NOW That's What I Call an Era - (FEELS LIKE) HEAVEN: 1978-1985 (Deluxe Edition) - Various Artists [CD]

NOW Music proudly presents the continuation of the Era series with 'NOW That's What I Call An Era: (Feels Like) Heaven 1978-1985', a celebration of essential synth-pop. This collection brings together 80 tracks across 4CDs in hard-back-book packaging complete with a 28-page booklet packed with notes on all the featured tracks - highlighting some of the best from a transformative era in music. CD1 opens with Queen's epic 1984 anthem 'Radio Ga Ga', followed by a run of key iconic tracks including Eurythmics with 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)', 'Vienna' from Ultravox, the New Romantic signature 'Fade To Grey' from Visage, and the 1979 #1 'Are Friends Electric?' from Gary Numan and Tubeway Army. Next up, chart debuts from Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet along with era-defining hits from Japan, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and the massive #1 'Tainted Love' from Soft Cell. Pop smashes from Heaven 17, Howard Jones and Nik Kershaw lead to sophisticated synth-pop from Scritti Politti and Tears For Fears with 'Mad World' ahead of Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder's timeless collaboration 'Together In Electric Dreams'. This first CD closes with Fiction Factory's No.6 UK hit '(Feels Like) Heaven'. CD2 opens with Laurie Anderson's still breathtaking UK No.2 'O Superman', before The Human League's debut single 'Being Boiled' from 1978 - and the hugely influential 'Back To Nature' from Fad Gadget. The Cure's 'Let's Go To Bed' and The Associates 'Party Fears Two' lead into a trio of German synth-pop gems from Propaganda, Peter Schilling and Alphaville. Early chart successes for Simple Minds and Talk Talk follow alongside New Wave crossovers from Devo and Our Daughter's Wedding. More international classics follow from Men Without Hats with 'The Safety Dance', Yello with 'Bostich' and Telex with 'Moskow Diskow' - the opener from their 1979 album 'Looking For St Tropez'. Disc Two closes with Phil Lynott's instantly recognisable 'Yellow Pearl' which served as the theme tune to 'Top of the Pops' in the early '80s. CD3 explodes into life with New Order's classic 'Blue Monday', before making way for Frankie Goes To Hollywood's #1 smash 'Relax'. More hi-energy synth-pop follows with Dead Or Alive's 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)' and Bronski Beat's anthemic 'Smalltown Boy'. #1s from Nena and Paul Hardcastle come ahead of the massive electro-dance hit 'IOU' from Freeez, and Donna Summer with 'Our Love', an influential cut from her 1979 'Bad Girls' album. More hits follow with Imagination's 'Body Talk', M & Robin Scott with 'Pop Muzik' and Joe Jackson's sublime 'Steppin' Out'. Early-'80s electro-dance fusions from Tom Tom Club and Malcolm McLaren & The World's Famous Supreme Team are next, whilst signing off this disc are two classic '80s theme tunes: Harold Faltermeyer's 'Axel F' (from the 'Beverly Hills Cop' soundtrack), and Jan Hammer's 'Miami Vice Theme'. The Final Disc starts with one of the biggest hits of the era from The Human League with 1981 chart-topper 'Don't You Want Me'. Norwegian trio a-ha saw 'Take On Me' become one of the decades' signature songs, whilst the 1979 #1 'Video Killed The Radio Star' from The Buggles became the first video shown on MTV in the US (and the final video shown on MTV in the UK).staying in 1979, Gary Numan hit #1 with the iconic 'Cars' and Sparks released their collaboration with producer Giorgio Moroder that included the Top 10 'Beat The Clock'. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark's debut single 'Electricity' is up next along with second appearances from Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Tears For Fears. Kim Wilde debuted with the pure-pop gold of 'Kids In America', and leads to a stellar run of synth-pop to close the collection - from Altered Images, Visage, Soft Cell with 'Torch', The Cure with 'The Walk' - and finishing with the elegant and haunting 'Ghosts' from Japan. 'NOW That's What I Call An Era: (Feels Like) Heaven 1978-1985' - an unforgettable journey through some of the greatest tracks from the most influential artists - celebrating one of the most groundbreaking and innovative era's in pop music.

Disc 1
1. Radio Ga Ga - Queen
2. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart
3. Vienna - Ultravox
4. Fade to Grey - Visage
5. Are 'Friends' Electric? - Gary Numan/Tubeway Army
6. Quiet Life - Japan
7. Enola Gray - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
8. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
9. Planet Earth - Duran Duran
10. To Cut a Long Story Short - Spandau Ballet
11. Temptation - Heaven 17
12. Christian - China Crisis
13. New Song - Howard Jones
14. Living On the Ceiling - Blancmange
15. I Won't Let the Sun Go Down On Me - Nik Kershaw
16. Love On Your Side - Thompson Twins
17. Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) - Scritti Politti
18. Mad World - Tears for Fears
19. Together in Electric Dreams - Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder
20. (Feels Like) Heaven - Fiction Factory
Disc 2
1. O Superman - Laurie Anderson
2. Being Boiled - The Human League
3. Back to Nature - Fad Gadget
4. Let's Go to Bed - The Cure
5. Party Fears Two - The Associates
6. Thieves Like Us - New Order
7. Duel - Propaganda
8. Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling
9. Big in Japan - Alphaville
10. Today - Talk Talk
11. Promised You a Miracle - Simple Minds
12. Lawnchairs - Our Daughter's Wedding
13. Whip It - Devo
14. The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
15. Money - The Flying Lizards
16. Da Da Da I Don't Love You, You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha - Trio
17. Bostich - Yellow
18. Moskow Diskow - Telex
19. Hyperactive! - Thomas Dolby
20. Yellow Pearl - Phil Lynott
Disc 3
1. Blue Monday - New Order
2. Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
3. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead Or Alive
4. Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat
5. 99 Red Balloons - Nena
6. 19 - Paul Hardcastle
7. I.O.U. - Freeez
8. Our Love - Donna Summer
9. Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.
10. Obsession - Animotion
11. Automatic - The Pointer Sisters
12. Body Talk - Imagination
13. Pop Muzik - M
14. Waiting for a Train - Flash and the Pan
15. Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
16. Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
17. Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren & World's Famous Supreme Team
18. Close (To the Edit) - The Art of Noise
19. Axel F (From 'Beverly Hills Cop' Soundtrack) - Harold Faltermeyer
20. Miami Vice (From 'Miami Vice' Soundtrack) - Jan Hammer
Disc 4
1. Don't You Want Me - The Human League
2. Take On Me - a-ha
3. It's My Party - Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin
4. Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
5. Cars - Gary Numan
6. Beat the Clock - Sparks
7. Burning Car - John Foxx
8. Electricity - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
9. The Freeze - Spandau Ballet
10. Careless Memories - Duran Duran
11. Pale Shelter - Tears for Fears
12. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
13. What Is Love? - Howard Jones
14. Doctor! Doctor! - Thompson Twins
15. Kids in America - Kim Wilde
16. Don't Talk to Me About Love - Altered Images
17. The Damned Don't Cry - Visage
18. Torch - Soft Cell
19. The Walk - The Cure
20. Ghosts - Japan