Editorial Review

Who would have imagined that the missing link between Miles Davis and Portishead would be a pasty Brit band whose synth-driven hits show up from time to time on rock-of-the-'80s collections? For those only familiar with MTV hits like "Talk Talk" and "It's My Life," this compilation is the beginning of a revelation. Talk Talk mastermind Mark Hollis is an eccentric genius whose hook-laden hits hide an equally satisfying catalog of art-rock experimentation. As Talk Talk evolved, Hollis (opting for a cut-up technique that anticipated the Pro-Tools revolution) ditched synth-pop and produced some of the most sublime late-night records ever. Think Stevie Winwood tranquilized by listening to too much Blue Nile and you start to get the picture. But fair warning: buy this album, and there's a good chance you'll end up purchasing the whole catalog. Read more

Reviews (24)

Deeper than you might think
If you only remember Talk Talk from their MTV success days, you will be surprised by the range and depth of this record.I love "Today" and "It's My Life," they were great 80's synth-pop-dance tracks, the latter of course recently remade by No Doubt.The first half of this disc contains the more easily accessible material from the early albums, but from the very beginning one can see Talk Talk eager to break out of the synth-pop mold.As Talk Talk matured, their records became less pop-oriented, more textured and nuanced.There is a lot of great music here, none of it fitting into any preconceived mold of what pop music is supposed to be.Highly recommended

music the way I remember it
These are some of the great songs from my college days, and since we're listening to digital music now rather than albums, the music is so much richer than what I remember.I'm glad I bought this one.

Get to know Talk Talk
Once people get over the 80's shame, forever linked with gated snares and haircuts, they will hear clearly that some of the best and most innovative music was written in that era. Standing in the midst of this was Mark Hollis and Talk Talk. This band used the flavour of the 80's as a carrier for their well crafted hooks and heart wrenching melodies, sung with the honesty of Hollis to produce such classics as It's my Life and My foolish friend. Anybody who compares these songs to Duran Duran clearly isn't listening well enough. But Talk Talk didn't stop there. They went on to produce jazz influenced albums that started off with the masterpiece, Colours of spring, with backing by Steve Winwood, and towards more obtuse but critically acclaimed offerings such as Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. You really can't go wrong with Talk Talk except, as others have mentioned, you might end up buying the entire catalogue. Go for it. Enrich your soul. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. New Romantic    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Post-Punk    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop    10. Synth Pop   

Reviews (27)

Good... but not buyable
I had the "45" if anyone even still knows what that is, a single of "Mexican Radio" back in the 80's and after hearing it on the radio the other day, I looked here and saw where you could listen to all the others songs if only for a moment. All I can is- WOW! How did this band crank out suck a kick @ss song compared to the rest of other music on the alblum?! I mean my god their bad. I suppose they grow on you if you forced yourself to listen to it enough times, and Im sure others will disagree harkening back to a better time, better music argument. Sorry, the rest of the track suckx. WOV must have just been another One-Hit-Wonder (despite 9 alblums??!!).

Brilliant
This album is as innovative as any ever produced.It is however the antithsis of pop music so pop fans beware.If you want something that is totally out of the box, but never gets old, this it!One of the best rock albums ever!

Sounds like pirate radio!
Sound reflective of something you'd expect in the darkest corners of the great south west in the '80s.Besides the one hit 'Mexican Radio' you need some patience for the rest of the album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. New Wave    3. Pop    4. Post-Punk    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

One need hear only the first notes of this collection--the Edge's ringing guitar notes ushering in "Pride (In the Name of Love)"--to be taken back to 1984: Ronald Reagan and Maggie Thatcher rule the Western world, the L.A. Olympics is the top sports story, and Ms. Pac-Man reigns at arcades. In rock & roll, there's U2 growing in stature with each new tour and title. Even doubters of the Irish lads have to concede that together they formed the one '80s band with the skill and sense of scale to take over the airwaves and concert stages in a decade of diminished expectations. This 15-song '80s best-of assortment (stick around for the hidden track) spans the decade, reaching back to 1980's "I Will Follow," when Bono and company were peach-fuzzy and earnest as choirboys, and tracking their path through their most glaring misstep, 1988's overblown Read more

Features

• Limited Edition

Reviews (261)

