Various Artists [The Eighties Mix]
Here's something a bit different, i usually don't like these 'in the mix' discs, where one track merges into the next, they're so much a problem playing on shuffle [my preferred mode of listening], many of these are extended mixes as well, or '12 inch mixes' as they call them, deep down they're very much New Wave / Electronic chart hits, and i certainly love this stuff, it was also good to delve into a few tracks i've never actually heard before.
I originally bought these discs because i was attracted to the colours on the front and back, plus the track listing is so good too, a nice clever idea visually, a very dark grey background, with sunburst lines in black fanning out from the centre with the number 80, but it's those rainbow colours that especially stand out against the dark black background, nicely inspired!.
The tracks that really impressed me were 15-17, 22, 26 & 34, and the track which really got to me was 26 [track 9 on disc 2] 'It's My Life' by Talk Talk, they were a British group active in the Eighties [1981-1991], and 'It's My Life' is their best song, very Electronic and New Wave, a lovely rhythmic beat, full of synths, Mark Hollis has a vague sort of voice, quite nasally, it's the chorus that just explodes into a wonderful chant [1:05-1:21], but the last part of the verse changes wonderfully, and prepares for that chorus [0:51-1:04], the second verse has what sounds like electronic whales in the background [1:25 & 1:43], it's a song that has such a strong ongoing vibe to it, the longer it plays, the more you get into it.
Here's Talk Talk singing 'It's My Life' on YouTube.
