January 31 - February 13, 1985

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Cover: Morrissey
Centrespread: Paul Young
Back cover: Annie Lennox
Interviews: King; Fink Brothers; Gary Kemp; Bruce Springsteen; Foreigner; Morrissey
Lyrics: New England - Kirsty MacColl; Thinking Of You - Colourfield; 1999 - Prince; 20/20 - George Benson; Solid - Ashford & Simpson; Run To You - Bryan Adams; Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen; I Know Him So Well - Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson; Sussudio - Phil Collins; Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones; Lover Boy - Billy Ocean
Personal File: Leee John 
Bitz: Canute Edwards, "Amazing Mind"; Marc Almond; "Breakin' Two Is Electric Boogaloo"; "Van Halen: Jumpin' For The Dollar" - John Shearlaw, Iron Maiden: Running Free - Gary Bushell, Ross Halfin; The Church, "Remote Luxury"; Time U.K., Rick Buckler, "Playground Of Privilege"; Commodores, "Nightshift", "Thomas McLary"; Person To Person, "Reputation", David Palmer; Junior, "Do You Really Want My Love"; Floy Joy, "Operator Operator"; Torch Song, "Ode To Billy Joe", "Mothdoom Ecstasy"; The Limit, Bernard Oattes, Rob Van Schaik, "Say Yeah"; Merseyside City Council, "Jobs For The Boys", Cook Da Books, Afraid Of Mice, This Final Frame, The Faction, Ronnie Flood; Sheila E., "The Belle Of St Mark"; Kool & the Gang, "Misled"; Stephen "Tin Tin Duffy", "Too Fat To Breakdance"; Tina Turner; Amii Stewart, "Friends"; Gary Numan, Bill Sharpe, Shakatak, "Change Your Mind", David Bowie, Pat Metheny, "This Is Not America"; Boys Town Gang, "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday"; David Hunter, Crossroads, David Crickmore, Fiat Lux, "Solitary Lovers"; 93 Current 93, "Dogs Blood Rising", "Raio No Terrasu (Jesus Wept)"; Russ Abbott, "Atmosphere"; Band Aid, "Video Aid"; Zerra 1, "Mountains And Water", Todd Rundgren; Bruce Springsteen, Lynn Goldsmith; National Jazz Centre, Alison Moyet, Jools Holland, Yehudi Menhuin, Helen Shapiro, Humphrey Lyttleton, Nigel Kennedy; Jean-Michel Jarre, "Zoolook", Charlotte Rampling
Single reviews (Chris Heath): We Are Ninja (not geisha) - Frank Chickens; A Hold Of Me - Boomtown Rats; Papa's Got A Brand New PigBag - Paul Hardcastle; Ode To Billy Joe - Torch Song; Sussudio - Phil Collins; Misled - Kool & the Gang; California Girls - David Lee Roth; Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones; Personality - Eugene Wilde; Change Your Mind - Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan; Operator - Floy Joy; Saskatchewan - Red Box; All I Am - Bluebells; Mutants In Mega-City One - Fink Brothers; Love Like Blood - Killing Joke; Midnight Man - Flash And The Pan; Method Of Modern Love - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Album reviews (Simon Braithwaite / Chris Heath / Ian Cranna): 20/20 - George Benson; Perhaps - The Associates; Breakdance 2 Is Electric Boogaloo - Various Artists
Nights Out: Alison Moyet; London Concert For The Miners: Everything But The Girl, Roddy Frame; Edwyn Collins

