December 24, 1981 - January 6, 1982

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Cover: Altered Images, Clare Grogan
Centrespread: Altered Images
Lyrics: One Of Us - Abba; Don't Walk Away - Four Tops; Hokey Cokey - The Snowmen; Waiting For A Girl Like You - Foreigner; Get Down On It - Kool and the Gang; Young Turks - Rod Stewart; You Could Have Been With Me - Sheena Easton; Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade; Wild Is The Wind - David Bowie; Here Is The News - ELO; I'll Find My Way Home - Jon and Vangelis; Footsteps - Showaddywaddy; Ant Rap - Adam and the Ants
The Pictures: Life In The European Theatre: Paul Weller, Bedders, Doug Trendle, Woody, Bruce Foxton, Rick Buckler, Peter Gabriel, Chrissy Boy; Haircut 100; Annabella
Bitz: Vince Clark quits Depeche Mode; Sting, Artemis '81; Meat Loaf; Michael Jackson; Adam and the Ants, Ants In Japan; Bucks Fizz; Dire Straits; Dramatis, Cedric Sharpley, Denis Haines, Russell Bell, Chris Payne; David Bowie; all time top ten: Peter Powell; personal file: Simon Le Bon
Nights Out: Cliff Richard; Human League; Club Zoo
Other: Readers Poll results 1981; The David Bowie Story (part two)

December 10 - 24, 1981

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Cover: The Human League
Centrespread: Japan
Back cover: Simon Le Bon
Interviews: Human League; Godley & Creme
Lyrics: I Could Be Happy - Altered Images; Don't You Want Me - Human League; Spirits In The Material World - Police; Sweet Dreams - Elvis Costello; It Must Be Love - Madness; Rock 'n' Roll - Status Quo; Buena Sera - Bad Manners; Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie & the Banshees; Never In A Million Years - Boomtown Rats; The Land Of Make Believe - Bucks Fizz; Ride The Love Train - Light Of The World; Turn Your Love Around - George Benson; Wedding Bells - Godley & Creme; Love Needs No Disguise - Gary Numan And Dramatis; Dead Ringer - Meatloaf
The Pictures: the Queen, Adam Ant, Alvin Stardust, Lulu, Henry Cooper, John Inman; Motorhead; Julian Cope, Richard Jobson
Bitz: Vinyl Frontier: Yes, Diana Ross, Dave Edmunds, Abba; Queen, Blondie, Siouxsie video compilations; the Birthday Party; Cliff Richard and his mum; the Beatles; Methods of Dance; Dare picture disc; Brian Setzer; Orange Juice, Edwyn Collins, David McClymont, Malcolm Ross; Zeka Mehmet; all time top ten - Nick Heyward; personal file - Martin Fry
Single reviews (Ian Birch): I Could Be Happy - Altered Images; Ant Rap - Adam And The Ants; Sweet Dreams - Elvis Costello and the Attractions; North London Boy - Incognito; Young Turks - Rod Stewart; Eddie's Out: Jazz The Glass - Cabaret Voltaire; Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade; Things I Do For You - Jacksons; Radio Clash - Clash; Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Mysteroids; Shout - Lulu & the Luvvers; What's Funk? - Perry Haines; Love Needs No Disguise - Gary Numan and Dramatis; Friday 13th EP - Damned; Six Guns - Anti-Pasta; Spirits In The Material World - Police; It Must Be Love - Madness
Album reviews (Fred Dellar / Ian Cranna / Beverly Hillier / Red Starr / Ian Birch / Neil Tennant / Mike Stand / David Bostock): For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) - AC/DC; Adventures In Clubland - Modern Romance; LC - Durutti Column; Boonoonoonoos - Boney M; Ten Out Of 10 - 10cc; Chasanova - Chas Jankel; Monument - Beggar & Co; A Christmas Record - Various Artists; Jools Holland And His Millionaires - Jools Holland And His Millionaires; Catherine Wheel - David Byrne; Let The Four Winds Blow - Tenpole Tudor; The Red And The Black - Jerry Harrison; Total Exposure - Poison Girls
Nights Out: OMD; Linx
Other: The David Bowie Story (part one)

November 26 - December 9, 1981

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Cover: Haircut One Hundred
Centrespread: Soft Cell
Back cover: Olivia Newton-John
Interviews: Tenpole Tudor; Haircut One Hundred; Modern Romance; Eddie & Sunshine
Lyrics: Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie; The Voice - Ultravox; I Go To Sleep - Pretenders; Flashback - Imagination; Steppin' Out - Kool & The Gang; Good Morning Universe - Toyah; Mirror Mirror - Dollar; Yes Tonight Josephine - The Jets; My Own Way - Duran Duran; Never Again - Classic Nouveaux; Let's Groove - Earth Wind And Fire; Can't Help Myself - Linx; Me And Mr. Sanchez - Blue Rondo A La Turk; Alternative Title (Randy Scouse Git) - Monkees; Daddy's Home - Cliff Richard
The Pictures: Club Left, Bernie Rhodes, Vic Goddard; Eugene Reynolds; Heavy Metal; St. Cuthbert's Grammar School, Gordon Sumner, Sting
Bitz: Toyah, the Queen Mother; Gary Glitter; Human League 100; Mel Smith; Blue Rondo A La Turk; Richard Jobson, Dog Beneath The Skin; Teardrop Explodes, Ron Francois; Adam Ant; Squeeze, Don Snow; Kool & the Gang; all time top ten: Joanne & Susanne of the Human League; personal file: Dave Ball
Single reviews (Dave Rimmer): Can't Help Myself - Linx; Flashback - Imagination; Another Teardrop - Eddie Maelov And Sunshine Patterson; Don't You Want Me - Human League; The Land Of Make Believe - Bucks Fizz; Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John & Yoko; I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard; Four More From Toyah - Toyah; My Own Way - Duran Duran; Stranger In The House - George Jones And Elvis Costello; It Goes WAAP - Higsons; Don't Spy On Me - Tot Taylor; Spanish Cabaret - Havana Let's Go; Cumberland Gap / Wabash Cannonball / Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O - Shakin' Pyramids and Lonnie Donegan; Been Teen - Dolly Mixture; What A Waste - Ian Dury; We Kill The World - Boney M; Fast Boyfriends - Girls At Our Best; Never In A Million Years - Boomtown Rats; You Still Believe In Me - Kirsty MacColl; Hit It - The Beat; You Could Have Been With Me - Sheena Easton
Album reviews (Ian Cranna / Fred Dellar / Johnny Black / Ian Birch / Pete Silverton / Beverly Hillier / Neil Tennant / Red Starr): Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret - Soft Cell; Jukebox Dury - Ian Dury And The Blockheads; Wilder - Teardrop Explodes; Tonight - Four Tops; Best Of Rainbow - Rainbow; Joy - Skids; Changestwobowie - David Bowie; La Folie - Stranglers; Something Special - Kool & The Gang; Movement - New Order; Gold Und Lieb - Deutsch Amerikanische Freudshaft; Live - Jacksons
Nights Out: Altered Images

November 12 - 25, 1981

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Cover: Kim Wilde
Centrespread: The Beat
Back cover: Altered Images
Interviews: Kim Wilde; ABC; Scritti Politti; Gillan; Soft Cell
Lyrics: Throwing My Baby Out With The Bathwater - Tenpole Tudor; Cambodia - Kim Wilde; Paint Me Down - Spandau Ballet; Liars A To E - Dexy's Midnight Runners; Tears Are Not Enough - ABC; Favourite Shirt (Boy Meets Girl) - Haircut 100; Colours Fly Away - Teardrop Explodes; Rockin' Robin - Michael Jackson; Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Diana Ross; When She Was My Girl - Four Tops; Love Me Tonight - Trevor Walters; Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey - Modern Romance; Bedsitter - Soft Cell; Keep It Dark - Genesis; Tom Sawyer - Rush
The Pictures: Phil Oakey; Clare Grogan; Paul Weller, Vaughn Toulouse, CND rally; Fad Gadget
Bitz: vinyl frontier: Professionals, I Didn't See It Coming; AC/DC, For Those About To Rock; Pink Floyd, A Collection Of Great Dance Songs; Pete Shelley, Homosapien; Buzzcocks, Singles Going Steady; Blondie; Richard Jobson, The Ballad Of Etiquette; Dexys Midnight Runners, Projected Passion Revue, Old Vic Theatre; Beatles, Leave My Kitten Alone; Haircut One Hundred, Nick Heyward; The Gas, Emotional Warfare; Adam And The Ants, Royal Variety Show; The Monkees; Jools Holland; Altered Images; the Four Tops; all time top 10: Barbara Gaskin; personal file: Geoff Deane
Single reviews (Johnny Black): Liars A To E - Dexy's Midnight Runners; Suffer The Children - Tears For Fears; Let's Groove - Earth Wind & Fire; Another Latin Love Song - Belle Stars; Throwing My Baby Out With The Bathwater - Tenpole Tudor; We Got The Beat - Go-Gos; Colours Fly Away - Teardrop Explodes; I Go To Sleep - Pretenders; I Want - Department S; Dancing Like A Gun - John Foxx; Imitate The Worm - It's Immaterial; Me And Mr Sanchez - Blue Rondo A La Turk; Young And Hip - Virna Lindt; Visions Of China - Japan; Sweat In Ballet - Simple Minds; Paint Me Down - Spandau Ballet; Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey - Modern Romance; Iona - Skids; Don't Turn Me Away - 10cc; This Is Your Lunch - Slow Twitch Fibres; Extended Player - Godot
Album reviews (Ian Birch / Pete Silverton / Beverly Hillier / Mike Stand / Ian Cranna / Fred Dellar / Mark Ellen ): Prince Charming - Adam And The Ants; Living Eyes - Bee Gees; Tin Drum - Japan; Controversy - Prince; Speak And Spell - Depeche Mode; Exit...Stage Left - Rush; Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Diana Ross; A Thin Red Line - TV21; Raise! - Earth, Wind & Fire; Incontinent - Fad Gadget; From The Lion's Mouth - The Sound; Gonna Ball - Stray Cats
Nights Out: Bowwowwow

