Dust off your stone-washed jeans and dig out your black vent brush. The mega-hits of the '80s are back in the aptly titled MONSTER '80s. Pop-rock mavens Tears For Fears and Duran Duran deliver well-crafted synth/guitar rock tracks with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Hungry Like the Wolf," respectively. After singing background vocals for Rod Stewart, Kim Carnes stepped out front and immortalized a legend with "Betty Davis Eyes." Soap opera heartthrob Rick Springfield makes everyone want "Jessie's Girl."
Dexy's Midnight Runners had their 15 minutes of fame with "Come on Eileen," while the powerful reworking of Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter" was a benchmark for the Bangles. In "Goody Two Shoes," Adam Ant made it hip to be square, while Men At Work made paranoia all the rage in "Who Can It Be Now." Madness hit home in "Our House," while dancer Toni Basil had people clapping their hands in syncopation for "Mickey." Gritty '50s rock never had cat class and style until the Stray Cats brought the "Stray Cat Strut" out of the alley and into the Top 10. It's not the beast under your bed, but Monster '80s is a pop-rock collection to be reckoned with.