A Jamboree Of Surprises (part six of five)

(With a nod to Douglas Adams in the post title…)

The release of yet another NOW! collection focusing (allegedly) on them there done forgotten ’80s nuggets, “Even More Forgotten 80s!” hammers another nail into the coffin that was the compilation album as we knew it. Less and less effort, expense, and – dare I say it, interest – is clearly going into these releases. Restricted budgets, smaller departments and the maze of digital file archiving are really no excuse for basically not being arsed to think of a concept and then actually choose the contents so it makes sense. It only takes one person, with either the basic first-hand knowledge of the era or else the will to research for five minutes, to know that a “forgotten” hit is not a Top 10 smash that’s been on umpteen other budget compilations in the last few years, and has been randomly included as a “classic”, an “anthem”, or indeed a “classic anthem”.

The past should be treasured, not trashed.

Once I’d completed my own take on the idea, A Jamboree Of Surprises was split across five separate posts. Now for the box set. The cut-out-and-keep, handy all-in-one reference for the entire thing.

CD1

• Forgotten Town The Christians 5:11
• Shake The Disease Depeche Mode 4:50
• S.O.S. ABC 4:49
• Skin Trade [Radio Cut] Duran Duran 4:28
• Love Blonde [7″ Mix] Kim Wilde 3:35
• Heart Of Gold Johnny Hates Jazz 3:21
• I Refuse ’88 [O.S.T. Mix] Hue & Cry 3:39
• Family Man Roachford 3:49
• What’s The Colour Of Money Hollywood Beyond 3:28
• Im Nin’ Alu Ofra Haza 3:23
• Le Serenissima (Theme from Venice in Peril) Rondo Veneziano 2:19
• Of Course I’m Lying Yello 3:54
• Hey Matthew Karel Fialka 3:31
• A Walk In The Park Nick Straker Band 3:54
• The Rattler Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie 4:03
• The Motive Then Jerico 6:31
• This Is Me Climie Fisher 3:50
• I Hear Talk Bucks Fizz 4:45
• Love Lies Lost Helen Terry 3:26
• The Honeythief Hipsway 3:11

CD2

• Wordy Rappinghood [7″ Edit] Tom Tom Club 3:50
• All And All Joyce Sims 4:26
• Let It All Blow Dazz Band 3:57
• Diamonds Herb Alpert 4:55
• Rumors Timex Social Club 4:51
• Jump Back Dhar Braxton 3:43
• Chief Inspector Wally Badarou 3:17
• This Is My Night Chaka Khan 4:41
• Music & Lights [Edit] Imagination 3:47
• Breathe Life Into Me Mica Paris 4:07
• Do You Feel My Love Eddy Grant 4:39
• Love Wars [Edit] Womack & Womack 4:03
• Free Yourself The Untouchables 3:40
• Me & Mr Sanchez [7″ Version] Blue Rondo A La Turk 3:59
• A Night In New York [7″ Single Version] Elbow Bones & The Racketeers 3:47
• Garden Party Mezzoforte 6:11
• Bad Day [7″ Edit] Carmel 3:40
• This House (Is Where Your Love Stands) [Single Edit] The Big Sound Authority 3:59
• Closest Thing To Heaven The Kane Gang 4:52

CD3

• Oh Patti (Don’t Feel Sorry For Loverboy) Scritti Politti 4:23
• King In A Catholic Style (Wake Up) [7″ Mix) China Crisis 3:54
• The First Picture Of You The Lotus Eaters 3:44
• Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime The Korgis 4:07
• The Captain Of Her Heart [Edit] Double 3:58
• The Downtown Lights The Blue Nile 6:31
• Chocolate Girl Deacon Blue 3:22
• Broken Land [Edit] The Adventures 4:08
• Come Back The Mighty Wah! 4:27
• Pills And Soap The Imposter 3:44
• Shipbuilding Robert Wyatt 3:04
• Radio Africa Latin Quarter 3:56
• (Something Inside) So Strong [Edit] Labi Siffre 4:50
• To Be Reborn Boy George 4:26
• Come On Home Everything But The Girl 3:23
• Driving Away From Home (Jim’s Tune) [Single Version] It’s Immaterial 3:53
• The Ink In The Well David Sylvian 4:32
• Think For A Minute [Single Version] The Housemartins 3:31
• For A Friend Communards 4:38

CD4

• Mothers Talk [7″ Version] Tears For Fears 3:55
• Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me) XTC 3:39
• It’s Different For Girls Joe Jackson 3:42
• Listen To The Radio: Atmospherics Tom Robinson 3:44
• Kool In The Kaftan B.A. Robertson 3:33
• Skin Deep The Stranglers 3:53
• Leave It Yes 4:15
• Let’s Go All The Way [7″ Edit] Sly Fox 3:48
• Berserker Gary Numan 4:09
• I Ran [Edit] A Flock Of Seagulls 3:42
• Diamond Lights Glenn & Chris 3:35
• Scandal Queen 4:45
• Edge Of Darkness [Theme] Eric Clapton 3:22
• This Is Not America David Bowie 3:51
• Soul Train [Edit] Swans Way 3:14
• Dazzle Siouxsie & The Banshees 5:30
• No More “I Love You’s” The Lover Speaks 4:04
• The Last Film Kissing The Pink 3:27
• Never Take Me Alive Spear Of Destiny 4:16
• Tug Of War [Single Edit] Paul McCartney 4:07

CD5

• The Boy In The Bubble Paul Simon 3:59
• Shaking The Tree Youssou N’Dour & Peter Gabriel 5:40
• Somewhere Down The Crazy River Robbie Robertson 4:58
• Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis) Cowboy Junkies 4:28
• Magic Smile Rosie Vela 4:26
• Minnie The Moocher [7″ Version] Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra 3:33
• Veronica Elvis Costello 3:09
• Keeping The Dream Alive Freiheit 4:14
• I Don’t Mind At All Bourgeois Tagg 2:36
• The Promise You Made Cock Robin 3:51
• Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone) Glass Tiger 4:08
• Comin’ On Strong Broken English 3:53
• Let My People Go-Go The Rainmakers 3:38
• The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades Timbuk 3 3:24
• Missionary Man [7″ Mix] Eurythmics 3:50
• King Of Emotion Big Country 4:54
• Lost In You [Fade] Rod Stewart 4:25
• Ace Of Hearts Chris Rea 4:30
• Cold As Christmas (In The Middle Of The Year) Elton John 4:22

 

Of course, everyone’s idea of what constitutes a “forgotten” track, single, or song will differ. And then, do you go for obscurity, rarity or the material from an act’s catalogue that wouldn’t necessarily be the first thing you remember, or think of, or associate with them?

(I tried a bit of all three).

A few liberties were taken; I’d concede some of the choices are borderline in their status as 80s classics (Labi Siffre, Double, The Korgis) but they fitted the feel and flow of their respective discs; again, something that the current styles of track sequencing fails to take into consideration (gentle acoustic number about suicide, followed by an all-out dance pop banger? sure why not!). The bizarre bedfellows that turn up on these collections make you wonder if there is any thought put into it at all. (Probably not, I fear).

Now that’s what I call not treating 80s music, or modern audiences, with the respect they deserve.