96 posts
The Lowdown
Featuring a gobby frontman with the theatrical nous of Jim Morrison, a Frank Sinatra croon and Leonard Cohen’s melancholic sensibility, Echo & The Bunnymen forged grandiose soundscapes out of punk…
Top 20 80s pop instrumentals
We count down our Top 20 80s pop instrumentals… While the vocal power, stage presence and charisma of a good frontperson is always handy when making a career in pop,…
Top 20 80s cover versions
Cover versions are sometimes bad, sometimes great. Here’s Classic Pop’s rundown of the very best cover versions of some of the 80s’ very best songs. It’s a testament to the…
Top 20 pop side projects
Some pop side projects were just fleeting dalliances away from the mothership, while others made a lasting impact… Whether they’re borne out of creativity, curiosity or just plain boredom, pop…
The Smiths – the complete guide
Pop in the 1980s was rocked to its foundations with the arrival of The Smiths in 1983. With their blend of Morrissey’s misery and Johnny Marr’s melodies, they became…
Thursday Night Fever: Top Of The Pops in the 80s
Top Of The Pops transformed itself into a non-stop party showcase for the 80s pop explosion. In this article from 2018, Martyn Ware and the late Janice Long looked back……
Top 15 Stock Aitken Waterman albums
Mark Elliott, a SAW expert and author of the definitive book on the trio, The Ministry Of Pop, reveals his favourite Stock Aitken Waterman albums 15. Jason Donovan Ten Good…
The alternative David Bowie Top 20 – 1994-2016
The 23 years between 1. Outside and Blackstar marked a remarkable creative resurgence for David Bowie. Singles are banned from this alternative Top 20 list, but as Will Salmon discovers,…
Top 20 girlband singles of the 80s
Pinballing between spiky new wave, pure pop, R&B, hip-hop and indie, these are the best girlband singles of the 80s The sheer volume of all-singing, all-dancing, all-female acts that emerged…
Top 40 New Romantic songs
From Spandau and Visage to Telex, Eno, Soft Cell, Gina X, Can, Space and – honestly – The Sweet, we look at the Top 40 New Romantic songs… Bowie’s Heroes…