Lovers of eighties music might well think they could name any track from the fabulously flamboyant decade but a new NOW album coming out this May is out to make them think again.
When the first NOW 100 Hits the 80s - billed as the - was released earlier this year, fans wallowed in nostalgia, with a five-CD feast of 100 hits from the era including Wham!’s Club Tropicana and Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
So far, so well-known.
But hot on its (no doubt patent and colour-coordinated) heels, comes another five-CD collection which revives the lesser-known songs that made the play-list during the decade.
NOW 100 Hits Forgotten 80s is due for release on May 31, in time to be the talking point at summer parties with its blast back to bands such as, er, King; Modern Talking; Furniture and Sugar Minott who are described as unsung heroes of the era.
Others are lost classics while plenty familiar names are among the selection too, only with songs that many people won't have heard of. Diana Ross's My Old Piano anyone?
Just as the so-called "decade that fashion forgot" is famous for its shoulder pads and leg warmers while we've forgotten all about the chunky jewellery and oversize buttons that also contributed to the look, the hope is that the new song collection will jog a few memories of what else was on the soundtrack of the eighties.
And there will be plenty surprises, not least on discovering the musical pedigree of people who now have very different careers, such as children’s author Stan Cullimore who used to be in the Housemartins; ex-chef Julie Harris whose pop band Tight Fit topped the charts with The Lion Sleeps Tonight; and Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, now an upholsterer and hypnotherapist respectively, who were in The Thompson Twins whose track Hold Me Now is also on the album.
Among the more famous names is Jools Holland, who started his career in rock band Squeeze, while others that might well jog the memory are Aneka with Japanese Boy; Shalamar and A Night To Remember and Sinitta singing Right Back Where We Started.
The collection also includes Wonderful Life by the late, rather reluctant, star Black who in this entertaining interview some years ago with The Chronicle's sister paper The Journal explained the story behind his international hit.
And fans who have booked up to see Squeeze, supported by Heaven 17, play Sage Gateshead later this year can also whet their appetite for the gig with this new buy which features both bands on the play-list.
NOW 100 Hits Forgotten 80s is set to go on sale May 31 at under £15.
The 'forgotten 80s' track list - how many do you know?
CD1
1. Amazulu - Too Good To Be Forgotten
2. F.R. David - Words
3. Aneka - Japanese Boy
4. Transvision Vamp - Baby I Don't Care
5. The Primitives - Crash
6. Fiction Factory - (Feels Like) Heaven
7. Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid
8. Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
9. Red Box - Lean On Me (Ah-li-Ayo)
10. Modern Romance - Best Years Of Our Lives
11. King - Love & Pride
12. Level 42 - Running In The Family
13. Shalamar - A Night To Remember
14. Diana Ross - My Old Piano
15. The Pasadenas - Tribute (Right On)
16. Odyssey - Use It Up And Wear It Out
17. Forrest - Rock The Boat
18. Sugar Minott - Good Thing Going (We've Got a Good Thing Going)
19. Judy Boucher - Can't Be With You Tonight
20. LL Cool J - I Need Love
CD2
1. John Parr - St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)
2. Danny Wilson - Mary's Prayer
3. Thompson Twins – Hold Me Now
4. Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling
5. Sister Sledge - Frankie
6. Haircut 100 – Love Plus One
7. The Christians - Harvest For The World
8. Curiosity Killed The Cat - Down To Earth
9. Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well
10. Sly Fox - Let's Go All The Way
11. Big Audio Dynamite - E=MC2
12. Yello - The Race
13. Rebel MC & Double Trouble - Street Tuff
14. Rockers Revenge feat. Donnie Calvin - Walking On Sunshine
15. Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood
16. Pigbag - Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag
17. Haysi Fantayzee - John Wayne Is Big Leggy
18. Sophia George - Girlie Girlie
19. Stock Aitken Waterman - Roadblock
20. Ashford & Simpson - Solid
CD3
1. Dee C. Lee - See The Day
2. The Housemartins - Caravan Of Love
3. Big Country - Chance
4. The Bluebells - I’m Falling
5. China Crisis - Wishful Thinking
6. The Human League - Louise
7. Landscape - Einstein A Go-Go
8. Monsoon - Ever So Lonely
9. Trio - Da Da Da (I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha)
10. Toni Basil - Mickey
11. Tight Fit - Fantasy Island
12. Bucks Fizz - The Land Of Make Believe
13. Charlene - I've Never Been To Me
14. Jim Diamond - I Should Have Known Better
15. Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me
16. Pepsi & Shirlie - Heartache
17. Sydney Youngblood - If Only I Could
18. Sonia - You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You
19. Teena Marie - Behind The Groove
20. Milli Vanilli - I'm Gonna Miss You
CD4
1. Fat Larry’s Band - Zoom
2. Black - Wonderful Life
3. Boris Gardiner - I Want To Wake Up With You
4. Stephanie Mills - Never Knew Love Like This Before
5. Mai Tai - History
6. Randy Crawford - Almaz
7. Gregory Abbott - Shake You Down
8. Imagination - Body Talk
9. The Pointer Sisters - Jump (For My Love)
10. The Damned - Eloise
11. Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11
12. Bronski Beat - Hit That Perfect Beat
13. Westworld - Sonic Boom Boy
14. Jo Boxers - Boxerbeat
15. Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short
16. Stephen ‘Tin Tin’ Duffy - Kiss Me
17. Bros - Drop The Boy
18. Five Star – Rain Or Shine
19. Baltimora - Tarzan Boy
20. Nick Berry - Every Loser Wins
CD5
1. Fairground Attraction - Perfect
2. The Korgis - Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime
3. Squeeze - Labelled With Love
4. T'Pau - Heart And Soul
5. Modern Talking - Brother Louie
6. Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
7. Wee Papa Girl Rappers - Wee Rule
8. Paula Abdul - Straight Up
9. Kelly Marie - Feels Like I’m In Love
10. Ottawan - Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)
11. Debbie Gibson - Shake Your Love
12. Liza Minnelli - Losing My Mind
13. Sinitta - Right Back Where We Started From
14. Trans-X - Living On Video
15. Heaven 17 - Come Live With Me
16. Voice Of The Beehive - Don’t Call Me Baby
17. The Lotus Eaters - The First Picture Of You
18. Furniture - Brilliant Mind
19. Lionel Richie - Stuck On You
20. Toy Dolls - Nellie The Elephant
