Help me come up with an 80's mix CD for a friend!
Moderator: Beowulf
Help me come up with an 80's mix CD for a friend!
For my friend Frank's birthday, I want to make a mix CD of the best 80's songs out there. Now, normally this would be easy as pie for me because I a) love 80's music and b) pick my favourites to share with people. But this is a little different. See, Frank has only lived in the U.S. for 1 1/2 years and hasn't come across all that much American 80's music, so he doesn't know a lot of it yet (although what he does know he loves).
So, my question to you is, what are the essential 80's songs? Think of this like a real-life time capsule kind of thing. You know how you have to make time-capsules, picking a choosing certain things to best epitomize a certain time period? Well, your task is to do that by choosing the most 80ish of 80's songs (or just your faves, either way) so that I can compile the best of them into a CD of about 20 songs.
Ready, set, go!
And thanks for your help, should any of you choose to accept this mission.
So, my question to you is, what are the essential 80's songs? Think of this like a real-life time capsule kind of thing. You know how you have to make time-capsules, picking a choosing certain things to best epitomize a certain time period? Well, your task is to do that by choosing the most 80ish of 80's songs (or just your faves, either way) so that I can compile the best of them into a CD of about 20 songs.
Ready, set, go!
And thanks for your help, should any of you choose to accept this mission.
"On the infrequent occasions when I have been called upon in a formal place to play the bongo drums, the introducer never seems to find it necessary to mention that I also do theoretical physics." -Richard Feynman
Billy Idol. "You spin me right round" and "Rebel Yell" and "White Wedding".
Soft Cell. "Tainted Love".
There are some good U2 songs (their best songs were from the 80s). "With or Without You" is a goodie.
Metallica had its best songs from the 80s (so-called 'old school' metallica). "Fade to Black" and "Sanitarium" and the instrumentals, "Call of Ctulu", "Orion" and "To Live is to Die".
Soft Cell. "Tainted Love".
There are some good U2 songs (their best songs were from the 80s). "With or Without You" is a goodie.
Metallica had its best songs from the 80s (so-called 'old school' metallica). "Fade to Black" and "Sanitarium" and the instrumentals, "Call of Ctulu", "Orion" and "To Live is to Die".
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The Smiths - How Soon is Now
Michael Jackson - Beat It
Dead or Alive: Spin Me Right Round
Blondie - Call Me
U2 - With or Without you
Police - Every Breath You Take
Cars - Just What I needed
Golden Earring - Twlight Zone
Guns and Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
Madonna - Material Girl
Romantics - Talking in Your Sleep
Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
Heart - Magic Man
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal
Bruce Springstein - Glory Days
Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer
Genesis - Land of Confusion
Run DMC - Walk This Way
Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
A mix of music from the 80s. The Police I think are essential as are U2, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. You can throw in the one hit wonders as well as the bands that people tend to associate with the 80s: Duran Duran, Genesis, Bangles, Cyndi Lauper, etc. Some of the Boss's greatest work was during the 80s as well. I threw in How Soon is Now by the Smiths since it is a great song that tends to get overlooked as well as not associated with the 80s.
Edit: Dalton is a right on. Completly forgot about GNR. Added.
Edit: Grammer
Michael Jackson - Beat It
Dead or Alive: Spin Me Right Round
Blondie - Call Me
U2 - With or Without you
Police - Every Breath You Take
Cars - Just What I needed
Golden Earring - Twlight Zone
Guns and Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
Madonna - Material Girl
Romantics - Talking in Your Sleep
Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
Heart - Magic Man
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal
Bruce Springstein - Glory Days
Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer
Genesis - Land of Confusion
Run DMC - Walk This Way
Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
A mix of music from the 80s. The Police I think are essential as are U2, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. You can throw in the one hit wonders as well as the bands that people tend to associate with the 80s: Duran Duran, Genesis, Bangles, Cyndi Lauper, etc. Some of the Boss's greatest work was during the 80s as well. I threw in How Soon is Now by the Smiths since it is a great song that tends to get overlooked as well as not associated with the 80s.
Edit: Dalton is a right on. Completly forgot about GNR. Added.
Edit: Grammer
Last edited by Dangermouse on 2005-05-29 01:47am, edited 4 times in total.
