This is such a fun album! I don’t remember when or where I got it, but unlike many other NOW compilations which recycle the same tracks, this one is a good idea. To get all these 12″ versions, you’d have to buy lots of records or curate the tracks from somewhere, and whoever put this together has generally good taste. Is this a collection of the very best mixes from 1981? Probably not, I’m sure there are some that couldn’t be licensed, but it’s a good album. There are only 3 songs on the whole album that I’d skip: ‘Backfired’ by Debbie Harry (I just don’t like it), ‘Stars on 45 Volume 2’ (clips of older songs strung together over a beat) and ‘Hooked on Classics’ (the same kind of thing but with bits of famous classical music). Maybe they seemed fresh and cutting-edge for the time, I don’t know. There are some real gems on here, though, including: ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials, ‘Fade to Grey’ by Visage, ‘Bedsitter’ by Soft Cell, ‘The Art of Parties’ by Japan, ‘Southern Freez’ by Freez, ‘Spellbound’ by Siouxsie & the Banshees, ‘Don’t You Want Me’ by The Human League’, ‘Hand Held in Black and White’ by Dollar and ‘Hands Up’ by Ottawan.

To enjoy the album, you really have to like the original versions of these songs, because all the tracks on here are about twice as long – variously called extended, special, or dance mix, as well as 12″ versions. I like some of these better than the originals, for example ‘Planet Earth (Night Version)’ by Duran Duran and ‘Happy Birthday (Dance Mix)’ by Altered Images. Obviously there are fewer tracks on the album than usual because only 11 or 12 can fit on each disc. I don’t listen to disc 3 as much as the others (there are a generous 4 CDs), not because it’s bad, just that the music style is more r’n’b and groove, when I prefer the synth pop which dominates the other discs. There are more in this series of 12″ mixes for other years, but I’m not likely to get any more unless nearly all of the songs appeal. I’d recommend this one if you love early 80s music and want different versions of those classic songs!