Singles: 1984-1987
Artist: Marc Almond

A classic "act leaves the label, repackage the singles" move, collecting every single from the Vermin in Ermine days through Mother Fist, with the one added bonus being the title track to his covers EP, an attractive version of the Judy Garland song "A Woman's Story." Not really necessary for the heavy-duty fan, but as an introduction to... Read More

Visage/The Anvil
Artist: Visage

Polydor combined Visage's first two (and best) albums, Visage and The Anvil, on one cassette in the early '80s. It's not a bad way to collect all of this music at once, but the packaging and sound are a little shabby, and since it's out-of-print and quite rare anyway, it's best to go for the collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing
Artist: Soft Cell
Community Score: 4.00
You and Me Both
Artist: Yaz
Community Score: 4.75

Perhaps a more consistent collection overall than the first album, this one demonstrates that the duo was anything but played out. While both have gone on to successful careers, you can't help regretting that this is the end of Yaz. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

Upstairs at Eric's
Artist: Yaz
Community Score: 4.75

Vince Clarke can claim involvement in two stunning debuts in only two years: Depeche Mode's Speak and Spell and Yaz's Upstairs at Eric's. While Speak and Spell is, by far, the more consistent record, Upstairs at Eric's is wholly more satisfying, beating the Depeche record on substance and ambition, and is light years ahead in emotion. "Don't Go"... Read More

True
Artist: Spandau Ballet
Community Score: 10.00

By 1983, with the new romantic movement they'd sprung from a rapidly fading memory, the members of Spandau Ballet showed they had no intention of traveling the same path. Always ambitious, the British quintet really got down to business: Gone were the kilts, frilly shirts, and makeup -- as well as the sometimes chilly electronics of their first... Read More

The Luxury Gap
Artist: Heaven 17
Community Score: 10.00

After creating a marvelous electronic debut, Glenn Gregory, Ian Marsh, and Martyn Ware decided to tamper with their winning formula a bit on Heaven 17's 1983 follow-up to Penthouse and Pavement. The result, which added piano, strings, and Earth, Wind, & Fire's horn section to the band's cool synthesizer pulse, was even better, and The Luxury Gap... Read More

Rio
Artist: Duran Duran
Community Score: 9.22

From its Nagel cover to the haircuts and overall design - and first and foremost the music -Rio is as representative of the eighties as it gets, at its best. The original Duran Duran's high point, and just as likely the band's as a whole, its fusion of style and substance ensures that even two decades after its release it remains as listenable... Read More

Duran Duran - FIRST
Artist: Duran Duran
Community Score: 8.12

Duran Duran's eponymous debut artfully coalesced the sonic and stylistic elements of the burgeoning new romantic movement they were soon to spearhead: pumping synths, glossy production, and seemingly impossible haircuts. Ultra-smart singles like "Girls on Film" and "Planet Earth" became instant smash hits both in the U.K. and America, and other... Read More

The Singles 1981-1985
Artist: Soft Cell

The original and still the best single-disc Soft Cell compilation (at least up through the band's long-awaited reactivation in 2001), The Singles 1981-1985 is just what it says it is, and what a collection it is. Along with other genre- and era-defining compilations such as Depeche Mode's similarly titled singles disc and Visage's best-of, The... Read More