AS A DEPECHE MODE FAN OF MORE THAN
25 YEARS, IT’S A REAL HONOUR THIS MONTH
TO HAVE THE LADS AS OUR COVER STARS.
ACROSS FOUR DECADES, THEY’VE CEMENTED
THEIR LEGENDARY STATUS AS ONE OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT FORCES IN ELECTRONIC
MUSIC. FULL OF PASSION
AND RIGHTEOUS IRE,
THEIR NEW ALBUM SPIRIT
IS A CALL FOR TOLERANCE
AND COMPASSION IN
THE CURRENT WILDLY
UNPREDICTABLE POLITICAL
CLIMATE. WE CAUGHT
UP WITH DAVE GAHAN
AND MARTIN GORE
AHEAD OF THEIR RECENT
TRIUMPHANT LONDON
STADIUM SHOW TO
GET THE INSIDE TRACK
ON THE NEW RECORD
AND MUCH MORE
BESIDES. IT MAKES FOR A
FASCINATING READ.SUBSCRIBE
With our unique mix of features, interviews,
playlists and reviews, Classic Pop is
unmissable. Get yours delivered to your door- and save yourself some cash – by subscribing.
Turn to pages 102-103 for details.
3T
his month we’re also
delighted to be able to
champion Alison Moyet’s
sterling long-player Other.
There’s nothing retro here, just a
collection of 10 new songs that
sound very of the moment. Lyrically
stronger than anything she’s ever
released, it’s an exciting time to
be a Moyet fan. Alison’s superb
interview with Wyndham Wallace
contained in these pages is also
another reason to celebrate her
return. We’re so enamoured by it,
Other takes the Album of the Issue
prize in our reviews section, too.
So, two icons of synth-pop,
DM and Alison Moyet, united in
delivering career-redefi ning new
works. How great is that?
It’s always particularly gratifying
when the established bands and
artists that we showcase in Classic
Pop pull something extraordinary
out of the bag. Recapturing those
lightbulb moments of the early
years is often the most diffi cult
challenge that songwriters face
over the long haul. How do
you grab hold of the zeitgeist
again and tune into those eureka
moments that once may have come
so easily when full of the vim and
vigour of youth?
Perhaps it’s that mysterious
unquantifi able x-factor (no pun
intended) that all great popmusic possesses that makes it so
addictive for us all.
We’re a broad church here
at Classic Pop so elsewhere this
issue we’re serving up a varied
smorgasbord of musical delights,
from the slinky r&b soul of Janet
Jackson and Terence Trent D’Arby,
to the pure pop of Steps. There’s
also something for the indie fans
among you as we chat to all three
members of St Etienne and take
a look at the remarkable story of
Creation Records.
I’m writing this Welcome note
the day after returning from
the Let’s Rock festival in Bristol.
Highlights abounded (take a bow
Nick Heyward, Heaven 17, Gloria
Gaynor and Happy Mondays) but
I’m not sure I’ve quite recovered
from Pat Sharp’s DJ set in the
backstage bar where he blasted
Barbie Girl at deafeningly high
volume a mere few feet away.
Who said this music journalism
lark was a walk in the park...
Enjoy the (silence) issue!CLASSIC
WELCOME TO
Steve Harnell, Editor
Follow me on Twitter:
@AnthemEditor30
/classicpop
mag
@classicpop
magCP30.Welcome.print.indd 3 09/06/2017 15: