Customer Reviews

Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The '80s, Vol. 4

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is a pretty good compilation of hits from the era of new wave. I must agree with prior reviewers that this does seem to be the only way to get The Monroes "What Do All the People Know". It is a shame that this compilation only includes the second part of The Kings song "Switchin' to Glide", failing to include the first part of this song the "Beat Goes On" is a large disappointment. This oversight is what led me to only rank this CD as four stars. On the positive side, even though most of these songs are available elsewhere, this CD is a quick way to acquire a number of great tunes without doing a long search. Such tunes as "Working Girl", "Tainted Love", and "Generals and Majors" make this CD a must have for the fan of new wave.

With Volume 4 of the Just Can't Get Enough series Rhino really got their act together. Leading off with Devo's greatest non-hit ever "Freedom Of Choice", this disc rarely lets up and only occasionally stumbles. The Boomtown Rats "Up All Night", doomed Phil Seymour's "Precious To Me", and the Translators "Everywhere That I'm Not" all make for legitimate reasons to buy this disc, but the two killers are The Members early MTV staple "Working Girl" and The Monroes "What Do All The People Know". Try finding THOSE somewhere else. One other great song that could have been a huge plus to this collection was The Kings "Switchin' To Glide/This Beat Goes On" but THEY CUT HALF OF IT OFF!!! Whose idea was that? No matter. Search under The Kings on Amazon for the debut album and hear it like it was meant to be heard.
The stumble? The God-awful "Tainted Love" which has been known to cause loose stools in laboratory mice. Avoid at all costs.

I'm busy collecting this terrific series by Rhino. Volume Four is the fifth CD in the series I've added to my collection and is so far the best. Everything you associate with the new Wave era of the 1980s is here. Generals and Majors by XTC captures the Cold War doom and gloom of the Reagan years (those years seem rather innocent now). Love and Lonliness by the Motors gives you synth pop at its best. Solid New Wave sound can be found in the Kings Switchin' to Glide and the Undertones It's Going to Happen. I really like Workin Girl by the Members and What Do All the People Know by the Monroes. Also represented are Devo with Freedom of Choice and Soft Cell's Tainted Love (Both of TV commercial fame). The twelve cuts here really show the range of New Wave music. Some of it is lighthearted and meant for fun while others take things quite seriously. I look forward to completing the set, but doubt any of the others will match this one!

Fairly typical mix of 80's new wave stuff and one-hit wonders, but this album's one saving grace is the inclusion of the lost classic "What Do All The People Know" by the Monroes. This song is one of the all-time greats, even if it is ever so slightly edited here. Another compilation contained the song, but this CD seems to be the only one still available. So snap it up, Monroes fans!

Swichin' To Glide is only the 2nd half of the Beat Goes On / Switchin' To Glide combo. In other words, it seems to start in the middle of the song. Kings fans be warned.

These are a great series of compilations because not only do they explore American hits but also singles that didn't chart and ones that weren't released in America. Volume 4 explores great songs like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and who could forget Greg Kihn's "The Breakup Song". Two songs that make this compilation a must have for any (80's) music fan.

hi i'm helen from greece