March 28 - April 10, 1985

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Pete Burns
Centrespread: Simon Le Bon
Back cover: free poster offer
Interviews: Howard Jones; Eurythmics; Bryan Adams; Pete Burns; David Essex
Lyrics: Somebody - Bryan Adams; The Belle Of St Mark - Sheila E; Never Understand - Jesus And Mary Chain; Piece Of The Action - Meat Loaf; Supergran - Billy Connolly; Electric Boogaloo - Ollie & Jerry; Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen; Welcome To The Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes To Hollywood; The Heat Is On - Glenn Frey; Now That We've Found Love - Third World; Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) - Loose Ends
Personal File: Tracey Thorn
Bitz: Madonna; Sal Solo, St. Philip's Church Choir, Foreigner, New Jersey Mass Choir, London Community Gospel Choir, "Music And You"; Pogues, "A Pair Of Brown Eyes", Elvis Costello; Lash Lariat & The Longriders, "Bitter Tears", Shakin' Stevens, Freya Miller; Midge Ure; Tin Tin, Jimi Somerville, Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy, Doctor Calculus, Professor Calculus, Thompson Twins, Grab Grab The Haddock Julian Lennon, Siouxsie, Toy Dolls, REO Speedwagon, Shakin' Stevens; George Michael, Ivor Novello Awards; Tony Wall, Paul King; "Super Gran", Billy Connolly; Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Eagles; April Fool's Day: Hoard Jones, Pat Benatar, Leee John, Michael Jagger, Art Of Noise, Holly Johnson, Sade, Strawberry Switchblade Nik Kershaw; Paul King; Kirsty MacColl, baby James Patrick; JoBoxers, "Is This Really The First Time (You've Been In Love)", "Skin And Bone"; Prince, "Purple Rain"; "The Never Ending Story", Limahl; Redskins, New Order, "The Enemy Within Present The World Today"; Killing Joke, "Kings And Queens", "The Madding Crowd", "Night Time"; David Lee Roth, "California Girls"; The Church; Farmer's Boys, "With These Hands"; Loose Ends, Steve Nichol, Carl McIntosh, Jane Eugene
Single reviews (Strawberry Switchblade): You Supply The Roses - Memphis; Moments In Love - Art Of Noise; Baby U Left Me - Marilyn; A Pair Of Brown Eyes - Pogues; Aikea Guinea - Cocteau Twins; That Was Yesterday - Foreigner; Cockney Translation - Smiley Culture; Welcome To The Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes To Hollywood; Cry - Godley & Creme; Walk Like A Man - Divine; He Stranger - Anne Pigalle; Baby Come Back - Eddy Grant; Kings And Queens - Killing Joke; Be Near Me - ABC; Lover Come Back - Dead Or Alive; Castles In The Air - Colour Field; Famous People - Bill Sharpe; Only The Lonely - Flying Pickets
Album reviews (Lisa Anthony / Simon Braithwaite /Simon Mills / Claire Sheaff / Ian Cranna / Paul Mathur / Kimberley Leston / Chris Heath): The Ups An Downs - Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy; With These Hands - Farmer's Boys; The Secret Of Association - Paul Young; Stella - Yello; Famous People - Bill Sharpe; Burn It! - Modern Romance; The Power Station - The Power Station; Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade; Oattes & Van Shaik - The Limit; Hip Priest And Kamerads - The Fall
Nights Out: Run D.M.C.; Sting
Other: Photo session out-takes; Pop Star's Mums: Gary Numan, Howard Jones, Rick Parfitt, Dave Gahan

"Morrissey does not sing, he groans. He should have been drowned at birth. Rubbish."

Every so often the internet rediscovers Morrissey's singles reviews from October 1984, but I have always thought that the most memorable page of reviews in the history of Smash Hits came a few months later, when twelve-year-old Marshall O'Leary reviewed the new releases on March 14, 1985:



I'm sure a lot of us have wondered about Marshall since this issue was published: thirty years later, he has been reunited with his moment in the spotlight - check out the comments on our Facebook page!

I think this is the most exciting thing to have happened as a result of this archive....we're going out in style!

March 14 - 27, 1985

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Paul King
Centrespread: Steve Norman
Back cover: David Lee Roth
Interviews: Paul Young; Stephen Duffy; Marilyn; The Jesus And Mary Chain; Paul King; Go West; Frankie Goes To Hollywood; Jon Moss
Lyrics: Do What You Do - Jermaine Jackson; Shakespeare's Sister - Smiths; Kiss Me - Stephen TinTin Duffy; That Ole Devil Called Love - Alison Moyet; Easy Lover - Philip Bailey & Phil Collins; Between The Wars - Billy Bragg; Absolute Reality - The Alarm; Mr Telephone Man - New Edition; That Was Yesterday - Foreigner; Won't You Hold My Hand - King; The Last Kiss - David Cassidy; Gun Law - Kane Gang; We Close Our Eyes - Go West; Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears; Fallen Angels Riding - David Essex; Let Her Go - Strawberry Switchblade
Personal File: Jermaine Jackson 
Bitz: The Limit change name to Oattes & Van Shaik, "Love Attaxx"; Alison Moyet, Feathers; Julian Cope; "Don't Watch That, Watch This Vol 2"; The Cars, "Heartbeat City", "Why Can't I Have You", Elliot Easton, "Change, No Change"; Street Sounds, "The Artists", Earth Wind & Fire, Rose Royce, Jean Carn; Howard Jones; Pat Metheny, "The Falcon and the Snowman", John Schlesinger; Eddy Grant, The Equals, "Baby Come Back"; Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, "Bustin' Loose"; Starvation, "Tam Tam Pour L'Ethiope", Manu Dibango, Martin Meissonnier, King Sunny Ade; China Crisis, "Black Man Rising", "Flaunt The Imperfection"; Stray Cats, "Stray Tracks"; "The Sounds Of Motown", Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Temptations; Alone Again Or, "Dreams Come True"; Jonzun Crew, "Down To Earth"; Meat Loaf, "Piece Of The Action"; ZZ Top, "Legs"; Joe Fagin, "That's Living Alright", "Auf Wiedersehen Pet"; Rockwell, "He's A Cobra", "Captured"; Sisters Of Mercy, "No Time To Cry"; "Shaft", Eddy Conrad, Richard Roundtree, Isaac Hayes, Van Twist; Simon Le Bon
Single reviews (Marshall O'Leary): Wide Boy - Nik Kershaw; That Ole Devil Called Love - Alison Moyet; When All's Well - Everything But The Girl; Every Time You Go Away - Paul Young; Is This Really The First Time? - JoBoxers; Let Her Go - Strawberry Switchblade; Gun Law - Kane Gang; Shakespeare's Sister - Smiths; Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen; Some Like It Hot - Power Station; Won't You Hold My Hand - King; Between The Wars - Billy Bragg; Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar; Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears; Say You're Wrong - Julian Lennon; Black Man Ray - China Crisis; Music And You - Sal Solo; Somebody - Bryan Adams; I'm Not Fooled - UB40; It Hurts - Lotus Eaters; Mysterious Mr Jones - Slade; Imagination - Belouis Some; That Loving Feeling - Amii Stewart; One Foot Back In Your Door - Roman Holliday; You - Chakk
Album reviews (Chris Heath / Paul Mathur / Vici MacDonald / David Hepworth): First And Last And Everything - Sisters Of Mercy; Try Love - Amii Stewart; Stoneage - Hoodoo Gurus; Dream Into Action - Howard Jones; She's The Boss - Mick Jagger

The Ricki Lake Show - June 7, 2013

Click the photo to see Debbie 'n' me on the Ricki Lake show!