Various Artists - Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 12 (1995)

This is the 12th volume of a fantastic 15 volume set released in the mid-'90s by Rhino Records. The detailed liner notes alone are almost worth the price. Some of the volumes are out-of-print, so if you see any in a used CD bin, pick them up.

Tracks:

• Karma Chameleon - Culture Club (US #1, UK #1)
  I didn't like it in 1983; still not a fan.
• It Must Be Love - Madness (US #33, UK #4)
  I hadn't heard this song until I got this CD. Not typical Madness, but not terrible.
• Gold - Spandau Ballet (US #29, UK #2)
  I think Spandau Ballet had peaked by this time, but this song is very characteristic of them in the mid-80s.
• Come Back and Stay - Paul Young (US #22, UK #4)
  I'm not a Paul Young fan. 'Nuff said.
• Oblivious - Aztec Camera (UK #47)
  I loved this song since I heard it on MTV back in the '80s. Love. It.
• They Don't Know - Tracey Ullman (US #8, UK #2)
  I've always liked this song. I had Ullman's LP which was a great collection of '60s covers.
• Positively Lost Me - The Rave-Ups
  Another song I hadn't heard until I got this CD, but I wish I had heard them back in the '80s. I might have become a fan like Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles.
• Fields of Fire - Big Country (US #52, UK #10)
  I remember loving this song and their other hit In a Big Country. I bought their album only to discover those were the only two good songs on it.
• (She's) Sexy + 17 - Stray Cats (US #5, UK #29)
  I didn't appreciate the rockabilly revival at the time, but now I enjoy songs like this.
• Sixty Eight Guns - The Alarm (US #106, UK #17)
  To me, this group is a cross between The Jam and Big Country, angry young men protesting. That said, this is a catchy song that often becomes an earworm after hearing it.
• Our Lips Are Sealed - The Fun Boy Three (UK #7)
  I remember seeing the video for this and becoming focused on the ostinato pattern in the rhythm guitar. While The Go-Go's version is fantastic, I think I prefer this version.
• Only You - Yaz (US #67, UK #2)
  Moyet's powerful voice sounds great over the top of Clarke's background synths (which may sound a bit dated now, but were way ahead of their time IMO). Yaz=one of the most underrated breakups of the '80s.
• The Politics of Dancing - Re-Flex (US #24, UK #28)
  This dance song is so great I can't believe I didn't hear it back in the '80s. Thankful for its inclusion on this compilation.
• Calling Your Name - Marilyn (UK #4)
  This is harmless, forgettable pop fluff, so of course I like it. I'd call Marilyn a one-hit wonder, but he never even had one song hit the US charts.
• Sensoria - Cabaret Voltaire
  Doing their best Art of Noise imitation with poor results.
• Images of Heaven - Peter Godwin (US #105)
  Classic '80s production, very derivative of other songs at the time, the big problem is that the songwriting isn't very good.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Different songs have different memories, of course, but hearing the FB3 version of Our Lips are Sealed made me remember driving my mother's big Pontiac land yacht (it had A/C!) to the Brazos Mall to purchase the 12" single. That single contained a great Urdu version. I wish I had kept it.