Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham
2. Reflex - Duran Duran
3. Take On Me - A-Ha
4. Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
5. Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
6. When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going - Ocean, Billy
7. Never Gonna Give You Up - Astley, Rick
8. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Lauper, Cyndi
9. Breakout - Swing Out Sister
10. Good Heart - Sharkey, Feargal
11. Fantastic Day - Haircut 100
12. I'm Still Standing - John, Elton
13. If You Let Me Stay - D'Arby, Terence Trent
14. I Don't Wanna Dance - Grant, Eddy
15. Respectable - Mel & Kim (1)
16. Down Under - Men At Work
17. Imgination - Belouis Some
18. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) - Young, Paul
19. Hold On Tight - Electric Light Orchestra
20. Bette Davis Eyes - Carnes, Kim
21. Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
22. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead Or Alive
23. Don't You Want Me - Human League
24. What Is Love - Jones, Howard (1)
25. Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
26. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics
27. Nobody's Diary - Yazoo
28. Stand Or Deliver - Adam & The Ants
29. Love Plus One - Haircut 100
30. Tempted - Squeeze
31. Going Underground - Jam (1)
32. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Costello, Elvis
33. Golden Brown - Stranglers
34. Swords Of A Thousand Men - Tenpole Tudor
35. Kids In America - Wilde, Kim
36. 99 Red Balloons - Nena
37. Mickey - Basil, Toni
38. Annie I'm Not Your Daddy - Kid Creole
39. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
40. Vienna - Ultravox

Disc 2:

1. Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead Or Alive
3. Don't You Want Me - Human League
4. What Is Love - Jones, Howard (1)
5. Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
6. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics
7. Nobody's Diary - Yazoo
8. Stand Or Deliver - Adam & The Ants
9. Love Plus One - Haircut 100
10. Tempted - Squeeze
11. Going Underground - Jam (1)
12. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Costello, Elvis
13. Golden Brown - Stranglers
14. Swords Of A Thousand Men - Tenpole Tudor
15. Kids In America - Wilde, Kim
16. 99 Red Balloons - Nena
17. Mickey - Basil, Toni
18. Annie I'm Not Your Daddy - Kid Creole
19. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
20. Vienna - Ultravox

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25094 in Music
• Released on: 1998-02-23
• Number of discs: 2

Album Description
Electric 80s brings together the originals that have continued to influence current tracks and the ever present 80s fashion nods on three packed CDs. This is a definitive collection of the very best electronic, synth and new-wave tracks from the early years of the decade. The album is a collectors dream with original 12" versions, lesser compiled tracks and rare gems, including Soft Cell - "Torch", Human League - "Love Action" and Duran Duran - "Planet Earth".

Customer Reviews

What a mixture!
What sets this extensive triple disc set apart from most 80's compilations is that we are spared some of the ubiquitous songs that appear on virtually every compilation from that decade.
As the title implies the emphasis here is on electric/ New Romantic music which people believe dominated that decade. Well just as punk didn't actually dominate the charts in 76/77 nor did rock n roll rule the charts in the late 50's, this kind of music wasn't actually all over the charts in the 80's. Many of these tracks are quite obscure, or are by one hit wonders, and none of the tracks are later than 1986; whereas several actually date from 1979, so it was strictly a first half of the 80's style anyway.
Of course there are some of the era's big names: Soft Cell, Duran Duran, OMD (with the great but over exposed Enola Gay), Human League, ABC, Spandau Ballet, Simple Minds, Japan, Thompson Twins are all present and correct. Although there is no place for Culture Club, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Wham, Ultravox, Heaven 17 or Depeche Mode (who seldom seem to turn up on compilations).
It is nice to see that Soft Cell and Talk Talk are represented by something other than 'Tainted Love' and 'It's My Life' respectively for a change.
Some of the artists are represented by more than one track and many are the full length album or twelve inch versions. For example, Soft Cell's 'Torch' is over eight minutes and A Flock of Seagulls excellent 'Wishing I had A Photograph of You' lasts over nine minutes. The longest track 'Moments In Love' by Art of Noise at over ten minutes is unfortunately also one of the worst on the compilation. Many of the other tracks are over six minutes. For example the ABC, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet tracks are the 12 inch longer versions rather than the regular singles. I suppose it depends how much you like a song in the first place as to whether you think this is a good idea or not. Personally I suppose I would have preferred shorter tracks which would have allowed another half a dozen songs to be included.

Of the little known tracks I enjoyed Mobiles 'Drowning In Berlin' and Blue Zoo 'Cry Boy Cry.' I'd never heard of either of these acts before. I also liked both the Visage tracks (although 'Fade to Grey' isn't obscure are it turns up everywhere). Both the Flock Of Seagulls tracks are great (especially 'Photograph') whilst I remember both Fiction Factory's 'Feels Like Heaven' and Furniture's 'Brilliant Mind' from the original time, but never knew who they were by. Both are good tracks; as is 'The First Picture of You,' by the Lotus Eaters.
However,for every good track I'm afraid there is at least one poor and even irritating one. I had never heard of Swansway before, but their 'Soul Train' is terrible. 'Shiny Shiny' by Haysi Fantayzee; 'You Spin Me Round' by Dead or Alive and the well known numbers 'Pop Musik' by M and 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by Buggles I find all quite irritating. I never cared for the Thompson Twins (although 'Hold Me Now' is probably their best single), Tubeway Army or Yazoo.
I suppose as with most compilations you have to have the skip button ready when it comes to a track you don't care for. What does set this compilation apart is that some of the tracks aren't easily available elsewhere or at least not in the longer format; although 'Brilliant Mind', 'Feels Like Heaven', 'First Picture Of You' and 'I'm In Love With A German Filmstar' (Passions) are all on the similar but more consistent Alternative Eighties double disc compilation.

Electric 80s
3 CD's of well-known and not so well-known hits. Each and every one of them chartbusters. This is a great album for those who found the 80's to be the best decade of all. I found it to be fantastic, as I'd been looking for quite a few of the lesser well-known songs for quite a while.
Takes me back in time to the 80's. I love the album.

very good, but....
This album picked up most of my fav's from the 80's, but Amazon seem to have got some of the track listing wrong, for example there is no Heaven 17 - Temptation, which was a bit of shame. Great Album never the less for all die hard 80's fans.