October 29 - November 11, 1981

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Cover: Fun Boy Three
Centrespread: Human League
Back cover: Orchestral Manouevres
Interviews: Fun Boy Three; Girls At Our Best!; Julian Cope; Japan
Lyrics: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - Police; The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) - Fun Boy Three; Labelled With Love - Squeeze; You Don't Believe Me - Stray Cats; Tunnel Of Love - Dire Straits; Twilight - ELO; Hold Me - B.A. Robertson & Maggie Bell; And Then She Kissed Me - Gary Glitter; Dead Cities - Exploited; Nightmare - Gillan; Tonight I'm Yours - Rod Stewart; Physical - Olivia Newton-John; Paperback Writer - Beatles; Charlotte Sometimes - Cure
The Pictures: Grace Jones; Kevin Rowland, Killjoys; Ranking Roger, Joe Strummer; Gary Price, Toyah Willcox
Bitz: Vinyl Frontier: Kim Wilde, Cambodia; Spandau Ballet, Paint Me Down; Teardrop Explodes, Colours Fly Away; Japan, Tin Drum; Duran Duran; Skids, Joy, Iona; Elvis Costello, Almost Blue, South Bank Show; Hazel O'Connor, Cover Plus, Uncovered Plus!; Blondie Fan Club; Chas Smash, Lee Thompson; Paul Weller, December Child, The Jam; Police Rubik's Cube; Bev Hillier, Toyah makeover; Police tour; Tom Tom Club; Martin Fry; all time top twelve: Elvis Costello; personal file: Clare Grogan
Single reviews (Dave Rimmer): Tears Are Not Enough - ABC; Sunny Day - Pigbag; The "Sweetest Girl" - Scritti Politti; Don't Stop The Music - Bits And Pieces; The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) - Fun Boy Three; Barbed Wire Hale - Annie Anxiety; Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - Police; Penthouse And Pavement - Heaven 17; Soul Warfare - Hot Gossip; Anti-Freeez - Freeez; Bedsitters - Soft Cell; Princess Of The Night - Saxon; I Don't Know What It Is - Pete Shelley; Different Strokes - Angelic Upstarts; You Don't Believe Me - Stray Cats; Chihuahua - Bowwowwow; The Voice - Ultravox; Our Love Will Last For Ever - The Hassans; Fools - Bumble And The Beez; Histoire A Suivre - Honeymoon Killers; Young And Hip - Virna Lindt
Album reviews (Ian Cranna / David Hepworth / Fred Dellar / Mark Ellen / Red Starr / Mike Stand / Beverly Hillier): Architecture And Morality - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark; Go Ahead - Linx; Double Trouble - Gillan; Almost Blue - Elvis Costello And The Attractions; This Is The Ice Age - Martha And The Muffins; No Cause For Concern - Vice Squad; Mask - Bauhaus; Everlasting Love - Rex Smith; And Then He Kissed Me - Rachel Sweet; Body Talk - Imagination; Still - Joy Division; In Heaven - The Meteors; Gosh It's... - Bad Manners

October 15 - 28, 1981

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Cover: Duran Duran
Centrespread: Madness
Back cover: Hazel O'Connor
Interviews: UB40; Laurie Anderson; Altered Images; Madness; Duran Duran
Lyrics: Absolute Beginners - The Jam; It's Raining - Shakin' Stevens; Lock Up Your Daughters - Slade; I'm So Glad - Crusaders / Joe Cocker; Love All The Hurt Away - Aretha Franklin / George Benson; Quiet Life - Japan; Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin; The Jam Was Moving - Debbie Harry; Good Year For The Roses - Elvis Costello; Joan Of Arc - Orchestral Manoeuvres; We're In This Love Together - Al Jarreau; Love Has Come Around - Donald Byrd; Europa & The Pirate Twins - Thomas Dolby
The Pictures: David Bowie, Baal; "Cool Cats", Tony Stewart, Johnny Rotten; Fun Boy Three; Steve Strange; "The NME Guide To Rock Cinema", Fred Dellar, Sting, The Seduction Of Inga
Bitz: Vinyl Frontier: Queen, David Bowie, Under Pressure; Pretenders, I Go To Sleep; OMD; Paul McCartney, Rupert; Kim Carnes, Marty Feldman's Eyes, Bruce Baum, Sammy Davis Eyes, Debbie Harry's Thighs; Thomas Dolby; Adam, Prince Charming; Chicago bans portable cassettes and headphones; Morrocci Klung! cassette fanzine, Bob Pierce; BBC bans Invisible Sun video; Simple Minds, Simple Feelings Call; Gary Numan arrested in Visakhapatnam; Al Jarreau, Donald Byrd; all time top 10: Joan Armatrading; personal file: Biff Byford
Single reviews (Fred Dellar): Absolute Beginners - The Jam; The Jam Was Moving - Debbie Harry; L.O.V.E...Love - Orange Juice; Make Believe - Thompson Twins; Jobsworth - Fred Wedlock; It's Only Love - Gary U.S. Bonds; Tonight I'm Yours - Rod Stewart; L'Image Craque - Hambi And The Dance; I Am A Camera - Buggles; Message Oblique Speech - Associates; Yello - Bostich; Favourite Shirts - Haircut One Hundred; Mama Used To Say - Junior; All Black And Hairy - Screaming Lord Sutch;
Album reviews (David Hepworth / Dave Rimmer / Tim de Lisle / Mark Ellen / David Bostock / Mike Stand / Pete Silverton): Dare - Human League; Return Of The Giant Slits - Slits; See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! - Bowwowwow; In The Garden - Eurythmics; Jump Street - Rose Royce; Work Our Way To Heaven - Cuban Heels; Chances Are - Bob Marley; Beat Noir - Fingerprintz; The Best Of Blondie - Blondie; Blue Nun - Carlene Carter; Present Arms In Dub - UB40
Nights Out: Ultravox
Other: fan clubs; Shakin' Stevens - illustrated biography

October 1 - 14, 1981

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Cover: Phil Oakey
Centrespread: Ultravox
Interviews: Human League; Linx; The Creatures; Heebeegeebees; Police
Lyrics: Thunder In The Mountain - Toyah; Open Your Heart - Human League; It's My Party - Dave Stewart; Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode; Mule (Chant No. 2) - Spandau Ballet; It Will Be Alright - Odyssey; Walking In The Sunshine - Bad Manners; Mad Eyed Screamer - The Creatures; Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club; Quite Ahead Of My Time - David Bowwow; Get Off Of My Cloud - Rolling Stones; Invisible Sun - Police; You Sure Look Good To Me - Phyllis Hyman; Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
The Pictures: BowWowWow; Gary Numan; The Groovy Cellar; The Move; Barso; Bananarama
Bitz: Stray Cats, Orange Juice, Adam, Wah!, Gillan, The Jam, Bauhaus; Tom Tom Club; Billy Idol; Ian Cranna, The Crucial Three; Alexei Sayle, The Comic Strip; The Higsons: Simon Charterton, Stewart McGeachin, Terry Edwards, Colin Wilson, Switch Higson; Julian Cope, Teardrop Explodes; Ugh! A Music War; Pointed Portraits, Chalkie Davies; Madness, Take It Or Leave It; Something Else; all time top ten: Suggs; personal file: Doug Trendle
Single reviews (Ian Birch): Invisible Sun - Police; Good Year For The Roses - Elvis Costello; Open Your Heart - Human League; Thunder In The Mountains - Toyah; Labelled With Love - Squeeze; Walking In The Sunshine - Bad Manners; Everything's Gone Green / Procession - New Order; Being Cool - Devo; The Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club; Mony Mony - Billy Idol; See That Girl - Kirsty MacColl; The Crusher - The Cramps; A - Associates; Living In My Limousine - Bill Nelson; Tunnel Of Love - Dire Straits; She's Fallen In Love With The Monster Men - Revillos;
Album reviews (Mark Ellen / Robin Katz / Deanne Pearson / Dave Rimmer / Pete Silverton / Ian Birch / David Hepworth / Tim De Lisle / Steve Bush / Ian Cranna): Ghost In The Machine - The Police; Wired For Sound - Cliff Richard; Rhythm Breaks The Ice - Bette Bright; Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club; Denim & Leather - Saxon; Homosapien - Pete Shelley; Abacab - Genesis; Ismism - Godley & Creme; You Could Have Been With Me - Sheena Easton; 7 - Madness; Thirty Thousand Feet Over China - The Passions; The Garden - John Foxx
Nights Out: Depeche Mode
Other: Barry

