Top of the Pops BBC4 Thursday/Friday 7.30pm

I vaguely recall that Fred EP being reviewed or advertised in Smash Hits, but none of those acts were really on my radar - not even Saint Etienne who Smash Hits loved but I as a 13 year old into 2Unlimited etc did not much care for at the time.

 

I was going to slate the cover of Deeply Dippy - if there was one recent song not to cover, it’s that one - but it was for charity (Terrence Higgins Trust) so I’ll let it off. I don’t remember it though.

 

It was a Heavenly record label artists thing wasn’t it?

Had they dropped the live requirement by now as sure Little Angels and INXS would have played. Bloody love Welcome to Wherever You Are. SS also fab.

 

It took me right back to middle school assemblies too.

 

At 13 (in 1982) I was into ABC, The Human League, Culture Club, A Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran...so I can relate to you there...there's no limits!

 

Wot no Dollar?

 

I questioned at first whether Toby of LA was singing live as he sounded so much like the record (yes, I'm familiar enough with it to be able to tell) but he was. I'm not sure exactly when the live requirement was dropped, but not yet I guess. I must say I give props to them for ploughing on with their third album at a time when that sound was pretty uncool. It was their last one though (unlike Thunder who seemingly never gave up at all).

 

Live requirement didn't go until Ric Blaxill came in

 

Of course it goes without saying that I was a fan since I was 10! TH will always be my favourite producer of the 80's!

 

It must be around for a while or we wouldn’t get that “iconic” Capella performance of Move On Baby in early 94.

 

Yeah, and Real McCoy later in the year - but plenty of other people did mine in 1994, so it didn't make sense. Almost wonder whether they made the dance acts sing live just for shits and giggles.

 

Little Angels did some really good singles....and then seemed to disappear suddenly, no dumper first.

 

Womankind is fab, and they also did a nice version of The First Cut Is The Deepest on the album

 

I’m the same age as you and absolutely loved Saint Etienne at the time. I’m pretty it was Smash Hits who made me aware of them and then because I was such a chart geek and listened religiously to the top 40 every week.

 

Saint Etienne had cool illustration Smash Hits ads yes. Pop fan catnip.

 

Me too from Sep 1979 to about Summer 1990

 

You’re 10 years older than me, I got into chart music properly in 1987/88 but probably started listening religiously to the charts in about 1990, so just as you’d finished!

 

I started buying Smash Hits in 1987 and didn't stop until the magazine did. Yes even the tragic last few years with Preston, Paris and one of Blazin Squad on the cover, I felt bad for it.

 

It's always good to pass the baton! (from the left hand side)!

 

My sister (who's three years older then me) used to buy Smash Hits from 1980 to 1982 and she used to hand the magazine to me once she'd finished reading it. Then I started buying it myself from early 1983 to 1991.