The Ultimate '80s Box Set

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

For the past year or so, I’ve been working on creating the ultimate ‘80s box set. The ones that Rhino have offered up have been to say the least disappointing. The Pop Culture Box was, like, so precious with its TV themes and “Where’s the beef?” commercials. The Left of the Dial set was good, but pretty exclusive, not allowing for more mainstream hits. Other sets have been all over the map (867-5309 anyone?), focusing on nostalgia rather than good material. That said, this set isn’t definitive, as I’ve left out broad swaths of hard rock and all rap, which I listen to, but which I found difficult to put into this mix. The five discs are sorted by theme—the first being the perfect ‘80s movie soundtrack and the rest being pretty self-explanatory. Here’s the list. Feel free to ignore this post if you feel it’s really indulgent (it is), but if you think something’s missing, let me know. (This also can act as a panacea to the lack of ‘80s ILM poll results…)

Disc 1: “Fast Times at High School High”
Moving in Stereo / The Cars
Yellow Pills / 20/20
Kids in America / Kim Wilde
We Got The Beat / The Go Go’s
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School / Ramones
A Million Miles Away / The Plimsouls
Add It Up / Violent Femmes
Eighties / Killing Joke
Mirror in the Bathroom / The English Beat
Desperate But Not Serious / Adam Ant
I Will Follow / U2
Don’t Change / INXS
Rebel Yell / Billy Idol
I Melt With You / Modern English
Pretty In Pink / The Psychedelic Furs
Bring on the Dancing Horses / Echo & The Bunnymen
How Soon Is Now? / The Smiths
Head Over Heels / Tears For Fears
Hazy Shade of Winter / The Bangles
Let’s Go Crazy / Prince & The Revolution

Disc 2: “Tea Time”
That’s Entertainment / The Jam
Love Will Tear Us Apart / Joy Division
A Forest / The Cure
Tainted Love / Soft Cell
Don’t You Want Me / The Human League
Sweet Dreams / Eurythmics
Mad World / Tears For Fears
I Love a Man in a Uniform / Gang of Four
This Is Not a Love Song / Public Image Ltd.
In Fear of Fear / Bauhaus
Love Vigilantes / New Order
Just Like Honey / The Jesus & Mary Chain
What Difference Does It Make? / The Smiths
Cities in the Dust / Siouxsie & The Banshees
The Killing Moon / Echo & The Bunnymen
Under the Milky Way / The Church
Lucretia, My Reflection / Sisters of Mercy
She Sells Sanctuary / The Cult
Never Let Me Down Again / Depeche Mode

Disc 3: “Pure Bliss in 3:30, An ‘80s Pop Song Annual, Vol. 1, 1980-1984”
1979 (Bonus!)
Remember the Lightning / 20/20
Candy-O / The Cars

1980
Call Me / Blondie
Once in a Lifetime / Talking Heads
Girl U Want / Devo
Turning Japanese / The Vapors
Private Idaho / The B-52’s

1981
Back in Flesh / Wall of Voodoo
Message of Love / The Pretenders

1982
Planet Earth / Duran Duran
The Metro / Berlin
Let’s Go To Bed / The Cure
Our House / Madness
Town Called Malice / The Jam
Should I Stay or Should I Go? / The Clash

1983
I Want You Back / The Hoodoo Gurus
The Safety Dance / Men Without Hats
1999 / Prince
99 Luftballoons / Nena
Blister in the Sun / Violent Femmes

1984
I Will Dare / The Replacements
Heaven / The Psychedelic Furs
Head Over Heels / The Go-Go’s

Disc 4: “Pure Bliss in 3:30, An ‘80s Pop Song Annual, Vol. 2, 1985-1989”
1985
Push / The Cure
Road To Nowhere / Talking Heads
Like Wow, Wipeout! / The Hoodoo Gurus

1986
Behind the Wall of Sleep / The Smithereens
These Days / R.E.M.
Ask / The Smiths
Manic Monday / The Bangles
Kiss / Prince

1987
Need You Tonight / INXS
Seattle / Public Image Ltd.
No New Tale To Tell / Love & Rockets
Pop Goes The World / Men Without Hats

1988
Peek-a-Boo / Siouxsie & The Banshees
Motorcrash / The Sugarcubes
Suedehead / Morrissey
There She Goes / The La’s

1989
I Don’t Know Why I Love You / The House of Love
She Bangs The Drums / The Stone Roses
King for a Day / XTC
Love Song / The Cure
Ana Ng / They Might Be Giants
Here Comes Your Man / Pixies
I’ll Be You / The Replacements

Disc 4: “Alternative Nation”
MTV—Get Off the Air / Dead Kennedys
Institutionalized / Suicidal Tendencies
Johnny Hit and Run Pauline / X
Help You Ann / The Lyres
This Damn Nation / The Godfathers
I Wanna Destroy You / The Soft Boys
That’s When I Reach for My Revolver / Mission of Burma
Lake of Fire / Meat Puppets
Something I Learned Today / Hüsker Dü
Bastards of Young / The Replacements
Teen Age Riot / Sonic Youth
Where Is My Mind??? / Pixies
Jane Says / Jane’s Addiction
The Mercy Seat / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Big New Prinz / The Fall
About a Girl / Nirvana
Touch Me I’m Sick / Mudhoney
Just Like Heaven / Dinosaur Jr.
(I Was Born in A) Laundromat / Camper Van Beethoven
Motorcycle / Love & Rockets
Head On / The Jesus & Mary Chain
It’s The End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) / R.E.M.