September 17 - 30, 1981

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Cover: Gary Numan
Centrespread: Depeche Mode
Back cover: Modern Romance
Interviews: Gary Numan; Heaven 17, Simple Minds, Meatloaf, Pointer Sisters
Lyrics: So This Is Romance - Linx; Shut Up - Madness; Feeding Time - The Look; Play To Win - Heaven 17; Wired For Sound - Cliff Richard; Pretend - Alvin Stardust; Just Another Broken Heart - Sheena Easton; Urgent - Foreigner; Under Your Thumb - Godley & Creme; I'm Lucky - Joan Armatrading; Shooting Gallery - Shakin' Stevens; I'm Gonna Love Her - Meat Loaf; Time Waits For No One - The Jacksons; Hands Up (Gimme Your Heart) - Ottawan; In And Out Of Love - Imagination
Bitz: Bob Marley; Madness; Alvin Stardust; all-time top ten: Peter Murphy; medley records, Boy George; Ari Up and her mum; Adam & the Ants; Orchestral Manoeuvres; personal file: Marc Almond
Single reviews (Tim De Lisle): Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode; Lenny Bruce - Bob Dylan; Woody & Dutch On The Slow Train To Peking - Rickie Lee Jones; Repeat Repeat - Peter Baumann; Shut Up - Madness; Prince Charming - Adam And The Ants; Funny Face - Sparks; Some Girls Have All The Luck - Bette Bright And The Illuminations; Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie; Love All The Hurt Away - Aretha Franklin & George Benson; You Scare Me To Death - Marc Bolan; It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To) - Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin; Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder; Who Killed Bambi - Tenpole Tudor with the Sex Pistols; Holiday Inn Spain (Don't Fall Off The Mountain) - Raybeats
Album reviews (Dave Rimmer / Pete Silverton / Johnny Black / Fred Dellar / Beverly Hillier / Ian Cranna / Mark Ellen / Mike Stand): Penthouse And Pavement - Heaven 17; Lord Upminster - Ian Dury; Dance - Gary Numan; Shaky - Shakin' Stevens; Rage In Eden - Ultravox; Standing Tall - Crusaders; Happy Birthday - Altered Images; Sleep No More - Comsat Angels; Dead Ringer - Meat Loaf
Independent Albums: 77 - Early Years - 79 - The Fall (Step Forward); Hommages - Gavin Bryars (Les Disques du Crepuscule)
Independent Singles: O Superman / Walk The Dog - Laurie Anderson; Woah Yeah! - Jo Callis (Shake Project: Pop Aural); Subliminal / Random Particles - Drinking Electricity (Survival); Hit The Moon / One True Way - Ellery Bop (Base Ideas); A Full Rotation / The Body Cries - Repetition (Les Disques du Crepuscule); Rockabilly Guy / Chicken Shack - Polecats (Nervous); Constipation Shake / Devil's Guitar - Legendary Lonnie (Nervous); Heart Attack / Spellbound - The Deltas (Nervous); City Lights / Rockabilly Stroll - Rockin' Johnnie Austin (Nervous); All The Time / Born To Be A Raver / Two Time Loser / Rockabilly Queen - Rockin' Johnnie Austin / The Feds (Nervous)

September 3 - 16, 1981

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Cover: Toyah
Centrespread: The Pretenders
Back cover: Soft Cell
Interviews: Toyah; Ian Dury; OMD; The Exploited; Ultravox
Lyrics: She's Got Claws - Gary Numan; Spasticus Autisticus - Ian Dury; Souvenir - Orchestral Manoeuvres; Abacab - Genesis; Hand Held In Black And White - Dollar; Japanese Boy - Aneka; One Of These Nights - Bucks Fizz; Sugar Doll - The Jets; Love Song - Simple Minds; Jole Blon - Gary U.S. Bonds; Virginia Plain - Roxy Music; Slow Hand - Pointer Sisters; You'll Never Know - Hi-Gloss; Rainy Night In Georgia - Randy Crawford; As Time Goes By - Funkapolitan
Bitz: all-time top ten: Dave Gahan; personal file: David Sylvian; Meat Loaf; Gary Numan; the Police, Miles Copeland, Mary Tegg; Portsmouth Sinfonia; Island Records, Hot You're Hot; Bill Wyman; Spandau Ballet, Steve Strange
Single reviews (Pete Silverton): Spasticus Autisticus - Ian Dury; So This Is Romance - Linx; Day After Day - Pretenders; Cadillac Ranch - Bruce Springsteen; The Swimmer - Passions; Punks Of 76 Medley - Friendly Hopefuls; Classical Muddly - Portsmouth Sinfonia; Inconvenience - Au Pairs; Europe After The Rain - John Foxx; Play To Win - Heaven 17; She's Got Claws - Gary Numan; Souvenir - OMD; Earthbeat - Slits; Start Me Up - Rolling Stones; Go! Go! Go! - Rip Rig & Panic; Homosapien - Pete Shelley; In & Out Of Love - Imagination
Album reviews (Pete Silverton / Mark Ellen / Red Starr / Johnny Black / Dave Rimmer): Sticky George - Korgis; Sirens In The City - Black Slate; Cover Plus - Hazel O'Connor; Double Album - Simple Minds; Compass Point - Desmond Dekker; Red Mecca - Cabaret Voltaire; The Electric Spanking Of War Babies - Funkadelic; The New Traditionalists - Devo

August 20 - September 2, 1981

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Cover: Annabella Lwin
Centrespread: Tenpole Tudor
Back cover: Julian Cope
Interviews: Pretenders; Funkapolitan; Spandau Ballet; Theatre Of Hate; Bowwowwow
Lyrics: The Thin Wall - Ultravox; Day After Day - Pretenders; Passionate Friend - Teardrop Explodes; Love Action - Human League; Lawnchairs - Our Daughter's Wedding; Walking Into Sunshine - Central Line; Everybody Salsa - Modern Romance; International Jet Set - Specials; Rock Lobster - B-52's; Draw Of The Cards - Kim Carnes; Prince Of Darkness - BowWowWow; Hold On Tight - ELO; Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks; Inside Outside - Classix Nouveaux
Bitz: Human League, Jo Callis; Stranglers tour; all time top ten: John Peel; Tenpole Tudor, June Mo-Dette and their parents; Funkapolitan tour; Skids, Richard Jobson, Russell Webb, Scottish roots; Teardrop Explodes; Shakin' Stevens; personal file: Gary Glitter; "Stars On 45", "Back To The Sixties", Gidea Park; "Hooked On Classics", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra;
Single reviews (Charlie Gillet): Release The Bats - Birthday Party; State Of Independence - Jon and Vangelis; Wired For Sound - Cliff Richard; Feeding Time - The Look; Turn That Noise Down - Chas and Dave; Rainy Night In Georgia - Randy Crawford; Betcha Wouldn't Hurt Me - Quincy Jones; Crazy 'Bout And Automobile / The Very Thing That Makes You Rich - Ry Cooder; Try - Bore-town Bop; (They'd) Both Be Here Today - Lucky Saddles; Mother's Hour - Ludus
Album reviews (Johnny Black / Dave Rimmer / Pete Silverton / Mark Ellen / Deanne Pearson): Time - ELO; Beauty And The Beast - Go-Go's; Jungle Law - Philip Rambow; Brain Damage - Dennis Bovell; Pirates - Rickie Lee Jones; Wheels In Motion - Any Trouble; Short Back N' Sides - Ian Hunter; Here Comes The Night - David Johansen

August 6 - 19, 1981

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Cover: Debbie Harry
Centrespread: Duran Duran
Back cover: Dexy's Midnight Runners
Interviews: Debbie Harry; Saxon; Soft Cell; Undertones; Randy Crawford
Lyrics: Wunderbar - Tenpole Tudor; Backfired - Debbie Harry; Green Door - Shakin' Stevens; Water On Glass - Kim Wilde; Bring On The Night - Police; (Si Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star - Bill Wyman; Chemistry - Nolans; Tainted Love - Soft Cell; I'm In Love - Evelyn King; I Love You, Yes I Love You - Eddy Grant; Arabian Knights - Siouxsie & The Banshees; On The Beat - B.B.& Q. Band; She's A Bad Mama Jama - Carl Carlton; Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder; We're Almost There - Michael Jackson
Bitz: Linx tour; personal file: Pamela Stephenson; Chrissie Hynde, Pretenders; Hazel O'Connor; "Start Swimming" (Stiff): Bush Tetras, Fleshtones, Bongos, Raybeats, dBs; Rolling Stones, Tattoo You; Polecats; Echo And The Bunnymen fils: "Shine So Hard", "The Italian Job"; "Jambo", Dave Ward, Paul Weller; "Fire Escape To The Sky - The God-like Genius Of Scott Walker", Julian Cope; "Rock On The Tyne", Gateshead Stadium; Andy Partridge and his mum; Siouxsie and the Banshees; Marc Bolan, "You Scare Me To Death"; "L'Historio Bandido", Phil Sutcliffe, Hugh Fielder; OK Jive (Chopper, Ruby Jive, Lee Partis, Datsun Cherry, Bavon Wayne Wayne); all time top ten: Kim Wilde; Elvis Costello, Billy Sherrill; Havana Let's Go!, "Torpedoes"; Hot Gossip, Richard Burgess, John Walters; TV21; Ultravox tour
Single reviews (David Hepworth): As The Time Goes By - Funkapolitan; Arabian Knights - Siouxsie And The Banshees; I Am - Kid Creole And The Coconuts; Backfired - Debbie Harry; Love Action - Human League; I've Seen That Face Before - Grace Jones; Inside Out - Classix Nouveaux; Everybody Salsa / Salsa Rhapsody - Modern Romance; Bowwowwow - Prince Of Darkness; To You - O.K. Jive; Slick Trick - Belle Stars; Wunderbar - Tenpole Tudor; Water On Glass - Kim Wilde; Shaggy Raggy - Jona Lewie
Album reviews (Ian Cranna / Robin Katz / Beverly Hillier / Dave Rimmer / Johnny Diamond / Johnny Black / Pete Silverton): Icehouse - Icehouse; Precious Time - Pat Benatar; I'm In Love - Evelyn King; See The Whirl - Delta 5; Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks; 4 - Foreigner; Desperate Character; Pretenders II - Pretenders
Independent Albums (Red Starr): Document And Eye Witness - Wire (Rough Trade); Odyshape - Raincoats (Rough Trade); The Egg Store Ilk - Richard Earl (Pilot); The Only Fun In Town - Josef K (Postcard); Action Battlefield - New Age Steppers (Statik); Pindrop - The Passage (Object Music)

