Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart - "Beethoven (I Love To Listen To)" (4:42)
Propaganda - "Dr Mabuse" (4:12)
The B-52's - "Planet Claire" (4:36)
The Associates - "Party Fears Two" (single edit) (4:07)
Marc Almond - "Stories Of Johnny" (3:46)
The Adventures - "Broken Land" (7" version) (4:08)
The Stranglers - "European Female" (4:00)
Robert Wyatt - "Shipbuilding" (3:00)
Tom Robinson - "Atmospherics: Listen To The Radio" (3:42)
The Passions - "I'm In Love With A German Film Star" (3:59)
Midge Ure & Mick Karn - "After A Fashion" (7" version) (3:53)
Japan - "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" (edit) (3:29)
Sandii & The Sunsetz - "Dreams Of Immigrants" (4:33)
Yello - "Vicious Games" (4:19)
Sisters Of Mercy - "This Corrosion" (4:27)
Siouxsie And The Banshees - "Peek-A-Boo" (3:12)
Bauhaus - "Kick In The Eye" (remix single version) (3:34)
The Cure - "A Forest" (Shortened edit) (4:45)
The Sugarcubes - "Birthday" (3:57)
David Sylvian - "Pop Song" (4:32)
Zaine Griff - "Flowers" (4:10)
The Smiths - "Hand In Glove" (single version) (3:11)
Aztec Camera - "Oblivious" (3:12)
Pretenders - "Talk Of The Town" (3:13)
REM - "So Central Rain" (3:15)
Pixies - "Monkey Gone To Heaven" (2:58)
The Psychedelic Furs - "President Gas" (5:15)
The Cult - "Edie (Ciao Baby)" (4:02)
The Clash - "This Is England" (3:51)
Review: You could probably write a dissertation, if not full thesis, on the symbolism of this album. The biggest name in British chart pop compilations, NOW, turns its hand to spotlighting less obvious tracks from the decade that gave birth to the entire franchise. What this reflects, in terms of what constitutes 'popular' music today, and the questionable relevance of the UK Top 40, is a fascinating train of thought.
Musically speaking, the curators have done a decent job in selecting a broad range of artists, bands and sounds from the fertile grounds of the 1980s. Plenty here are household names - The Stranglers, Devo, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Smiths, Eurythmics, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. Nevertheless, you won't find 'Sweet Dreams' on the track list, and instead rarer archive material is allowed to shine: 'Vicious Games' rather than 'Oh Yeah' by Yello, The Cure's stunning 'A Forest' - we could go on.
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