Various Vol.15 - 80's Essentials & Beyond (CD)

(Eric Records/Universal Music Special Markets) 20 tracks (78:00)

The 1950s were fun, the 1960s were wild, and the 1970s were decadent. But the 1980s? The ’80s were big: Big hair; big shoulder pads; big, booming music; and big changes. MTV, compact discs, and digital sampling were brand new, and FM radio blasted the hits of the day to nerds, preppies, and punks alike.

Now, with the first new volumes of our flagship series since 2012, Eric Records is embracing the 80s in a big way. Just like we’ve done with the ’60s and ’70s, ’80s Essentials & Beyond (Hard To Find 45s on CD, Volume 15) brings you the best of the ’80s and early ’90s in big, audiophile-quality sound. And not only do these songs SOUND better than they ever have before, but many are also presented in rare radio edits and hit single versions. Two of the best – the single versions of the S.O.S. Band’s funky “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” and Cliff Richard’s soaring “We Don’t Talk Anymore” – have never been heard on a U.S. CD before now.

But that’s just the start of the ultimate ’80s experience we’ve crafted. Fully packed with 78 minutes of music and five #1 hits, Hard To Find 45s on CD, Vol. 15 also includes great songs like Tracey Ullman’s big girl-group production “They Don’t Know,” Charles & Eddie’s big pop-soul duet “Would I Lie To You” (radio edit) and Baltimora’s big, bizarre dance track “Tarzan Boy” (rare single version). Add to that big pop ballads from teen-fave stars like Glenn Medeiros’ “Nothing ’s Gonna Change My Love For You,” which spent 25 weeks on the chart, and Richard Marx ’s #1 hit “Right Here Waiting.” And, perhaps the biggest of them all, Meatloaf, with the rare single version of his comeback chart-topper, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).”

Sure, the ’80s were big, but it was also the last time that we all listened to the same music. Before the internet took us in a million different directions, radio and MTV music videos brought us together. That was a special time, when a stomping folk song like The Proclaimers’ “500 Miles” could be heard next to a reggae groove like UB40’s “Red Red Wine” and a high-volume ballad like Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love.” With ’80s Essentials & Beyond, Eric Records recaptures that magic... and the sound quality for all these songs is the best you’ll ever hear! But don’t take our word for it: check out the SOUND SAMPLES below.

Includes a 12-page booklet with complete song-by-song annotation and liner notes by Greg Adams.