May 22 - June 4, 1985

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Style Council
Centrespread: Go West
Back cover: The Untouchables
Interviews: Style Council; Stephen 'Tintin' Duffy; Katrina and the Waves; OMD; Loose Ends; Wham! in China
Lyrics: Crazy For You - Madonna; So In Love - OMD; A View To A Kill - Duran Duran; King In A Catholic Style (Wake Up) - China Crisis; The Word Girl - Scritti Politti; Walking On Sunshine - Katrina And The Waves; All Fall Down - Five Star; Magic Touch - Loose Ends; Kayleigh - Marillion; Frankie - Sister Sledge; Here We Go - Everton
Personal File: Toyah  
Bitz: London Zoo animal adoption: Siouxsie and Budgie (Gregory the Peccary), Limahl (Fairy Bluebird), Mike Oldfield (Cheetah), Leo Sayer (30 Nile Rats), Paul Young (Fruit Bat); Bumbites, Andy Burchell, "Bottoms Up"; Sting, "The Dream Of The Blue Turtle"; "The Best Of Smash Hits"; Jesse Rae, "Over The Sea"; Chaka Khan, "This Is My Night"; Hybrid label: Flesh for Lulu, Lime Spiders, Beasts Of Bourbon, Spikes, Vandals, Guadancanal Diary; Power Station tabasco sauce; Roaring Boys, "House Of Stone", Vicious Pink, "CCCan't You See"; Zany Tuum Tumb "Value Of Entertainment", Art Of Noise, Propaganda, Anne Pigalle, Instinct, Andrew Poppy; Bronski Beat, "The First Chapter"; Lone Justice, "Ways To Be Wicked", Los Lobos, Jason And The Scorchers, Long Ryders, Rank And FIle; Five Star: Stedman, Delroy, Doris, Lorraine, Denise; China Crisis, "Showbiz Absurd"; Bryan Ferry, "Boys And Girls"; Green, Scritti Politti; British Telecom, AORTA (Africa and Overseas Relief Trust); David Bowie, Starzone fanzine; Mark Ellen resigns; Steve Bush new editor; Thereza Bazar, "The Big Kiss", Arif Mardin, "Gotcha"
Single reviews (Simon O'Brien): Crazy For You - Madonna; Angel - Everything But The Girl; Wallflower - Monochrome Set; Paisley Park - Prince; Prison - Tom Robinson; Modern Romance - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost; Who Knows What Love Is - Strawberry Switchblade; Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey; All The Daughters (Of Her Father's House) - Icicle Works; Frankie - Sister Sledge; Laura - Nick Heyward; Girls Love The Way He Spins - Grandmaster Flash; Sexy Girl - Glenn Frey; Ball Of Confusion - Love And Rockets; Sanctified Lady - Marvin Gaye; Too Much Time - Boothill Foot Tappers; You Trip Me Up - Jesus And Mary Chain; King In A Catholic Style - China Crisis; So In Love - O.M.D.; The Big Kiss - Theresa Bazar; Dynamite - Jermaine Jackson; Widow's Tears - Rebecca Storm; Nemesis - Shriekback; Loving The Alien - David Bowie; Lady Don't Mind - Talking Heads
Album reviews (Tom Hibbert / Maureen Rice / Neil Tennant / Paul Mathur / Simon Mills / Lisa Anthony / Ian Cranna / Chris Heath / Mark Ellen / Linda Duff): Romance - David Cassidy; We Are The World - USA For Africa; Low-life - New Order; Radio M.U.S.I.C. Man - Womack & Womack; Rhythm Of The Night - DeBarge; Our Favourite Shop - Style Council; Reggae Greats - The DJs; Reggae Greats - Toots & The Maytals; Reggae Greats - Linton Kwesi Johnson; Mystery - Rah Band; Tao - Rick Springfield; Youthquake - Dead Or Alive; Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits
Nights Out: Hammersmith Palais All Dayer: Cool Notes, Smiley Culture, Bionic Rhona, Pato, Asher Senator, Five Star, Steve Walsh
Other: The Vietnam War

