The launch of MTV 25 years ago and the music of the 80s are practically synonymous to the eyes and ears of the post-baby-boom-gen-x generation, often equipped with over zealous spending habits. Seizing a golden opportunity, Sony and VH1 Classic have teamed up to bring the cable channel’s popular series We Are The 80s to CD. The first seven releases are 12- to 14-track compilations from the Bangles, Loverboy, Eddie Money, Scandal, Bow Wow Wow, Rick Springfield, and A Flock Of Seagulls. If you’re looking for a fix of the best of what the 80s had to offer, one of these CDs is bound to make your day.
On the surface, these fun-filled CDs are jam-packed with perennial 80s staples like “Walk Like An Egyptian,” “I Ran,” “Goodbye To You” and “Jessie’s Girl.” But there’s much more to it than Annabella Lwin’s Mohawk, Mike Reno’s headband, and everyone else’s twisted version of the mullet. You get previously unreleased songs on some of the discs. There’s a snazzy booklet with informative liner notes and a sufficient number of pictures. Access to a mini Flash version of Space Invaders on the Internet is granted if you insert the disc into your computer. There’s even a generous offering, for a small fee, of We Are The 80s ringtones if you can figure out how to text the proper keyword. Now who wouldn’t want a ringtone of Men At Work’s “Who Can It Be Now”?
Anyone can admire the efforts of prolific hitmakers like the Bangles, Eddie Money, and even Loverboy. And a Bow Wow Wow compilation is going to be a kick-in-the-pants adventure, no matter how you spin it. But what about Flock Of Seagulls, Scandal and Rick Springfield? How did they squeeze enough material out of these folks to warrant inclusion on an We Are The 80s Series CD? The opportunity to find out certainly gives this collection a much-needed edge. I can see it now: a handful of Scandal maniacs are going to break out the bubbly at a listening party once they hear the two previously unreleased tracks from 1982, “If You Love Me” and “I’m Here Tonight.” Then they’ll head out to see their favorite group, along with Rick Springfield, Loverboy, and Eddie Money, as part of the We Are The 80s tour currently underway. And everything will be just like it was 25 years ago. Thanks to MTV, the 80s time machine is working overtime this year.
~ Shawn Perry