January 17 - 30, 1985

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Cover: Tears For Fears
Centrespread: Nik Kershaw
Back cover: Shakin' Stevens
Interviews: Madonna; Frankie Goes To Hollywood; The Cult; Janice Long; Tears For Fears
Lyrics: San Damiano (Heart And Soul) - Sal Solo; Police Officer - Smiley Culture; Love And Pride - King; Say Yeah - The Limit; Neutron Dance - Pointer Sisters; Just A Shadow - Big Country; Friends - Amii Stewart; Carmen - Malcolm McLaren; Seven Year Bitch - Slade; Thank You My Love - Imagination; This Is My Night - Chaka Khan; Misled - Kool & The Gang
Personal File: Sal Solo
Bitz: Chaka Khan; Monochrome Set, "Jacob's Ladder"' Jimmy Ruffin, "There Will Never Be Another You", Council Collective, "Soul Deep"; Killing Joke, "Love Like Blood", "Night Time"; Tracey Ullman, "Terry", Kirsty MacColl; Friends Again split; Jim Diamond, "Double Crossed"; Band Aid, Bob Geldof; Village People, "Sex Over The Phone", Felipe Rose, Alex Briley, Glenn Hughes, Jeff Olson, Ray Stephens, Mark Lee; Wham!; Van Halen, "Hot For Teacher"; "Body Rock", Julian Lennon, Laura Branigan, Roberta Flack, "Beverly Hills Cop", Eddie Murphy, Shalamar, Junior, Pointer Sisters; Simon Le Bon and Claire, Marilyn and Boy George, Paul Rutherford and Steve Strange, Sting and Trudi, Sting and Grace Jones, Nick Rhodes and Julie Ann, Elton John and Sir John Gielgud, Paula Yates and Bob Geldof, Dave Stewart and Alannah Currie, Britt Ekland and Slim Jim Phantom, Boy George, Prince Andrew; Gary Glitter, "Boys Will Be Boys", Sylvester, "Take Me To Heaven", "M 1015"; Band Aid magazine; Hall and Oates, "Method Of Modern Love"; Associates, "Breakfast"; Smiley Culture, "Police Officer"; Ian Birch; Boy George
Single reviews (Vivi MacDonald): Breakfast - Associates; Don't Drive Drunk - Stevie Wonder; Love And Pride - King; Julia - Eurythmics; Carmen - Malcolm McLaren; World Destruction - Timezone; This Is My Night - Chaka Khan; Neutron Dance - Pointer Sisters; Just A Shadow - Big Country; James Brown - Cabaret Voltaire; Thinking Of You - Colour Field; Terry - Tracey Ullman; Seven Year Bitch - Slade; Brained By Falling Masonry - Nurse With Wound
Album reviews (Tom Hibbert / Lisa Anthony): Party Party - Black Lace; Fans - Malcolm McLaren
Nights Out: The Wonder Of Wembley: Spandau Ballet, Paul Young, Big Country, Kool & the Gang, Culture Club, Wham!, Thompson Twins

January 3 - 16, 1985

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Cover: Wham!
Centrespread: Madonna
Back cover: Morrissey
Interviews: Ian McCulloch; Alannah Currie; Wham!; Gary Glitter
Lyrics: Julia - Eurythmics; Shout - Tears For Fears; Step Off (Part 1) - Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five; And That's No Lie - Heaven 17; Resurrection Joe - The Cult; Sharp-Dressed Man - ZZ Top; I Hear Talk - Bucks Fizz; Valotte - Julian Lennon; I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner
Bitz: Europe A Go-Go: The Tube, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Hanoi Rocks, Golden Earring, UB40; Time Zone, "World Destruction", Afrika Bambaataa, John Lydon; Smash Hits - Australia: Ian Birch, David Bostock, Duran Duran, Electric Pandas, Jimmy Barnes, Australian Crawl, Flaming Hands, Venetians, Brian Mannix, Uncanny X-Men; Madonna; The Kinks: "Kovers", "Kollectable", "Greatest Hits"; The Armoury Show, "We Can Be Brave Again"; Paul Gambaccini, "The Other Side Of The Tracks"; "The Special AKA On Film"; Blazing Saddles, "Free George Jackson"; Terry Hall, The Colour Field, "Thinking Of You", Katrina Phillips; Ruby Turner, Culture Club; The Stranglers; "Dune", Sting, Kyle MacLahlan; Nurse With Wound, "Brained By Falling Masonry", Stu P. Didiot, Heza Sheza; Billy Ocean, "Lover Boy"; Laurie Anderson, "United States Live"; Kirsty MacColl, "A New England"; Stephen Duffy, Freeman, Dr Calculus, "Programme 7", "Kiss Me"; Alvin Stardust; Tina Turner; Heaven 17, "And That's No Lie"; Shalamar; King, "Love And Pride"; Chaka Khan; "The Biz", Spectrum 48k, Chris Sievey; Dionne Warwick, "Without Your Love", "It's Love", Barry Manilow; Sheryl Lee Ralph, "In The Evening"
Nights Out: Cocteau Twins; Howard Jones; UB40
Other: Pop stars' answering machine messages; Smash Hits most embarrassing singles reviews