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Music compilations can be a hit-or-miss affair. 80’s compilations even more so. 80’s one-hit wonder compilations even beyond more so. Most contain your usual offenders – your “Mickey”, your “She Blinded Me With Science”, your “867-5309”. I picked up Time-Life’s Another Lost Decade-The 80’s: Hard To Find Hits in the waning days of Tower Records in New York. Time-Life, while being mostly a mail-order company with all the ill repute that the genre carries, was at times very successful in creating complete, interesting, and different sets cross-licensing material that’s hardly ever found on a multi-artist set. With Another Lost Decade-T8:HTFH, they’ve tossed the “one-hit wonder” stipulation to be able to stick in a couple “ringer” hits, like top-10’s “When Smokey Sings” by ABC, (which has aged really well for the era), Hall & Oates’ “Method Of Modern Love” (notsomuch), and the Thompson Twins “Lay Your Hands On Me” (again, aged better than other songs from the time). While by far none of these songs are “hard-to-find”, they are sold as being the “7” Mix” (as for ABC) or the US Mix, or whatever. I’m surprised the compilation producer didn’t spread them out more to diversify the disc, though each does lend their familiarity to the CD. “When Smokey Sings” in particular is smoothly pleasing, though a 60’s tribute opening an 80’s flashback seems odd. “Method Of Modern Love” is dorky, though not as bad as H&O’s “Adult Education”, and I almost forgot how a half-rapped lyric back then was really groundbreaking. “Lay Your Hands On Me” is an anthemic love-fest obviously set to recreate the Twins’ success with “Hold Me Now”, though with just enough pulled-back bombast to win over. There are a couple more minor hits from more established acts, like Duran Duran splinter Arcadia with fizzled single “The Flame”, which is ten-times more enjoyable as either their own or Duran’s other hits, and the Fixx’s album track “Deeper And Deeper”, culled from the deserved cult-fave Streets Of Fire soundtrack, and just as relevant as the band's other hits. The remaining ten tracks are delightfully obscure nuggets from mostly the often-ignored late 80's with one forgotten big-at-the-time hit, Deon Estus' top-5 hit "Heaven Help Me", which succeeded on the charts due to George Michael's overpresent backup vocals (he sings guide more prominently than a Paula Abdul record). Some of the songs are as bright and strong as ever, like Australian collective Big Pig's eerie take on "Breakaway" from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and another Streets of Fire track, Face to Face's "10-9-8" which for a silly chorus is a non-embarrassing pleasure. Others are enjoyable, though much more dated, like Scottish band Hipsway's faux-Anglofunk "The Honeythief", Times-Two's faux-American-funk "Strange But True", and OXO's one-note-verse rocker "Whirly Girl". But hey, I loved that song in 1983. What can I say!? A sucker for a knock-off Tubes hook? Some were just as mediocre as before, like Australian's Wa Wa Nee trying to get groovy on "Sugar Free" or the Models aping INXS with "Out Of Mind Out Of Sight" (though with the latter at least bringing a killer guitar riff). And last but not least, two real hidden gems stand out, Norweigans One 2 Many's adult-pop single "Downtown", predicting Wilson Philips and girl singers by almost a decade, and the original version of "No More "I Love You's"" by The Lover Speaks, which although eclipsed by Annie Lennox's superb version, shines like a diamond hidden in the dirt. Most of these songs are nearly impossible to find, and the CD as a whole is an entertaining listen throughout for a not-so-mainstream version of mid-to-late 80s pop radio. Much recommended.

Grade: B+
Best Cuts: "The Flame", "No More 'I Love You's'", "Deeper And Deeper", "10-9-8", "Downtown", "I Can't Break Away"
Weakest Links: "Method Of Modern Love", "Sugar Free", "Heaven Help Me"

"When Smokey Sings" by ABC made #5 pop, #1 Dance club, #2 Adult Contemporary, and #11 in the UK.
"The Honeythief" by Hipsway hit #19 pop, #9 Dance club, and #17 in the UK.
"Heaven Help Me" by Deon Estus hit #5 pop, #3 R&B, #3 Adult Cont, and #41 in the UK.
"Method Of Modern Love" by Hall & Oates made #5 pop, #15 Dance Club, #21 R&B, #18 Adult Cont, and #21 in the UK.
"Lay Your Hands On Me" by Thompson Twins made #6 pop, #46 Dance club, #14 Adult Contemporary, #14 Mainstream Rock, and #13 in the UK.
"The Flame" by Arcadia hit #58 in the UK.
"No More 'I Love You's'" by The Lover Speaks also hit #58 in the UK.
"Deeper And Deeper" by the Fixx made #47 Dance club, and #3 Mainstream Rock.
"10-9-8" by Face To Face hit #38 pop, and #7 Dance Club Play.
"Downtown" by One 2 Many hit #37 pop, #30 dance club play, #18 Adult Contemporary, and #43 in the UK.
"Strange But True" by Times Two made #21 pop and #12 dance club play.
"Sugar Free" by Wa Wa Nee made #35 pop.
"Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight" by the Models hit #37 pop and #22 mainstream rock.
"Whirly Girl" by Oxo hit #28 pop.
"I Can't Break Away" by Big Pig made #60 pop and #7 dance club play.

And now for Videomania!

First off is ABC, with "When Smokey Sings" very well-done clip, I must say...

next up, Hipsway's "The Honeythief"...

next up Deon Estus (sans George Michael) with "Heaven Help Me"..

Hall & Oates go really tacky with "Method Of Modern Love"..

Next up, Thompson Twins with "Lay Your Hands On Me"..

And here's the criminally overlooked single from Arcadia, "The Flame"..

Next up, The Lover Speaks' original version of "No More I Love You's"..

Here's a live version of The Fixx's "Deeper And Deeper"..

And another fave of mine, Face To Face's "10-9-8"..

And here's a bonus audio, One 2 Many's awesome "Downtown"..

Listen: "Downtown" by One 2 Many

And here's a special bonus, the dance mix of Times Two "Strange But True"...

Listen: "Strange But True" by Times Two [Link]

Back to videos, here's Wa Wa Nee's "Sugar Free"...