Belle Stars; Too Shy - Kajagoogoo; 1999 - Prince; Last Night A DJ Saved My Life - Indeep; Oblivious - Aztec Camera; Communication - Spandau Ballet; Get The Balance Right - Depeche Mode; Christian - China Crisis; Change - Tears For Fears; Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes; Gasoline Alley - Elkie Brooks; I'm Not In Love - 10 C.C.; Shiny Shiny - Haysi Fantayzee
Start: personal file - Miranda Joyce; Eurythmics in a field with some cows; Captain Sensible, Animus, Artists For Animals, "Blood On The Ice"; Chevalier Brothers, Skiddilybop; Pigbag: Angela Jaeger, Simon Underwood, Kosi, Chris Lea, Ollie Moore, James Johnston, Oscar Verden, Brian Neville, "Hit The 'O' Deck", "Lend An Ear"; Orange Juice, "Rip It Up"; Def Leppard: Phil Collen, Jo Elliot, Rick Allen, Steve Clark, Rick Savage
Bitz: "Last Linx"; Patti Smith, "Because The Night"; Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, baby boy Robert; David Hepworth's daughter, Clare; Cindy And The Saffrons, Joanne Whalley, Anne Dudley; Soft Cell; Laura Brannigan, "Gloria", Umberto Tozzi, Jonathan King, Octopussy, Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope; Mick Karn, Ballet Rambert, Richard Barbieri; New Order, "Power, Corruption And Lies"; Heaven 17; Haircut One Hundred split up; Bruce Foxton signs with Polydor; Rick Buckler; Culture Club; Iron Maiden, Nicko McBrain; Thin Lizzy split, John Sykes; Indeep: Mike Cleveland, Rose Marie Ramsey, Reggi Maglorie; all time top ten - Alf
Single reviews (Fred Dellar): The Harder They Come - Rockers Revenge / Love Is All - Jimmy Cliff; Shame On The Moon - Bob Seger; You Are - Lionel Richie; New Frontier - Donald Fagen; The Tunnel Of Love - Fun Boy Three; Love Makes You Crazy - Mike Batt / Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy - Sammy Hagar; Love's A Lonely Place To Be - Virginia Astley; I Knew You When - Linda Ronstadt; For Whom The Bell Tolls - Fad Gadget; Johnny Remember Me - The Meteors; Gi's A Job - Yosser's Gang; Hang On To Your Heart - Bardo; Billie Jean - Michael Jackson / Come Give Your Love To Me - Janet Jackson; Get The Balance Right - Depeche Mode; My Kind Of Lady - Supertramp; Stop In The Name Of Love - Barbara Dickson; Loved One's An Angel - Blue Zoo; Lagartija Nick - Bauhaus; Communication - Spandau Ballet; Cath - The Bluebells
Album reviews (Bev Hillier / David Hepworth / Neil Tennant / Kimberley Leston / Ian Birch): Tough - Kurtis Blow; Channel One / Well Charge - Various Artists (Tamlins, Mighty Diamonds); Stonekillers - Prince Charles and the City Beat Band; Attack! - The Revillos!; Powerhouse - Earth Wind & Fire; Waiting - Fun Boy Three; The Belle Stars - The Belle Stars
Nights Out: The Mud Club; Yakety-Yak!
Other: Australian bands: Cold Chisel, Little Heroes, Icehouse

