In the late '90s, EMI-Capitol Music had the brilliant idea of putting together these budget discs consisting of 5 hits each from various acts that weren't consistent chart-toppers, but weren't one-hit wonders, either. A great way to hear the songs you know without having to go deep into the artists' catalogs for the sake of filling out a disc. For this particular release, the label has paired two early '80s Los Angeles-based new wave groups.
Tracks: Of the 5 Missing Persons cuts, we get their 3 minor hits from the Spring Session M LP: Destination Unknown, Walking in L.A., and Words. All very similar, but if you like them, that's a good thing. The remaining two tracks, Windows and Give are from the group's 1984 album, Rhyme and Reason. Windows isn't too bad, I may remember it from the radio.
| Song | Album | Hot 100 | Rock |
| Destination Unknown | Spring Session M | 42 | 24 |
| Walking in L.A. | Spring Session M | 70 | 12 |
| Words | Spring Session M | 42 | 60 |
| Windows | Spring Session M | 63 | 22 |
| Give | Rhyme & Reason | 67 | 29 |
I was familiar with all The Motels cuts even though I never owned one of their records back in the '80s. Suddenly Last Summer is my fav. The song Take the L has hilarious lyrics ("Take the L out of lover and it's over"), but it is sung with such earnestness that it makes me chuckle. I think singer Martha Davis has a great voice for pop music.
| Song | Album | Hot 100 | Rock |
| Only the Lonely | All Four One | 9 | 6 |
| Suddenly Last Summer | Little Robbers | 9 | 1 |
| Remember the Nights | Little Robbers | 36 | 12 |
| Shame | Shock | 21 | 10 |
| Take the L | All Four One | 52 | 36 |
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I was about 17 or 18, I tried a project similar to this CD project but with one difference - I was going to listen to all of my record albums in their entirety, but in alphabetical order by artist. I think Spring Session M had such awful filler tracks that I gave up on the project after forcing myself to listen to that album. That's the main reason why I'm not listening to these CDs in any particular order.
