We grab our finest threads for the slickest of musical flavours… What is it? Like glam before it, it’s difficult to separate sophisti-pop from the clothes it’s sung in.…
Johnny Marr: Call The Comet interview
In 2019, Johnny Marr talked to Classic Pop about his then-latest album Call The Comet… A warehouse on an industrial estate just outside of Manchester isn’t the most obvious location…
The B-52s interview: “We were this unique band, and we had no idea it was going to do what it did”
The B-52s announced in April 2022 that they would embark on a ‘farewell’ tour, contradicting their claims in 2019 that THAT tour would be their final goodbye. That year, we…
Making R.E.M.’s Out Of Time
We celebrate the album that transformed R.E.M. from arguably the world’s biggest cult band into bona fide crossover superstars, Out Of Time… By Rob Jovanovic In 1991, the chart landscape…
The Lowdown – Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross was an in-demand backing singer who went on to sell more than 35 million records worldwide and win eight Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Vocal Performance four times.…
Mick Hucknall interview: “I feel politically homeless at the moment”
In 2019 Mick Hucknall (and Simply Red) released his 12th studio album, Blue Eyed Soul. We spoke to him about how, for a time at least, he was giving firebrand…
The Lowdown – UB40
Named after an unemployment benefit form, UB40 started out with a social conscience before claiming commercial riches on the back of 70 million-plus sales worldwide, including no.1 singles in the…
Gloria Estefan interview: “We stuck to our guns!”
In 2019, the musical On Your Feet!, about the life and career of Gloria Estefan, arrived in the UK. That year, we talked to the singer about how she became…
The Lowdown – Squeeze
South Londoners Squeeze were chart regulars from the late 70s to the late 90s, with songwriters-in-chief Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook labelled “the new Lennon and McCartney”. Apparently, their ex-keyboardist…
Paul Young interview: “I was taking on the responsibility of being a pop star”
In 2018, Paul Young celebrated 35 years of his debut album No Parlez. We chatted to him about this blue-eyed soul classic… Of all the good-time bands on the circuit…