MTV Class of 1983 (1995)

About this title: The double-disc MTV Class of 1983 attempts to distill the essence of early MTV to 30 tracks from the biggest names and most popular one-hit wonders of that year. The approach works remarkably well, as the compilation features many new wave classics that effortlessly evoke 1983. The sheer size of MTV Class of 1983 distinguishes it from other new wave collections, as does the presence of the Pretenders ("Back on the Chain Gang"), David Bowie ("China Girl"), Talking Heads ("Burning Down the House") and Herbie Hancock ("Rockit"). However, most new wave collectors will have this material already, ... read more

Tracks:

1. She Blinded Me with Science [Dolby/Kerr]
2. Come on Eileen [Rowland/Paterson/Ad]
3. Always Something There to Remind Me [Bacharach/David]
4. Mirror Man [Oakey/Callis/Burden]
5. Cool Places [Mael]
6. Love My Way [Ashton/Butler/Ely]
7. China Girl [Pop/Bowie]
8. Twilight Zone [Kooymans]
9. Rock This Town [Edmunds/Setzer]
10. The Walls Came Down [Been]
11. Lies [Bailey/Currie/Leewa]
12. True [Kemp]
13. Mexican Radio [Wall of Voodoo]
14. Why Me? [Carey]
15. I Melt with You [Modern English]
16. Our House [Smyth/Foreman]
17. Too Shy [Limahl/Beggs/Kajago]
18. Burning Down the House [Byrne/Frantz/Harris]
19. Back on the Chain Gang [Hynde]
20. Strip [Ant/Pirroni]
21. One Thing Leads to Another [Curnin/Woods/West-O]
22. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me [Culture Club]
23. In a Big Country [Big Country]
24. Working Girl [Tesco/Caroll]
25. Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime) [Orlando]
26. I Eat Cannibals [Blue/Nicolson/Greed]
27. Reap the Wild Wind [Cross/Cann/Currie]
28. Talking in Your Sleep [Marinos/Palmar/Skil]
29. Goodbye to You [Smith]
30. Rockit [Beinhorn/Hancock/La]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.