Great selection for representing '81!   January 7, 2004

I will never forget my big tough brother-in-law belting every word to "9 to 5" as my sister and I watched in laughter. Buy this CD if not to get a great introduction to '81, then to laugh at the ones who know all the words! It's worth it either way!


1981: The crossroads of pop.   August 9, 2002
  5 out of 6 found this review helpful

NOTES: Rhino's Billboard Top Hits series features ten popular songs from a given year. They may not be the exact biggest hits of the year (due to licensing restrictions from some major artists, etc.) but, more or less, provide an accurate snapshot of the year in pop music.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR 1981:

This was the year MTV was officialy launched. Despite it not getting big for a couple more years, this is where the 80's started to gain their own sound, though it still retained quite a few traces of 70's pop. Singer-songwriters, pop ballads, country crossovers, and (so-called) corporate rock, as well as the emerging new wave were the most popular styles of the day.

1. "Bette Davis Eyes" Kim Carnes -- The series gets going with one of the signature songs of the decade; combining a steady, mid tempo synth line over what sounds like a slowed-down pop/disco beat.

2. "Jessie's Girl" Rick Springfield -- The then co-star of General Hospital launched his music career with this power pop/rocker. Despite all the bashing he might get for his teen idol status, the song rocks, similar to what The Romantics or Loverboy might do.

3. "The One You Love" Air Supply -- This is one of the few clunkers here. Not that it's not a very heartfelt pop ballad, but it feels too dramatcially sad and not musical or melodic enough to be interesting.

4. "Tide is High" Blondie -- This mid tempo, slight new wavish ballad slightly recalls the girl group sound of the 60's is one of the strongest (and last) hits of her career.

5. "Physical" Olivia Newton-John -- One of the sillier tunes on here. This dancable, synth pop number is just about as far as you could get from the sound of her early soft country ballads, and was (appropriately enough) used as an aerobics anthem at the time.

6. "9 to 5" Dolly Parton -- Upbeat pop and another more novelty-type song from the usual country singer, and also the hit to the funny office worker's comedy of the same name (which Parton herself starred in).

7. "Queen of Hearts" Juice Newton -- The third song in a row that either is from a country singer or has some roots in that sound. Although it may seem like a little too much at once, this is far superior and manages to combine a (then) current country sound with fun pop/rock.

8. "Kiss on My List" Hall & Oates -- The hitmaking duo of the 80's gives us one of their strongest songs with this extremely catchy pop/rocker that commonly gets mistaken for an uptempo love song (even if it does somewhat sound like one).

9. "Being With You" Smokey Robinson -- The soul master gives us a more old-time, slightly uptempo pop/soul ballad with a relaxing background sax.

10. "Celebration" Kool & the Gang -- The second incarnation of the band has them moving far from their funk. R & B roots for their first in a string of 80's hits - with this happy pop tune that gets played at just about every party or wedding to this day.

Although this collection still isn't perfect (no year of the 80's can possibly be summed up with just ten songs), but it's a definite improvement over the 1980 series, accurately presenting the exciting changing trends in music at the time. "The One You Love" and "9 to 5" are the only two I could've done without.

As for missing songs: Foreigner was big that year, so I would've picked either "Waiting For a Girl Like You" or "Urgent." Pop ballads, like "Arthur's Theme" and "Endless Love" as well as funk/pop, such as "Super Freak" would've all been welcome over the two mentioned above.


Great tunes! Great sound!   July 8, 2001
  5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Rhino has remastered 10 classic pop singles from one of pop radio's last great years. Before radio splintered into half a dozen different (but very strict) formats, the top 40 stations of the time played whatever their listeners wanted to hear, be it pop, rock, R&B or country. This disc is a great cross section of the glory that was Top 40 radio during Reagan's first term of office. Kim Carnes had the record of the year and it still sounds great today. Rick Springfield started his comeback and Air Supply had yet to grow stale. Smokey had possibly his all time greatest solo hit this year. Dolly Parton sang a great song that topped both country and pop lists. Blondie continued to show their diversity. Hall and Oates were at the top of their game. Olivia Newton-John plateaued in popularity. Juice Newton came roaring back with a string of hits. Kool & The Gang released the party anthem of the century. Not bad for a year that is generally regarded as "bland" for being post-punk and pre-new wave.


Great CD!!!!!   May 7, 1999
  1 out of 3 found this review helpful

If you like 80's music and want to really move to these songs buy this one its great!


THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF 80's MUSIC   April 27, 1999
  2 out of 3 found this review helpful

I think that if you like the 80's kind of music you'll love this c