It featured musicians Vera Lynn, Alan Dean, Harry Gold and Ted Heath, plus news that the government would soon introduce commercial radio in Britain for the first time.
Fab Four: The Beatles, 11 October 1963
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By the 1960s, NME was boasting the “world’s largest circulation of any music paper”.
It was helped along in 1963 by a band on the brink of becoming one of the biggest pop acts ever.
The Thin White Duke: David Bowie, 15 May 1976
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Photographer Andrew Kent documented David Bowie’s career for two years from 1975, following him on his Station To Station album tour.
His pictures captured the rise of Bowie’s Thin White Duke persona.
The battle of Britpop: Blur vs Oasis, 12 August 1995
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At the height of the Britpop era in the 90s, the tabloids and some sections of the media asked people to choose between two bands: Blur or Oasis.
The bands’ rivalry dominated the charts – and the headlines – when Blur’s song Country House beat Roll With It by Oasis to number one.
Rehab to recovery: Eminem, 17 July 2010
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Eminem featured on NME’s cover shortly after the release of his album Recovery.
The album was a follow-up to his 2009 release Relapse and spent seven weeks at number one in the UK.
Back to black: Amy Winehouse, 30 July 2011
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NME’s black and white cover paid tribute to Amy Winehouse after her death shook the music world in the summer of 2011.
She was only 27 years old.
Holy smoke: Rihanna, 18 September 2015
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Rihanna’s front cover marked a significant moment in the magazine’s history.
The magazine was relaunched as a free publication featuring the star – and was handed out in shops, train stations and universities.
She’s the one: Dua Lipa, 19 May 2017
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In 2017, NME described Dua Lipa as being on the path to “pop’s premier league”.
They were right – less than a year later, she’s had a UK number one and won two Brit awards.
Election coverage: Jeremy Corbyn, 2 June 2017
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A week before the general election, NME waded into the world of politics when it put Jeremy Corbyn on its cover.
As part of an interview with the magazine, the Labour leader promised to “get rid of student fees altogether” if his party got into power.
The final cover (for now): Stefflon Don, 9 March 2018
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Stefflon Don represents Great Britain on the magazine’s final weekly cover.
But fans will still be able to pick up special issues in print, such as new paid-for series NME Gold.