My wife was in Woolworths the other day, and whilst browsing at the albums which were in the sale she came upon this wonderful collection for the remarkable price of 99p. That's right you get change out of a pound. I must admit it's not the greatest 80's album in the world but what do you expect for a pound.

Cover Design

This is pretty uninspiring but having said that it must have done something to attract my wifes attention. Basically, the album cover is black, with 56 purple circles with the number 1 in yellow emblazoned within each purple circle to signify the fact only number 1 singles are included on the album. Near the top of the cover, the album title is emblazoned in yellow, and a selection of artists is detailed at the foot of the cover to attract your attention.

Tracks

What the album lacks in design it certainly makes up for in content. As many of you will know from my previous reviews one of my pasions is 80's music, and the beauty with this album is that although all the tracks were number one singles, very few of them appear on other compilation albums. Although the album was particularly cheap, I don't feel cheated by the quality of the tracks on offer.

Track Listing

1. Duran Duran - The Reflex

Not the Brummie boys greatest offering (Rio, Save A Prayer and Girls on Film probably do it for me) but a decent enough track to kick start the album.

2. Midge Ure - If I Was

Midge is probably best known for his role with Bob Geldof in getting Live Aid up and running, but he was also a successful artist with Ultravox before embarking on a solo career which culminated in this huge hit. Unmistakable Glaswegian vocals.

3. Spandau Ballet - True

This album is worth listening to if only for the remarkable saxophone solo which accompanies this track. To this day I still can't resist singing along to this everytime I hear the track. This track has added significance for me because I won a bet with it when it went straight in at number 1.

4. Marc Almond & Gene Pitney - Somethings Gotten Hold of My Heart

Probably my least favourite track on the album, for some reason I just never warmed to Marc Almond.

5. Simple Minds - Belfast Child

Great stuff from Jim Kerr and the boys although not as good as Alive and Kicking.

6. Roxy Music - Jealous Guy

This was Bryan Fery's tribute to John Lennon who had been so cruelly murdered the Christmas before. John was an absolute legend and this track does him complete justice.

7. Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me

Boy George and the boys certainly created an impresion and I am not ashamed to say that I secretly like this track. I just don't shout it from the rooftops.

8. Specials - Ghost Town

The original exponents of the two tone sound, this track epitimised the gloom surrounding Thatchers Britain in the 80's. Brilliant sound.

9. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno

This was the bands first hit, and came at a time when Kevin and the remainder of the band knew how to dress properly. I absolutely loved this track although it never got the same amount of air time as Come On Eileen although personally I think Geno is the better track.

10. Mel & Kim - Respectable

The Appleby sisters were fairly unique in their style of music which was sort of soft white rap. An ok track but not one which I would particularly look for when scanning through the track listing.

11. Paul Hardcastle - 19

A particularly controversial track at the time as it dealt with the complications associated with the Vietnam War, with 19 being the average age of soldiers involved in the conflict. It certainly delivered an important message in a particularly poignant way.

12. Soul II Soul (feat Caron Wheeler) - Back To Life

I was never a big Soul II Soul fan, although this is one of those tracks which just grows and grows on you.

13. Boy George - Everything I Own

Despite his undoubted talent, for some reason (probably drugs as much as anything else) Boy George's solo career never really took off. That said though, this is a fairly decent cover version, although it is not one of my personal favourites on the album.

14. Kajagoogoo - Too Shy

Another band who burst on the scene with this rendition, although they are probably remembered more for Chris Hamil's (aka Limahl) ridiculous haircut which resembled a dead cockatiel on his head than they are for their music. Definitely Kajagoogoo's best track although Big Apple pushes it a close second.

15. UB40 - Red Red Wine

UB40 had enjoyed a relatively quite period until they released this monster smash, which I never tire of listening to.

16. T'Pau - China In Your Hand

The unmistakable Carol Decker's vocals make this another track which is well worth listening to. Sadly they were never able to emulate the success of this debut single.

17. Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place on Earth

The former Go Go's singer put her drug problems aside to embark on a hugely successful solo career which culminated in a number of hits including this and Circle in the Sand. Once again her vocals are instantly recognisable and another decent track.

18. Blondie - Atomic

This just about scrapes into a 80's compilation given that it was released at the very start of the decade. At this time there weren't many successful female artists, particularly in groups, so Debbie Harry must take a lot of the credit for the success of female groups over the last twenty odd years. This is without doubt my favourite ever Blondie track, and my early memories of watching it on top of the pops with the silver disco ball spinning round, and Chris Stein pretending to strangle himself with the microphone lead seem like yesterday. Time might fly but the memories certainly remain.

Overall Conclusion

Although you could argue that some of the tracks are cheesy, the 80s wouldn't be the 80's without a bit of cheese, and every track was a number one hit in an era where you had to sell more than half a dozen records to achieve this acolade. I never tire of listening to music from this decade and I have certainly had my monies worth with this particular offering. If I have whetted your appetite, I doubt you will be able to find it for as lttle as I did but you never know. NB It is currently available from Amazon for £3.20.

Thank you for reading and a Happy New Year to you all.