January 20 - February 2, 1983

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Cover: Pete Wylie
Centrespread: Boy George
Back cover: Belle Stars
Interviews: Wah!; Michael Jackson; Men At Work
Lyrics: Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant; The Story Of The Blues - Wah!; One On One - Daryl Hall & John Oates; Twisting By The Pool - Dire Straits; Billie Jean - Michael Jackson; So Close - Diana Ross; Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson; Oh Diane - Fleetwood Mac; Gloria - Laura Branigan; Down Under - Men At Work; Mind Up Tonight - Melba Moore; The Cutter - Echo & The Bunnymen
Start: personal file - Mike Nolan; Paul Weller, Tracey Thorn; Tracey Ullman; The Sleeping Lions, "Wonderful You Are"; Gene Anthony Ray, Debbie Allen; Roy Hay marries Alison; Merrick, Gary Tibbs
Bitz: all time top ten - Andy O; Echo And The Bunnymen; Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook, "Labelled With Love"; compact discs; David Bowie world tour; Gallup replaces British Market Research Bureau; Adam Ant, ABC in USA; Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark, Genetic Engineering, Dazzle Ships; Billy Griffin "Hold Me Tighter In The Rain"; Duran Duran; Ian Dury, "Hard Lines", Aidan Cant, "Swing And Go!", Paul Weller; Mick Karn, "Sensitive"; Bauhaus, "Lagartija Nick"; Clive Burr quits Iron Maiden; Warren Can, Hans Zimmer, "Spies"; vinyl frontier: Spandau Ballet, Fun Boy Three, Mari Wilson, Wham, Spear Of Destiny, Leisure Process, Bananarama, Altered Images, The Police
Single reviews (Dave Rimmer): 1999 - Prince; Dance Sucker - Set The Tone; Brother Bright - Cava Cava; Too Shy - Kajagoogoo; Let's Stay Together - Bobby M featuring Jean Carn; Change - Tears For Fears; Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens - Stargazers; Please Please Me - Beatles; Shiny Shiny - Haysi Fantayzee; Girl I Like The Way That You Move - Stone; Nature Boy - Central Line; If This World Were Mine - Cheryl Lynn (with Luther Vandross); Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant; The Front Line - Steve Wonder; Let's Forget - White And Torch; So Close - Diana Ross; Censored - Paris; The Cutter - Echo And The Bunnymen; Vintage English Rock & Roll - That Hideous Strength; Sign Of The Times - The Belle Stars; Message 2 (Survival) - Melle Mel And Duke Bootee; Christian - China Crisis; I Like My Own Company - Go 2; Dangerous Moonlight - Die Unbekannten; Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life - Indeep; Revelations (Of Heartbreak) - The Blades
Album reviews (Neil Tennant / David Bostock / Mark Ellen / David Hepworth / Peter Stockton / Dave Rimmer ): The Art Of Falling Apart - Soft Cell; Power Cuts - All Their Hottest Hits - Heatwave; Feline - The Stranglers; The Distance - Bob Seger; Leather, Bristles, No Survivors And Sick Boys… - GBH; Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics; Luther Vandross - Luther Vandross; Live Evil - Black Sabbath; Exposed - Schneider With The Kick; Suburban Voodoo - Paul Carrack; Porcupine - Echo And The Bunnymen; Rare - David Bowie
Nights Out: Joe Jackson; Medium Wave Band / US / Hot Quisine
Other: 50 Facts About The Beatles

January 6 - 19, 1983

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Cover: Malcolm McLaren
Centrespread: The Jam - The Dreams of Children
Back cover: Shakin' Stevens
Interviews: Malcolm McLaren; Modern Romance
Lyrics: Wham Rap (Enjoy What You Do) - Wham!; Ieya - Toyah; I Think I Need Help - The Farmer' Boys; White Boy - Culture Club; Have You Heard The News - Talk Talk; The Man Who Sold The World - David Bowie; Dreams Of Children - The Jam; Beat My Guest - Adam Ant; Out Of Reach - Vice Squad; Last Chance On The Stairway - Duran Duran; Visions Of China - Japan; Toys - Spandau Ballet
Start: personal file - Pete Wylie; Ozzie Osbourne; Boy George; Johnny Cougar; Toyah; Siobhan Fahey, Andrew Ridgely
Bitz: Incantation; "Get Fighting Fit With The 2 Paras"; "Gastank", Rick Wakeman, Tony Ashton; Jeffrey Daniel, Jim'll Fix It; Siouxsie And The Banshees, John McGeoch, Robert Smith; all time top ten - Lol Mason; Jerry Dammers, The Specials; Sting, Dune; "Street Sounds", Grandmaster Flash, Raw Silk; Madness tour; Wham!; Joe Jackson
Single reviews (Mark Ellen): Goodbye Joe - Tracey Thorn; European Female - Stranglers; No Time For Talk - The Box; The Chinese Way - Level 42; Hand To Hold On To / Hurts So Good - John Cougar; Drive My Car - Nasty Facts / Bike - Danny And The Nogoodniks; My Love Is Waiting - Marvin Gaye; My Life - Bumble & the Beez; I Have The Touch - Peter Gabriel; Twist & Shout - The Blockheads; Down Under - Men At Work; Scorpio - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five; Stepping Stone - Virus; This Is Not Love - The Killjoys; Baby's Got A Gun - The Only Ones; I'm Not Unusual - Bonk!; Moya/Flatman - Southern Death Cult
Nights Out: Elton John; Simple Minds; Blancmange
Other: remixes; 1982 pop quiz; pop stars' school reports; The Tube

