October 15 - 28, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Duran Duran
Centrespread: Madness
Back cover: Hazel O'Connor
Interviews: UB40; Laurie Anderson; Altered Images; Madness; Duran Duran
Lyrics: Absolute Beginners - The Jam; It's Raining - Shakin' Stevens; Lock Up Your Daughters - Slade; I'm So Glad - Crusaders / Joe Cocker; Love All The Hurt Away - Aretha Franklin / George Benson; Quiet Life - Japan; Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin; The Jam Was Moving - Debbie Harry; Good Year For The Roses - Elvis Costello; Joan Of Arc - Orchestral Manoeuvres; We're In This Love Together - Al Jarreau; Love Has Come Around - Donald Byrd; Europa & The Pirate Twins - Thomas Dolby
The Pictures: David Bowie, Baal; "Cool Cats", Tony Stewart, Johnny Rotten; Fun Boy Three; Steve Strange; "The NME Guide To Rock Cinema", Fred Dellar, Sting, The Seduction Of Inga
Bitz: Vinyl Frontier: Queen, David Bowie, Under Pressure; Pretenders, I Go To Sleep; OMD; Paul McCartney, Rupert; Kim Carnes, Marty Feldman's Eyes, Bruce Baum, Sammy Davis Eyes, Debbie Harry's Thighs; Thomas Dolby; Adam, Prince Charming; Chicago bans portable cassettes and headphones; Morrocci Klung! cassette fanzine, Bob Pierce; BBC bans Invisible Sun video; Simple Minds, Simple Feelings Call; Gary Numan arrested in Visakhapatnam; Al Jarreau, Donald Byrd; all time top 10: Joan Armatrading; personal file: Biff Byford
Single reviews (Fred Dellar): Absolute Beginners - The Jam; The Jam Was Moving - Debbie Harry; L.O.V.E...Love - Orange Juice; Make Believe - Thompson Twins; Jobsworth - Fred Wedlock; It's Only Love - Gary U.S. Bonds; Tonight I'm Yours - Rod Stewart; L'Image Craque - Hambi And The Dance; I Am A Camera - Buggles; Message Oblique Speech - Associates; Yello - Bostich; Favourite Shirts - Haircut One Hundred; Mama Used To Say - Junior; All Black And Hairy - Screaming Lord Sutch;
Album reviews (David Hepworth / Dave Rimmer / Tim de Lisle / Mark Ellen / David Bostock / Mike Stand / Pete Silverton): Dare - Human League; Return Of The Giant Slits - Slits; See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! - Bowwowwow; In The Garden - Eurythmics; Jump Street - Rose Royce; Work Our Way To Heaven - Cuban Heels; Chances Are - Bob Marley; Beat Noir - Fingerprintz; The Best Of Blondie - Blondie; Blue Nun - Carlene Carter; Present Arms In Dub - UB40
Nights Out: Ultravox
Other: fan clubs; Shakin' Stevens - illustrated biography