Welcome aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop!
We are a Smash Hits appreciation podcast dedicated to the swingorilliant British pop magazine which ran from 1978 to 2006. In each episode, we take an old issue of Ver Hits (usually from the 1980s but may slip a year or two either side of that) and discuss what’s on its pages, looking at who’s riding high on the carousel and who’s heading down the dumper.
We always have a guest to help us along the way, so we’ll be talking to the readers, the writers, and who knows, maybe even the odd pop star who appeared in its pages. Hang on tight!
Welcome aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop!
We are a Smash Hits appreciation podcast dedicated to the swingorilliant British pop magazine which ran from 1978 to 2006. In each episode, we take an old issue of Ver Hits (usually from the 1980s but may slip a year or two either side of that) and discuss what’s on its pages, looking at who’s riding high on the carousel and who’s heading down the dumper.
We always have a guest to help us along the way, so we’ll be talking to the readers, the writers, and who knows, maybe even the odd pop star who appeared in its pages. Hang on tight!

Welcome back to The Giddy Carousel of Pop!
In this special episode, we are joined by some previous riders on the carousel to take a trip down rock’s lost highway and discuss Dexys Midnight Runners' misunderstood classic album, Don't Stand Me Down, on its 40th anniversary.
We speak to former Smash Hits staffer and Dexys fan Chris Heath, who originally reviewed the album for Ver Hits inSeptember 1985.
Dexys super fan, music critic and member of the legendary Chart Music podcast, Simon Price, to get the fans perspective on the album and also how its reputation has grown in the years since its release.
And we're also honoured to welcome two members of Dexys Midnight Runners - Helen O'Hara and Kevin Adams (aka Billy) - to talk to us about their memories of making the album and what happened after its release.
LINKS AHOY!
YouTube playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfs58mqeRNuFV3ek4HY1Z6_BhBbl8CWZI&si=DaSoW5bLfPb7vRpy
Pete Paphides' Follow-Up Albums documentary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b01hl29f
Tim's Twitter Listening Party replay: https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/pages/replay/feed_303.html
Support the Carousel by buying us a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/giddypoppod