Smash Hits Yearbook 1983

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I would like to thank everybody who has visited the archive and / or liked the Facebook page during 1982 / 2022 - especially the people who have written comments and sent emails....sorry if I haven't replied to all the messages yet; I promise I'm working on it! Thanks most of all for the Facebook friend requests; even if we never meet in person, I am lucky to be cyber-friends with some great people. Happy Christmas to all of you - and have a great 2023!!

December 23, 1982 - January 5, 1983

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Cover: Tears For Fears
Centrespread: Wham
Back cover: Bucks Fizz
Interviews: Tears For Fears; Madness; Culture Club
Lyrics: You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins; Party Party - Elvis Costello; Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie and Bing Crosby; Heartache Avenue - Maisonettes; Melt! - Siouxsie & the Banshees; I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter - Barry Manilow; In And Out - Willie Hutch; I Confess - The Beat; Friends - Shalamar; I Feel Love - Donna Summer; Under Attack - Abba; Wish I Could Write A Love Song - Chas And Dave
Start: personal file - Grandmaster Flash; Anti-Nowhere League, "For You", Rusty Egan, Animal, Winston, Magoo, P.J.; The Jam; "Take The City With You" cassette; Special A.K.A. - Egidio Newton, John Shipley, John Bradbury, Stan Campbell, Jerry Dammers, Rhoda Dakar, Gary McManus, John Taylor; One The Juggler: Rocco, Lushi, Steve Nichols, Colin Mindon
Bitz: all time top ten - Mike Score; Dollar; Leee John in Doctor Who; Sam Hodgkin quits King Trigger; "Ghosts Of Christmas Past (Remake)": Les Disques Du Crepuscule - Pale Fountains, Cabaret Voltaire, Aztec Camera, Paul Haig, French Impressionists; Tracie Young, Paul Weller; Tony Hadley, Toyah, Kim Wilde, Helen O'Hara, Alf, Boy George, Captain Sensible; David Byrne to produce Fun Boy Three; Thomas Dolby, "She Blinded Me With Science", "Magic Wand", Jalil, Ecstasy, "Rapped Upright" (Sugar Hill Records), Sugar Hill Gang, Candi Staton, Funky Four, Wayne And Charlie, Grandmaster Flash, Melly Mell and Duke Bootee; Stranglers, "European Female"
Nights Out: The Jam - last gig in London; Marc And The Mambas
Other: 1982 Readers Poll results

December 9 - 22, 1982

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some kindly soul (not me) has uploaded both sides of the Christmas flexidisc: Side One / Side Two

