Various Artists - Up, Down, Turn Around: Circa 80 (2009)

A compilation put together by Rhino for sale at Sixbucks Starbucks. I didn't care much for that marketing scheme, but dadgum if this isn't a fantastic compilation. Nevertheless, I'll make my own damn coffee, thankyouverymuch.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: A perfect blend (pun intended) of familiar and previously unfamiliar (marked with asterisk). Starts off good then kicks up a notch in the latter half.

1. Love And Rockets - So Alive (1989) #3 pop, #1 modern rock
   I didn't care much for this upon release, but it's grown on me since. I won't seek it out, but if it's on the car radio, I won't change the station.
2. Everything But The Girl - Each And Every One* (1984)
   My knowledge of EBTG music only dates back to 1986's Baby, the Stars Shine Bright album. From the sound of this tasty bossa single, which peaked at #28 in the UK, I need to delve ever further into the back catalog.
3. The Style Council - Long Hot Summer (Single Edit)* (1983)
   I've liked every song I've heard from The Style Council so your guess is as good as mine as to why I haven't lapped up their back catalog, too. This was the group's biggest hit in the UK, peaking at #3. With the hook of that synthbass, it's easy to see why.
4. Roxy Music - Over You (1980)* #80 pop
   My familiarity with Roxy Music is embarrassingly limited to a few singles and the Avalon album. I recently picked up a greatest hits compilation as the first step to rectifying that situation. That compilation includes this simple I-IV-V tune, which is good enough to make me want to sample the whole Flesh + Blood album.
5. Tones On Tail - Happiness* (1984)
   Earlier I heard from Love And Rockets, now I get another Bauhaus spin-off group, Tones On Tail. This one tries to swing, but doesn't quite. The first, and only, stinker on the disc. 
6. Echo & The Bunnymen - Bedbugs And Ballyhoo* (1987)
   Much like the aforementioned Roxy Music, my knowledge of Echo is quite limited, but I dig what I've heard over the years. This catchy tune gets its cues from The Doors. Wish I'd been exposed to it in '87.
7. New Order - Temptation (1982) #68 dance
   I'm familiar with this early NO stand-alone single, but I just checked my shelves and was surprised to discover I didn't already have a recording of it on another disc. Go figure. Bernard Sumner finally seems comfortable in his new role as vocalist of the band. Highly danceable. Includes the lyrics that gave this compilation its title.
8. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (1985) #30 pop, #13 dance, #34 rock
   Those chart peaks are from the original 1985 release. As I write these words, the song is sitting at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, enjoying a resurgence thanks to its inclusion in a Netflix series. Background on the lyric's meaning available from Far Out Magazine. I've always liked this tune and pretty much everything I've ever heard from Bush since I discovered her in 1982 with The Dreaming album.
9. XTC - Life Begins At The Hop* (1979)
   As implied by the song title, this is a fifties-sounding tune but updated with power pop tropes. Like every XTC song, this cut rewards repeated listenings.
10. The Cure - A Forest* (1980) #47 dance
    To be honest, most Cure songs are new to me, even though I usually like what I hear. Can't explain why I never got into the band. Shrug. On this one, my ear is drawn to the guitar solo and wordless chorus.
11. Split Enz - Six Months In A Leaky Boat (1982) #104 pop
    The song (or, more accurately, the video) that made me a Split Enz fan. On this disc, we're treated to the full album version.
12. Simple Minds - Someone, Somewhere In Summertime (1982)
    From the remarkable New Gold Dream album. I'm hesitant to pick a top tune on this compilation, but here it is.
13. Talking Heads - Swamp (1983)
    This funky tune with the sing-along chorus is catchy as hell yet its only about the 4th or 5th best track on the Speaking In Tongues album. Then they'd do it even better on the subsequent live album, Stop Making Sense. Paul Brickman not only had the good sense to use this tune in the film Risky Business, but he even used a line from the song's lyrics for the title.
14. David Bowie - Fashion (Single Version) (1980) #70 pop
    My favorite Bowie tune prior to his work with Nile Rodgers. Funky bass line from George Murray, crazy guitar work from Robert Fripp. Beep beep. In high school, I often wore a pinback of the single's picture sleeve. Still got it:
    
    
    
    
    
15. China Crisis - Working With Fire And Steel (1983) #27 dance
    I was originally introduced to this tune on the Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 13 compilation. It's one of those poppy New Wave tunes I like more every time I hear it.
16. Yaz - Only You (1982) #67 pop, #38 adult contemporary
    The best synthpop ballad, ever? Could be. Maybe the version in this video will help you make up your mind.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None