Friday, April 30, 2021

April 30 - May 13, 1981

Smash Hits, April 30, 1981
(click on the image to see the full issue)

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

Friday, April 16, 2021

April 16 - 29, 1981

Smash Hits, April 16, 1981
(click on the image to see the full issue)

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

Friday, April 2, 2021

April 2 - 15, 1981

Smash Hits, April 2, 1981
(click on the image to see the full issue)

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