Various Artists (2003) Dark Side of the 80s [compilation]

Dark Side Of The 80's



The Very Best Of Alternative Rock,
Goth And Indie Guitar

When I saw this sitting on the shelf in Tescos I simply had to have a look. It wasn't the lovely purple cover, or the weird looking bloke on the cover that grabbed my attention. It was two words.... Darkside & 80s!
Looking at the track listing on the back I discovered, to my delight, it was like looking through my old singles collection. Obviously a few duff ones and ones I had never heard of where there, but they paled into insignificance besides the classics that I could no longer listen too (my turntable broke along time ago and since then my singles have just sat in their boxes feeling unwanted) awww :o(
So I popped it in my shopping basket and couldn't wait to get it home.

It is what it says on the cover..... The Very Best of Alternative Rock, Goth & Indie Guitar.
I never did class myself as a Goth, as I have never understood the need to stay indoors while the sunshines, but I did use to have the black lipstick, black eyeshadow, black nail varnish, black clothes and black hair.. So maybe I was! The lippy and hair didn't suit me though so I soon gave them up.... Still wear the black clothes and nail varnish though :oP
As there is 40 tracks on this album, I think it may be a bad idea to write about each one individually, as you would soon get bored, and so would I! So I will give you the track listing just so you know exactly what is on there and see if you can spot any of your favs from the time for yourselves!

Disc 1


The Cure - Lullaby
The Cult - She Sells sanctuary
Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion
The Mission - Wasteland
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Happy House
The Damned - Eloise
Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust
The Jesus & Mary Chain - April Skies
Spear of Destiny - Never Take Me Alive
The The - The Beat(en) Generation
Killing Joke - Love Like Blood
Fields of the Nephilim - Moonchild
New Model Army - No Rest
The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven
The Fall - Mr Pharmacist
Wedding Present - Brassneck
The House Of Love - Christine
All About Eve - Martha's Harbour

It starts with one of my favourite Cure songs, Lullaby. With its haunting sound, it is a nice way to get the CD started. Then comes The Cult, with the ever bouncy She Sells Sanctuary. Can never understand a word of it, but this never stops me attempting to sing along.
Now it's one song that always makes me crack up.... I am sorry but it sounds like aerobics music.. I can just imagine the Goths in their black leggins, black legwarmers, black baggy T'shirts and black headbands, bouncing about madly doing Olivia Newton John workouts to this.. The song in question is Sisters of Mercy, No Corrosion... Sorry... I know it is supposed to be all dark and moody, but the image is there and will never go away :oP
Now comes the Mission with Wasteland, which isn't exactly a memorable song, not bad... But not brilliant. Then it is something very memorable, Happy House from the wonderful Siouxsie Sioux and lads. One that gets me singing and waving my arms about like a loon, even though it quite a slow one. I know I am not exactly describing the music, but this is too hard for me to explain!
Eloise by The Damned is next, this is a truly great song... My fav cover version. It starts with the big band sort of sound, then Dave Vanian starts singing in his great voice ahhhhhh.. It has an sort of epic sound to it. It gets faster, then slower, then practically stops, then starts back up again with a vengeance! My sons are fed up of me playing this at full blast. And that is without me singing at the top of my voice! Which I save for when they are at school :oP
If I carry on like this I will end up describing each song! :oP
Echo and the Bunnymen come next with the haunting song Killing moon, followed by a pointless cover of David Bowies Ziggy Stardust by Bauhaus... I mean it sounds exactly like the original, even the singing sounds like he is doing a bad impression!
I'll skip past the next few, not because they are bad... Just I don't want to bore you, poor reader, too much!
Pretty in Pink by The Psychedelic Furs, from the film of the same name. Great song for bopping about too and it always reminds of the film.... Which is an added bonus :oP
Next is the classic Monkey Gone to Heaven by Pixies, a great moody and shouty number and a fav of mine. I will end Disc 1 with this one, as the rest although good, I had actually never even heard of before I got the CD! Still good though, just a bit unknown to me :oP

Disc 2


The Mission - Towers of Strength
Sisters of Mercy - Dominion
Iggy Pop - Real wild Child (Wild One)
The Stranglers - Peaches
New Order - True Faith
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
Talking Heads - Road To Nowhere
The Teardrop Explodes - Reward
Talk Talk - Today
Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Mike Peters & The Alarm - 68 Guns
Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction - Prime Mover
The Wonder Stuff - A Wish Away
Big Audio Dynamite - E=MC²
The House Of Love - Shine On
The La's - There She Goes
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Perfect Skin
Billy Bragg - Sexuality
Cocteau Twins - Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops

Another Mission track, Tower of Strength, opens this. Another rather bland offering from them... Why have they put two songs by the weakest band on here? Oh well! Someone obviously likes them. :oP
And now is another Sisters of Mercy song, Dominion, not quite as aerobic as No Corrosion but it could still be used for workouts, but as it lasts nearly 7 minutes it would have to be a slow workout :oP
Iggy Pop with Real Wild Child brings things back to proper bounciness again! Oh dear I have the aerobics thing going round in my head now.... Yes this could be used too! I need to get out of the mood or this will end up as a Arlene Phillips Workout CD op! Shape up and dance the Hot Gossip way.... :oP
The Stranglers have bought me back to earth with the brilliant Peaches! I love the dark keyboards on this track. This was recorded in the late 70's so I am not quite sure why it is on an 80's CD, but I am not complaining. Next comes New Order, True Faith. More Techno Goth than Guitar based, but still a great track.
Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode is next, another synth band rather than guitar, but still good to hear again and by the time this song came along they were getting heavier. Talking Heads with Road to Nowhere follows, which I like to think of as a gospel song with a train running through it. I know what I mean even if no one else does! :oP
The Teardrop Explodes with Reward is next, I used to play the single to death when it came out. This part of the CD seems to be full of brilliant songs, Talk Talk - Today, The Alarm - 68 guns, Black Sabbath - Paranoid and then the excellent Prime Mover by Zodiac Mindwarp... I could type out each of them individually but I have just realised how much I have written so far and I have already mentioned them anyway! Sorry about that! :o)
I will finish off this CD with a quick word or two about another great song on here.... The La's with There She Goes. It is a beautiful song, with strumming guitars and wonderful vocals that go together so well. Always reminds me of lazy summer days for some unknown reason.

The inlay card for this is not that great... With just the names of song writes, record companies and copyright years! Shame as some of these are off greatest hits albums and the year when that came out rather than the song itself... So according to the inlay quite a few of these came out in 2001! But that is Tel-Star for you... Can't expect everything to be great! :oP

Spot any favourites?
A strange collection of songs if you think about it.... I mean what on earth is Billy Bragg doing on it! I am sorry but there is something about Billy Bragg that just makes scream "skip"! But enough of my own personal loathing of my local celeb, I am sure he is a wonderful chap, its just me! This compilation has some of my all time favourites on it, Eloise by The Damned, 68 Guns by The Alarm, Prime Mover by Mr Mindwarp, and of course Paranoid by Black Sabbath! Which I haven't a clue why they stuck on the CDs but so glad they did. It certainly doesn't go with the song before it, which is Bow wow wows extremely bouncy and screamy Go Wild in the Country, with its bongo drum sound. This collection is as bad as my record collection.. Extremely mixed. But I love it :o)


Overall I think this is a great album, loads of memories, loads of great tunes, nevermind about the occasional hit of the skip button!
Happy listening
Sarah
P.S. Backcombing your hair while listening to this CD is not compulsory :oP
(review from http://cd.ciao.co.uk/Dark_Side_Of_The_80_s..._Review_5358385, thanks!)