July 23 - August 5, 1981

(click on the image to see the full issue)

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