September 18 - October 1, 1980

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: The Skids
Centrespread: The Barracudas
Back cover: The Piranhas
Interviews: The Skids; XTC
Lyrics: Stereotype – Specials; Baggy Trousers – Madness; Don’t Stand So Close To Me – Police; Are Everything – Buzzcocks; Two Little Boys – Splodgenessabounds; One Day I’ll Fly Away – Randy Crawford; Masterblaster (Jammin’) – Stevie Wonder; I Owe You One – Shalamar; If It’s Alright With You Baby – Korgis; It’s Only Love – Elvis Presley; Rave On – Buddy Holly; Johnny And Mary – Robert Palmer; Misunderstanding – Genesis; Searching - Change
Bitz: Elton John; The Selector; Bruce Springsteen; Zoot Money; Kiss; Talking Heads; Andy Partridge, Sting, Urgh!; Lene Lovich; Robert Palmer; Jimi Hendrix; Rolling Stones; Elvis Costello and the Attractions; all time top ten: Barracudas; Modern Romance; Yellow Magic Orchestra; Toots and the Maytals; Shalamar; Rock Against Racism; Blondie, Mike Chapman; Rockpile; Oval Records, Local Heroes, Harry Kakoulli; Pink Floyd
Single reviews (Mark Ellen): Lucky Man – Jimmy Pursey; Maladie D’Amour – Kid Creole & The Coconuts; Damaged Goods – Gang Of Four; Hard Hat Boogie – Andy Fairweather Low; The Affectionate Punch – Associates; Drug Train – Cramps; Masterblaster (Jammin’) – Stevie Wonder; Baby Ride Easy – Carlene Carter; La-Di-Da – Sad Café; Heyday – The Sound; Another One Bites The Dust – Queen; Maybe One Time – Jim Skafish; Being Boiled – Human League; When I Dream – Teardrop Explodes; So Much In Love – Inmates; Arrival – Mike Oldfield; Suburban Dream – Martha and the Muffins; I’ll Get Even With You - Foreigner
Album reviews (Bev Hillier / Red Starr / David Hepworth / Ian Cranna / Linda Duff): Signing Off – UB40; Telekon – Gary Numan; I’m No Hero – Cliff Richard; Rev Up! – Revillos; Clues – Robert Palmer; Hanx! – Stiff Little Fingers; Panorama – The Cars; A Case Of The Shakes – Doctor Feelgood; Never For Ever – Kate Bush; Black Sea - XTC
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Totally Wired – Fall (Rough Trade); I’m On A Rocket – Harry Kakoulli (Oval); Johnny Runs For Paragoric / Take Me To The Cinema– Exploding Seagulls (Fried Egg); Countdown EP – Stingrays (Fried Egg); Original Mixed Up Kid / Unofficial Secrets – Various Artists (Fried Egg); This Age / Suicide – Observers (S+T)
Independent Albums (Red Starr): Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables – Dead Kennedys (Cherry Red)
Other: Strange Tales From A Music Paper; Motown

September 4 - 17, 1980

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Ian Dury
Centrespread: Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Back cover: B52s
Interviews: Ian Dury, Grace Jones
Lyrics: West One – The Ruts; Eighth Day – Hazel O’Connor; Circus Games – Skids; I Want To Be Straight – Ian Dury; Paranoid – Black Sabbath; United – Judas Priest; Biko – Peter Gabriel; Can’t Stop The Music – Village People; Marie Marie – Shakin’ Stevens; It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me – Billy Joel; Good Sculptures – Rezillos; Sartorial Eloquence – Elton John; Dreamin’ – Cliff Richard; Summer Fun – Barracudas; Sound Of Confusion – Secret Affair
Bitz: David Bowie, The Elephant Man; Madness, Baggy Trousers; Police, Zenyatta Mondatta; Jam tour, Sound Affects; Brothers Johnson; Mick Jones, Ellen Foley; John Lennon; Revillos; all-time top ten: Orchestral Maneouvres in the Dark; Pauline Murray, John Cooper Clarke, Invisible Girls; Pretenders tour; Clive Gregsen, Any Trouble; Gary Numan, Robert Palmer; The Rumour, The Attractions; Squeeze, Jools Holland’s last gig, Elvis Costello; Secret Affair; Rachel Sweet; Locksmith
Single reviews (Deanne Pearson): Hungry For Love – Revillos; Two Little Boys – Splodgenessabounds; Are Everything / Why She’s A Girl From The Chainstore – Buzzcocks; Generals And Majors – XTC; Whose Problem? – Motels; Controversial Subject / Black & White – The The; Wayward Child – Rory Gallagher; Robots Dance – Classic Nouveaux; Peaches - Darts
Album reviews (Linda Duff / Bev Hillier / David Hepworth): Drama – Yes; On The Riviera – Gibson Brothers; Crimes Of Passion – Pat Benatar; Wild Planet – B-52’s; World War III – Mikey Dread; One Trick Pony – Paul Simon; The Affectionate Punch – The Associates; A – Jethro Tull; Live At The Marquee – Nine Below Zero
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Lovesick / Blue Boy – Orange Juice (Postcard); Radio Drill Time – Josef K (Postcard); Die Todten Reyten Schnell / Jesus Had A P.A. – The Prats (Dada); Radio Iceland / Do The Executive – Those Intrinsic Intellectuals (Fault Line); Are You Glad To Be In America? – James Blood Ulmer (Rough Trade); Limited Entertainment – Glaxo Babies (Y Records); Let Bygones Be Bygone – The Janet And Johns (Vindaloo)
Independent Albums (Mike Stand): Jane From Occupied Europe – Swell Maps (Rather / Rough Trade)
Other: Strange Tales From A Music Paper; the charts