New Wave Hits Of The '80s

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Overall, this series isn't bad. The majority of the discs have a lot of lesser known artists, and in some cases this is more of a hinderence than a blessing as no one will know all of the songs on a single disc. This collection is better suited to listening than being used as a set for parties.

(Available at Amazon)


Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 1 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 52:48
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 2 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Ca Plane Pour Moi                      Plastic Bertrand
Warm Leatherette                       The Normal
One Way Or Another                     Blondie
Hey, St. Peter                         Flash &The Pan
Cruel To Be Kind                       Nick Lowe
Too Young To Date                      D-Day
Local Girls                            Graham Parker
Rock 'N' Roll High School              Ramones
My Sharona                             The Knack
Girls Talk                             Dave Edmunds
Video Killed The Radio Star            The Buggles
I Do The Rock                          Tim Curry
Dirty Water                            The Inmates
I'm A Believer                         Tim Huey
Gidget Goes To Hell                    Suburban Lawns
Money (That's What I Want)             Flying Lizards

Comments:
        Definately more interesting as a study in period music than
as an album you would want to play on a regular basis.  There are some
interesting songs, and some that are worth owning, but overall a dud.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 2 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 58:36
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 3 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Pop Muzik                              M
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick          Ian Dury &The Blockheads
Love Will Tear Us Apart                Joy Division
What Does Sex Mean To Me?              Human Sexual Response
My Mistake                             The Kingbees
The Funky Western Civilization         Tonio K.
You Won't Be Happy                     The Beat
I Don't Like Mondays                   The Boomtown Rats
I Got You                              Split Enz
Danger                                 The Motels
Echo Beach                             Martha &The Muffins
Whip It                                Devo
Vienna                                 Ultravox
So Long                                Fischer-Z
Away From Home                         Klark Kent
Turning Japanese                       The Vapors

Comments:
        Not a bad album overall, but not great either.  This disc tries
to hard to be a serious discussion of the early eighties music scene and
sticks with mostly unpopular no-hit wonders.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 3 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 61:07
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 5 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Cars                                   Gary Numan
Private Idaho                          The B-52's
Making Plans For Nigel                 XTC
Teacher Teacher                        Rockpile
Looking For Clues                      Robert Palmer
I Live In The City                     The Humans
Drivin'                                Pearl Harbor &The Explosions
What I Like About You                  The Romantics
88 Lines About 44 Women                The Nails
New Toy                                Lene Lovich
Fady To Grey                           Visage
Stool Pigeon                           Kid Creole &The Coconuts
Tempted                                Squeeze
Too Much Pressure                      The Selecter
It's A Night For Beautiful Women       The Fools
Are You Ready For The Sex Girls?       Gleaming Spires

Comments:
        The first decent disc in this series, it has plenty of songs that
charted.  Songs like "New Toy" by Lene Lovich are also great as songs that
you won't find elsewhere but were definately remembered.  This is probably
the best disc in the whole series.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 4 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 55:55
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 3 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Freedom Of Choice                      Devo
Generals And Majors                    XTC
Switchin' To Glide                     The Kings
Up All Night                           The Boomtown Rats
The Breakup Song (They Don't Write...) Greg Kinn Band
Love And Loneliness                    The Motors
About The Weather                      Magazine
Precious To Me                         Phil Seymour
Girls On Film                          Duran Duran
Everywhere That I'm Not                Translator
I Could Be Happy                       Altered Images
Working Girl                           The Members
What Do All The People Know            The Monroes
It's Going To Happen!                  The Undertones
Ziggy Stardust                         Bauhaus
Tainted Love                           Soft Cell

Comments:
        This disc has too many filler songs on it.  Songs that no one is
going to remember, though they do fit ok on the disc.  If you don't mind
listening to songs you probably won't remember, this disc should be fine
listening, not a party disc at all.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 5 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 57:17
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 4 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
I Want Candy                           Bow Wow Wow
I Know What Boys Like                  The Waitresses
Kids In America                        Kim Wilde
Love Plus One                          Haircut One Hundred
Someday, Someway                       Marshall Crenshaw
Hold On To Something                   Great Buildings
Town Called Malice                     The Jam
867-5309/Jenny                         Tommy Tutone
Vacation                               Go-Go's
Valley Girl                            Frank &Moon Zappa
I Ran (So Far Away)                    A Flock Of Seagulls
Sex Dwarf                              Soft Cell
I Love A Man In A Uniform              Gang Of Four
The Art Of Parties                     Japan
Homosapien                             Pete Shelley
Mickey                                 Toni Basil

