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I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT SONG IN AGES - Various
Mainly focusing on songs from the 1980s, this twin disc pulls together
three dozen tracks that (living up to the title) you may not have heard
in a while, but loved at the time (and perhaps still do), each carrying
an imprint of your life from the time of its release - hopefully most
being good memories. Since each of the songs get a little info box with
varied facts and praise in its sleeve, we'll just highlight some of the
standout tracks. Disc one contains the best tunes. To me one of the big
marks of the '80s (besides Kraftwerk and Adam Ant, who are
not included here), is Trio with their seminal minimalist bilingual
killer Da Da Da. After The Fire's song Der Kommisar
is most notable for Falco's involvement and a rocking track to
boot. The sing-along mood of J. Geils Band's Centrefold
is an uplifting pop-rock memory. The funky, attitude drenched pop of Cameo's
Word Up is still a blast while the tough girly stance embodied
in Transvision Vamp's I Want Your Love is still cheesy,
but equally fun. Thomas Dolby is weird as usual on his hit She
Blinded Me With Science. Written by Abba's Benny & Bjorn (with
Tim Rice), Murray Head's hit One Night In Bangkok came from
the musical Chess. One of the original rap super-groups that lay
the foundation for the multitude that followed were Sugar Hill Gang,
their lengthy Rappers Delight quite often not getting played in
its entirety by the radio DJ at the time (I still remember the old Radio
5 DJ's voice interjecting on the recording we made from the radio, cutting
the song short!). Just like Joe Dolce's silly Shut Up Your Face
(not on this collection), Jonah Lewie was an interestingly odd
success, seeing as his first hit (Stop The Cavalry) was hardly
in tune with the synth pop of the day (Another of his songs, You'll
Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties still resonates around your
cerebrum decades later when you find yourself in that particular part
of the house at a get-together). Harden My Heart by Quarterflash
was quite different to the norm. Disc 2 has less impacting songs, though
is no less listenable. The swagger of Belouise Some is included
(Some People) and the prog-rock stylings of Styx, on their
historic tune Mr. Roboto is a touch tacky, but still great. Prefab
Sprout shifts the gear down a touch with Cars And Girls, whereas
Climie Fisher pulls back completely with the slightly sluggish
romance of Rise To The Occasion. Harold Faltermeyer's Beverly
Hills Cop theme (Axel F) closes the compilation with catchy,
simplistic synth splendour. Other artists include Reef, The
Escape Club, China Crisis, Dalbello, Uriah Heep,
Pilot, Haircut 100, Timbuk Three, Altered Images,
Swing Out Sister, Curiosity Killed The Cat and The Black
Sorrows.
5 / A
- PB
1 2 3 4 5 6
A - B - C
more 80s
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