Cover: Kevin Rowland
Centrespread: Soft Cell
Back cover: Human League
Interviews: Yazoo; Shalamar; Abba; Whitesnake; Dexy's Midnight Runners
Lyrics: Dear Addy - Kid Creole & The Coconuts; Changes - Imagination; Where The Heart Is - Soft Cell; Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren & The World's Famous Supreme Team; Let's Go To Bed - The Cure; The More I See (The Less I Believe) - Fun Boy Three; Love - John Lennon; Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Shakin' Stevens; Save Your Love - Renee And Renato; Thank You - Pale Fountains; Louise - Phil Everly; Little Town - Cliff Richard; I'm Alright - Steve Wright and the Afternoon Boys
Start: personal file - George Michael; E.T.; The Beat, Ranking Roger; A Flock Of Seagulls, Mike Score; Jim and Mark Kerr; Mick Karn, Orly; Simon and Jonathan LeBon
Bitz: all time top ten - Siobhan Fahey; Bow Wow Wow, "Go Wild In The Country", "Scandalous", Pamela Stephenson, Sir John Gielgud; Echo And The Bunnymen, "The Happy Loss"; Malcolm McLaren; Marc Bolan, "Billy Super Duper", "The Children Of Rarn Suite", "Mellow Love", "Christmas Bop"; Teardrop Explodes split, The Dumbfounding Two; Pale Fountains, Michael Head, Chris McCaffrey, Andy Diagram; "Pillows And Prayers", Cherry Red, Monochrome Set, Marine Girls, Attila The Stockbroker, Everything But The Girl, The Passage; Survival Records, Tik And Tok, Richard Bone; Spandau Ballet, Gary Kemp, "The Late Late Breakfast Show" "D.J."; David Sylvian, Japan, Eric Satie; "Party Party" soundtrack, "Tutti Frutti" - Sting, "No Feelings" - Bananarama, Bad Manners, Modern Romance, Midge Ure, Madness, Altered Images, Elvis Costello; Carmel; Ian Gillan must stop singing for nine months
Single reviews (Tim De Lisle): Dear Addy EP - Kid Creole and the Coconuts; Let's Get This Straight From The Start / Old - Kevin Rowland and Dexy's Midnight Runners; My Man - Yoko Ono; A Picture Of You - Alvin Stardust; Holding Me Tight - Pinkees; Where The Heart Is - Soft Cell; Party Party - Elvis Costello and the Attractions with the Royal Guard Horns; In The Name Of Love - Sharon Redd; More Than A Dream - The Farmer's Boys; Hi-De-Hi, Hi-De-Ho - Kool & the Gang; Last Respects - Alan Clayson and the Argonauts; I Feel Love - Donna Summer; To Love A Child - Frank Sinatra; Under Attack - Abba; Your Turn To Run (I Will Be Your Only One) - Malaria!; Sound Patterns - Fox In Socks; The More I See (The Less I Believe) - Fun Boy Three; Feels Like Winter Again - Fiat Lux; War Crimes - The Special A.K.A.; All The Love In The World - Dionne Warwick; Changes - Imagination
Album reviews (Neil Tennant / Bev Hillier / Peter Silverton / Kimberley Leston / Dave Rimmer / Fred Dellar / Mark Ellen / Ian Birch): Dig The New Breed - The Jam; Thriller - Michael Jackson; African Girl - Winston Groovy; Talk Of The Devil - Ozzy Osbourne; Force The Hand Of Chance - Psychic TV; Invitations - Shakatak; Get Nervous - Pat Benatar; Coda - Led Zeppelin; Lovers' Rock - Gregory Isaacs; Main Attraction - Suzi Quatro; Promises - Allez Allez; Wild Things Run Fast - Joni Mitchell
Nights Out: Thomas Dolby; Marillion; Talk Talk

