Friday, February 22, 2019

February 22 - March 7, 1979

Smash Hits, February 22, 1979

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Debbie Harry
Centrespread: Abba
Back cover: Billy Idol
Interviews: Elvis Costello; Generation X;
Lyrics: Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders; Sound Of The Suburbs - Members; Tragedy - Bee Gees; Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello; Take On The World - Judas Priest; Hold The Line - Toto; You Bet Your Love - Herbie Hancock; Get Down - Gene Chandler; Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb; Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf; May The Sunshine - Nazareth; We've Got Tonite - Bob Seger; Contact - Edwin Starr; I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor; (Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away - Andy Gibb;
Bitz: Stranglers; Buzzcocks; Mad Den Hegarty; Peter Frampton, Penny McCall; Earth Wind And Fire; Sham 69 hooligan element; The Members; Leif Garrett, Donny and Marie Osmond; John Travolta, "Whenever I'm Away From You"; Joey Travolta; Denise Crosby; Paul Evans
Single reviews (Cliff White): Lucky Number - Lene Lovich; Heaven Must Have Sent You - Bonnie Pointer; Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & the Attractions; Painter Man - Boney M; Can You Feel The Force? - Real Thing; Ain't Love A Bitch - Rod Stewart; Thank You For Funking Up My Life - Donald Byrd; Tragedy - Bee Gees; Soul Man - Blues Brothers; Everything Is Great - Inner Circle; Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf; Boozy Nights - Barron Knights; J-J--Julie (Yippee Yula) - Julie & Gordon; Forever In Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond
Album reviews (Red Starr): Energy - Pointer Sisters; Alicia Bridges - Alicia Bridges; Spirits Having Flown - Bee Gees; 20 Of Another Kind - Various Artists; Valley Of The Dolls - Generation X; The Man Who Built America - Horslips; Feets Don't Fail Me Now - Herbie Hancock
Other: Gloria Gaynor; Edwin Starr

February 22 - March 7, 1989

Smash Hits, February 22, 1989 – p.01

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Gary Crowley's Lost 80s

Gary Crowley's Lost 80s

Everybody's favourite DJ follows up his essential 2017 Punk & New Wave boxset with another, equally essential collection of gems - some familiar chart hits, some underground classics, many appearing on CD for the first time - from 1980-1987.

Gary has selected sixty-three songs spread across four discs, each with its own theme. Disc 1 - Jingly Jangly - kicks off in lively fashion with Vic Godard's Stop That Girl and includes tracks from Haircut 100, Aztec Camera, The Bluebells and [be still my beating heart!] Strawberry Switchblade in all their shimmering glory.

Disc 2 - Fuck Art, Let’s Dance - chronicles the transition from punk to dance floor, with the likes of Bow Wow Wow, The Redskins, Carmel and JoBoxers shaking their thing alongside The Associates, Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode and Altered Images.

Disc 3 - Dance This Mess Around - does exactly what it says on the tin. Fifteen sure-fire floor-fillers, from Wham!, Grandmaster Flash and Tom Tom Club to Funkapolitan, Staples Singers and Matt Bianco.

Disc 4 - 12 Inch Heaven - boasts a dozen great extended mixes, including the Afro Tribal version of my favourite Bananarama single, Aie A Mwana, the dance version of Pete Shelley's Homosapien and the Extended Dub mix of Fun Boy Three's Faith, Hope and Charity - as well as tracks from Chic, Gang Of Four and Brilliant.

We were spoiled at the time - surrounded by so much great music from so many great acts. Now Gary is spoiling us again, collecting so many highlights in one place for us. As if the music weren't enough, the set is packaged with a 40-page book, featuring Gary's sleevenotes and memories from the stars of pop's Golden Age, including Nick Haircut, Sarah Banana, Gary Spandau, Annabella Lwin and Clare Grogan: you've seen them all in the pages of Smash Hits and now you can listen to them again!

Gary Crowley's Lost 80s is available from Amazon UK and Amazon - and you can find even more news and information about the set on Facebook.

Gary Crowley's Lost 80s

CD1
1. Vic Godard - Stop That Girl
2. The Pale Fountains - (There's Always) Something On My Mind
3. Haircut 100 - Milk Film
4. Aztec Camera - Pillar To Post
5. The Bluebells – Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool
6. Johnny Britton - Happy-Go-Lucky Girls
7. Prefab Sprout - Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
8. Fantastic Something - If She Doesn't Smile (It'll Rain)
9. The Suede Crocodiles - Stop The Rain
10. Friends Again - Honey At The Core
11. Strawberry Switchblade - Trees And Flowers
12. April Showers - Abandon Ship
13. A Craze - Wearing Your Jumper
14. Paul Quinn - Ain't That Always The Way
15. Hurrah! - Sweet Sanity
16. The Dream Academy - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

CD2
1. Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps
2. Bow Wow Wow - Mickey Put It Down
3. Theatre of Hate - Do You Believe In The West World?
4. The Apollinaires - The Feeling's Gone
5. The Redskins - Keep On Keeping On
6. Carmel - More More More
7. JoBoxers - Is This Really The First Time You’ve Been In Love
8. Makin' Time - Feels Like It's Love
9. Hey! Elastica- This Town
10. Fashion - Streetplayer (Mechanik)
11. The Main T Posse – Fickle Public Speakin’
12. The Associates - 18 Carat Love Affair
13. Spandau Ballet - Confused
14. Matt Fretton - It's So High
15. Depeche Mode - Shake The Disease
16. Paul Haig - Running Away
17. The Questions - Tuesday Sunshine (Jock Mix)
18. The Kane Gang - Brother Brother
19. Sunset Gun - Be Thankful For What You've Got
20. Altered Images - Love To Stay

