THE EDGE OF THE EIGHTIES

Various Artists (album)

I've got loads of pet hates, it may surprise you to read. One of them is lazily put together compilation albums, one of which (Floorfillers Anthems) I reviewed last year. For me, a sure sign of a duff compilation is when you find two tracks by the same artist on it (and if both tracks are on the same disc, well, that's just unforgivable), but the most heinous crime of all is to use the same tracks that every other album in the genre has used before - a good example of this would be Happy Mondays' Step On appearing on just about every Madchester or Nineties Indie album going. I mean really, what's the point? Then there's 1980s music. Some really good songs came out in the eighties, believe it or not. I was there, so I'd like to think I know what I'm talking about. Most of the time though, eighties retrospectives concentrate on the Wham!s, Duran Durans, Human Leagues and Spandau Ballets of this world and if they want something by someone like Depeche Mode, they'll take Just Can't Get Enough over Never Let Me Down Again any day of the week. The obvious pop songs, in other words. What's needed is an album that picks out some of the songs that always seem to get overlooked, and this is Sony BMG's attempt at filling in some of the gaps. Oh dear, one of the major labels is attempting to compile an eighties compilation without resorting to any of the obvious choices. That can only end in tears, can't it? Well, it doesn't start too promisingly - to be fair, Vienna is a classic (and I'm sure Joe Dolce's fan club feel just a tiny bit smug whenever it comes on the radio as well) and Fade To Grey is one of the greatest songs to come out of the 1980s, but if there's an eighties-themed album on sale you can bet your life one or both are on it. However, after that there are signs that the people responsible for choosing the tunes are aware that the list of songs available for them to choose from does go beyond a single page of A4, and this album is all the better for it. Soft Cell are included, but it's Torch instead of Tainted Love. Altered Images are featured twice (as I said earlier, normally a sign of extreme laziness), but neither song is Happy Birthday or I Could Be Happy, so I'll let them off. New Order's Temptation is included, but just for a change it's the original (far superior) 7" instead of the cack-handed remake they shoved out five years later. David Bowie even makes a showing, but do the compilers take the easy way out and choose Ashes To Ashes in order to hang onto the BBC's coat-tails? No, they certainly do not. Instead, they go for Up The Hill Backwards. I don't know why, maybe they were trying to prove that the eighties weren't Mr Bowie's finest years, but at least it isn't Let's Dance yet again. Personally, I'd have chosen I Travel instead of Glittering Prize for the Simple Minds offering, but that's just me. There are a few obvious choices, but considering there are 53 songs on this monster, that's only to be expected. Most of the repeats are welcome anyway (Living On The Ceiling and Safety Dance for example), so it doesn't matter. It's unusual to find a compilation album that's had as much care and attention put into it as this one has - discounting the Now albums obviously, as they pretty much sort themselves out - especially when you consider some of these songs might not have seen the light of day since their original release. I can't think of any reason not to recommend this album - if you were born after the decade finished, it proves beyond all doubt that the eighties wasn't all Sledgehammer and Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. And thank heavens for that.