July 23 - August 5, 1981

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Cover: Steve Strange
Centrespread: Kim Wilde
Back cover: Peter Murphy
Interviews: Steve Strange; Kate Bush; Third World; Bad Manners; Rusty Egan
Lyrics: Tempted - Squeeze; Show Me - Dexy's Midnight Runners; One In Ten - UB40; Stars On 45 (2) - Starsound; Julie Ocean - Undertones; Lay Your Love On Me - Abba; Jumpin' Jive - Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive; Young Americans - David Bowie; Motorhead - Motorhead; Walk Right Now - Jacksons; Girls On Film - Duran Duran; A Promise - Echo & The Bunnymen; Never Surrender - Saxon; C'Mon Let's Go - Girlschool; We're All Grown Up - Hazel O'Connor
Bitz: Gary Numan, Paul Gardiner; Siouxsie And The Banshees; Tenpole Tudor, "Tenpole 45"; Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles; Debbie Harry; Police; Eddie Kidd, "Riding High", all time (disco) top ten: Phil Oakey; Mark Bedford and his mum; Joe Jackson; Clare Grogan, "Gregory's Girl"; Toyah; personal file: Kelly Johnson
Single reviews (Johnny Black): Julie Ocean - Undertones; Girl's Imagination - Del-Byzanteens; Slow Hand - Pointer Sisters; Tempted - Squeeze; Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder; A Promise - Echo And The Bunnymen; Show Me - Dexy's Midnight Runners; My Baby Does Her Hairdo Long - Kimberley Rew; Girls On Film - Duran Duran; Throw Some Water In - Sprout Head Uprising; You Are Forever - Smokey Robinson; Stormtrooper In Drag - Paul Gardiner; Ten Don'ts For Honeymooners - Monochrome Set
Album reviews (Fred Dellar / Beverly Hillier / Mark Ellen / Pete Silverton / David Hepworth ): The Friends Of Mr. Cairo - Jon & Vangelis; Hot - The Equators; I Got The Melody - Odyssey; 2,000,000 Voices - Angelic Upstarts; Winners - The Brothers Johnson; Was (Not Was) - Was (Not Was); Pleasant Dreams - Ramones; Kim Wilde - Kim Wilde
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Lips That Would Kiss / Madeleine - Durutti Column (Factory Benelux); Je Veux Ton Amour / Oyo Achel Ada - Section 25 (Factory Benelux); Live On A Hot August Night: The Presence / Concorde Square - Crispy Ambulance (Factory Benelux); 23 Skidoo / Subliminal - Eric Random (Crepuscule) Dow Chemical Company / Skin Deep - Eric Random (New Hormones); Neu Swell - A Flux Of Pink Indians (Crass Records)
Independent Albums (Red Starr): Solo Album - Various Artists (Various Artists); Bagpipe Music - Art Objects (Heartbeat Records); Boyd Rice - Boyd Rice (Mute); Odyshape - Raincoats (Rough Trade); Document And Eye Witness - Wire (Rough Trade); Kangaroo? - Red Crayola (Rough Trade)
Other: Smash Hits Book Of Pop Lists, Part 3

Fred Dellar: May 29, 1931 - May 15, 2021

When Dellar wrote for Smash Hits in the 1980s, he started compiling crosswords and he was to produce them for many publications, notably the film magazine Empire.

July 9 - 22, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Depeche Mode
Centrespread: Mo-Dettes
Back cover: Buster Bloodvessel
Interviews: Depeche Mode; Modern Eon; Imagination; Tom Tom Club; Killing Joke
Lyrics: Chant No. 1 - Spandau Ballet; New Life - Depeche Mode; Take It On The Run - REO Speedwagon; Better Things - The Kinks; Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs; Wordy Rappinghood - Tom Tom Club; Sat In Your Lap - Kate Bush; Can't Happen Here - Rainbow; Visage - Visage; Razzamatazz - Quincy Jones; Memory - Elaine Page; For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton; Statue Of Liberty - XTC; You Might Need Somebody - Randy Crawford; No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bitz: Rainbow; Specials; all time top ten: Barbara Gogan; "Rock At The Bowl", Milton Keynes; The Distractions: Arthur Kadmon, Mike Finney; The Passions: David Agar; Accent: John Webb; Eurythmics: Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox; Spandau Ballet, Beggar and Co; Hazel O'Connor; Stray Cats; Pretenders; personal file: Mike Read; Artemis 81: Sting, Hywell Bennett; Bad Manners; Mo-Dettes, Chris Neil; Gerry Cott quits Boomtown Rats; Shakin' Stevens; Pigbag; Urgh! A Music War, Derek Burbidge; The Book With No Name
Single reviews (Red Starr): Skin Deep - Passions; Chant No. 1 - Spandau Ballet; Visage - Visage; 20,000 Dreamers - Original Mirrors; Animals Have More Fun - Jimmy Pursey; When You Were Mine - Bette Bright; The Trouble With Love - Any Trouble; Thomas - Troy Tate; I Can't Get 'Bouncing Babies' By The Teardrop Explodes - Freshies; Q. Quarters - Associates; Sat In Your Lap - Kate Bush; One Step Ahead - Split Enz; Tonight - Mo-Dettes; To Hell With Poverty - Gang Of Four; Novel Romance - Nash The Slash; We Can Get Together - Ice House; The Passion Of Lovers - Bauhaus
Album reviews (Red Starr / Robin Katz / Johnny Black / Ian Cranna / Fred Dellar / Deanne Pearson): Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf - Models; Black & White - Pointer Sisters;Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive - Joe Jackson; Nah = Poo - The Art Of Bluff - Wah!; Perfect Timing - Kiki Dee; Polecats Are Go - Polecats; Life Is A Grand… - Henry Badowski
Independent Bitz (Mark Milligan): The Associates
Other: Smash Hits Book Of Pop Lists, Part 2

June 25 - July 8, 1981

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Cover: Kirsty MacColl
Centrespread: Shakin' Stevens
Back cover: Siouxsie
Interviews: Kirsty MacColl; Crass; Adam & Marco & The Ants
Lyrics: Me No Pop I - Kid Creole & The Coconuts; There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop, etc. - Kirsty MacColl; Wikka Wrap - The Evasions; No Laughing In Heaven - Gillan; The Race Is On - Dave Edmunds & The Stray Cats; Going Left Right - Department S; Take It To The Top - Kool & The Gang; Multiplication - Showadyywaddy; Aquarama - The Scars; Piece Of The Action - Bucks Fizz; If Leaving Me Is Easy - Phil Collins; Liar - Graham Bonnet; The River - Bruce Springsteen; Dancing On The Floor - Third World; Doors Of My Heart - The Beat
Bitz: Chris Sievey, "I Can't Get Bouncing Babies By The Teardrop Explodes"; Doctor Feelgood, Johnny Guitar; David Bowie, "Wir Kinder Vom Bahnhof Zoo"; Kim Carnes; Wah!, John Maher, "Nah Poo - The Art Of Bluff"; Bruce Springsteen, "Nicholas Nickleby", "The Elton Tapes", Andy Peebles; personal file: John Taylor; Iggy Pop; Undertones; Virni Lindt, Thomas Johannson; all time top ten: Johnnie Fingers
Single reviews (Tim De Lisle): Going Left Right - Department S; Wordy Rappinghood - Tom Tom Club; Not A Second Time - Robert Palmer; Hiawatha - Belle Stars; Doors Of Your Heart - The Beat; Martin's Gone - Sector 27; If You Want To Be Happy - Joe Dolce; Gotta Stop Messin' About - Prince; Shadowed - Fingerprintz; The Race Is On - Dave Edmunds with the Stray Cats; Poison Takes A Hold - Play Dead; Dancing The Night Away - Motors; Just For Tonight - Holly And The Italians; Better Things - The Kinks
Album reviews (Fred Dellar / Ian Birch / Beverly Hillier / Geoffrey Deane / Red Starr / Ian Cranna ): What's This For - Killing Joke; Rock The World - Third World; The Last Words Of The Great Explorer - TV Smith's Explorers; Duran Duran - Duran Duran; Magic, Murder And The Weather - Magazine; Juju - Siouxsie & The Banshees; A Product Of... - The Thompson Twins; Wanted Dread & Alive - Peter Tosh; Season Of Glass - Yoko Ono; Fiction Tales - Modern Eon; You Know It's Me - Barbara Dickson
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Forget The Down On Us / Checkmate Syndrome - Wah! (Eternal); Number Eleven / Namegame - Dead Or Alive (Inevitable); Giant Raft In The Philippines / No Place For A Prompter - It's Immaterial (Inevitable); You / Domestic Departure / Kerb Crawler - Au Pairs (021); Political / General - Musical Youth (021); Boys Game / Different Story - Tarzan 5 (021)
Independent Albums (Red Starr): Live At The Lyceum - Cabaret Voltaire (Rough Tapes); Whatever Happens Next - Swell Maps(Rough Trade); Penis Envy - Crass (Crass Records)
Other: Crystal Palace Garden Party: Madness, Tenpole Tudor, Ultravox; Smash Hits Book Of Pop Lists, Part 1

Like Punctuation Never Happened - Grammar Free In The UK!

Some people used lockdown to perfect their banana bread recipes. Others stayed indoors and learned a new language. Instruments were picked up for the first time in years and sheds that had only existed in dreams became reality.

The good people of Team Philpott did what they do best. They wrote letters. The comic geniuses behind Dear Mr. Kershaw and Dear Mr. Pop Star took up their pens and fired off more of their inquisitive missives to the great and the good of the British punk scene.

And, bless their pogoing, safety-pin-through-the-nose hearts, the likes of Max Splodge, Vice Squad, Gang Of Four, Sham 69 and many many more responded, patiently solving all the problems that Derek and co. have encountered whilst misunderstanding the lyrics of punk classics. All their correspondence has been collected and published in Grammar Free In The UK, with proceeds going to punk-related charities.

