132 posts
Bruce Robert Howard was nicknamed Dr Robert, after the Beatles song of that title, while he was still at school in King‘s Lynn. After emigrating to Australia with his family…
Classic Album: Like A Prayer – Madonna
Madonna’s fourth studio album is an immaculate collection of songs which saw the superstar looking inwards for divine inspiration – taking in grief, loss, redemption and empowerment. With the celestial Like…
Reigning in Manchester: Paul Heaton interview
There’s pop royalty, and then there’s Paul Heaton. He might not have sold as many records as others but, as his first compilation showcasing everything from The Housemartins onwards demonstates,…
One Hit Wonder: Phyllis Nelson – Move Closer
Phyllis Nelson was an experienced disco singer and her 1985 single Move Closer was a radical departure into all-out soulful schmaltz that clambered slowly but purposefully to No.1 for a…
Classic Album: Spirit Of Eden – Talk Talk
Twenty-five years ago, Talk Talk’s fourth LP was spurned upon its release, lasted only five weeks in the UK charts and led the band to take EMI to court. These…
The Godfathers of Pop: Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot
Douglas McPherson chats to Curiosity Killed The Cat’s Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot Not many people can say George Harrison sung them to sleep as a baby, but that was the childhood of…
The Lowdown: The Smiths
Pop in the 1980s was rocked to its foundations with the arrival of The Smiths in 1983. With their blend of Morrissey’s misery and Johnny Marr’s melodies, they became an…
Top 40 80s One-Hit Wonders
Our love affair with the one-hit wonder is often intense, but alas, all-too-brief. Here’s Classic Pop‘s rundown of the greatest one-shots ever to earworm their way into the charts and the…
Lost & Found: The Darling Buds – Pop Said…
Look up “jangly” in the modern dictionary of pop idioms and you’re likely to see The Darling Buds. There was something inveterately cheerful about the Newport quartet – irrespective of…
Thursday Night Fever: Top Of The Pops
Top Of The Pops transformed itself into a non-stop party showcase for the 1980s pop explosion. Those who were there, including Heaven 17’s Martin Ware and DJ Janice Long, look back…