Now That’s What I Call An Era: The Albums 1980 > 1984
Deep cuts!

NOW Music will issue a second volume under their ‘Now That’s What I Call An Era’ banner.
The first volume – The Sound of the Suburbs – focused on music from the late 70s, whereas this new collection – The Albums 1980 > 1984 – is concerned with music from the early part of the decade we like to call ‘the 1980s’ – but with a twist: None of the tracks were released as UK singles – they are all album tracks or ‘deep cuts’ as some people like to call them.
So… favourite artists, familiar sounds, often best-selling albums, but not the tracks you’d normally expect on compilations. From Wham!’s first album, Fantastic!, there’s ‘A Ray of Sunshine’ and from Make It Big the song ‘Hearbeat’ is selected. ‘Frankie’s First Affair’ is picked from Sade’s Diamond Life album, while from Alison Moyet’s Alf, ‘Where Hides Sleep’ is selected.

The superb title track of Paul Young’s No Parlez earns a place on merit, as does a pair of tracks from Duran Duran’s first two albums: ‘Is There Anyone Out There?’ and ‘The Chaffeur’.
In 4CD deluxe hardcover book form, The Albums 1980 > 1984 features 72 tracks in this vein, including Paul Simon’s ‘Hearts and Bones’, Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘Black Night White Light’, Tears For Fears’ ‘The Hurting’, The Police’s ‘When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around’ and many more.
The deluxe 4CD includes a 28-page booklet with a track-by-track guide, just like the Yearbooks. A 40-track 3LP vinyl version features each LP pressed on blue, white and pink vinyl
Now That’s What I Call An Era: The Albums 1980 > 1984 will be released on 30 May 2025.
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Various Artists
The Albums 1980 - 1984 - 4CD deluxe hardcover book
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Various Artists
The Albums 1980 - 1984 - 3LP coloured vinyl
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Various Artists
The Albums 1980 - 1984 - 4CD standard edition
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Tracklisting

Now That’s What I Call An Era: The Albums 1980 > 1984 Various Artists / 4CD deluxe
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CD 1
- Wham! – A Ray Of Sunshine
- Haircut 100 – Lemon Firebrigade
- ABC – Show Me
- Culture Club – Black Money
- Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart – This City Never Sleeps
- Alison Moyet – Where Hides Sleep
- Sade – Frankie’s First Affair
- Roxy Music – The Space Between
- Japan – Talking Drum
- Duran Duran – Anyone Out There
- The Human League – The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
- Spandau Ballet – Reformation
- Heaven 17 – We Live So Fast
- Ultravox – New Europeans
- Donna Summer – Protection
- Tina Turner – I Might Have Been Queen
- Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind
- Pretenders – Mystery Achievement
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CD 2
- Wham! – Heartbeat
- Soft Cell – Secret Life
- Bananarama – Young At Heart
- Nik Kershaw – Bogart
- Thompson Twins – The Gap
- Howard Jones – Equality
- Bronski Beat – Junk
- Shalamar – Don’t Try To Change Me
- Imagination – All Night Loving
- Toyah – Jungles Of Jupiter
- Kim Wilde – Our Town
- Culture Club – Boy Boy (I’m The Boy)
- Mari Wilson – Are You There With Another Girl?
- Carmel – Tracks Of My Tears
- The Style Council & Tracey Thorn – The Paris Match
- Paul Simon – Hearts And Bones
- Joan Armatrading – Turn Out The Light
- Paul Young – No Parlez
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CD 3
- Duran Duran – The Chauffeur
- Japan – Taking Islands In Africa
- Tears For Fears – The Hurting
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Black Night White Light
- Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – She’s Leaving
- Laurie Anderson – From The Air
- The Cure – Play For Today
- Joy Division – Isolation
- R.E.M. – Harborcoat
- The Psychedelic Furs – President Gas
- Blancmange – Game Above My Head
- China Crisis – Red Sails
- The Associates – Gloomy Sunday
- Adam & The Ants – Ants Invasion
- The Teardrop Explodes – Second Head
- Echo And The Bunnymen – Crystal Days
- The Jam – Man In The Corner Shop
- Aztec Camera – We Could Send Letters
- Nick Heyward – The Day It Rained Forever
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CD 4
- New Order – Age Of Consent
- The League Unlimited Orchestra – Hard Times
- Visage – Anvil Night Club School
- Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
- Talk Talk – The Party’s Over
- The Fixx – Reach The Beach
- David Sylvian – Nostalgia
- Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Almost Blue
- The Cure – Shake Dog Shake
- Blondie – Angels On The Balcony
- Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Tell Me When My Light Turns Green
- The Clash – Overpowered By Funk
- The Police – When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around
- Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
- UB40 – Tyler
- The Selecter – Too Much Pressure
- The Specials – Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)
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CD 1
By Paul Sinclair
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