Various Artists "Platinum 80s"

Platinum 80s is a double CD compilation album, released in 2002 by Warner Strategic Marketing.

Track list:

CD 1

1. Queen & David Bowie Under Pressure 3:57
2. Madonna Holiday 3:51
3. Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer 4:40
4. David Bowie Let's Dance 3:36
5. Talking Heads Road To Nowhere 4:19
6. Depeche Mode Personal Jesus (Single Edit) 3:43
7. Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) 4:35
8. Madness Our House 3:21
9. Genesis Invisible Touch 3:12
10. Simply Red Money's Too Tight 4:12
11. Fleetwood Mac Little Lies 3:37
12. The Smiths This Charming Man 2:42
13. Blondie Call Me 3:29
14. A-Ha The Sun Always Shines On TV 5:06
15. Tears For Fears Shout 4:45
16. Culture Club Do You Really Want To Hurt Me 4:22
17. Human League* Don't You Want Me 3:56
18. Prince Kiss 3:38
19. Falco Rock Me Amadeus 3:20
20. The Cars Drive 3:55

CD 2

1. John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over 3:54
2. Pink Floyd Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2) 3:50
3. Van Halen Why Can't This Be Love 3:31
4. Frankie Goes To Hollywood Relax 3:56
5. Duran Duran Rio 4:44
6. Crowded House Don't Dream It's Over 3:53
7. Belinda Carlisle Heaven Is A Place On Earth 4:04
8. Bananarama Venus 3:38
9. Fine Young Cannibals Good Thing 3:09
10. Communards* Don't Leave Me This Way 4:29
11. New Order Blue Monday (88 Radio Edit) 3:48
12. Erasure Sometimes 3:37
13. Kim Wilde Kids In America 3:24
14. Simple Minds Don't You (Forget About Me) 4:18
15. Kate Bush Babooshka 3:28
16. Spandau Ballet Gold 3:52
17. Tina Turner What's Love Got To Do With It 3:35
18. The Pretenders Don't Get Me Wrong 3:46
19. Bee Gees You Win Again 3:50
20. Phil Collins In The Air Tonight 5:29

Simply Red "It's Only Love (Single & Video)"

"It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" is a track featured on Barry White's album The Man. British soul band Simply Red later covered the song, under the shortened title "It's Only Love", as the lead single for their third studio album, A New Flame. The Simply Red cover had its greatest success by charting at number one in Italy. The song later features in several greatest-hits albums and a ballad collection of the same name, and it remains a live favorite.

Simply Red "Money's Too Tight (To Mention) (Single & Video)"

"Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" (sometimes stylized as "Money$ Too Tight (to Mention)" in some of its single and album releases) is a song written and first recorded by The Valentine Brothers, John Valentine and Billy Valentine, and released as a single in 1982. The song was ranked at number 6 among the top ten "Tracks of the Year" for 1982 by NME.

It was covered by the British pop/soul group Simply Red in 1985. The Valentine Brothers' version peaked at #41 on the Billboard R&B charts, while the Simply Red single went to #13 on the UK charts in July 1985 and #28 on the Billboard U.S. pop chart in 1986. It was Simply Red's first UK single. The song was also an international hit, reaching the Top 40 in several countries.

The lyrics concern a person with economic problems, and mentions Reaganomics, a set of economic policies implemented by U.S. president Ronald Reagan in order to encourage the growth of the American economy. The lyrics include the lines "the old man that's over the hill", and "did the earth move for you, Nancy?" He wants to borrow money, first from his brother who responds,"Brother I'd like to help you but I'm unable to", then to his "Father, Father, almighty Father" who then responds "Money's too tight to mention".

A pastiche of the song was recorded and used as the theme song for the Australian investment television program Money (1993–2002). Another pastiche was recorded for Bo Selecta in segments featuring Leigh Francis's impression of Hucknall.

Track listings

7" single

1. Money's Too Tight (To Mention) 3:38
2. (Open Up the) Red Box 3:55

12" single

1. Money's Too Tight (To Mention) (The Cutback Mix) 8:40
2. Money's Too Tight (To Mention) (Single Version) 3:38
3. Money's Too Tight (To Mention) (Dub Version) 6:43

Simply Red "Stars"

Stars is the fourth album by British-based pop/soul/jazz band Simply Red, released in September 1991. Five singles were released from the album, including the UK top ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies". The album was a worldwide success, particularly in the band's home country where it has been certified twelve times platinum and was the best-selling album of the year in the UK for both 1991 and 1992, the first album to be the best-seller in two consecutive years since Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water in 1970–71. As of July 2016 it is the 14th best-selling album of all time in the UK.

Stars was the first Simply Red album to feature entirely original material and no cover versions, and it was also the last album to feature member Tim Kellett, who started his own band Olive after touring.[citation needed] It is the only Simply Red album to feature Fritz McIntyre singing lead vocals, on the tracks "Something Got Me Started" and "Wonderland".

The album was on the shortlist of nominees for the 1992 Mercury Prize. In 2000 Q placed Stars at number 80 in its list of "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever".

Stars was re-issued in 2008 as a collectors edition 2CD with bonus DVD digipack. On 20 April 2008, a copy of the album was given away with the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday.

Recording for the album originally began in Paris in August 1990, but the initial sessions did not go well: the equipment in the studio did not live up to expectations, and with the Gulf War having just started and dominating television news reports, the band found the atmosphere in the bunker-like studios oppressive and not conducive to making music. The group moved to the more relaxed surroundings of Venice to resume recording in the Condulmer Studios.


Simply Red's leader and singer Mick Hucknall had wanted the album to have a less electronic and more soulful sound than their previous work, and had recruited programmer Gota after hearing his work with Soul II Soul. Hucknall did not realise that Gota was also a drummer until he heard him jamming on the drum kit one evening in Venice, after which Gota also became the band's full-time drummer. The songs had been written over the previous year: "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" had been written on the road during the group's previous tour. "Thrill Me" was based on a riff that McIntyre had come up with, while Hucknall described "Wonderland" as "probably the most political song I've written", documenting his dissatisfaction with the British Conservative government of the time.

The album cover features a photograph of singer Hucknall in the Californian desert, wearing a Native American painted cloak that he had bought in Spain. Hucknall had insisted that in the shot he would be wearing the cloak and nothing else, displaying his bare legs. However, when photographer Zanna showed the photographs to EastWest Records, they were concerned that Hucknall's bare legs would offend sensibilities in the US, and Zanna had to digitally retouch the picture using a test photograph of her assistant's jeans-covered legs.