This collision between pensioners and punks [some of whom qualify for bus passes themselves these days] makes for a joyful, hilarious collaboration, offering plenty of laughs in these most serious of times.

Get your copy of Grammar Free In The UK here!

June 11 - 24, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Adam Ant
Centrespread: Linx
Back cover: The Human League
Interviews: Adam And The Ants; Whitesnake; Squeeze
Lyrics: Ghost Town - Specials; Would I Lie To You - Whitesnake; You'll Never Be So Wrong - Hot Chocolate; All Stood Still - Ultravox; Spellbound - Siouxsie & The Banshees; Throw Away The Key - Linx; Body Talk - Imagination; Nobody Wins - Elton John; All Those Years Ago - George Harrison; Going Back To My Roots - Odyssey; One Day In Your Life - Michael Jackson; More Than In Love - Kate Robbins; Will You - Hazel O'Connor; Let's Jump The Broomstick - Coast To Coast
Bitz: Magazine / Skids / Selector split; Diana Ross; Ian Dury, Chaz Jankel; Scars; Bruce Springsteen, Dave Edmunds; Madness; Elvis Costello; Barnsley Bill, The Evasions, Tom Tom Club; cardboard Elvis; all time top ten: Glenn Tilbrook; August Darnell; Joe Jackson; "Gary Numan By Computer"; B-52's; Split Enz; Martha Ladly, The Scenery Club; personal file: Marco Pirroni; Thin Lizzy, Milton Keynes Bowl
Single reviews (Fred Dellar): I Understand - Angelic Upstarts; Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache - Bram Tchkaikovsky; There's a Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis - Kirsty MacColl; Join The Professionals - The Professionals; Ghost Town - The Specials; Piece Of The Action - Bucks Fizz; Musical Man - The People; I Never Know Where My Heart Is - Judie Tzuke; Lovers And Other Strangers - Flying Lizards; Dallas - Joe Ely; Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs; Spellbound - Siouxsie And The Banshees; Don't Stop By - Tygers Of Pan Tang
Album reviews (Robin Katz / Mark Ellen / Johnny Black / Beverly Hillier / Red Starr / David Hepworth): The Fox - Elton John; Heaven Up Here - Echo And The Bunnymen; Doll By Doll - Doll By Doll; Magnetic Fields - Jean-Michel Jarre; Present Arms - UB40; The Impossible - Ken Lockie; Phil Seymour - Phil Seymour; Red - Black Uhuru; Can't Get Enough - Eddy Grant
Independent Albums (Ian Birch): Playing With A Different Sex - The Au Pairs (Human); Kangaroo? - The Red Crayola with Art & Language (Rough Trade); New Opium / How The West Was Won - Local Heroes / Kevin Armstrong (Oval); For All And None - The Passage (A Disc By Day And Night)

Gary Crowley's Lost 80s Volume 2

From the pages of Smash Hits to your stereo!

Everybody's favourite DJ, Gary Crowley, has been back down the music mines, digging up another trove of rare and unfamiliar treasures for his latest collection of lost gems from the best decade of all and picking some lesser-known songs from better-known names and tracks you might have forgotten about or missed completely the first time around.

The sixty-five songs are arranged across four discs, each with its own theme. Disc 1 - A Beat Confection - kicks off in lively style with The Style Council's Mick's Up and keeps moving with Madness, Elvis Costello, Fine Young Cannibals, The Monochrome Set - when the chorus of Jacob's Ladder kicks in, I am instantly fifteen again and studying for my O levels! - and The Undertones at their most transcendent in Save Me.

Disc 2 - A Rock And A Dance Place - will get your toes tapping even more with The Waitresses, Nick Heyward, Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy and the sublimely timeless Free Yourself, by The Untouchables.

The dance party continues on Disc 3 - Ear And Foot Refreshment - where Kid Creole, Linx and the B-52's jostle for your attention with Blancmange, Sade and Dennis Bovell's remix of Animal Nightlife's Native Boy.

Disc 4 - The Vinyl Curtain - rounds things off in spectacular style with The Human League's Hard Times and extended mixes from Thompson Twins and Big Audio Dynamite, as well as Medium Medium's wonderfully angular Hungry, So Angry and the Special Dance Mix of General Public's Tenderness - two of the highlights of the whole set.

Other highlights include unlikely covers - Bananarama's version of No Feelings and Staples Singers tackling Life During Wartime - and The Valentine Brothers with the original version of Money's Too Tight To Mention and the whole package includes a book containing Gary's track-by-track notes and eighties-era reminiscing from Mick Talbot, Dr Robert, Glenn Gregory and others. I've said it before and I'll say it again: we were spoiled then and Gary is still spoiling us now with yet another essential collection - the soundtrack of your summer and beyond.

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.

May 28 - June 10, 1981

THIS SIDE


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Cover: Stray Cats
Interviews: Stray Cats
Lyrics: Stand And Deliver - Adam And The Ants; Norman Bates - Landscape; Don't Let it Pass You By - UB40; Rockabilly Guy - Polecats; Ghosts Of Princes In Towers - Rich Kids; Is That Love - Squeeze; Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes; Being With You - Smokey Robinson; How 'Bout Us - Champaign;
Bitz: Jam tour; Prince; Specials; Madness; Slade, Castle Donnington; The Action, The Who; Kraftwerk; Van Halen, Motivation (Steve Garvey, Dave Price, Dave Rowbotham, Snuff); Woody and Jane snogging; Ron and Russell Mael, Sparks; personal file: Chris Difford
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper
Single reviews (Steve Bush): Mickey - Toni Basil; Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag - Pigbag; Spell-bound - Siouxsie And The Banshees; All Those Years Ago - George Harrison; Let Him Have it - The Bureau; History Never Repeats - Split Enz; Me No Pop I - Coata Mundi; Let's Jump The Broomstick - Coast To Coast; Funeral Pyre - The Jam; Cutter's Lullaby - Fischer-Z; I Want More - Can; Someday Sunday - Nautyculture

The Middle: Landscape

THAT SIDE


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Cover: Kim Wilde
Interviews: Kim Wilde
Lyrics: Funeral Pyre - Jam; Houses In Motion - Talking Heads; The Art Of Parties - Japan; Bad Reputation - Thin Lizzy; Them Belly Full (But We Hungry); Angel Of The Morning - Juice Newton
Bitz: Spandau Ballet, Francis Ford Coppolla; Rough Tapes (Ian Dury, Raincoats, Scritti Politti, Beat, Robert Wyatt, Pere Ubu, John Cooper-Clarke, Orange Juice, Wah! Heat, Buzzcocks); all time top ten: Sketch; Ultravox; Radio Invicta, Tony Johns; The People (Charlie Anderson, Desmond Brown); Landscape, "Psycho", Pamela Stephenson; Tenpole Tudor badges; Echo And The Bunnymen; Duran Duran; Bette Davis;
Independent Singles (Ian Birch): Don't Cry Your Tears / So It's Not To Be - The Delmontes (Rational Records); Kites / A Girl Named Property - 39 Lyon Street [Billy MacKenzie, Alan Rankine, Christine Beveridge] (RSO); You've Got To Make Mistakes / Short Sharp Kick In The Teeth - Close Rivals (Hyped Records); The Witch / Air Raid Shelter (Pill Box) / One More Fool - The Human Cabbages (Boys And Girls Records); Attention Stockholm - Virna Lindt (The Compact Organisation); Dream - The Sinking Ships (Recession Records); Compatibility - Visitors (Rational Records); Dream Soldiers - Fallout Club (Happy Birthday); A Certain Bridge - Last Man In Europe (Cocteau Records); (It's Not Me) Talking - A Flock Of Seagulls (Cocteau Records); Go For Gold - Girls At Our Best (Happy Birthday)
Album reviews (Deanne Pearson / Fred Dellar / Robin Katz / Bev Hillier / David Hepworth / Ian Birch / March Ellen): Heart-twango & Raw-beat - Original Mirrors; The Phenomenal Rise Of Richard Strange - Richard Strange; There Goes The Neighbourhood - Joe Walsh; Drivin' Hard - Shakatak; Nightclubbing - Grace Jones; Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam - Bill Nelson; Night People - Classix Nouveaux; Hard Promises - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers; Stand Your Ground - Wild Horses; Talk, Talk, Talk - Psychedelic Furs; Whomp That Sucker - Sparks; Heart Of Darkness - Positive Noise; Anthem - Toyah

1982: From One Extreme To Another

1982. Toto Coelo and Kid Creole. Pelican West and The Number Of The Beast. Marines yomping into Port Stanley and Socrates gliding into the opposition penalty area. English Settlement and Upstairs At Eric's. Martin Fry's gold lamé suit and Kevin Roland's dungarees. Duran Duran on a yacht in Sri Lanka and The Fall in a disused cinema in Hitchin. Ozzy Osbourne vs. The Alamo and Alex Higgins vs. Ray Reardon. The Young Ones and The Kids From Fame. Combat Rock and Thriller. E.T. and The Thing. The Day Before You Came, House Of Fun, Mickey, Promised You A Miracle....

Whatever your memories of 1982, chances are Eddie McKenzie has mentioned them in his monumental [in every sense of the word] romp through the year in music, movies, art, sport, news, politics and more. The activism and idealism of the late seventies gave way to escapism and indulgence and Thatcherism's icy grip tightened, all of which was reflected in the charts....and in what failed to set the charts alight.

McKenzie's massively-researched book tracks and traces all the year's developments, major and otherwise, giving a socio-political context for the changing face - and changing faces - of music. You might not agree with all of his opinions - and McKenzie has a lot of opinions - but his enthusiasm is irresistible, simultaneously ridiculing the silliness of pop stars and reveling in the glories they created.

