Friday, March 07, 2003

Over the last few weeks my co-workers Mike, Ruth and I have been collaborating on a best of the 80s set of CDs. I didn't think I would be much help, since (as longtime readers know) I'm not really all that enamored of the music of that decade...or so I thought! As we tossed song suggestions back and forth, we came up with enough tracks to fill NINE CDs! The main criteria were that these should be songs that defined the artist in that decade, be it a hit single or a video that received a fair amount of airplay. Problem is, I tend to be a contrary sort and there were frankly a lot of songs I really didn't want in the final tracklist...so I just went rogue and made my own, leaner, meaner four disk set. I tried to stay with the single/video thing, but I got away from the "artist-defining" thing. I thought I'd share it with you. And yes, some of these have been downloaded on the 'Net, but the majority of them I/we paid for years ago so don't think too harshly of me (and us). Here's the track list for disc 1, the only one I've burned so far:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-Jammin' Me
U2-Angel of Harlem
Eurythmics-Missionary Man*
Smithereens-Behind The Wall of Sleep*
Los Lobos-Shakin Shakin Shakes
Dead Milkmen-Punk Rock Girl*
Steve Wynn-Carolyn
Waterboys-The Whole of the Moon
Bruce Springsteen-Brilliant Disguise
World Party-Ship of Fools
the Clash-Rock The Casbah*
John Cougar Mellencamp-Check It Out
Camper Van Beethoven-Take the Skinheads Bowling*
Dave Edmunds-Information
R.E.M.-Fall On Me
Tanita Tikaram-Twist in My Sobriety*
Bourgeois Tagg-I Don't Mind At All*
Lindsey Buckingham-Trouble
the Replacements-Alex Chilton
Lenny Kravitz-Let Love Rule

*-indicates songs on the "official" box set

So, what do you think? I'm pretty happy with it, and I've got several more to go. Got to get some disks, though.


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