The Bangles
have had many, many compilations released between their disbandment in the late '80s and the 2006 release of
VH1 Classic
/
Legacy
's
We Are the '80s
comp. All of these have focused on the group's big hits of the mid-'80s -- they're heavy on 1986's
Different Light
, offer the
MTV
hits from their 1984 debut LP,
All Over the Place
, and have the hits from 1988's
Everything
, with nothing from their cult classic 1982 eponymous EP. That's also the case with
, which contains all the usual suspects:
"Manic Monday,"
"If She Knew What She Wants,"
"Walk Like an Egyptian,"
"Walking Down Your Street,"
"Hazy Shade of Winter,"
"In Your Room,"
"Eternal Flame,"
"Hero Takes a Fall,"
and
"Going Down to Liverpool."
All of these were also on the two previous standard-bearers among
Bangles
compilations, 1990's
Greatest Hits
and 2004's
Essential Bangles
, and if you have either, there's no need to get these. But if you're choosing between those two and this,
has a slight edge, since it balances the big songs from
with five selections from
while keeping selections from
to three tracks -- and by doing so, it captures the band at their best. The first two LPs plus the EP are still worth hearing by any
pop
fan, but those listeners looking for just the hits will be well served by this fine collection. [
We Are the 80's
was reissued in 2008 as
Playlist: The Very Best of the Bangles
]. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine