If you are like us, which we presume you are a bit as you are on this website for a start, then you obviously love pop music. We grew up loving it, listening to it, learning the dance routines and devouring as much information about it as we could in the days before the internet. That meant the radio and magazines, specifically Look In and Smash Hits.
Neither of these magazines exist anymore and even though we are now officially grown ups, we still love pop and want to read about it and listen to it AND do the dance routines. Although we can learn dance routines a lot easier these days thanks to Youtube and lyrics are found with a quick google, a lack of pop magazines on the Newsagents shelves amongst the dearth of endless rock man mags boring on about guitar strings and that does make us sad.
But there is a beacon of hope! Nestling betwixt Q and Mojo and MAN MUSO YAWN is brand the brand new Classic Pop Magazine. Yes! A magazine for pop. Here’s what it looks like:
We bought it, read it and have some thoughts about it. We’re going to tell you them now. Ready? Ok. Here’s what’s good about it, what’s not so good and what we’d like more of please.
GOOD
Pet Shop Boys on the cover
Can’t imagine when this is ever a bad thing really. We’d buy cross stich monthly if they were on it (and if the magazine existed).
Layout and style
It looks ace, not dissimilar to The Face in the 80s or other mags of that ilk without being too hip and fashion. In otherwise, just right for pop.
Editor’s letter
He’s a pop fan. The writers’ are pop fans. It’s described as “a pop magazine for grown ups” and doesn’t shy away from it, dismisses talk of it being cheesy and throwaway and gives it a glossy platform to crow from. This is VERY GOOD THANK YOU.
Features
A retrospective of PSBs career; Five Decades of Duran Duran (Jesus, really??); ABC’s Lexicon of Love being the Classic Album – tick, tick, tick!
Duran Duran: pop statesmen
Tone
Where it could have been all worthy, trying to sway pop-naysayers into the fold by using big words and comparing songs to classic works of fiction, it doesn’t. And thank god for that. It’s pop – it’s fun!
NOT SO GOOD
The “Classic Pop” timeframe
The magazine says the focus is the “golden age” of pop – from post-punk to Live Aid. Whereas it was indeed a magical time, it’s a bit restricting. They offer a new pop section and review new albums etc, but when Coldplay are in the former you do think come on Grandad keep up. Maybe they’re saying these acts are the classic pop du jour. Yeah maybe, but it would be good to be pushing new and exciting pop through as well, otherwise it strays into slightly yawnsome territory just going on and on about the olden days. And we can get that in Q if we really wanted.
Girls
Or lack of them. Not one feature on a woman or women in pop. None! There’s some pictures (Madonna, Blondie, Kate Bush), some small news articles, but no great big mega paged spread as there is for PSB, Depeche Mode etc. Not even a Q&A with Kim Wilde. What is the “golden age of pop” without Bananarama one asks? YES, EXACTLY. Sort for next edition please!
Not even the Queen of pop gets a look in!
Not silly enough
As mentioned before, the tone is set right, but it could be more fun. Currently it feels a bit like organized fun, i.e. grown up. It is a grown up mag, but grown ups still like to be silly. Especially ones who like pop. It’s the one place in music where you can be daft as you like – heck, we run a business on it!
Pop nerds may want some studio facts and know what keytar was used on which track etc, but we also want to know who has the best hair in pop (George obvs), daft chart facts from now and then, which popstar makes the best sandwich etc – this is what gives the magazine character and makes us love it for ever more. Like Smash Hits. Oh how we miss you Smah Hits! (did we mention this?)
Sandwiches: important
Price
We are adults now and don’t have to rely on saving pocket money for mags or kind Aunties treating us, but with a none recession-friendly price tag of £5.99 it’s one heck of a considered purchase. And there’s no free stickers to soften the blow. Don’t overlook this – free stickers ALWAYS help.
MORE PLEASE
Posters
There are posters – yay! You can’t take them out without buggering up the mag – boo!. Can we have some perforations or removable element please? That Madonna one’s ace. Not that we want to put it up in our bedroom or anything. Obviously we don’t do that anymore, but you know, some people might and we’re just thinking about them really. We’re just can’t help being SO considerate.
Free badge
See the free stickers mention before; everyone likes a badge or a sticker. Or a pen with Nick Kamen on it that when you tip it upside down, his clothes fall off. Just a suggestion.
Oh hiiii Nick *swoon*
But overall we say YAY! It’s brilliant to have it – a dedicated magazine for pop! Who thought this day would ever come again? It just needs to loosen its tie a bit, have a drink and be a bit daft and it could be the best thing in the magazine world since Cross Stitch Monthly put the Pet Shop Boys on the cover. We hope so anyway.
Tags: Classic Pop Magazine, Look In, Pet Shop Boys, Pop music, PopJustice, Smash Hits