November 24 - December 7, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Jim Kerr
Centrespread: Howard Jones (What Is Love?)
Back cover: Adam Ant
Interviews: Care; Simple Minds; Thompson Twins; Frankie Goes To Hollywood; Tears For Fears; KC & The Sunshine Band; Tom Robinson; Paul McCartney
Lyrics: Victims - Culture Club; This Charming Man - The Smiths; Move Over Darling - Tracey Ullman; Flaming Sword - Care; Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes; Never Never - The Assembly; Let's Stay Together - Tina Turner; Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division; The Same Old Song - KC & The Sunshine Band; What Is Love? - Howard Jones; On A Sunday - Nick Heyward; Thank You For The Music - Abba; Undercover Of The Night - Rolling Stones; The Rules Of The Game - Bucks Fizz; The Vow - Toyah; 2000 Miles - Pretenders; Church Of The Poison Mind - Culture Club
Start: personal file - Tracey Ullman; "vertical hold" hair: Colin (GBH), Kim Wilde, Smegs (King Kurt), Gavin Friday (Virgin Prunes), Jay Aston (Bucks Fizz), Mac (Echo & The Bunnymen), Mike Peters (Alarm), Rory (King Kurt), Limahl, Robert Smith, Tok (Tik & Tok), Nick Cave (The Immaculate Consumptive); Tina Turner, Glenn Gregory, Martyn Ware; Renee & Renato, "Jesus Loves Us All" 
Bitz: Soft Cell: David Ball, "In Strict Tempo", Virgin Prunes, Marc Almond, Immaculate Consumptive, Lydia Lunch, Clint Ruin (Foetus On Your Breath), Nick Cave; Animal Liberation Front compilation LP: Limahl & Hazel O'Connor, Paul Weller, Beki Bondage; Duran Duran; Maddy Pryor, "Photo Assignment", Steeleye Span, "Deep In The Darkest Night", Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox; King Kurt assaulted in Liverpool: John Reddington, Paul Lavender, 'Liverpool people hate the Scots, you see'; Spear Of Destiny; Yes, Jon Anderson; Abbacadabra: BA Robertson, Elaine Page; "Ziggy Stardust Live", David Bowie; Marilyn; Kirsty MacColl; Siouxsie & The Banshees, Nocturne, Albert Hall; Whitesnake tour postponed, Micky Moody; Test Department, "Compulsion/Pulsations"; Culture Club: "Victims", "Colour By Numbers", "Romance Revisted"; five strangest presents from fans - Limahl 
Single reviews (Jools Holland): Love Of The Common People - Paul Young; Thank You For The Music - Abba; What Is Love? - Howard Jones; Love's Gonna Get You - Freeez; Terry - Kirsty MacColl; Four Little Diamonds - ELO; Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins; Only You - Flying Pickets; Deep On The Darkest Night - Maddy Prior; I Just Want To Dance - Robert Marlow; Lips Can't go - Alien Sex Fiend; I Want To Be With You - Jane And Barton; Push The Boat - The Higsons; Love Is A Wonderful Colour - Icicle Works; Rat Rapping - Roland Rat Superstar; Silver Lining - Gang Of 4; Good Friday - Silver Lining; Good Friday - Modern Romance; Rock The Midnight - David Grant; Michael Barrymore - Kenny The Kangaroo; That's Love That It Is - Blancmange; Let's Stay Together - Tina Turner; I Get A Feeling - Lisa Stansfield; My Oh My - Slade; Crazy Over You - Jools Holland
Album reviews (Lisa Anthony / Peter Martin / Dave Rimmer / Linda Duff / Fred Dellar / Josephine Hocking): Touch - Eurythmics; Seven And The Ragged Tiger - Duran Duran; 90125 - Yes; The Bop Won't Stop - Shakin' Stevens; Undercover - Rolling Stones; Beauty Stab - ABC; Scandalous - Imagination; Catch As Catch Can - Kim Wilde
Nights Out: Eurythmics; Cliff Richard; Public Image Limited

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!

November 10 - 23, 1983

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: ABC
Centrespread: Belle Stars (The Entertainer)
Back cover: Nick Heyward
Interviews: Blancmange; ABC; Julian Cope; Police fact file; The Smiths; Genesis; Eddy Grant; John Lydon
Lyrics: Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins; A Solid Bond In Your Heart – Style Council; Calling Your Name – Marilyn; Waterfront – Simple Minds; That’s Love That It Is – Blancmange; Listen To The Radio: Atmospherics – Tom Robinson; Sunshine Playroom – Julian Cope; Dancing In The Dark – Kim Wilde; Good Friday – Modern Romance; The Entertainer – Belle Stars; Love Of The Common People – Paul Young; Destination Zulu Land – King Kurt; That’s All – Genesis; Please Don’t Fall In Love – Cliff Richard; The Eternal – Joy Division; Till I Can’t Take No More – Cliff Richard; Kissing With Confidence – Will Powers
Start: personal file – Paul Young; Jeremy from Haysi Fantayzee; SPK; Steve Norman, Spandau Ballet
Bitz: Billy Joel; Gallup; The Pretenders, "2000 Miles"; Thompson Twins, Alex Sadkin; David Essex, Royal Albert Hall; Samantha Archer, Carol Singleton; Wham!; "Absolute Beginners", Colin MacInnes; "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", Simon Napier-Bell; "Love's Gonna Get You", Freeez Arthur Baker; Style Council; Simple Minds; Michael Hemingway, RSVP, 700 replies; Toyah, "The Vow"; Eurythmics, "Touch"; David Bowie, Hammersmith Odeon; Dolby's Cube, Thomas Dolby, "Get Out Of My Mix" - "Europa And The Pirate Twins", "She Blinded Me With Science"; videosingles: David Bowie, New Edition, Style Council; Prince, 1999; compilations: Abba, Bucks Fizz, Hall & Oates, Diana Ross, Modern Romance, Cliff Richard, Sylvester, Motown, Visage; Frank Stallone, "Staying Alive", "Far From Over"; "The Bauhaus - The Singles"; Stray Cats; Geoffrey Deane, "What About Romance", Steve Levine; UB40, "Labour Of Love", "Cherry Oh Baby", Eric Donaldson, "Please Don't Make Me Cry", Winston Groovy, "Red Red Wine", Tony Tribe, "Many Rivers To Cross", Jimmy Cliff; My Heroes & Heroines - Leee John 
Single reviews (Mark Steels): Waterfront – Simple Minds; The Vow – Toyah; A Solid Bond In My Heart – Style Council; Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins; Sunshine Playroom – Julian Cope; Listen To The Radio: Atmospherics – Tom Robinson; Willow Weep For Me – Carmel; This Charming Man – The Smiths; That’s All – Genesis; Rebels Rule – Stray Cats; The Beauty Of Poison – Specimen; Union Sundown – Bob Dylan; Screaming Skull – Fleshtones; Never Never – The Assembly; What About Romance – Geoffrey Deane; Really Glad You Came – Ian Dury; Owner Of A Lonely Heart – Yes; Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood; Undercover Of The Night – Rolling Stones; White Lines (Don’t Do It) – Grandmaster & Melle Mel; The Lifeboat Party – Kid Creole & the Coconuts
Album reviews (Ian Birch / Fred Dellar / Peter Martin / Mark Ellen / Josephine Hocking / Peter Stockton / Claire Sheaff): Strip – Adam Ant; Dancing For Mental Health – Will Powers; Rhythm Of Youth – Men Without Hats; Dreams Less Sweet – Psychic TV; Can’t Slow Down – Lionel Richie; Pipes Of Peace – Paul McCartney; Play Dirty – Girlschool; Head Over Heels – Cocteau Twins; Soul Mining – The The
Nights Out: Musical Youth; King Kurt