Hmmm. I'd probably put "King of Pain" in instead of "Every Breath You Take" just because it's one of my favourite songs. And U2? Do I have to? *wrinkles nose*
And I don't know anything by Golden Earring. At least not by name. Hm.
And I don't know anything by Golden Earring. At least not by name. Hm.
"On the infrequent occasions when I have been called upon in a formal place to play the bongo drums, the introducer never seems to find it necessary to mention that I also do theoretical physics." -Richard Feynman
You can't have an '80s mix tape without some cheese.
Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, The War Song, Karma Chameleon
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me, Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Anything from the Spinal Tap soundtrack
Rick James (bitch!) - Superfreak
and the grand poobah of cheese
Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time
Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, The War Song, Karma Chameleon
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me, Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Anything from the Spinal Tap soundtrack
Rick James (bitch!) - Superfreak
and the grand poobah of cheese
Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
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They are more or less a one hit wonder. Twilight Zone is their major hit.. The Eurythmics and Fleetwood Mac might be worth adding as well. The Clash, The Ramones, New Order, and Blue Oyster Cult as well if you want a different take on the 80s.Zaia wrote:Hmmm. I'd probably put "King of Pain" in instead of "Every Breath You Take" just because it's one of my favourite songs. And U2? Do I have to? *wrinkles nose*
And I don't know anything by Golden Earring. At least not by name. Hm.
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Joe is right. Cheese is a must. These are outlawed in most states. Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider is also a little known hit that is quite good.Joe wrote:You can't have an '80s mix tape without some cheese.
Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, The War Song, Karma Chameleon
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me, Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Anything from the Spinal Tap soundtrack
Rick James (bitch!) - Superfreak
and the grand poobah of cheese
Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time
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Hell yeah, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury? Hah!DPDarkPrimus wrote:How can you not have "Under Pressure"?
To Absent Friends
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"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster
May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
Just so you know my own personal tastes (before I gleefully head off to bed after this long, long day), here are some of my favourite 80's songs:
Wild Wild West - Escape Club
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot (80's or early 90's?)
Rudy Can't Fail - The Clash
Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
You Might Think - The Cars
Missing You - John (Jack?) Waite
Paul Revere - The Beastie Boys
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
Under Pressure - David Bowie & Queen
Shattered Dreams - Johnny Hates Jazz
She-Bop - Cindy Lauper
Mirror in the Bathroom - English Beat
King of Pain - The Police
Poison - Bel Biv Devoe (80's or early 90's?)
Changes - Yes
All Out of Love - Air Supply (shut up)
Glory of Love (from 'The Karate Kid') - Peter Cetera
Down Under - Men at Work
Pictures of You - The Cure
I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick (80's or early 90's?)
Anything by Huey Lewis & the News, Billy Joel, Tears for Fears and, of COURSE, 'The Final Countdown' by Europe.
Disclaimer: More of those might actually be from the 90's than I noted--I'm old at the decades are all starting to run together...
Wild Wild West - Escape Club
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot (80's or early 90's?)
Rudy Can't Fail - The Clash
Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
You Might Think - The Cars
Missing You - John (Jack?) Waite
Paul Revere - The Beastie Boys
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
Under Pressure - David Bowie & Queen
Shattered Dreams - Johnny Hates Jazz
She-Bop - Cindy Lauper
Mirror in the Bathroom - English Beat
King of Pain - The Police
Poison - Bel Biv Devoe (80's or early 90's?)
Changes - Yes
All Out of Love - Air Supply (shut up)
Glory of Love (from 'The Karate Kid') - Peter Cetera
Down Under - Men at Work
Pictures of You - The Cure
I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick (80's or early 90's?)
Anything by Huey Lewis & the News, Billy Joel, Tears for Fears and, of COURSE, 'The Final Countdown' by Europe.
Disclaimer: More of those might actually be from the 90's than I noted--I'm old at the decades are all starting to run together...
"On the infrequent occasions when I have been called upon in a formal place to play the bongo drums, the introducer never seems to find it necessary to mention that I also do theoretical physics." -Richard Feynman
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No 80s CD is complete without "Moonlight Shadow" by Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reilly. Be sure to get the long version and not just the single edit.
Does "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division count as 80s or had Ian Curtis already committed suicide by then?