Toast with Guinness (Paul or Extra Dark)
U2's 'The Best of 1980-1990' may be straightforward, but that simply shows how important and successful they have been for harnessing passion.This compilation works because their singles are often their best material.The '[Limited Edition]' is worth the extra purchase because it has some essential material.(There are some weaker songs as well, but the B-sides will prevent the collection from becoming repetitious.)"Pride (In the Name of Love)," "New Year's Day," "I Will Follow," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and "Desire" have all rewritten the history of pop/rock music.They resonate well even today.The other allegedly lesser songs are merely great.Singles were their strongest suit, but their albums are solid and consistent as well.(Although the nineties found some uneven albums, but that should be saved for another day.)Passion is rock's hallmark, and Bono's primal singing, The Edge's inventive guitar, Adam Clayton's throbbing baselines, and Larry Mullen's athletic and idiosyncratic drumming all have come together for some of the best big rock band songs since The Beatles.
Good but flawed collection of U2's first decade...
For the casual listener, the single disk best of 1980-1990 will suffice to pop in the car for road trips and in the multi-disk changer of eighties hits.
Insufficient Anthology - I'm Still Hungry
It's hard to think of U2 as a "greatest hits" band. Not just because every one of the group's albums contains a number of outstanding tracks never released as singles, but also because U2 continues to be so present and vital a force in the music scene that reducing its career to a surface-skimming overview seems somehow improper. Perhaps the band members themselves have similar feelings, which might explain why it took them no less than eighteen years from the release of their first album to issue their first official compilation - and one limited to material from the band's first decade, at that.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. College Rock    4. Pop/Rock    5. Post-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

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Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (50)

Good album... Original album... But not the 1st Police album I reach for
THE BAND: Sting / Gordon Sumner (bass, guitars), Andy Summers (guitars), Stewart Copeland (drums & percussion).
Still the best...
I am writing this as I am listening to an original vinyl pressing.In all my drunken and drugged up debauchery of
Outlandos d'Amour (Outlaws Of Love)
When The Police released their first punk single "Fallout" in the late 70's and at the height of the punk explosion, everybody thought they were just another wannabe punk group who would have a few hits but no more.Their early singles were different, however, from other punk records of that time.Guitarist Andy Summers was more virtousic than most punk guitarists, often exploding into near heavy metal shredding on some of the Police's harder rockers.Steve Copeland could keep up amazing tempos on his drum kit and lead singer Sting simply had to good of a voice to be a punk vocalist.The truth is the Police weren't really punk at all but had helped usher in New Wave which could both be more arty than normal punk as well as have more accessible pop elements to it.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Post-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (29)

Forget everything anyone ever told you about rock
Then go and buy this cd.4.5 stars.

Unique
This was and is a classic in itself. Steve Albini surpassed himself when this came out. This will allways be a standard for this kind of extreme rock.

this is nuts.
this is probably one of the most seriously evil sounding rock albums of all time. this sort of music is great when youre in a mood where you just cant cope with the mindless petty droning of everyone around you. the drum machine slaps you in the face, or more accurately, beats you into submission with a sledge hammer.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. American Underground    3. Indie Rock    4. Noise-Rock    5. Pop    6. Post-Hardcore    7. Post-Punk    8. Punk    9. Rock   

Editorial Review

Another brilliant set of obsessive musings pried from Robert Smith's fuzzy navel. Epic elegies ("From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea") and tuneful romps ("Friday I'm In Love") are classic Cure cuts--Read more

Reviews (76)

The logical successor to "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me".
The album that thundered the Cure into the collective consciousness courtesy of pop charting single "Friday I'm in Love", "Wish" puts aside the brooding soundscapes of "Disintegration" to make a more logical successor to the diversity of "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me".
Don't believe the naysayers
While this album is derided by many "real" Cure fans as being too "commercial", the truth is this album still mixes in plenty of moody sulkers amidst the flashier radio-friendly fare.
Solid Album
Alright, I've heard alot of people say that they don't like this album, purely because of the song 'Friday I'm In Love'. Well, this is quite possibly one of my most favorite albums ever recorded. The song 'Cut' is a great song. The quiet tone of the album makes it a great album to fall asleep to. In my opinion, a must for any Cure fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Goth Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Extra tracks
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (10)

Echo and The Bunnies Deliver
Pound for pound, this is the most pop-y and hit laden Echo album in existence. Moreover, I think that it's very good. It's a little less edgy than the first albums, but that's typical for an maturing band. The playing is very tight and the production is slick. Still, it's an Echo and album, and there really isn't a bad one to speak of.

