Now That's What I Call an Era: The Albums 1980 - 1984

Now Music presents the second of their ‘Now That’s What I Call An Era’ releases. The album 1980 > 1984 celebrates 72 iconic albums that were released between 1980 and 1984, featuring a magnificent track from each - and none of them UK hit singles! Most of the albums being highlighted produced huge hit singles that have become both synonymous with the decade and enduringly popular – but these albums are of such high quality – forever part of the artist’s legacy - that other tracks could have equally become hits – and some have become as well-loved by fans as the singles, and have for many artists always been an established part of their live shows.

This 4CD set opens with a trio of tracks from stunning debuts: ‘A Ray Of Sunshine’ from ‘Fantastic’, the 1983 debut album from Wham, ‘Lemon Firebrigade’ from Haircut 100’s ‘Pelican West’, and the sumptuous ‘Show Me’, the opening track from ‘The Lexicon Of Love’ from ABC. Huge 1983 albums are up next from Culture Club, with ‘Black Money’ from ‘Colour By Numbers’, and ‘This City Never Sleeps’ the closing track on ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’ from Eurythmics.

Another epic closer from Alison Moyet with ‘Where Hides Sleep’ from her solo debut ‘Alf’ is followed by ‘Frankie’s First Affair’ from another 1984 debut, ‘Diamond Life’ from Sade. Roxy Music’s 1982 ‘Avalon’ included ‘The Space Between’, whilst Japan with ‘Talking Drum’ from ‘Tin Drum’ leads a stellar run of iconic albums from Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Heaven 17, Ultravox and The Human League with ‘The Things That Dreams Are Made Of’ from 1981’s hit-packed ‘Dare’.

The first disc closes with Donna Summer from her Quincy Jones produced 1982 eponymous album, Tina Turner with the opening track from her landmark 1984 release ‘Private Dancer’ and Bruce Springsteen from his 1980 double classic ‘The River’, while the final track ‘Mystery Achievement’ was the final track on the Pretenders debut ‘Pretenders’ released just two weeks into 1980 – and sounding as fresh today as it did over 45 years ago.

Wham! are back opening CD2 with ‘Heartbeat’ from 1984’s ‘Make It Big’ – an album that housed multiple #1 singles. Soft Cell is featured next with ‘Secret Life’ from their remarkable debut ‘Non- Stop Erotic Cabaret’, and a track that would be a #1 10 years later as a cover version, ‘Young At Heart’, is featured from Bananarama’s 1983 debut ‘Deep Sea Skiving’.

A run of superb synth pop including Nik Kershaw, Howard Jones and Bronski Beat follows, before a couple of r&b influenced tracks from Shalamar, from their hit-filled ‘Friends’ album and Imagination from ‘In The Heat Of The Night’.

New-wave pop from Toyah, Kim Wilde and Culture Club come ahead of a couple of great covers: - ‘Are You There With Another Girl?’ from Mari Wilson, and Carmel’s take on ‘Tracks of My Tears’ from 1984’s ‘The Drum Is Everything’.

Next up a masterful jazz-influenced collaboration between The Style Council & Tracey Thorn, ahead of the title track from Paul Simon’s ‘Hearts And Bones’, and a beautiful ballad ‘Turn Out The Light’ from Joan Armatrading’s 1980 ‘Me Myself I’ – all leading to the closing song, the title track from Paul Young’s 1983 #1 ‘No Parlez’.

CD3 opens with a stellar lineup of the era’s most sophisticated pop. Leading off with the timeless ‘The Chauffeur’ from Duran Duran’s enormous second album ‘Rio’, before ‘Taking Islands In Africa’ a stand-out from Japan’s ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’.

Tears For Fears made their album debut in 1983 and the title track from ‘The Hurting’ is featured along with a great pop moment, ‘Black Night White Light’ from Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s 1984 debut ‘Welcome To The Pleasuredome’.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark are up next alongside Laurie Anderson from ‘Big Science’, The Cure from ‘Seventeen Seconds