*Gets the hell out of this thread before further damaging his metal fan street cred.*
DD
Does "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division count as 80s or had Ian Curtis already committed suicide by then?
*Gets the hell out of this thread before further damaging his metal fan street cred.*
DD
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In the 80s, it was impossible to go to a party and not hear AC/DC songs like "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back in Black" or "Hells Bells". An 80s "time capsule" CD without at least one AC/DC song would be an utter travesty.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
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http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike/RantMode/Blurbs.html
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike/RantMode/Blurbs.html
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Hell fucking yeah. Put on "For Those About to Rock".Darth Wong wrote:In the 80s, it was impossible to go to a party and not hear AC/DC songs like "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back in Black" or "Hells Bells". An 80s "time capsule" CD without at least one AC/DC song would be an utter travesty.
To Absent Friends
"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster
May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
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"Rock Me Amadeus" or "Der Kommisar" by Falco.
This is kinda late 80's, but "What's on your mind" or "Walking Away" by Information Society are good ones to throw into the mix.
"Run to you" is my fav Bryan Adams tune, but almost anything by him is good to hear.
And finally, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. I fell in love with that song all over again when I saw "Boogie Nights."
This is kinda late 80's, but "What's on your mind" or "Walking Away" by Information Society are good ones to throw into the mix.
"Run to you" is my fav Bryan Adams tune, but almost anything by him is good to hear.
And finally, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. I fell in love with that song all over again when I saw "Boogie Nights."
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Ooh, how about "Play With Me" by Extreme, off the Bill & Ted soundtrack?
To Absent Friends
"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster
May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
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Good choice on the latter song! I haven't heard that one in years.TrailerParkJawa wrote:Don't for get some songs by the Pet Shop Boys.
People are people...
How about One night in Bangkok?
Add to the list "Fascination" by Human League, "Saftey Dance" by Men Without Hats, and "Don't you (Forget about me)" by Simple Minds.
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Yello - Oh Yeah
Devo - Whip It!
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds
Van Halen - Panama
Huey Lewis and The News - The Power of Love
Here endeth my contribution.
Devo - Whip It!
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds
Van Halen - Panama
Huey Lewis and The News - The Power of Love
Here endeth my contribution.
"Oh no, oh yeah, tell me how can it be so fair
That we dying younger hiding from the police man over there
Just for breathing in the air they wanna leave me in the chair
Electric shocking body rocking beat streeting me to death"
- A.B. Original, Report to the Mist
"I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
- George Carlin
That we dying younger hiding from the police man over there
Just for breathing in the air they wanna leave me in the chair
Electric shocking body rocking beat streeting me to death"
- A.B. Original, Report to the Mist
"I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
- George Carlin
How about some songs from Michael Jackson's album Thriller. That way he can understand why it can be so depressing for some people that the guy has turned himself into such a freak.
Billie Jean, Beat It
Which almost means you should put some Weird Al parody music in there but that's probably pushing it a bit.
Speaking of parodies, why not some crapy 80's Madona music?
Others:
Quiet Riot: Cum On Feel the Noize
The Cars: Moving In Stereo then you'll have to show him "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".
Twisted Sister: We're Not Gonna Take It
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax
Duran Duran: Hungry Like the Wolf
The Scorpions: Rock You Like a Hurricane
Def Leppard - Something from the Pyromania album like Rock of Ages, Photograph or Foolin'.
Billie Jean, Beat It
Which almost means you should put some Weird Al parody music in there but that's probably pushing it a bit.
Speaking of parodies, why not some crapy 80's Madona music?
Others:
Quiet Riot: Cum On Feel the Noize
The Cars: Moving In Stereo then you'll have to show him "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".
Twisted Sister: We're Not Gonna Take It
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax
Duran Duran: Hungry Like the Wolf
The Scorpions: Rock You Like a Hurricane
Def Leppard - Something from the Pyromania album like Rock of Ages, Photograph or Foolin'.
By the pricking of my thumb,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.
I thought that was Depeche Mode...TrailerParkJawa wrote:Don't for get some songs by the Pet Shop Boys.
People are people...
"On the infrequent occasions when I have been called upon in a formal place to play the bongo drums, the introducer never seems to find it necessary to mention that I also do theoretical physics." -Richard Feynman