Comments:
        Definately a must buy, this is one of the few compilations to have
Frank &Moon Zappa's "Valley Girl" on it.  There's also a good selection
of popular tunes on here mixed with less popular, let memorable songs.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 6 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 58:16
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 3 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Who Can It Be Now?                     Men At Work
Twilight Zone                          Golden Earing
Talk Talk                              Talk Talk
Johnny, Are You Queer?                 Josie Cotton
White Girl                             X
People Who Died                        The Jim Carroll Band
Face To Face                           Code Blue
Wot                                    Captain Sensible
Numbers With Wings                     The Bongos
The Look Of Love (Part One)            ABC
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me          Culture Club
Never Say Never                        Romeo Void
The Unguarded Moment                   The Church
Second Choice                          Any Trouble
A Woman's Got The Power                The A's
I Predict                              Sparks

Comments:
        This CD lacks consistency between songs, and also lacks a lot of
popular songs.  Instead you get a lot of groups that were barely even
known when they were being played on the radio mixed in with a few one hit
wonders.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 7 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 59:20
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 1 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)      Haircut One Hundred
He Could Be The One                    Josie Cotton
I'm Shakin'                            The Blasters
Six Months In A Leaky Boat             Split Enz
I Need You                             Paul Carrack
Love Is Just The Great Pretender       Animal Nightlife
Ride Your Pony                         Fleshtones
Blue Spark                             X
Pass The Dutchie                       Musical Youth
Samson And Deliah                      Bad Manners
Chicken Outlaw                         Wide Boy Awake
Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't... Trio
Party Weekend                          Joe "King" Carrasco &The Crowns
Love Shadow                            Fashion
Flaming Desire                         Bill Nelson
O Superman (For Massenet)              Laurie Anderson

Comments:
        Another disc that has very little to offer, all these songs
can be found on better compilations.  This particular disc is barely
even listenable.  Unless you want to own the whole Rhino New Wave series,
pass it over.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 8 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 62:31
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 4 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Come On Eileen                         Dexys Midnight Runners
Red Skies                              The Fixx
Walking In L.A.                        Missing Persons
Jeopardy                               Greg Kihn Band
She's A Beauty                         The Tubes
Cath                                   The Bluebells
Voo Doo                                Rachel Sweet
If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?       Mental As Anything
She Blinded Me With Science            Thomas Dolby
Mexican Radio                          Wall Of Voodoo
Lies                                   Thompson Twins
Whirly Girl                            Oxo
Kiss Me                                Tin Tin
(We Don't Need This) Facist Groove...  Heaven 17
Escalator Of Life                      Robert Hazard
Goodbye To You                         Scandal

Comments:
        This disc has a lot of popular songs and songs that you will most
likely remember upon hearing.  Most of these songs are found on other
compilations however, so if you already own a lot of eighties compilations,
you might wish to pass this one over.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 9 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 56:25
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 3 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Rio                                    Duran Duran
I Melt With You                        Modern English
Cool Places                            Sparks &Jane Wiedlin
Love My Way                            Psychedlic Furs
Save It For Later                      The English Beat
Whenever You're On My Mind             Marshall Crenshaw
Keep It Tight                          Single Bullet Theory
Blister In The Sun                     Violent Femmes
The Cutter                             Echo &The Bunnymen
Sign Of The Times                      The Belle Stars
Poison Arrow                           ABC
Too Shy                                Kajagoogoo
Let Me Go                              Heaven 17
Dancing In Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)     Q-Feet
Teenage Enema Nurses In Bondage        Killer Pussy
I Eat Cannibals                        Total Coelo

