Editing NME (section)

===1980s===
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2015}}

In the 1980s, the ''NME'' became the most important music paper in the country.<ref name= "econ2015"/>  It released the influential [[C81 (music)|''C81'']] in 1981, in conjunction with [[Rough Trade Records]], available to readers by mail order at a low price. The tape featured a number of then up-and-coming bands, including [[Duran Duran]], [[Aztec Camera]], [[Orange Juice (band)|Orange Juice]], [[Linx (band)|Linx]], and [[Scritti Politti]], as well as a number of more established artists such as [[Robert Wyatt]], [[Pere Ubu (band)|Pere Ubu]], the [[Buzzcocks]] and [[Ian Dury]]. A second tape titled ''[[C86]]'' was released in 1986. From 1981 to 1988 the magazine released 36 cassette compilations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/368-beyond-c86-the-forgotten-gems-of-nmes-cassette-series/|title=Beyond C86: The Forgotten Gems of NME's Cassette Series|date=10 June 2014|website=Pitchfork.com|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>

The ''NME'' responded to the [[Thatcherism|Thatcher era]] by espousing socialism through movements such as [[Red Wedge]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/events/walls-come-tumbling-down-the-music-and-politics-of-rock-against-racism-2-tone-and-red-wedge|title=Walls Come Tumbling Down: The music and politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge|website=Rough Trade|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> In the week of the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 election]], the paper featured an interview with the leader of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], [[Neil Kinnock]], who appeared on the paper's cover.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/jul/03/pressandpublishing.popandrock|title=Fraternising with the NME|date=3 July 2005|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> He had appeared on the cover once two years before, in April 1985.

Writers at this time included [[Mat Snow]], [[Chris Bohn]] (known in his later years at the paper as '[[Biba Kopf]]'), [[Antonella Gambotto-Burke]] (known by her pseudonyms Antonella Black and, because of her then-dyed orange hair, [[Ginger Meggs]]), [[Barney Hoskyns]], Paolo Hewitt, Don Watson, [[Danny Kelly (journalist)|Danny Kelly]], [[Steven Wells]], and [[David Quantick]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/barry-egan-how-i-lied-about-my-sex-and-ended-up-writing-for-the-nme-36691981.html|title=Barry Egan: How I lied about my sex - and ended up writing for the NME|website=Independent.ie|date=11 March 2018 |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>

However, sales were dropping, and by the mid-1980s, ''NME'' had hit a rough patch and was in danger of closing. During this period (now under the editorship of Ian Pye, who replaced Neil Spencer in 1985), they were split between those who wanted to write about [[hip hop music|hip hop]], a genre that was relatively new to the UK, and those who wanted to stick to rock music.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/07/farewell-to-nme-rocknroll-riot-that-petered-into-silence|title=Farewell to NME: a rock'n'roll riot that petered into silence &#124; Alexis Petridis|date=7 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> Sales were apparently lower when photos of hip hop artists appeared on the front and this led to the paper suffering as the lack of direction became even more apparent to readers. A number of features entirely unrelated to music appeared on the cover in this era, including a piece by William Leith on computer crime and articles by [[Stuart Cosgrove]] on such subjects as the politics of sport and the presence of [[United States military|American troops]] in Britain, with [[Elvis Presley]] appearing on the cover not for musical reasons but as a political symbol.

The ''NME'' was generally thought to be rudderless at this time, with staff pulling simultaneously in a number of directions in what came to be known as the "hip-hop wars". It was haemorrhaging readers who were deserting ''NME'' in favour of [[Nick Logan]]'s two creations ''[[The Face (magazine)|The Face]]'' and ''[[Smash Hits]]''. This was brought to a head when the paper was about to publish a poster of an insert contained in the [[Dead Kennedys]]' album ''[[Frankenchrist]]'', consisting of a painting by [[H.R. Giger]] called [[Penis Landscape]], then a subject of an obscenity lawsuit in the US. In the summer and autumn of 1987, three senior editorial staff were sacked, including Pye, media editor [[Stuart Cosgrove]], and art editor Joe Ewart. Former ''Sounds'' editor [[Alan Lewis (music journalist)|Alan Lewis]] was brought in to rescue the paper, mirroring Alan Smith's revival a decade and a half before.

Some commented at this time that the ''NME'' had become less intellectual in its writing style and less inventive musically. Initially, ''NME'' writers themselves were ill at ease with the new regime, with most signing a letter of no confidence in Lewis shortly after he took over. However, this new direction for the ''NME'' proved to be a commercial success and the paper brought in new writers such as [[Andrew Collins (broadcaster)|Andrew Collins]], [[Andrew Harrison (journalist)|Andrew Harrison]], [[Stuart Maconie]], [[Mary Anne Hobbs]] and [[Steve Lamacq]] to give it a stronger identity and sense of direction. Lewis prioritised readership over editorial independence, and Mark Sinker left in 1988 after Lewis refused to print his unfavourable review of [[U2]]'s ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'' ("the worst album by a major band in years"), replacing it with a glowing Stuart Baillie review intended to be more acceptable to readers.<ref name="NMEreview">{{cite magazine|title=How the West Was Won|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |first=Stephen|last=Dalton|date=October 2003|issue=77}}</ref> Initially many of the bands on the C86 tape were championed as well as the rise of [[gothic rock]] bands but new bands such as the [[Happy Mondays]] and [[the Stone Roses]] were coming out of [[Manchester]]. One scene over these years was [[Acid house]] which spawned ''"[[Madchester]]"'' which helped give the paper a new lease of life. By the end of the decade, [[Danny Kelly (journalist)|Danny Kelly]] had replaced Lewis as editor.