November 25 - December 8, 1982

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Cover: Japan
Centrespread: Duran Duran + road crew
Back cover: Talk Talk
Interviews: Japan; A Flock Of Seagulls; Duran Duran; Blancmange
Lyrics: Time (Clock Of The Heart) - Culture Club; Pleasure Boys - Visage; (Beware) Boyfriend - Mari Wilson; Our House - Madness; Beat Surrender - Jam; Youth Of Today - Musical Youth; Love Is A Stranger - Eurythmics; Here I Go Again - Whitesnake; Back To Love - Evelyn King; State Of Independence - Donna Summer; The Girl Is Mine - Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney; Follow The Leaders - Killing Joke; Cheers Then - Bananarama
Start: personal file - Steve Strange; Bryan Ferry's baby Benjamin; Tears For Fears, Graduate; David Bowie, Bing Crosby, "Peace On Earth"/"Little Drummer Boy"; Abba; Disconnection, "Bali Ha'i"; Japan; Marc Almond, Nicola Claridge; Steve Wright, Mike Watson, "I'm alright - you alright?"  
Bitz: Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson; Rick James; Musical Youth tour cancelled; Spear Of Destiny: Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers; David Van Day, "Do You Believe In Fairies?"; Siouxsie And The Banshees, "Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant"; Soft Cell, "The Art Of Falling Apart", "Where The Heart Is"; The Maisonettes: Nick Parry, Denise Ward, Mark Tibbenham, Lol Mason, Elaine Williams; Haircut One Hundred album delayed, tour rescheduled; John Lennon, "Collection"; Status Quo, "From The Makers Of…"; The Undertones, "Sin Of Pride"; "The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Black Music"; Phil Everly, "Louise"
all time top ten - Junior Waite
Single reviews (Deborah Steels): Beat Surrender - The Jam; Little Town - Cliff Richard; Bali Ha'i - Disconnection; Time - Culture Club; Pleasure Boys - Visage; Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team; Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime) - The Flirts; Kiss Of No Return - Trevor Herion; Cash In Hand - The Firm; Forever - Little Steven and the Disciples Of Soul; Cheers Then - Bananarama; You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins; Theme From E.T. (The Extra Terrestrial); Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant; So In Love With You - Winston Groovy; Take It On The Chin - Kim Carnes; If You Can't Stand The Heat - Bucks Fizz; Girl Of 1000 Lists - Go-Go's; Envy The Love - The Apollinaires; If You Leave Can I Come Too? - Mental As Anything; This First Dance - The Recognitions; Mannequin - The Kids From Fame; Show Me The Way - R-A-C-E; Cast A Long Shadow - The Monochrome Set
Album reviews (Jim Shelley / Peter Silverton / Ian Cranna / Neil Tennant / Kimberley Leston / Ian Cranna / Fred Dellar / David Hepworth / Deborah Steels / Peter Stockton): Immigrants - Sandii And The Sunsetz; Oh No! It's Devo - Devo; No Man's Land - Lene Lovich; La Variete - Weekend; Moving Windows - Our Daughter's Wedding; Forging Ahead - Bad Manners; Famous Last Words - Supertramp; Long After Dark - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; Killer On The Rampage - Eddy Grant; Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun To Entertain - China Crisis; Warrior Rock - Toyah; "Titles" - Mick Karn; The Maverick Years - Wah; Steamin' Hot - The Reddings; Frooty Rooties - Eric Stewart; Men Without Women - Little Steven & the Disciples Of Soul
Nights Out: Squeeze; ABC; Depeche Mode