Comments:
        This disc has a few artists on it that are certainly not found
on many compilations, like Violent Femmes and Echo and The Bunnymen.  If
you don't already own their albums, I would recomend this disc.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 10 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 56:34
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 3 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Desperate But Not Serious              Adam Ant
Do You Wanna Hold Me?                  Bow Wow Wow
China                                  Red Rockers
(Keep Feeling) Fascination             The Human League
Beat Surrender                         The Jam
The Walls Came Down                    The Call
Amanda Ruth                            Rank &File
A Million Miles Away                   The Plimsouls
Our House                              Madness
Shy Boy (Don't It Make You Feel Good)  Bananarama
Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) A Flock Of Seagulls
Promises, Promises                     Naked Eyes
Stand By                               Roman Holliday
Whistle Down The Wind                  Nick Heyward
Earthquake Song                        Little Girls
Puttin' On The Ritz                    Taco

Comments:
        There's a few songs on here worth owning, "Puttin' On The Ritz" is
hardly ever on compilations, but overall this disc has few songs that are
must have songs.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 11 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 62:27
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 4 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
In A Big Country                       Big Country
99 Luftballons                         Nena
Just Got Lucky                         JoBoxers
Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)       The Flirts
Change                                 Tears For Fears
Talking In Your Sleep                  The Romantics
Emotion                                DFX2
President Am I                         Slow Children
One Thing Leads To Another             The Fixx
The Fanatic                            Felony
Shiny Shiny                            Haysi Fantayzee
Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour)              Dollar
The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the...)  The Fun Boy Three
Black Coffee In Bed                    Squeeze
Send Me An Angel                       Real Life
True                                   Spandau Ballet

Comments:
        This is a great disc, some of these songs are real hard fines, yet
they were on the charts.  "Send Me An Angel", "Jukebox", "Talking In Your
Sleep" should all be easily recognized when you heat them.  The order of
songs on this CD are also very well laid out.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 12 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 59:50
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 4 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Karma Chameleon                        Culture Club
It Must Be Love                        Madness
Gold                                   Spandau Ballet
Come Back And Stay                     Paul Young
Oblivious                              Aztec Camera
They Don't Know                        Tracey Ullman
Positively Lost Me                     The Rave-Ups
Fields Of Fire                         Big Country
(She's) Sexy + 17                      Stray Cats
Sixty Eight Guns                       The Alarm
Our Lips Are Sealed                    The Fun Boy Three
Only You                               Yaz
The Politics Of Dancing                Re-Flex
Calling Your Name                      Marilyn
Sensoria                               Cabaret Voltaire
Images Of Heaven                       Peter Godwin

Comments:
        Yes, that's the same Tracy Ullman from TV.  This disc does have
a lot of songs by groups that were famous for songs other than the ones
here, but overall they're songs you shouldn't miss.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 13 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 63:04
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 4 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Relax                                  Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Dance Hall Days                        Wang Chung
Hero Takes A Fall                      Bangles
Wouldn't It Be Good                    Nik Kershaw
Hold Me Now                            Thompson Twins
Cruel Summer                           Bananarama
Working With Fire And Steel            China Crisis
Cleanin' Up The Town                   The Bus Boys
Girls                                  Dwight Twilley
The Stand                              The Alarm
Free Nelson Mandela                    The Special AKA
General Public                         General Public
(Feels Like) Heaven                    Fiction Factory
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes          Ultravox
Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)        Icicle Works
The Killing Moon                       Echo &The Bunnymen

Comments:
        While there is some filler interspersed throughout this disc,
overall the disc stands up pretty will to repeated listenings.  The
songs by the easily recognized groups were all minor hits, but still
faired rather well on the charts and should be easily recognized.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 14 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 59:20
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 4 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Close (To The Edit)                    Art Of Noise
Tenderness                             General Public
Der Kommissar                          After The Fire
Smalltown Boy                          Bronski Beat
Voices Carry                           'Til Tuesday
One Night In Bangkok                   Murray Head
Imagination                            Belouis Some
Never Never                            The Assembly
Sunglasses At Night                    Corey Hart
Free Yourself                          The Untouchables
Every Word Means No                    Let's Active
Exception Of Love                      The Truth
Can't Get Enough Of You Baby           The Colour Field
The Backyard                           Miracle Legion
Anywhere With You                      Rubber Rodeo
True Men Don't Kill Coyotes            The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Comments:
        This disc starts off strong and then falters towards the end with
songs that weren't all that great.  If you liked "One Night In Bangkok"
then you'll be happy to own it on a compilation with this disc, most of
the other songs are available on other compilations though.



