Channelling their live prowess into hits was no easy task, but the Britfunk kingpins managed both critical acclaim and chart glory… By Matt Phillips Level 42 Released 1981 Label Polydor…
Ricky Ross interview: Walking back to happiness
When Covid derailed Deacon Blue’s 2020 plans, Ricky Ross stayed home and made a solo record, Short Stories Vol.2. But he’s also got a longer tale to tell, though, in…
The Lowdown – Nile Rodgers
Before disco became a dirty word, Nile Rodgers and Chic got the world dancing with their irresistible grooves… then funk’s number one “chucker” evolved into the greatest pop Svengali of…
William Orbit interview: “Imposter syndrome has been with me all along”
The producer of landmark music for Madonna, All Saints, Blur, Pink and Britney Spears, maverick musician William Orbit enjoyed an influential career as an ambient pioneer, classical reinventor and rave mainstay. Then…
Popscene – Yacht Rock
What is it? Unusually, the term ‘yacht rock’ was only coined well after the genre’s 70s and early-80s heyday. At the time when this FM-friendly stew of super-varnished production, breezy…
Spotlight – It Bites: Once Around The World
The 80s pop-rock revival wasn’t all Genesis and Marillion – It Bites also hit bit with Calling All The Heroes and their supremely confident second studio album, Once Around The…
The gospel according to Moby
In 2018, Moby released Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt, a return to the soulful electronica of the seminal LP Play. That year, he told us what inspired the record,…
The resurrection of Alexander O’Neal
Alexander O’Neal was sacked by Prince, only to find fame and lose it all in an orgy of decadence. But in 2018, he was back with a new album, Resurrected.…
Paul Heaton interview: Our friend in the north
In 2022, Paul Heaton celebrated his 60th birthday in unique fashion by putting £60,000 behind the bar in pubs across the country. Now back with his latest album alongside Jacqui…
Vince Clarke’s VeryRecords – a very different sort of label
Vince Clarke’s VeryRecords is his bespoke label for releasing top-quality electronic music – but, as he reveals to Classic Pop, it’s also a great way for him to get out…