For those with ears...
...it's easy to see that something happened when they 'remastered' this one. As one reviewer pointed out, this version of EatB is punchier than the copy I had in the eighties. Simply put, they changed the recording levels, and while the stench of revisionism is overwhelming (selling a remix as a remaster? please...), that's ok, because this album now sounds the way it was meant to sound from the beginning.
lips like sugar
I love Ians voice love this cd. This to me is my personal fav echo album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. England    4. Neo-Psychedelia    5. Pop    6. Post-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (36)

Classic Cure.

Extended more than remixed in most cases
How much you like this album probably depends on WHICH type of Cure fan you are: type A or type B.
Out lasting
After 15 years, I still look for this TAPE to hear it in my car. It is just outlasting all the rest of my tapes from 15 years ago. Through out the years I have thrown away multiple tapes, especially now that I use CD's. However, I could never force myself to thrown this tape away. That is why I am now going to purchase the CD. It excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Goth Rock    4. New Wave    5. Pop    6. Post-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Depeche Mode's lyrical content, at times impossibly contrived, is a potential source of frustration. "I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours / But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour / And when I die / I expect to find him laughing," goes the chorus of "Blasphemous Rumours," an antireligion song using attempted teenage suicide and fatal car accidents as testimonial. Lyricist Martin Gore always scores points for creative rhyming, but one gets the feeling the choice of subject matter is nearly arbitrary, that the band could write equally depressing songs about a bad hair day--and mean it. But this is the fun, and maybe even the genius, of Depeche Mode. When it comes to patent controversy, they are as self-indulgent as they wanna be. Depeche's first U.S. single, "People Are People," also contained on Read more

Reviews (51)

fantastic
great album, early music sounds are great to listen too, over and over again.

Some early recordings of a fantastic group.
This is the first Depeche Mode album I listened to and that was 20 years ago and I still love it.This is early Depeche Mode and when you listen to them from now versus then, you will hear they only got better."Somebody" and "Lie to Me" are my favorite songs.The lyrics are fantastic.If you enjoy Depeche Mode now and love their sound you will like this album.

Darkness Descending
"Some Great Reward", Depeche Mode's 1985 release, finds the groundbreaking quartet continuing in the direction they began with "Construction Time Again", their previous offering. The direction is distinctly dystopian, and the songs often offer bitter humor and hedonism as the only comfort in a disconnected post-industrial world. Opening with a hymn to boredom, "Something To Do", "Some Great Reward" displays from the get go a more aggressive sound than on "Construction", and Alan Wilder's influence is more pronounced and assured. "Lie To Me" continues the cynical journey as David Gahan intones "Come on and lay with me/come on and lie to me"; again alienation and pleasure co-existing. This theme predominates "Some Great Reward" and creates a landscape grim but oddly seductive. "People Are People" is up next, which turns the mood to sad resignation. It became a breakthrough song for the band, and showcases the splendidly evolving industrial undercurrents of sound; rattles, metallic shimmers etc. that are the hallmark of this album. There are two outright love songs on "Some Great Reward", the first being "It Doesn't Matter" which is an oddly touching paeon to non-commital love i.e. "I know somewhere you are dreaming/but it's definitely not of me." The tune is lovely and the scoring spare and undulating. The second is the more well-known "Somebody", a well-loved, more straightforward ballad whose lyrics only veer from treacly by virtue of the wink and nod line at the end: "Things like this make me sick/in a case like this I'll get away with it". The two least known tunes on "Some Great Reward" are "Stories of Old" and "If You Want". and they prove what a strong effort the album is. They are not at all throw aways; "Stories of Old" is erotic and musically inventive, while "If You Want" is Alan Wilder's almost middle eastern techno romp. "Master and Servant" is another DM concert and club staple, extolling the virtues of S&M. It is the most evocative of the era, and so perhaps the most dated. Not so with the magnificently dark closer, "Blasphemous Rumours", which still sounds fresh and sinister. The machine sounds still conjure an ominous creepiness, and the lyrics, though a bit overwrought, still work the nerves, and have a caustic wit. It brilliantly ends "Some Great Reward" in tone, and seemlessly sets up Depeche Mode's next, even darker release, 1986's "Black Celebration". If you're unfamiliar with pre-"Violator" Depeche Mode, do yourself a favor and pick up all four mid-80's masterworks by a band that defies comparison. They mark a creative pinnacle achieved by a very few. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Club/Dance    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Post-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Synth Pop   