May 8 - 21, 1985

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Wham!
Centrespread: Boy George
Back cover: Tears For Fears
Interviews: Propaganda; Spandau Ballet; Bronski Beat; Wham! in China
Lyrics: Duel - Propaganda; 19 - Paul Hardcastle; Shake The Disease - Depeche Mode; Call Me - Go West; Get It On (Bang A Gong) - Power Station; I Want Your Lovin' (Just A Little Bit) - Curtis Hairston; Don't Fall In Love - Toyah; I Was Born To Love You - Freddie Mercury; Icing On The Cake - Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy; Rhythm Of The Night - DeBarge; Feel So Real - Steve Arrington; Stainsby Girls - Chris Rea; Slave To Love - Bryan Ferry; Walk Like A Man - Divine
Personal File: Divine 
Bitz: A Fish Called Derek, "Why The World Cried God On A Toadstool, Bernie And Margaret Fitzpatrick Where Are You?"; Wham! fanclub fiasco; New Model Army, "No Rest", Slade The Leveller, Stuart Morrow, Robb Heaton; Rah Band, "Clouds Across The Moon", Richard Hewson; "I Feel Love", Bronski Beat, Marc Almond; Boothill Foot Tappers, "Too Much Time"; Bryan Adams; James Brown, "Get On The Good Foot / Sex Machine / Say It Loud" megamix; Echo & The Bunnymen, "Porcupine"; Adam Ant, "Entertaining Mr Sloane", "Viva Le Rock"; Scritti Politti, "The Word Girl"; DeBarge, "Rhythm Of The Night", Janet Jackson, Berry Gordy, "The Last Dragon", Vanity; Led Zeppelin, "Hammer Of The Gods", Stephen Davis; Max Headroom; "The Hits", Dead Or Alive, Strawberry Switchblade, Stranglers, Wham!, Howard Jones, Paul Young, King, Associates, Nik Kershaw; Belouis Some, "Imagination", Bernard Edwards, Tony Thompson, Carlos Alomar; "Dwylo Dros Y Mor", Band Aid Cymru, Caryl Parry Jones, Geraint Jarman, Dionne Cronin; Adult Net, "Incense And Peppermints", Strawberry Alarm Clock; Roy Wood, "Under Fire", Bon Jovi, "7800 Fahrenheit"; "Bodydouble", Brian De Palma, Holly Johnson, Paul Rutherford
Single reviews (Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy): Get It On (Bang A Gong) - Power Station; Shake The Disease - Depeche Mode; Rage To Love - Kim Wilde; Kayleight - Marillion; How Much Longer - Reflex; Slave To Love - Bryan Ferry; Still Smiling - I Start Counting; A View To A Kill - Duran Duran; Love Mystery - Jah Wobble and Ollie Marland; Eu-Eu Freeze / You Talk To Much - Run D.M.C.; Sweet Nothing - Working Week; Call Me - Go West; Who Knows What Love Is - Strawberry Switchblade; Green Shirt - Elvis Costello; Pull Me Up - Seconds Of Pleasure
Album reviews (Vici MacDonald / Ian Cranna / Maureen Rice / Chris Heath / Tom Hibbert / Linda Duff): Mr Bad Guy - Freddie Mercury; Reggae Greats - Black Uhuru; Be Yourself Tonight - Eurythmics; Steve McQueen - Prefab Sprout; Around The World In A Day - Prince And The Revolution; Hopes And Dreams - David Grant
Nights Out: Bryan Adams
Other: What Happens When You're In RSVP? J'Aimee Skippon, Perry Bray, Kevin Bignell, Gary Gissord, Wendy & Claudette

Soul Boys Of The Western World

Last night we attended a screening of Soul Boys Of The Western World in Hollywood; it's a great documentary about Spandau Ballet in particular - and the eighties music scene in general. Fans of Smash Hits will enjoy the movie - and will recognise a lot of familiar faces.

At the post-screening Q&A, we learned that the Spandau Ballet boys are still *really* upset about their Pop Quiz loss to Duran Duran. Certain allegations of impropriety - which I shall not repeat here - were made....

When the screening was over, Gary Kemp invited us to the after party at the Chateau Marmont, where he took time to chat about Smash Hits; he’s a big fan of the archive – and he was surprised to learn that he's the first pop star that I've ever met!

All in all....not a bad night!