Japanese Boy was a hit pretty much everywhere except, oddly enough, Japan. According to singer Mary Sandeman, it was because the melody sounded too Chinese. No matter, as elsewhere, this throbbing…
Classic Album: Yazoo – Upstairs At Eric’s
How an opportunistic meeting of a pop prophet in waiting and a fledgling powerhouse vocalist led to Upstairs At Eric’s – a stripped-back synth-pop masterclass that remains timeless A helping…
One Hit Wonder: Toni Basil – Mickey
Toni Basil was pushing 40 when she dressed as a teenage cheerleader for Mickey in 1982, yet she pulled it off stylishly and created an image and track that will…
Classic Album: Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night
A mostly AWOL Stevie Nicks was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the difficult birth of Fleetwood Mac’s 14th studio album, Tango In The Night. So…
One Hit Wonder: Maria Vidal – Body Rock
Body Rock by Maria Vidal achieved international success in the mid-80s, reaching No.8 on the US Dance Charts, No.48 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No.11 on the UK Singles…
Q&A: Chesney Hawkes – Living Arrows
Thirty-four years after The One And Only, Chesney Hawkes is back with a new album, Living Arrows, which he postponed releasing until he moved back to the UK from Los…
Album By Album – Terry Hall
One of British pop’s finest, Terry Hall helped pioneer a whole new movement with The Specials before utilising his famously deadpan talents in numerous equally intriguing bands, side projects, supergroups…
Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear Interview
In the two decades since hoovering up Brits and the Mercury Prize with their debut LP, Franz Ferdinand have remained energetic and excitable, in love with the possibilities of what…
Ultravox’s Lament anniversary interview
When Ultravox’s Lament received a deluxe 40th anniversary reissue, surviving members Midge Ure, Billy Currie and Warren Cann looked back on the album that called time on their imperial phase……
Band Aid Feeds The World – remembering a Christmas miracle
In 2024, Band Aid celebrated the 40th anniversary of Do They Know It’s Christmas? with a compilation edition of the various incarnations. Here producer Trevor Horn explains the thrill of…