CD3
1. Wham! - A Ray Of Sunshine
2. Grandmaster Flash - The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel
3. Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love
4. The Jellies - Jive Baby On A Saturday Night
5. I Level - Give Me [U.S. Remix]
6. Jimmy Young - Times Are Tight
7. Whodini - Magic's Wand [Special Extended Mix]
8. Blue Rondo à la Turk – Klacto Vee Sedstein
9. Culture Club - I'm Afraid Of Me [Extended Dance Mix]
10. Pigbag - The Big Bean
11. Monyaka - Go Deh Yaka
12. 23 Skidoo - Coup
13. Funkapolitan - If Only
14. The Staple Singers - Slippery People [Club Version]
15. Matt Bianco - Matt's Mood

CD4
1. Bananarama- Aie A Mwana [Afro Tribal Version]
2. Intaferon - GetoutofLondon [Intacontinentalballisticmix]
3. Pete Shelley – Homosapien [Dance Version]
4. Quando Quango - Genius
5. Was (Not Was) - (Return To The Valley Of) Out Come The Freaks [Extended Remix]
6. Defunkt - The Razor's Edge
7. Chic - Hangin' [12 Inch]
8. Gang Of Four - I Love A Man In A Uniform [Extended]
9. Animal Magnet - Welcome To The Monkey House
10. Fun Boy Three - Faith, Hope And Charity [MM Extended Dub]
11. Brilliant - It's A Man's Man's Man's World [Extended]
12. Morgan McVey - Looking Good Diving With The Wild Bunch

Friday, February 8, 2019

February 8 - 21, 1979

Smash Hits, February 8-21, 1979

Cover: Rod Stewart
Centrespread: Darts
Back cover: Ian Dury
Interviews: Frankie Miller; Ian Dury; Dr. Feelgood
Lyrics: Get It - Darts; Woman In Love - Three Degrees; Get Over You - Undertones; Ain't Love A Bitch - Rod Stewart; Desire Me - The Doll; Chiquitita - Abba; Cool Meditation - Third World; Milk And Alcohol - Dr. Feelgood; Car 67 - Driver 67; This Is It - Dan Hartman; Je Suis Music - Cerrone
Bitz: Boomtown Rats; Chic; The Doll, Marion Valentino, Pretenders; Elton John; Graham Parker; "Gift Of A Song", Bee Gees, Abba, Fleetwood Mac, UNICEF; Generation X
Single reviews (Cliff White): Heart Of Glass - Blondie; Heaven Knows - Donna Summer; Woman In Love - Three Degrees; Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders; Falling In Love - Rubinoos; She's The One - Ramones; Just Thirteen - Lurkers; Get Over You - Undertones; Sound Of The Suburbs - Members; Radioactive - Gene Simmons; Bristol Stomp - The Late Show; Last Bus Home - Boyfriends; Saturday Night (Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees) - Leyton Buzzards; Get Down - Gene Chandler; Every Night - Phoebe Snow; I Was Made For Dancin' - Leif Garrett; My Life - Billy Joel; Just The Way You Are - Barry White
Album reviews (Red Starr): Cruisin' - Village People; Sweet Oasis - Barbara Dickson; First Edition - Public Image; Armed Forces - Elvis Costello; No Mean City - Nazareth; Outlandos D'Amour - Police; The Scream - Siouxsie & the Banshees; Stay With Me - Kiki Dee

February 8 - 21, 1989

Smash Hits, February 08, 1989

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Friday, February 1, 2019

February 1979

Smash Hits, February 1979

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Elvis Costello
Centrespread: The Clash
Back cover: Elton John
Interviews: Rachel Sweet; Elton John; Funkadelic
Lyrics: Raining In My Heart - Leo Sayer; King Rocker - Generation X; A Little More Love - Olivia Newton-John; When I'm Away From You - Frankie Miller; Take That To The Bank - Shalamar; American Squirm - Nick Lowe; Destiny - The Jacksons; September - Earth Wind & Fire; Please Come Home For Christmas - Eagles; I'll Put You Together Again - Hot Chocolate; Shooting Star - Dollar; Hello This Is Joanie - Paul Evans; Who What Where When Why - Manhattan Transfer; How You Gonna See Me Now - Alice Cooper; New York New York - Gerard Kenny; Lay Your Love On Me - Racey; Mirrors - Sally Oldfield; Kona Coast - Beach Boys
Gossip: Elvis Costello; John Cooper Clarke; Bernie Taupin, Alice Cooper; Antony 'Binky' Baker; The Clash, Sid Vicious; Ian Hunter, Generation X, Mick Ronson, Rich Kids, Tom Robinson, Todd Rundgren; Bay City Rollers, Duncan Faure; Olivia Newton-John, John Farrar, Bruce Welch, Hank Marvin; Rocky Sharp & the Replays