Totally tubular compilations of 80s music!

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:57:00 GMT

While searching for a particular 80s song over the weekend (cough...Mr. Mister...cough), I remembered two bodacious box sets in our collection.

Like, Omigod! The '80s Pop Culture Box (Totally)

This set features 7 CDs (an incredible selection of 142 songs) along with a 90-page book chock-full of 80s goodness! Taken from Rhino's website...

"Reagan, junk bonds, shoulder pads -- there's a lot about the '80s that doesn't bear repeating. But thankfully the music does. From Devo's new wave weirdness to Twisted Sister's mental metal to Run D.M.C.'s rocked-out rap, Rhino's latest behemoth box brings you the songs that have outlived the hairstyles."

I award this collection bonus points for including "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band (played it in H.S. Pep Band!), "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler, and "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley (foundation of the infamous rickroll). For the full tracklist, along with samples to listen to, check out Rhino's website.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack

The Grand Theft Auto videogames are known for, besides their controversial content, having awesome soundtracks. In each game, a handful of radio stations are available to listen to in vehicles you "acquire"; these radio stations feature genre-specific playlists, interspersed with banter from a DJ and commercials, just like in real-life.

2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, set during the 80s, features gnarly music exclusive to that era. The soundtrack is a 7 CD box set, with each disc dedicated to one of the game's 7 music radio stations. We circulate each disc separately, so pick and choose which to check out.

V-Rock with DJ Lazlow: Rock/metal, featuring Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Twisted Sister.
Wave 103 with DJ Adam First: New Wave/Synth, featuring Tears for Fears, A Flock of Seagulls, Corey Hart.
Emotion 98.3 with DJ Fernando: Love songs/power ballads, featuring Toto, Cutting Crew, Foreigner, Mr. Mister.
Flash FM with DJ Toni: Pop music, featuring Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, Bryan Adams, INXS.
Wildstyle Pirate Radio with DJ Mr. Magic: Hip-hop, featuring Herbie Hancock, Zapp and Roger, Run D.M.C.
Fever 105 with DJ Oliver "Ladykiller" Biscuit: Disco/soul/R&B, featuring the Pointer Sisters, Teena Marie, Rick James, Kool & the Gang.
Espantoso with DJ Pepe: Latin jazz/salsa, featuring Deodato, Tito Puente.

If you're a fan of 80s music (and if not, WHY NOT?!?), I'd recommend checking out both of these rad collections. Like, totally!!!

More Info

Like, Omigod! The '80s Pop Culture Box (Totally)
- EVPL Catalog: View availability at EVPL libraries.
- Rhino.com: View the full tracklist and listen to samples.
- Amazon.com: Buy it at Amazon and support our Public Library Friends.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Soundtrack
- EVPL Catalog: View availability at EVPL libraries.
- ViceCityRadio.com: Official website. Find out more about the fictional DJs.
- Amazon.com: Buy it at Amazon and support our Public Library Friends.

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Totally tubular compilations of 80s music!