― Matt Carlson (mattsoncarlhew), Sunday, 9 April 2006 16:19 (twenty years ago)

No house or techno?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Sunday, 9 April 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

Good point. I can't stand house music, and other techno that I do like didn't really come into its own until the '90s in my opinion.

― Matt Carlson (mattsoncarlhew), Sunday, 9 April 2006 16:52 (twenty years ago)

Actually that's pretty good. Better than I can do, at any rate. I've tried designing my own box sets of stuff like this but I always fail and never actually listen to my doomed concoctions. That does seem pretty good though, so good job!

Also, side note, is the left of the dial box worth it?

― Harrison Barr (Petar), Sunday, 9 April 2006 17:44 (twenty years ago)

You would probably be better off buying individual tracks off iTunes of songs on Left of the Dial that you don't have. As a whole, it's good but not great.

― Matt Carlson (mattsoncarlhew), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:11 (twenty years ago)

I would say the Left of the Dial box is completely worth it, given the sheer yield of great material all together in one place. However, if you own a lot of the tracks already, you might be better off doing what Matt says and just cherry picking the good stuff off of iTunes. I've had it for about two years though and I still listen to it pretty regularly, and I'm still getting into tracks that might have passed me by on the first 6 or 7 listens. All in all, it's a pretty great follow up to the No Thanks set, and given the volume of material it covers (although the fact that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" shows up on both boxes is pretty bush league) it's a fairly admirable survey.

― M. Biondi (M. Biondi), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:19 (twenty years ago)

Here's my '80s box set:

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/r/replacement_letitbe~~_101b.jpg

― M. Biondi (M. Biondi), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:22 (twenty years ago)

plus "The Message"

― M. Biondi (M. Biondi), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:22 (twenty years ago)

Moving in Stereo is also from the 70s, ain't it?

― bendy (bendy), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:55 (twenty years ago)

Ah, alright. Thanks guys, I'll follow your advice on that.

― Harrison Barr (Petar), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:58 (twenty years ago)

I like the theme aspect of each disc.

xpost

"Moving In Stereo" came out in 1978, but Fast Times At Ridgemont High didn't come out until 1982, which may explain the song's presence here. A great song either way.

― Lotta Continua (Damian), Sunday, 9 April 2006 23:11 (twenty years ago)

"Moving In Stereo" ... A great song either way."

It's the first song outside of my parent's record collection that I really got into.

― bendy (bendy), Sunday, 9 April 2006 23:57 (twenty years ago)

Sorry to be all nitpicky fangirl here, but -- "Planet Earth" in 1982?!?!?! That was already an old song in the band's repetoire in that year! Rio was released in 1982, dude. Any of the singles/songs off that album would have been more appropriate for 1982. "Planet Earth" was SO 1981.

― See Me, Repeat Me (Dee the Lurker), Monday, 10 April 2006 03:40 (twenty years ago)

Moving in Stereo is from 1978, but it fit here as a great introduction, so I included it. The Cars are a great '80s band in my mind. And, heh, you're right See Me--Planet Earth is a typo and should be moved up a space to 1981.

― Matt Carlson (mattsoncarlhew), Monday, 10 April 2006 11:04 (twenty years ago)

Prince was the only black person making noteworthy music during the '80s?

― Rodney is going to make the ultimate 70's box with Average White Band as the onl, Monday, 10 April 2006 17:03 (twenty years ago)

The first two tracks are from the 70s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 10 April 2006 17:09 (twenty years ago)

Of course not Rodney. But the No Thanks, Left of the Dial, etc. sets didn't either. This is obviously towards the pop/new wave/alterna-whatever end of the spectrum, which is largely white, so I don't really feel guilty not including "She's an Easy Lover" or Bel Biv Devoe or Cameo etc. See above for my reason for excluding rap. I probably would have liked to include a sixth disc of Ice-T, Public Enemy, De La Soul, etc. but decided ultimately not to. Besides, didn't PIL have a black bass player? And of course there's the Beat...

And yes Geir, the first two tracks are from 1978 and '79, but if I were actually releasing this, I would probably point out in the liner notes the reason why they were included. Here I just feel content to point out that they serve as a great introduction to the '80s vibe that I was going for.

― Matt Carlson (mattsoncarlhew), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 10:55 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Hey....this is a long shot but I'm getting desperate. I saw an 80s dance compilation cd advertised on tv. It had all the great dance songs, but I didn't order. It cost around $150.00 and had, I think, 10 discs. Would you have any idea about this? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. I think the chick pushing it was the crazy one from real world then surreal life. Sorry if this is an impostion but thought I'd try. I've googled this to death. Thanks, Karen

― karen slepian, Thursday, 1 June 2006 13:16 (nineteen years ago)

Was it one of those Time-Life compilations? It may not be available in shops if that's the case.

― LC (Damian), Thursday, 1 June 2006 17:57 (nineteen years ago)

I have been to the time-life site. That's not it. Thanks though. This one was even better!!!!

― karen slepian, Thursday, 1 June 2006 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...

The English Beat? WRONG! There is no English in 'The Beat'. That is for foolish Yankees and (possibly) idiots. Stupid Americans, stuffing up band names.....

― GLC (ZakAce), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 00:27 (nineteen years ago)

http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/E/englishbeat_stopf.jpg

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 09:56 (nineteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.