November 11 - 24, 1982

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Cover: Edwyn Collins
Centrespread: Musical Youth
Back cover: Eddy Grant
Interviews: Orange Juice; John Cougar; Human League: Joanne and Susann; Erazerhead; Blue Zoo; The Jam
Lyrics: Rio - Duran Duran; The Other Side Of Love - Yazoo; Living On The Ceiling - Blancmange; Jack And Diane - John Cougar; The Apple Stretching - Grace Jones; All Right Now - Free; Caroline - Status Quo; Do It To The Music - Raw Silk; Move It - Cliff Richard; The Day Before You Came - Abba; It's Raining Again - Supertramp; Mirror Man - Human League; Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) - A Flock Of Seagulls; Let Me Go! - Heaven 17; Hymn - Ultravox
Start: personal file - John Peel; Thomas Dolby, Magnus Pyke; Madness; Elton John; Robert "Kool" Bell, Bev Hillier, Steve Singleton; Tony Hadley; Animal Nightlife
Bitz: Sharon Redd; The Peech Boys: Michael de Benedictus, R. Bernard Fowler, Robert Casper, Larry Levan; Dionne Warwick; Men At Work: Colin Hay, John Rees, Jerry Speiser, Ron Strykert, Greg Ham; Raw Silk: Valerie Petiford, Tenita Jordan, Jessica Cleaves; Musical Youth tour; XTC: "Waxworks", "Beeswax"; Squeeze: "Singles 45 And Under"; Free: "Completely Free"; Abba: "The Singles"; The Associates, "A Matter Of Gender"; Yazoo; Sandii And The Sunsets; "Duran Duran: Their Story", Kasper de Graaf; Ultravox tour; Haircut One Hundred, Mark Fox; The Bluebells court case; Orange Juice tour; Free: Paul Kossof, Paul Rogers, Simon Kirke, Andy Fraser; all time top ten - Stephen Luscombe and Neil Arthur;
Single reviews (Neil Tennant): I'm So Hot For You - Bobby "O"; Mirror Man - Human League; Baby Turns Blue - Virgin Prunes; There Goes A Tenner - Kate Bush; Baby I'm A Fool For You - Sylvia And The Sapphires; Heartache Avenue - The Maisonettes; Love Is Just The Great Pretender - Animal Nightlife; Once In A Lifetime - Riuchi Sakamoto & Robin Scott; Ding Dong - Klaus Nomi; Dancing With Ideas - A Popular History Of Signs; I've Been A Bad Bad Boy - Marcel; Youth Of Today - Musical Youth; Back To Love - Evelyn King; (Beware) Boyfriend - Mari Wilson; Our House - Madness; Light - Music For Pleasure; Thank You - Pale Fountains; The Other Side Of Love - Yazoo; Love - John Lennon; It's You Only You - Lene Lovich; Autumn Leaves - One Plus One; Truly - Lionel Richie; Losing True - The Roches; Imagination - Anusia; Drumbeat For Baby - Weekend; Keep The Fire Burning - Gwen McCrae; Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) - Simple Minds
Album reviews (Pete Silverton / Dave Rimmer / Ian Birch / Neil Tennant / David Hepworth / Dave Rimmer / Johnny Black / Kimberley Leston / Mark Ellen / Peter Stockton): Absolutely - Rod Stewart; Lupa - Palais Schaumberg; Living My Life - Grace Jones; Redd Hott - Sharon Redd; H20 - Daryl Hall & John Oates; Hello I Must Be Going - Phil Collins; Gifts And Telegrams - Patrik Fitzgerald; The Other Side Of The Rainbow - Melba Moore; Left Hundred Dream - Riuchi Sakamoto; Sanctuary - The Passions; Journey Without Maps Vol. 7 - Various Artists [Toe-Knee-Black-Burn - Binky Baker, Two Minds Crack, The Fix, 23 Jewels, The Outsiders]; The Nightfly - Donald Fagen; The Rise And Fall - Madness; Rice Music - Masami Tsuchiya; I Scare Myself - Barry Reynolds; Youth Of Today - Musical Youth; A Kiss In The Dreamhouse - Siouxsie And The Banshees; Heartbreaker - Dionne Warwick
Nights Out: Killing Joke; Fat Larry's Band; Kim Wilde

