Having already passed the early and mid part of our ongoing review of Time-Life's Modern Rock series, we enter the late part and the final nine albums. Your Modern Rock home game score card should read 12 albums, 24 discs, 288 tracks, and 183 different artists. Ratings wise, here's the breakdown thus far:
3x😎😎😎
3x😎😎😎😎
5x😎😎😎😎😎
1x😎😎😎😎😎😎
The average rating is 4.33
New guy Eddie Dean wrote the liner notes in the booklet, Universal Music Special Markets made the discs while Time-Life distributed Modern Rock: 1984-1989 via the United States Postal Service. The album gets off to a good start with two upbeat tracks but then Wang Chung happens. Fortunately, Frankie arrived in Hollywood with their Simple Minds and I relaxed then sanctified myself. I listened to Mr. Mister and Tears for Fears but I should have skipped them - the downright annoying "Mother's Talk" is the weak link on Songs From The Big Chair for me - and rode the rest of Disc 1 out. At this point, I'd rate it barely a three but there are still a dozen tracks to go so maybe things will change. Disc 2 could have kicked off with a bang! with Paul Hardcastle's "19" only the song is presented here as "19 - New Version" which I'll go on record as saying is the worst of all the different remixes of this song I have heard. For my money, "19 - The Destruction Mix" is the absolute definitive version. Next! Big fan of "Save A Prayer", "Blood And Roses", "Panic"("Hang the blessed DJ"), "World Shut Your Mouth", and the seven plus minutes of the UK mix of Love And Rockets take on "Ball Of Confusion" but then three of the final six tracks are skip-worthy and while I was briefly considering rating Modern Rock: 1984-1989 a weak four, it has fallen back to a
😎😎😎
- Arion
- Berger
- Warner
- Special
- Products
I can't really attest to whether the twenty-four songs on Modern Rock: Lost Hits of the Early '80s are indeed hopelessly lost, exceptionally hard to find, merely forgotten or simply and senselessly ignored. What I will testify to under oath is that this album is a messy and disjointed collection of many of my all-time favorite songs, and I love it with all of my being. If there was an MVP Award, large cash prize or Medal of Honor to be given to the best album in the Modern Rock collection, Modern Rock: Lost Hits of the Early '80s would win it. (What? We still have seven more albums to review? Hold that thought.) Anyone else shout-along to "People Who Died" at the top of their lungs, ignoring ever so briefly the horrible but allegedly true incidents described? Surely I'm not the only one who improvises additional lines while singing along with The Nails in a deadpan, disinterested voice? And the sheer poptastic beauty of "What Do All The People Know" always makes me tear up with unbridled joy as my body jerks in autonomic celebration. (Because we're friends, I even snuck the longer 4:20 version of "What Do All The People Know" onto the playlist above.) Modern Rock: Lost Hits of the Early '80s is so good, I'm going back in for a second helping. Time permitting, there may be third go round as well. Da diddley qua-qua!
😎😎😎😎😎😎
Freelance writer Chris Nelson caught the gig and penned the liner notes for Modern Rock: Lost Hits of the Mid '80s. Warner Special Products probably didn't have to lobby too hard to produce and manufacture the album which is notable as the first release in Modern Rock with a copyright date of 2001. I'm sad to say that lightning did not strike twice however and this album is somewhat weaker which is not to say it doesn't have high points. The four tracks that open Side 1 are top-tier favorites of mine and Rundgren's ode to shirking responsibility is a something of a mantra here at The Hideaway. Side 2 wins the imaginary marathon with its first six songs going the distance. I'm double checking my math because I was surprised at the initial results of my calculations but it looks like they were indeed correct - Modern Rock: Lost Hits of the Mid '80s came real, real close to scoring a four but ended up with a
😎😎😎
We've made it this far and it would be kind of pointless to turn back now so let's carry on through the weekend. Come on, It'll be fun. Don't you wanna see how it ends? Next time, in our penultimate post on Time-Life's Modern Rock series, we'll be covering the three albums below:
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