Title   : New Wave Hits Of The '80s Vol. 15 (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 66:04
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 4 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Walking On Sunshine                    Katrina &The Waves
Head Over Heels                        Tears For Fears
It's A Mistake                         Men At Work
Life In A Northern Town                The Dream Academy
Beat's So Lonely                       Charlie Sexton
Guitar, Talk, Love &Drums             Gary Myrick
Since Yesterday                        Strawberry Switchblade
Obsession                              Animotion
Endicott                               Kid Creole &The Coconuts
Perfect Way                            Scritti Politti
So In Love                             Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark
Election Day                           Arcadia
19                                     Paul Hardcastle
Why?                                   Bronski Beat
Some People                            Belouis Some
Like A Virgin                          The Lords Of The New Church

Comments:
        This disc has a lot of popular songs on it as well as some lesser
known songs.  The overall arrangement of songs though is quite pleasurable
and makes up for the lesser known groups.



Title   : New Wave Dance Hits Of The '80s (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : 78:35
Notes   : Descriptions with Pictures of the Groups
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $8
Rank    : 3 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
Lawnchairs                             Our Daughters Wedding
Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag (Ext.)   Pigbag
Bostich (Ext. Remix)                   Yellow
Ball of Confusion (Ext.)               Love and Rockets
Rapture (Disco Mix)                    Blondie
Precious (Ext.)                        The Jam
Beat Box                               Art Of Noise
The Wildstyle                          Time Zone
The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight (Mix)    Dominatrix
Think (About It)                       Justin
Moody                                  E.S.G.
Cavern                                 Liquid Liquid
Too Many Creeps                        Bush Tetras
Konk Party (Master Cylinder's Jam)
  (Ney York City Club Mix)             Konk

Comments:
        Very Dance oriented.  I don't recognize a lot of these, the
explanation for that would probably be that I didn't spend much time in dance
clubs when I was ten.  Most of the songs here are dance remixes, and while
I recognize the band Love and Rockets or Art Of Noise, I don't recall these
songs by them at all, let alone the remixes.



Title   : New Wave Halloween (Available at Amazon)
Label   : Rhino
Medium  : CD
TTime   : :
Notes   : Brief song descriptions and some pictures.
Reviewer: Charles R. Grosvenor Jr.
Paid    : $12
Rank    : 5 out of 5.

Track Listing
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title                                  Artist(s)
-=-=-                                  -=-=-=-=-
The Time Warp                          Rocky Horror Picture Show
Everyday is Halloween                  Ministry
Devil in my Car                        The B-52's
Dead Man's Party                       Oingo Boingo
Pet Sematary                           Ramones
Theme From Halloween                   MX-80 Sound
The Munsters Theme                     Comateens
The Creature From the Black Lagoon     Dave Edmunds
Halloween                              Siouxsie and the Banshees
Halloween                              The Dream Syndicate
Halloween                              Sonic Youth
Halloween                              Dead Kennedys
Halloween                              The Misfits
Halloween                              Mudhoney
Creature with the Atom Brain           Roky Erickson and the Aliens

Comments:
         Well, they got Christmas covered, so what was left? I can honestly
say this is the best 80s Halloween CD I've heard, but that's only because it's
the ONLY 80s Halloween CD I've heard. This CD though suceeds as being a great
compilation of odd B sides and rare songs you wouldn't normally find. The only
downside for me is the inclusion of the Time Warp which isn't really from the
new wave era. "The Munsters Theme" is an excellent synth version of the
classic theme and gives it a whole new dimension. I give this disc the highest
rating of the season because of it's originality and inclusion of such oddball
delights. You WON'T find these songs on other compilations, so it's a nice
breath of fresh air. I didn't even know there were so many songs names
Halloween.



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