October 28 - November 10, 1982

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Peter Murphy
Centrespread: Adam Ant
Back cover: Tears For Fears
Interviews: Bauhaus; Wham!; AC/DC; Scarlet Party; Haysi Fantayzee
Lyrics: Life In Tokyo - Japan; Cry Boy Cry - Blue Zoo; Annie Get Your Gun - Squeeze; Young Guns (Go For It) - Wham!; Never Give You Up - Sharon Redd; Love Me Do - Beatles; Zambezi - Piranhas; I Can't Help Myself - Orange Juice; Fun City - Marc and the Mambas; Muscles - Diana Ross; I Don't Wanna Dance - Eddy Grant; 101 Dam-nations - Scarlet Party; Love's Comin' At Ya - Melba Moore; Holy Joe - Haysi Fantayzee
Start: personal file - Tony Hadley;  Sting sells kisses for Oxfam; Fashion: Mulligan, Troy Tate, Al Darby, Dik Davis, Martin Recci; Midge Ure and Mick Karn; Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson; Ian Gillan, The Cucumbers; David Grant marries Gillian Henry;
Bitz: all time top ten - Curt Smith; "Shipbuilding", Robert Wyatt, Elvis Costello, Steve nieve, Clive Langer, Bedders; Eddy Grant; Adam Ant; Captain Sensible; Marc Almond; The Jam; The Piranhas, "Boring" Bob Grover; Classix Nouveaux; BowWowWow, Mike Chapman; Haircut One Hundred; Mood Six; Tintin; Duran Duran "nightclub scuffle"
Single reviews (David Hepworth): The Only Way - Lisa Stansfield; State Violence / State Control - Discharge; No More Blue Horizons (Fool Fool Fool) - China Crisis; Wishing (I Had A Photograph Of You) - A Flock Of Seagulls; Dracula's Tango (Sucker For Your Love) - Toto Coelo; The Best Years Of Our Loves - Modern Romance; Let Me Go - Heaven 17; Forevermore - Bluebells; Annie Get Your Gun - Squeeze; Baby Doll - Girls Can't Help It; Marching On - The Alarm; State Of Independence - Donna Summer; (Sexual) Healing - Marvin Gaye; Ice Cream Factory - Billy MacKenzie; The Love Parade - Undertones; Living On The Ceiling - Blancmange; To Turn The Stone - Frida; Straight Ahead - Nick Straker Band; Tomorrow Never Knows - Monsoon
Album reviews (Beverly Hillier / Peter Stockton / Jim Shelley / Deborah Steels / Mark Steels / Pete Silverton / Neil Tennant / Dave Rimmer / David Hepworth / Mark Ellen / Kimberley Leston ): The Dollar Album - Dollar; Station M.X.J.Y. - Maximum Joy; The Sky's Gone Out - Bauhaus; Quartet - Ultravox; Seduction - The Danse Society; Keep It Live - Dazz Band; Think Positive - Crown Heights Affair; Rip It Up - Orange Juice; The Message - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five; All Fall Down - The Sound; Corridors Of Power - Gary Moore; Silk Electric - Diana Ross; Bad Man Posse - Junior Murvin; Playtime - Tot Taylor and his Orchestra; Live At The Blue Chonjo Sky Day & Night - OK Jive; Chewing The Fat - Blue Rondo A La Turk
Nights Out: Psychedelic Furs; Mari Wilson

Gary Crowley's Indie 90s Playback: Classics, Curveballs and Bangers!

Everybody’s favourite DJ has done it again! Over the past few years, Gary Crowley has curated a handful of excellent compilations, unearthing lost gems and revisiting forgotten classics from the late seventies to the mid-eighties - and his winning streak continues as he moves into the nineties with a wonderfully eclectic and terrifically energetic three-CD collection of blasts from the more recent past. [Fact check: If you graduated from university in the early nineties, that is *definitely* the recent past.]

Disc 1 - Classics - blasts off with The Wonder Stuff's rollicking A Wish Away and barely pauses for breath as it serves up killer tracks from the likes of Electronic, Primal Scream, Saint Etienne, The Sundays and Gene. The perfect power pop of Fountains Of Wayne's Radiation Vibe proves why the late Adam Schlesinger was the perfect choice to write the theme song for That Thing You Do! and if you're not familiar with Beth Orton's Trailer Park or Luscious Jackson's Fever In Fever Out, the inclusion of She Cries Your Name and Naked Eye should have you scurrying off to investigate further: you won't be disappointed!

Disc 2 - Curveballs - is an even more wide-ranging assortment of sounds and styles from Dodgy, Ocean Colour Scene, Miranda Sex Garden and more. Bennet's bizarre hymn to the glories of frozen food - Mum's Gone To Iceland - is outdone in delirium only by We're Not Supposed To by Supergrass. Best of all, however, nestled between Molly Half Head and Ned's Atomic Dustbin, is Travelling Light by Tindersticks and Carla Torgerson, a beautiful strings-strewn ballad of longing and regret which I mostly ignored in 1995; half a lifetime later and now in my fifties, I can appreciate the power of the emotional punch the song packs. Growing old is a funny thing: the songs stay the same, but we change.