If you listened to the chart rundown with your fingertips hovering over the REC button, this book is for you. If you pored over the pages of Smash Hits and Blu-Tacked the centrespreads to your bedroom wall, this book is for you. If the intro to Goody Two Shoes still gives you the chills and the headlong rush of A Town Called Malice still leaves you gasping for air, this book is for you. Don't be put off by the length - just dive in and enjoy.

1982: From One Extreme To Another is available from Amazon and Amazon UK.

May 14 - 27, 1981

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Cover: Department S
Centrespread: The Undertones
Back cover: Kim Wilde
Interviews: Department S; Tenpole Tudor; Human League; Honey Bane
Lyrics: I Wanna Be Free - Toyah; Careless Memories - Duran Duran; Swords Of A Thousand Men - Tenpole Tudor; Stars On 45 - Star Sound; Don't Say That's Just For White Boys - Way Of The West; The Sound Of The Crowd - Human League; Love Games - Level 42; Chequered Love - Kim Wilde; Perfect Timing - Kiki Dee; Future Management - Roger Taylor; Small Ads - Small Ads; Night Porter - Japan; Candidate For Love - T.S. Monk; You Drive Me Crazy - Shakin' Stevens; When He Shines - Sheena Easton
Bitz: The Rollers; Star Sound, Jaap Eggermont; personal file: Kim Wilde; Adam Ant; Stuart Henry; Belle Stars; John Cooper Clarke tour; Anne Nightingale, "Chase The Fade"; Peter Gilbert, Ultravox; Toyah; Teardrop Explodes tour; all time top ten: Bernie Nolan; weddings: Jim Honeymoon-Scott and Peggy-Sue, Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach; "The Nutty Boys Madness Comic"; Squeeze tour; Elton John buys Spike Milligan's original Goon Show scripts
Single reviews (Pete Silverton): Safe As Houses - Stiff Little Fingers; Rockabilly Guy - Polecats; Lipstick - Suzi Quatro; Ossie's Dream - Tottenham Hotspur; Pocket Calculator - Kraftwerk; Stand By Me - John Lennon; The Waiting - Tom Petty; About The Weather - Magazine; Working Girl - The Members; International Language - Richard Strange; Chequered Love - Kim Wilde; Houses In Motion - Talking Heads; The American - Simple Minds; I'm Your Money - Heaven 17
Album reviews (Ian Cranna / Mark Ellen / Fred Dellar / David Hepworth / Red Starr / Robin Katz ): Positive Touch - Undertones; The Right To Be Italians - Holly And The Italians; Welcome Back - The Plastics; Waiata - Split Enz; Ambience - Lambrettas; The Completion Backward Principle - Tubes; Animal Now - Ruts DC; East Side Story - Squeeze; Psychedelic Jungle - The Cramps; Play For Today - The Searchers
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Slates - The Fall (Rough Trade); Pretty - Mark Beer (Rough Trade); You're No Good / UFO / Moody - ESG (Factory); Urges / Leipzig - Thomas Dolby (Armageddon); The Model / Set Me On Fire - The French (Sanguine); Chance Meeting / Pictures - Josef K (Postcard); Life In Reverse EP - Marine (Les Disques du Crepuscule)
Independent Albums (Red Starr): To Each His - A Certain Ratio (Factory)
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper

April 30 - May 13, 1981

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Cover: Julian Cope
Centrespread: Gary Numan
Back cover: Echo And The Bunnymen
Interviews: The Teardrop Explodes; The Fall; Paul Weller; Girlschool
Lyrics: Grey Day - Madness; Crocodiles - Echo And The Bunnymen; Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon; It's Going To Happen - Undertones; The Magnificent Five - Adam And The Ants; Ai No Corrida - Quincy Jones; Can't Get Enough Of You - Eddy Grant; Don't Break My Heart Again - Whitesnake; And The Bands Played On - Saxon; Ride A White Swan - T. Rex; Hit & Run - Girlschool; Baby Love - Honey Bane; Kick In The Eye - Bauhaus; Keep On Running (Til You Burn) - U.K. Subs
Bitz: Shakin' Pyramids; all time top ten: Sal Solo; Sheena Easton, "For Your Eyes Only"; XTC tour; Undertones tour; Madness, Dave Robinson, "Take It Or Leave It"; Rolling Stones, "Sucking In The Seventies"; Bruce Springsteen, "Born To Run", Dave Marsh; Depeche Mode; Sting, "Message In A Bottle", Rossetta Woolf, Sharon Burn; Kampuchea concerts; "Popeye: The First Fifty Years" ,"Wonders"; The Specials; Sparks; Rob Dean, Japan; Duran Duran tour, Dulan Dulan; personal file: Feargal Sharkey
Single reviews (Mark Ellen): We've Got A Lot To Learn - Spirit; Obsessed - 999; Felicity - Orange Juice; It's Going To Happen! - Undertones; Winning - Santana; The Art Of Parties / Life Without Buildings - Japan; Ba Ba Badap - The Toys; Dumb Waiters - Psychedelic Furs; I Wanna Go Home - Holly And The Italians; Louise (We Get It Right) - Jona Lewie; Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats; Careless Memories - Duran Duran; Hands Up (Give Me Your Hear) - Ottawan; The Sound Of The Crowd - Human League; Bricks - Diagram Brothers
Album reviews (Geoffrey Deane / David Hepworth / Mark Ellen / Deanne Pearson / Fred Dellar / Bev Hillier): Future Shock - Gillan; Hit And Run - Girlschool; The Swords Of A Thousand Men - Tenpole Tudor; Hi Infidelity - REO Speedwagon; The Keys Album - The Keys; The Dude - Quincy Jones; Sharon Redd - Sharon Redd; La Rocca - Snips; Grand Slam - Isley Brothers; Author! Author! - The Scars
Independent Bitz special (Deanne Pearson): The Fall, Mark Smith, Paul Hanley, Mark Riley, Steve Hanley, Craig Scanlan
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper

April 16 - 29, 1981

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Cover: Hazel O'Connor
Centrespread: Duran Duran
Back cover: Polecats
Interviews: Hazel O'Connor; Paul Weller; PiL [Public Image Ltd.]
Lyrics: Drowning - The Beat; Slow Motion - Ultravox; Primary - The Cure; Is Vic There? - Department S; Skateaway - Dire Straits; Good Thing Going - Sugar Minott; Make That Move - Shalamar; Flowers Of Romance - PiL; Just Fade Away - Stiff Little Fingers; Only Crying - Keith Marshall; Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz; Changeling - Simple Minds; Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats; Watching The Wheels - John Lennon & Yoko Ono; The Magnificent Seven - The Clash
Bitz: Beat tour; Jake Burns, "Iris In The Traffic, Ruby In The Rain"; Echo And The Bunnymen live cassette; "This Ole House", Shakin' Stevens; Undertones; personal file: Graham Bonnet; Buzzcocks split; Sting, Sharon Burn, Rossetta Woolf; AC/DC, Monsters of Rock; "December Child" fanzine; Chords, Kip; Dramatis, Russell Bell, Denis Haines, Cedric Sharpley, Chris Payne; Ian Cranna resigns; "David Bowie Black Book"; The Clash, Bernie Rhodes
Single reviews (Fred Dellar): The Magnificent Seven - Clash; Flying High - Freez; Keep On Running (Till You Burn) - U.K. Subs; Your Imagination - Shoes; Shine So Hard - Echo And The Bunnymen; Imposter - Moondogs; Don't Talk To Me - Mickey Jupp; Shall We Dance? - Bram Tchaikovsky; Green Glass Windows - Roy Wood's Elevators; Hands 2 Take - Flying Lizards; Cowboys And Indians - Pearl Harbour; Don't Break My Heart Again - Whitesnake; The Whole Town's Laughing At Me - Teddy Pendergrass; Hot Rockin' - Judas Priest; Future Management - Roger Taylor; Dangers Of Living - Spizzies; Wrap Up The Rockets - Chris Sievey
Album reviews (David Hepworth / Bev Hillier / Steve Taylor / Red Starr / Geoffrey Deane / Robin Katz): Twangin… - Dave Edmunds; Jazz Funk - Incognito; Flowers Of Romance - Public Image Ltd.; Go For It - Stiff Little Fingers; Faith - The Cure; Come An' Get It - Whitesnake; No Tie Like A Present - Jags; Greatest Hits Vol. 3 - Cockney Rejects; Roger Taylor's Fun In Space - Roger Taylor; Bully For You - B.A. Robertson
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Candyskin / Meat Whiplash - Fire Engines (Pop: Aural); Love To Meet You / Monkey Monkey Monkey - Restircted Code (Pop: Aural); Faction / You're Wrong Again - Faction (Inevitable); All Systems Go: Dirty Work / Promenade Immortelle - Poison Girls (Crass); Rebel Without A Brain / My Own Invention - Theatre Of Hate (Burning Rome)
Independent Albums (Red Starr): At Home! - Mr. Frank Hannaway / Michael Barclay (Pop: Aural); 390 Degrees Of Simulated Stereo - Pere Ubu (Rough Trade)
Independent Video (Red Starr): Razzvizz 2 - Freshies
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper

April 2 - 15, 1981

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Cover: Sal Solo
Centrespread: Spandau Ballet
Back cover: Teardrop Explodes
Interviews: Landscape; Bruce Foxton; Classix Nouveaux
Lyrics: Just A Feeling - Bad Manners; Einstein A Go-Go - Landscape; (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing - Heaven 17; Up The Hill Backwards - David Bowie; John I'm Only Dancing - Polecats; Attention To Me - The Nolans; Sheffield Grinder - Tony Capstick; Pour Old Soul - Orange Juice; It's A Love Thing - The Whispers; Ceremony - New Order; What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted - Dave Stewart / Colin Blunstone; Tar - Visage; Guilty - Classix Nouveaux; Twilight Zone - Iron Maiden; Night Games - Graham Bonnet; Muscle Bound - Spandau Ballet
Bitz: Bowwowwow; Bruce Springsteen; Japan; "Young Jobless", Martin Jewell; all-time top ten: Nick Rhodes; Clem Burke, Nigel Harrison, Michael Des Barres; "December Child", Paul Weller; Dexys Midnight Runners, "Projected Passion Revue"; New Order, Gillian Gilbert; Sharon Redd; Dave Stewart, Colin Blunstone; Gary Tibs; "The Flowers Of Romance", PiL; fanzines: "Tear It Up", "Rising Free"; "Faith", Cure tour; personal file: Nash The Slash; "Rock Show", Paul McCartney, Wings
Single reviews (David Hepworth): Love Games - Level 42; Marliese - Fischer-Z; Primary - The Cure; The Swords Of A Thousand Men - Tenpole Tudor; Eye Of The Lens - Comsat Angels; Watching The Wheels - John Lennon and Yoko Ono; Flowers Of Romance - PiL; Skateaway - Dire Straits; Burundi Black - Burundi Black; Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz; Just A Feeling - Bad Manners; Tell Me Easter's On Friday - The Associates; Saint Saens - B.A. Robertson; Make Room - Fad Gadget; Too Much Time On My Hands - Styx;
Album reviews (David Hepworth / Fred Dellar / Red Starr / Steve Taylor / Bev Hillier ): Skin 'Em Up - Shakin' Pyramids; That Man Is Forward - Rico; Miracles - Change; From The Tea Rooms Of Mars To The Hell Holes Of Uranus - Landscape; Mustn't Grumble - Chas 'n' Dave; We'll Bring The House Down - Slade; Face Dances - The Who; Music For Stowaways - British Electric Foundation; To Love Again - Diana Ross; Never Too Late - Status Quo
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Bela Lugosi's Birthday / Outer Limits / Shalle We Dance - Dreamboys (St. Vitus Records); Achieving Unity - The Poems (Polka Records); Ghosts / Give Me Passion / End Of A Dream - Positive Noise (Statik); Poor Old Soul - Orange Juice (Postcard); Just Like Gold / We Could Send Letters - Aztec Camera (Postcard); Sorry For Laughing / Revelation - Joseph K (Les Disques du Crepuscule); Sluggin' For Jesus / Agent Man - Cabaret Voltaire (Les Disques du Crepuscule); Rooms With Brittle Views / Dada Guitare - Bill Nelson (Les Disques du Crepuscule)
Independent Albums (Red Starr): Schleimer K (Omega Records); Television Personalities (Rough Trade); Modern Dance - Pere Ubu (Rough Trade)
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper

March 19 - April 1, 1981

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Cover: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Centrespread: Toyah
Back cover: Talking Heads
Interviews: Rainbow; Rick Buckler; British Funk - Freez; Linx; Light Of The World; Beggar & Co.
Lyrics: Mind Of A Toy - Visage; Respectable Street - XTC; D-Days - Hazel O'Connor; Lately - Stevie Wonder; Swing Shift - Nash The Slash; Pretending To See The Future - OMD; Car Trouble - Adam and the Ants; Can You Handle It - Sharon Redd; You Better You Bet - The Who; Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen; New Orleans - Gillan; Oh God, I Wish I Was Home - Rod Stewart; Intuition - Linx; I Missed Again - Phil Collins; All American Girls - Sister Sledge
Bitz: Kim Wilde; Lenny Henry; Andy Partridge; Udo Pope, Vivienne Westwood, Bowwowwow; personal file: Rusty Egan; Stiff Little Fingers tour; Undertones accidents; Sting; Coast To Coast; Toyah Willcox; Clem Burke; Bill Haley; Pink Floyd; Adam And The Ants; all time top ten: Phil Oakey; Diana Ross; The Great Rock & Roll Swindle, Michael Moorcock; Magazine, Ben Mandelson; Gary Numan live albums; Graham Bonnet;
Single reviews (David Hepworth): Plan 9 - Dexy's Midnight Runners; Only For Sheep - The Bureau; New Orleans - Gillan; Dancing With The Rebels - Original Mirrors; What We All Want - Gang Of Four; Diamond Head - Plastics; Almost Saturday Night - Dave Edmunds; One To One - Joe Jackson; Shut Out The Light - Steve Diggle; Celia (Growing Up In Hollywood) - Jane Kennaway; Respectable Street - XTC; Take A Trip - Shakin' Pyramids; D-Days - Hazel O'Connor; On The Run (Who's Gonna Get Me First?) - TV21; Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown - Nash The Slash; Heartbeat - Dalek I Love You; Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight - Rod Stewart; 9 O'Clock - Snips; Tonight - Modern Romance; Euthenics - Modern Eon; Slow Motion / Quiet Men / Hiroshima Mon Amour / Dislocation - Ultravox
Album reviews (Red Starr / Beverly Hillier / Robin Katz / Mike Stand / David Hepworth): Anywhere - New Musik; Into The Fire - Russ Ballard; Rapp Payback - James Brown; Labour Of Love - Detroit Spinners; Spikey Dream Flowers - Spizzies; Giving All My Love - Tata Vega; Tied To The Tracks - Shona Laing; Magnets - The Vapors; Ice On The Motorway - Wilko Johnson; Intuition - Linx
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Ceremony - New Order (Factory); The Act Became Real - Bollock Brothers (Fresh Records); Back To The Start - Nikki Sudden (Rather / Rough Trade); Angels And Devils (Night And Day) / Watching You Dance - The Passage (Virgin)
Independent Albums (Red Starr): Egg-clectic (Fried Egg Records); Dome 2 - Dome (Rough Trade)
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper

March 5 - 18, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Duran Duran
Centrespread: Stray Cats
Back cover: Honey Bane
Interviews: Talking Heads; Chris Sievey; Duran Duran
Lyrics: Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like – Status Quo; From A Whisper To A Scream – Elvis Costello; Walking On Thin Ice – Yoko Ono; Boys And Girls – Human League; Please Don’t Touch – Motorhead / Girlschool; Don’t Go – Judas Priest; It’s A Mystery – Toyah; I’m In Love With The Girl – Freshies; (Somebody) Help Me Out – Beggar And Co; Planet Earth – Duran Duran; E.R.N.I.E. – Madness; Star – Kiki Dee; Kids In America – Kim Wilde; Jones vs. Jones – Kool and the Gang; Can You Feel It? – The Jacksons
Bitz: Gen X breakup; Bunny Wailer; Mike Barson wedding; Debbie Harry, George Burns, Diana Ross; David Byrne, Brian Eno, My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts; Paul McCartney, Wisconsin; Status Quo tour, Adam and the Ants, Kevin Mooney; New Sounds, New Styles; The dB’s, Stands For Decibels; personal file: Ian McCulloch; Moondogs; Phil Collins, The Cure; Dexy’s Midnight Runners; The Wanderers (Dave Parsons, Dave Treganna, Ricky Rocket, Stiv Bators); Rockpile split, Tourists split, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart from Eurythmics; all time top ten: Noel Davis; Only Ones final gig; Echo and the Bunnymen tour; Human League; Modern Romance, Geoffrey Deane, David Jaymes
Single reviews (David Hepworth): From A Whisper To A Scream – Elvis Costello; Sherry Darling – Bruce Springsteen; Celebrate – Simple Minds; All American Girls – Sister Sledge; New Toy – Lene Lovich; Risk – Spizzies; You Better You Bet – The Who; Being With You – Smokey Robinson; Thin Ice – Yoko Ono; I Missed Again – Phil Collins; (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang – Heaven 17
Album reviews (Robin Katz / David Hepworth / Fred Dellar / Red Starr / Beverly Hillier ): All American Girls – Sister Sledge; Stray Cats – Stray Cats; Difficult To Cure – Rainbow; Solid Gold – Gang Of Four; Another Ticket – Eric Clapton; In Our Lifetime – Marvin Gaye; Healing – Todd Rundgren; Brian Damage – Brian Briggs; Defunkt – Defunkt; Journeys To Glory – Spandau Ballet
Independent Albums (Red Starr): The Live Rise Of Richard Strange – Richard Strange (PVC/Ze)
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Dreaming Of Me / Ice Machine – Depeche Mode (Mute)
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper; Smash Hits Readers’ Poll Results