Editorial Review

Nick Cave's been writing songs about killing and other evil things since he first surfaced in 1980 as the Birthday Party's pale, skinny, goth-punk Jim Morrison. But the murder ballads that provide this set's title are different, tantalizingly deliberate. Sure, there's plenty of trademark Cave here, but Read more

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (56)

bad seeds most popular..BUT i think:
One of their not-that-great cd.
Faces of Murder
4.5 stars
"This world full of danger..."
The title of this album refers to a style of folk music who's lyrics often deal with death, violence, and grief. As such, Murder Ballads is an album full of some of the darkest songs that Cave has ever written. Over the course of ten songs, Nick creates a universe populated with psychotic serial killers, depraved outlaws, religious maniacs, and other unseemly characters. Musically, Murder Ballads is kaleidoscopic, an amaglamam of screeching goth, muted blues, eerie lounge jazz, and a plethora of other styles; witness the psychotic polka-metal epic (seriously), "The Curse of Millhaven," in which Nick takes on the role of Loretta, a seemingly innocent 14 year old girl who turns into a murderous psychopath by night. Cave's performance is brilliant. He sings at a breathless pace, snearing, snarling, and practically frothing at the mouth, turning the song into a dimentedly catchy, blood-soaked sing along. "Crow Jane" is another highlight. Cave's lyrics are at their most opaque and grimly poetic, telling the story of a lonely old woman who takes out a grisly revenge on 20 miners. In the background, the Bad Seeds are churning out a smoky, atmospheric groove, driven by a thick, misty bass line and hypnotic percussion. "Stagger Lee" is a drastic reworking of a classic murder ballad, which tells the story of the song's title character, an outlaw in a stetson hat. Cave turns Stag into a depraved, irrideamable lunatic who kills two men and yells at a prostitute for no aparent reason. Meanwhile, the Seeds are cranking out a greasy, crunching barroom rocker, before exploding into a crescendo of squealing feedback and nearly white noise levels of chaos. The album's twisted centerpiece is "O'Malley's Bar," a nearly fifteen minute lounge-jazz bloodbath, in which Nick plays the role of a religious maniac who slays the entire population of a bar. Cave relates the song's grisly narrative with a spastic, enthusiastic vocal performance, often extending the ends of verses into little verbal roller coasters, shifting into spoken word sections, barking, wheezing, sneering, and strutting his way through this grim little tale. A total masterpiece.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Post-Punk    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (3)

Discover greatness!
What a fantastic band. Lady P and three guys are a group you will love. Not a weak cut on the album. Buy it!!

I love LA!
LA's first full album, it took them a while to put out but the wait was well worth it. The end result is absolutetly amazing! No boring, annoying songs that you need to skip here, all you get is some of the coolest songs ever! haha. I love every single track on this album. Los Abandoned se aventaron con este album. Espero que sigan haciendo buena musica por muchos años mas. Highly Recommended!!

GOOD CD!!!
I just bought this CD @ Los Abandoned's CD release party and I must say that THIS CD IS GOOD!! I like every single song on the CD.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Pop    3. Post-Punk    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Dark, somber, and thematically unified as no previous album by the Police, Read more

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (72)

Bands have a tendency to self-destruct...
This album takes its title directly from a 1967 book by Arthur Koestler. The book reflects on human beings' self-destructive tendencies and concludes that we need chemical supplements to soften our irrational and violent side. Basically, Koestler argues that we'll destroy ourselves unless we do something about it. Gordon Sumner, aka Sting, in his never ending quest to depict himself as well-read, took inspiration from the ideas of the book and scattered bits of it throughout this album. Another book of Koestler's led to Sting's self-discovery of Carl Jung's principle of Synchronicity. But that's another album altogether.
The best Police record, but by no means perfect
I give Ghost in the Machine the nod over Zenyatta Mondatta and Synchronicity because of its wonderful unique tone and sound.Sting really takes over on Synchronicity, so this is the last record in which The Police, as a trio, (particularly Stewart Copeland) contribute to the creation of the music.
Fantastic album by a truly great band
"Ghost In The Machine" ranks alongside "Zenyatta Mondatta" and "Synchronicity" as the three best albums by the phenomenally brilliant band that were The Police. By this one they had moved largely away from their "white reggae" style, towards a more complex produced sound that would peak on the also excellent "Synchronicity".
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Post-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (23)

OH! you will
You will learn and sing the songs that are on this record,BUY IT!