Disc 3 - Bangers - does exactly what it says on the tin: fifteen floor-fillers guaranteed to get you moving and grooving. Fatboy Slim [Everybody Needs A 303] and Tricky [Black Steel] are the most well-known choices, but there are great selections from Lo Fidelity Allstars, 18 Wheeler, Definition Of Sound and Renegade Soundwave, whose Probably A Robbery might be the only top-forty hit with "skulduggery" in the lyric - and is all the better for it! In addition to World Of Twist and Fluke, there are reworkings of tracks from Manic Street Preachers and Paul Weller - and the Modfather himself is one of the interviewees in the accompanying book. Alan McGee, Sarah Cracknell and others also share their memories from the nineties, alongside Gary's own track-by-track guide to his selections.

My own musical nostalgia tends to focus on the era of the early years of Smash Hits and I confess I was a bit wary when I first heard about this set - but I needn't have worried. Gary has the best job in the world and he does it so well: Indie 90s Playback is another essential set of songs, hand-picked by a DJ whose passion for music remains undimmed and is evidenced every time he assembles one of these box sets. It's a perfect Christmas present for yourself and the music lovers in your life - I am already looking forward to Volume 2!

Gary Crowley's Indie 90s Playback is available from Amazon UK.

Disc 1: Classics
1 The Wonder Stuff - A Wish Away
2 The Sundays - Here's Where The Story Ends
3 Paris Angels - Perfume (Loved Up)
4 Electronic - Feel Every Beat (7" Remix)
5 Jesus Jones - International Bright Young Thing (Phil Harding 12" Mix)
6 Sultans of Ping F.C. - Where's Me Jumper?
7 The Stairs - Weed Bus
8 Pulp - My Legendary Girlfriend
9 Soul Family Sensation - I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby (Marshall Jefferson Mix)
10 Saint Etienne - You're In A Bad Way
11 Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven
12 Drop Nineteens - Winona
13 Gene - For The Dead
14 Primal Scream - Jailbird
15 Beth Orton - She Cries Your Name
16 Luscious Jackson - Naked Eye (Remix)
17 Silver Sun - Golden Skin
18 Fountains of Wayne - Radiation Vibe
19 The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Instant Repater '99

Disc 2: Curveballs
1 Thousand Yard Stare - Wonderment
2 The Montgomery Clifts - Lovesville USA
3 Katydids - Lights Out (Read My Lips)
4 The High - Up And Down
5 Ocean Colour Scene - Sway (Album Version)
6 The Impossibles - The Drum (12" Mix)
7 Poppy Factory - Stars
8 Adorable - Sunshine Smile
9 Catwalk - Little Miss Abyss
10 Miranda Sex Garden - Sunshine (Abrasion Mix)
11 Dodgy - Lovebirds
12 Credit To The Nation - Call It What You Want (Radio Edit)
13 Molly Half Head - Breaking The Ice
14 Tindersticks featuring Carla Torgerson - Travelling Light
15 Ned's Atomic Dustbin - All I Ask Of Myself Is That I Hold Together
16 The Weekenders - Inelegantly Wasted in Papa's Penthouse Pad in Belgravia
17 Supergrass - We're Not Supposed To
18 Bennet - Mum's Gone To Iceland

Disc 3: Bangers
1 Definition of Sound - Wear Your Love Like Heaven
2 The Railway Children - Music Stop (Steve Proctor Mix)
3 Renegade Soundwave - Probably A Robbery
4 Big Audio Dynamite II - Rush (Single Version) 5 Cola Boy - 7 Ways to Love (Straight to the Head Cola Boy 12" Mix)
6 World of Twist - She's A Rainbow (Right Foot Yellow Mix)
7 One Dove - White Love (Radio Mix)
8 Manic Street Preachers - La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh) (The Chemical Brothers Remix)
9 Fluke - Groovy Feeling (Make Mine A 99)
10 Paul Weller - Kosmos - Lynch Mob Bonus Beats (Lynchmob Beats Mix)
11 Tricky - Black Steel (Radio Edit)
12 18 Wheeler - The Hours and the Times (William Orbit Porcupine Mix)
13 Fatboy Slim - Everybody Needs A 303 (Original 12" Mix)
14 Mono - Slimcea Girl (Fat Boy Vocal)
15 Lo Fidelity Allstars - Battleflag (Radio Edit)