February 19 - March 4, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Midge Ure
Centrespread: The Pretenders
Interviews: Ultravox; The Passions; Gen X
Lyrics: Once In A Lifetime – Talking Heads; Give Peace A Chance – Plastic Ono Band; Reward – Teardrop Explodes; Hot Love – Kelly Marie; I’m In Love With A German Film Star – Passions; Jealous Guy – Roxy Music; Southern Freeez – Freeez; That’s Entertainment – The Jam; Shaddup You Face - Joe Dolce; Oldest Swinger In Town – Fred Wedlock; Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) – Cockney Rebel; We’ll Bring The House Down – Slade; Mutually Assured Destruction – Gillan; It’s My Turn – Diana Ross; Don’t Stop The Music – Yarborough and Peoples
Bitz: Human League; The Bureau; Charlie Gillet; Bowwowwow; all time top ten: Mark Bedford; Dave Wakeling; Dance Craze; John Lennon, Andy Peebles; Sheila Hylton; The Spizzies; Status Quo, The Photos; Teardrop Explodes; personal file: Julian Cope; The Selecter; Stray Cats; The Congos, Go-Feet; Steve Winwood; Minuskala, Maurice Bertolino; Gary Numan; Sting; The Look
Single reviews (David Hepworth): Four From Toyah – Toyah; Demolition Man – Grace Jones; Glad All Over – Suzy Quatro; Talking In The Canteen – Moondogs; So Hard – Aerial FX; Boys And Girls – Human League; Youth Coup – Holly and the Italians; Mutually Assured Destruction – Gillan; Don’t Go – Judas Priest; The Shuttered Palace – Ellen Foley; What Kind Of Fool – Barbra Streisand; Planet Earth – Duran Duran; Jealous Guy – Roxy Music
Album reviews (Robin Katz / David Hepworth / Steve Taylor / Fred Dellar / Bev Hillier): Diminished Responsibility – UK Subs; Drop Out With The Barracudas – Barracudas; Street Fever – Moon Martin; Jets – Jets; Children Of The Night – Nash The Slash; Surveillance – Walkie Talkies; Voices In The Rain – Joe Sample; Boys Only – The Boys; Celebrate The Bullet – Selecter; Don’t Point Your Finger – Nine Below Zero Independent Albums (Red Starr): Lubricate Your Li
ving Room – Fire Engines (Pop: Aural); A Factory Quartet – Durutti Column, Kevin Hewick, Blurt, The Royal Family & The Poor (Factory)
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Blown Away / Flight / And Then Again – A Certain Ratio; Nagasaki Nightmare / Big A Little A – Crass (Crass); I’m Falling / Flowers – Dead Or Alive (Inevitable); Euthenics / Waiting For The Cavalry – Modern Eon (Inevitable); Who’s Asking You? / Stand Alone – Roy White & Steve Torch (Open Eye / Rough Trade)
Other: Tales From A Music Paper

February 5 - 18, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Suggs
Centrespread: Adam Ant
Back cover: Debbie Harry
Interviews: Madness; Phil Collins; The Stranglers
Lyrics: Vienna – Ultravox; Romeo And Juliet – Dire Straits; Rock This Town – Stray Cats; Take My Time – Sheena Easton; In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins; Zerox – Adam and the Ants; The Best Of Times – Styx; Gangsters Of The Groove – Heatwave; Message Of Love – Pretenders; Turn Me On Turn Me Off – Honey Bane; Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen; Twilight Café – Susan Fassbender; I.O.U. – Jane Kennaway; Lonely Heart – U.F.O.; I Surrender - Rainbow
Bitz: Specials, Clash, Madness; Status Quo; all time top ten: Phil Collins; Stray Cats, Polecats, Blue Cats; John Lennon, Pretenders; Siouxsie and the Banshees; Graham Parker; Bob Marley; Jane Kennaway; Simple Minds, Undertones, UB40; Sting, Demolition Man, Grace Jones; Bruce Springsteen; personal file: Ranking Roger
Single reviews (Mike Stand): Some Boys – Going Red?; I’m In Love With The Girl On The Virgin Manchester Megastore Checkout Desk – Freshies; Return Of The Los Palmas 7 – Madness; Kids On The Street – Angelic Upstarts; World’s Greatest Lover – Cheap Trick; Luxury – New Musik; Tango In Mono – Expressos; Shaddup Your Face – Joe Dolce’s Music Theatre; Perfect Game – Thompson Twins; Just A Little – Regents; Golden Touch – Rose Royce; You Take My Breath Away – Dollar; What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? – Dave Stewart / Colin Blunstone; The Farmer’s Daughter – Fleetwood Mac; I Can’t Pretend - Barracudas
Album reviews (Beverly Hillier / Steve Taylor / David Hepworth / Ronnie Gurr / Geoffrey Deane): Take My Time – Sheena Easton; Don’t Follow Me, I’m Lost Too – Pearl Harbour; Face Value – Phil Collins; Candles – Heatwave; The Meninblack – Stranglers; Waves – Mike Batt; Splodgenessabounds – Splodgenessabounds; Paradise Theatre – Styx; Stands For Decibels – The dB’s
Independent Singles (Steve Taylor): She’s In Love With Mystery – Thompson Twins
Other: Disc Jockeys – A Psychiatrist Reports; Strange Tails From A Music Paper

January 22 - February 4, 1981

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Cover: Steve Strange
Centrespread: XTC
Back cover: Hazel O’Connor
Interviews: Visage; Bauhaus; The Look
Lyrics: Hitsville UK – The Clash; Woman, Starting Over, Imagine – John Lennon; A Little In Love – Cliff Richard; Rapture – Blondie; Scary Monsters – David Bowie; Burn Rubber On Me – Gap Band; I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It – Stevie Wonder; Thrown Away – Stranglers; The Freeze – Spandau Ballet; Dream Sequence – Pauline Murray; Sergeant Rock – XTC; Young Parisians – Adam and the Ants; The Elephants Graveyard – Boomtown Rats
Bitz: Squeeze; Lou Reed, Rock And Roll Diary 1967-80; I.D.; Dave Wakeling, Dave Steele, Photo Love, The Stranglers; Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Dave Wiggins, Linda Duff; Joe Jackson, Dave Houghton, The Keys, Graham Maby, Graham Parker, The Rumour, Garland Jeffries; Chipmunk Punk; Bruce Springsteen; personal file: Richard Jobson: John Lennon, In His Own Write, A Spaniard In The Works, Lennon Remembers; Elvis Costello and the Attractions; Ian Gillan; The Mo-Dettes; Phil Collins; all time top ten: Colin Moulding
Single reviews (Ronnie Gurr): Woman – John Lennon; I Wanna Be Sedated – Ramones; Oh Marion – Paul Simon; I’m Only Human – Michael Des Barres; Many Rivers To Cross – Desmond Dekker; Turn Me On Turn Me Off – Honey Bane; The Freeze – Spandau Ballet; Dancing With Myself – Gen X; Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me) – XTC; Is Vic There? – Department S; This Time – John Cougar; Hitsville U.K. – The Clash; Vienna – Ultravox; Donegal – Tango Brigade; Rapture – Blondie; Dead Man’s Curve – Nash The Slash
Album reviews (Geoffrey Deane / David Hepworth / Mark Ellen / Steve Taylor / Bev Hillier): Mondo Bongo – Boomtown Rats; Trust – Elvis Costello; Flaming Schoolgirls – The Runaways; Arc Of A Diver – Steve Winwood; The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent – UFO; 1965-1980 – Basement 5; Kiss Me Deadly – Gen X; In Search Of The Rainbow Seekers – Mtume; Golden Touch – Rose Royce
Independent Singles (Deanne Pearson): On-U-Sound Sampler: Fade Away New Age Steppers [Ari Up, Bruce Smith], Learn A Language – London Underground; Twenty Tens, Revenge, The Children Are Crying, Greylight – Virgin Prunes (Baby, Rough Trade); The Flood / Disney Boys – Blue Orchids [Una Baines, Martin Bramah] (Rough Trade); Sell Out Before The Fall Out – Michael Byrd and the Commercials (Another Record Label), Nowhere Girl – B-Movie (Dead Good Records); The Mekons (Red Rhino Record)
Other: Strange Tails From A Music Paper; I Was A Teenage Pinkie-Sniffer

January 8 - 21, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

Cover: Terry Hall
Centrespread: David Bowie
Back cover: Gen X
Interviews: The Police; Eddy Grant; The Specials
Lyrics: Clubland – Elvis Costello & The Attractions; Lies – Status Quo; Blue Moon – Showaddywaddy; Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Matchbox; Fade To Grey – Visage; Rabbit – Chas & Dave; I Am The Beat – The Look; Runaround Sue – Racey; Heartbreak Hotel – The Jacksons; Who’s Gonna Rock You – The Nolans; Love Me To Sleep – Hot Chocolate; Do Nothing – The Specials; She’s So Modern – Boomtown Rats; My Girl – Rod Stewart; Love On The Rocks – Neil Diamond
Bitz: Bob Geldof; Stranglers tour; all-time top ten: Doug Trendle (Bad Manners); ELO, Bev Bevan; Gary Numan farewell tour; personal file: Andy Partridge; Captain Kremmen, Kenny Everett; Robin Simons, Ultravox, Magazine; Elvis Costello album, Tryst; Madness, Nutty Boys comic; Squeeze, Paul Carrack;
Single reviews (Mark Ellen): Young Parisians – Adam and the Ants; Running Free – Buzzcocks; I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It – Stevie Wonder; Spaceship – Lincoln Thompson and the Rasses; Burn Rubber On Me – The Gap Band; Soul Waves – Telex; In The Air – Phil Collins; The Last Lone Ranger – Carpettes; Taxi Ride – Keith Emerson; Spider – Rick Wakeman; Submarine – Godley & Crème; Disco Apocalypse – Jackson Browne; Metal Mickey Magic – Metal Mickey; I Love A Shark – Marina Del Rey; Bicycle Seat – Max Splodge; Lonely Heart – UFO; Beat Crazy – Joe Jackson; Heart On My Sleeve – David Essex; Cold Love – Donna Summer
Album reviews (Mark Ellen / Red Starr / Beverly Hillier / David Hepworth): Rock-It To Mars – Rocky Sharpe & The Replays; The Paris Collection – Dollar; Jermaine – Jermaine Jackson; Bright Lights – Showaddywaddy; Amigo – Black Slate; Flash Gordon – Queen; Sandinsta! – The Clash; LKJ In Dub – Linton Kwesi Johnson
Independent Singles (Red Starr): Der Rauber Und Der Prinz / Tanz Mit Mir – DAF (Mute); Double Heart – Robert Rental (Mute); I Need Two Heads / Stop Before You Say It – Go-Betweens (Postcard); Walk On Water / Take A Look – Cuban Heels (Cuba Libre); Get Up And Use Me / Everything’s Roses – Fire Engines (Codex Communications); Heaven Gets Closer Every Day / Only Heroes Live Forever – Another Pretty Face (Chicken Jazz); I’m In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk – The Freshies (Razz Records)