...And Now For Something Completely Different.
'12"/80s Alternative': if you absolutely hated it, you could use the hefty three-disc compilation CD as an attractive door stop. But don't be fooled, this record isn't your stereotypical 80s cheese-fest. Rather than being squeaky 'I Think We're Alone Now' and 'When Will I Be Famous?', this record guides you through the edgier side of the decade's music. At times it's arty, sometimes it's a bit experimental, at other times it's downright dark. It's got the grit and mystery of John Bender teamed with the stupefying coolness of Ferris Bueller- crammed full of many names you know and some that might only vaguely ring a bell. The general theme is just, as the title suggests- the alternative.
The New Wave flavour of Disc One features original extended versions of classics like New Order's 'Blue Monday' and Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Welcome To The Pleasuredrome' joined by extended versions of tracks by Soft Cell and Furniture. It's a well balanced selection of that intriguing take on electronica- imagine we're sulking our way through sparkling beats and rhythms hidden beneath cutting edge fashion and an adoration for all things synth. Disc Two takes you to a completely different place as gothic gloom takes hold of proceedings with 12" versions of Bauhaus' 'Bella Lugosi's Dead' and Jesus & Mary Chain's 'April Skies'. Also including extended versions from Sisters of Mercy and Siouxsie Soux, this chapter ends on a melodramatic flourish from some Smiths... not Morrissey though. Mark E. and Robert do the honours with the caliginous tones of 'Telephone Thing' and 'Hot Hot Hot!!' from The Fall and The Cure respectively.
By far the most digestible slice of the 80s is offered in Disc Three, a blend of groove-laden indie pop highs and some gorgeously melancholic down time. 'Cut Me Down' from Lloyd Cole & The Commotions is a highlight of the latter, a melodic sigh of a track with some delicious power chords. Prefab Sprout take you to a rock n' roll barn dance with 'Faron Young', a perfect after-taste to follow a new mix of Big Country's superb 'In The Big Country'. I would love to hear White Lies do a cover of that. Extended versions of Simple Minds' 'Up The Catwalk' and Echo and the Bunnymen's 'Bring On The Dancing Horses' are fine inclusions, but I couldn't help but get a little smitten by a shamelessly glam 'New York Remix' of 'Heartbeat' by The Psychedelic Furs. It's the sound of the best night out in a feather boa you've never had.
Tears For Fears, Talk Talk, Propaganda- they're all there. This compilation needs to be in your CD collection, if only to remind you that the 80s wasn't just about shoulder pads and George Michael's quiff. It'll be a slice of nostalgia for the hipsters of then as well as a crash course in music history for any whippersnappers into many of our alt acts of now.