Worth another listen
Let us not forget this cd for too long.
Merely a "good" collection of Echo songs - it's not the best stuff ever, but it's still pretty decent
Echo & The Bunnymen is most well-known for their 80's hit "The Killing Moon" (which was featured in the cult hit movie "Donnie Darko"). While this is a great song, the rest on here just aren't as good. Echo & The Bunnymen are clearly pretty talented, but the singer and the lyrics just aren't that good or interesting most of the time. None of the songs are bad here, thankfully, but they're not great either - they're all indeed catchy, however. Musically it's pretty standard 80's indie/pop rock, as there's little innovation to be found here. If you're an Echo & The Bunnymen fan then this is the collection to get, but if you're looking for great songs you won't really find them here. I would argue that "The Killing Moon" alone bumps this up to a "4" from a "3.5". This is merely a "good" (arguably decent) CD. Slightly recommended.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. England    4. Neo-Psychedelia    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Post-Punk    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

The second in the Hip-O imprint's series of '80s box sets, this three-CD compilation collects 42 hits from the decade of decadence. For those who want to shake their booty, they can get their freak on to Rick James, "Jump" for the Pointer Sisters, and do a little "Safety Dance" to Men Without Hats. Love new wave? Indulge in Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, Devo, and Adam Ant. And for those who want to rock--although not too hard--there's Billy Idol, the Pretenders, Rick Springfield, and Scandal. Yes, many of these cuts are predictable, but there are some surprise entries, like Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me," Greg Kihn's "Jeopardy," Peter Schilling's "Major Tom," and Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme"(!).Given this set's diverse artist roster, it's doubtful that you'll love Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (8)

essential
I mix 80s dance music and the number of times when mixing that I find myself reaching for either this compilation or its companion, "I Want My 80s Box," is extraordinary. These are two outstanding collections. They are pricey, but worth every penny. For many people, owning these two will be all the 80s music you'll ever need.
Great Collection, But ...
This is a great collection of awesome 80's music, but I feel that each disc should have had about three more songs on them.Also, I think the title refers to Pat Benatar's HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT.Strangely enough, the song is nowhere to be found on this set???

I don't understand...
...Why does this box set not contain the very song its title is a reference to? If it were to be truly complete, it would contain: HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK, by Ian Dury & The Blockheads. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Album Rock    3. Alternative Pop/Rock    4. Blue-Eyed Soul    5. Club/Dance    6. Dance-Pop    7. Disco    8. Funk    9. New Romantic    10. New Wave    11. Pop    12. Pop/Rock    13. Popular Music    14. Post-Punk    15. Quiet Storm    16. Rock    17. Rock/Pop Collections    18. Soft Rock    19. Synth Pop    20. Urban   

Editorial Review

This culling of the "best" cuts from the Bad Seeds' songbook avoids the pratfalls of many best-of compilations. First off, the songs aren't arranged chronologically, but instead for effect, raveling new with old, weepy ballads with adrenaline-pumped rockers. In addition, there aren't any rare live tracks, alternative takes, remixes, acoustic versions, or B-sides that clutter other compilations. What you get is pure Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in all their gloomy glory. Things get off with a bang with the rollicking "Deanna" and the carnivalesque "Red Right Hand" that display Nick Cave's literary and narrative talent. After the wacked preacherman blues stomp of the excellent track "Tupelo," the disc slides into a series of ballads that highlight his baritone croon."(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?" captures Cave in a, gasp, sentimental and lovely mood. The disc closes out with "From Here to Eternity," and the band hits the steamroller tempo with apocalyptic might. Read more

Reviews (37)

A Great Start For Beginning Cave Fans
I first became familliar with Nick Cave through an article in Entertainment Weekly. I found him to be a very interesting person and I seriously considered getting into his music, but I didn't buy one of his album until about a week ago.
Not quite the best of Nick Cave, but coming close...
I never understood Nick Cave's fixation with his uproaring, cheerful sounding song "Deanna", but it is the opening track on an album which is called "The best of Nick Cave" so apparently I must be missing something crusial here.