149 posts
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…
One Hit Wonder: Air Supply – All Out Of Love
There have probably been thousands of soft-rock songs about pain and loss, and Air Supply’s contribution to this much-maligned genre was an enormous worldwide hit in 1980. The Australian band…
The Lowdown: Michael Jackson
When Michael Jackson joined his brothers in The Jackson 5, a star was born. As a solo artist, he went on to become one of the world’s most recognisable stars…
Lost & Found: Paul Young – Between Two Fires
Paul Young’s tail was up in 1986. Now aged 30, engaged, wealthy and established; confidence was telling him to branch out from being mainly a covers artist. He co-wrote all…