Various Artists - Gary Crowley's Lost 80s

Over the years there have been innumerable 80s compilations, usually treading the same path. The usual suspects are dragged out time and time again. Same tracks, different order. But now for something completely different; a view of the 80s from a different perspective. One which will have the listener taking a journey across genres, finding bands that on the face of it would never be on the same playlist, but this album works like a dream.

When I say the usual suspects are dragged out time and time again, you may be forgiven for having a glance at the track listing here and thinking that has happened here as well. A quick review of the track listing reveals Wham, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, Haircut 100 and Bananarama. However, don’t expect Freedom, Karma Chameleon, True, Love Plus One or Venus here. No, these are the early tunes that started them on their journeys. Take Spandau Ballet with Confused, where Hadley sounds like a cross between his later self and Alison Moyet and Bananarama with their debut single, Aie a Mwana, also featuring original Pistol Paul Cook. The compilation serves a timely reminder of the plethora of talent which was emerging from Scotland. Much of the Jingly Jangly disc features Glasgow bands, but Scotland is well represented across the whole collection. Some bands included went on to become household names like Aztec Camera and Altered Images.  The Bluebells & Strawberry Switchblade appear with their less well-known songs. Where you’d normally find Young at Heart and Since Yesterday, we get Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool & Trees and Flowers. These nestle alongside less well-known acts like Suede Crocodiles who ultimately spawned the Kevin McDermott Orchestra & Friends Again, contributing the supreme bliss that is Honey at the Core, before they split resulting in The Bathers and Love and Money. The sorely missed unique and sublime voice of Billy McKenzie is here too with The Associates 18 Carat Love Affair. With Josef K’s Paul Haig appearing on the same disc with Running Away I am reminded of an unforgettable appearance on a Hogmanay Show around the mid-80s when Paul Haig and Bill McKenzie performed an unforgettable Amazing Grace.

There are plenty of ground-breaking acts here too, blazing a trail and influencing many who came in their wake. The incomparable Grandmaster Flash share The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash and Whoodini with Magic’s Wand being at the start of when rap started to really take off and break around the world. Funkapolitan, Chic and Was (Not Was) bring their tunes to the party too. I could dance all night.

Fittingly, punk’s premier songwriter, the late Pete Shelley has the magnificent Homosapien (Dance Version) included proving he was so much more than some of the other one trick punk acts. Agit-pop is represented with Gang of Four and I Love a Man in Uniform while Theatre of Hate ask us that perennial question Do You Believe in the Westworld? And the Redskins, well they just Keep on Keepin’ On and the world is a better place for it… Observant listeners will note the influence of 23 Skidoo on 90’s dance behemoths The Chemical Brothers with their track Coup providing the key sample in Block Rockin’ Beats and the fact that Morgan McVey’s Looking Good Diving with the Wild Bunch really broke through a couple of years later when it morphed into Neneh Cherry’s mega breakthrough hit Buffalo Stance. This eclectic mix proves the worth of scratching the surface and finding gems under the sometimes-glossy sheen with no substance that permeates the average 80s compilations. What is Mr Crowley going to come up with next? I’m waiting in anticipation.

All words by Neil Hodge.

All four discs ripped to MP3

CD1
1. Vic Godard – Stop That Girl
2. The Pale Fountains – (There’s Always) Something On My Mind
3. Haircut 100 – Milk Film
4. Aztec Camera – Pillar To Post
5. The Bluebells – Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool
6. Johnny Britton – Happy-Go-Lucky Girls
7. Prefab Sprout – Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
8. Fantastic Something – If She Doesn’t Smile (It’ll Rain)
9. The Suede Crocodiles – Stop The Rain
10. Friends Again – Honey At The Core
11. Strawberry Switchblade – Trees And Flowers
12. April Showers – Abandon Ship
13. A Craze – Wearing Your Jumper
14. Paul Quinn – Ain’t That Always The Way
15. Hurrah! – Sweet Sanity
16. The Dream Academy – Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
CD2
1. Bush Tetras – Too Many Creeps
2. Bow Wow Wow – Mickey Put It Down
3. Theatre of Hate – Do You Believe In The West World?
4. The Apollinaires – The Feeling’s Gone
5. The Redskins – Keep On Keeping On
6. Carmel – More More More
7. JoBoxers – Is This Really The First Time You’ve Been In Love
8. Makin’ Time – Feels Like It’s Love
9. Hey! Elastica- This Town
10. Fashion – Streetplayer (Mechanik)
11. The Main T Posse – Fickle Public Speakin’
12. The Associates – 18 Carat Love Affair
13. Spandau Ballet – Confused
14. Matt Fretton – It’s So High
15. Depeche Mode – Shake The Disease
16. Paul Haig – Running Away
17. The Questions – Tuesday Sunshine (Jock Mix)
18. The Kane Gang – Brother Brother
19. Sunset Gun – Be Thankful For What You’ve Got
20. Altered Images – Love To Stay
CD3
1. Wham! – A Ray Of Sunshine
2. Grandmaster Flash – The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel
3. Tom Tom Club – Genius Of Love
4. The Jellies – Jive Baby On A Saturday Night
5. I Level – Give Me [U.S. Remix]
6. Jimmy Young – Times Are Tight
7. Whodini – Magic’s Wand [Special Extended Mix]
8. Blue Rondo à la Turk – Klacto Vee Sedstein
9. Culture Club – I’m Afraid Of Me [Extended Dance Mix]
10. Pigbag – The Big Bean
11. Monyaka – Go Deh Yaka
12. 23 Skidoo – Coup
13. Funkapolitan – If Only
14. The Staple Singers – Slippery People [Club Version]
15. Matt Bianco – Matt’s Mood
CD4
1. Bananarama- Aie A Mwana [Afro Tribal Version]
2. Intaferon – GetoutofLondon [Intacontinentalballisticmix]
3. Pete Shelley – Homosapien [Dance Version]
4. Quando Quango – Genius
5. Was (Not Was) – (Return To The Valley Of) Out Come The Freaks [Extended Remix]
6. Defunkt – The Razor’s Edge
7. Chic – Hangin’ [12 Inch]
8. Gang Of Four – I Love A Man In A Uniform [Extended]
9. Animal Magnet – Welcome To The Monkey House
10. Fun Boy Three – Faith, Hope And Charity [MM Extended Dub]
11. Brilliant – It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World [Extended]
12. Morgan McVey – Looking Good Diving With The Wild Bunch