Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s series - RANKED!


One day in the late summer of 1994, I was browsing through CDs at the Sound Warehouse location at the corner of Hwy 281 & Bitters in San Antonio (that space is currently a Mexican restaurant, El Jarro de Arturo).

I had recently attended my ten-year high school reunion and music from the early '80s was running through my head a lot. So when the teenage kids behind the counter played "867-5309/Jenny" followed by "Vacation" by the Go-Go's and Zappa's "Valley Girl," it naturally caught my ear, so I walked over and asked what they were playing. After a heavy sigh and an eyeroll, the salesgirl smacked her gum and directed me to this series, of which the first five volumes had recently been released. I bought Volume 5 and that started my love affair with this series. I eventually picked up all the discs and even though you didn't ask, here's how I rank the 15 volumes, in countdown fashion. Included with each selection is a link to my track-by-track breakdown of that volume plus what I consider to be the top three tracks on the compilation, in alphabetical order:




"Close (To the Edit)" - The Art of Noise
"Tenderness" - General Public
"Voices Carry" - 'Til Tuesday



CD cover

"Generals and Majors" - XTC
"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell
"Up All Night" - Boomtown Rats




"Head Over Heels" - The Go-Go's
"It's a Mistake" - Men at Work
"Perfect Way" - Scritti Politti




"Change" - Tears for Fears
"In a Big Country" - Big Country
"True" - Spandau Ballet




"I Got You" - Split Enz
"Pop Muzik" - M
"Vienna" - Ultravox




"Cruel to be Kind" - Nick Lowe
"My Sharona" - The Knack
"Video Killed the Radio Star" - Buggles




"Oblivious" - Aztec Camera
"Our Lips are Sealed" - Fun Boy Three
"They Don't Know" - Tracey Ullman




"Never Say Never" - Romeo Void
"Talk Talk" - Talk Talk
"Who Can It Be Now" - Men at Work




"Love Plus One" - Haircut 100
"Someday, Someway" - Marshall Crenshaw
"A Town Called Malice" - The Jam




"Rio" - Duran Duran
"Save It for Later" - The English Beat
"Too Shy" - Kajagoogoo




"Looking for Clues" - Robert Palmer
"New Toy" - Lene Lovich
"Tempted" - Squeeze




"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" - Haircut 100
"Flaming Desire" - Bill Nelson
"O Superman (For Massenet)" - Laurie Anderson




"(Keep Feeling) Fascination" - Human League
"Promises, Promises" - Naked Eyes
"Whistle Down the Wind" - Nick Heyward




"Dance Hall Days" - Wang Chung
"Hero Takes a Fall" - The Bangles
"Wouldn't It Be Good" - Nik Kershaw



CD cover

"Kiss Me" - Tintin
"She Blinded Me with Science" - Thomas Dolby
"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" - Heaven 17



Note: the series also included three auxiliary compilations: New Wave Women, New Wave Dance Hits, and New Wave Halloween.

1 comment :

  1. You must have read my mind yet again, Mark.

    Been (slowly) working on multiple posts about chronological playlist of the Just Can’t Get Enough series. Kind of like I did with the Have A Nice Day series a few years back. Plus some bonus discs/playlists of extended versions of the songs from the series.

    The ongoing Synth Pop Saturday series has brought more than a few songs and artists that are featured on JCGE back into focus.

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