Same taste no Flavor
Ok most of these songs are classics in their own right and it seems like so many of the artists here just played the song as it was on the original recording. I enjoy punk covers and was hoping for something a little more edgy to the sound. Only a couple of songs on this cd are following that formula. I might as well listen to my cure album because the cover really just tried to sound like Robert.

Missing some Hits
I was hoping this CD came with some more well known 80's songs. I would be funny to hear someone like NoFX play the

How Cover Tunes Go Bad
So one of the things that I got for Christmas was the punk cover tunes compilation "Punk Goes 80's". I had high hopes for this compilation, as I greatly enjoy both punk and 80's music, and previous compilations like this (notably "Before You Were Punk").

I have thus far been sorely disappointed.

To be fair, the music presented is - for the most part - very faithful renditions of the previously released songs.
That is, they are are pretty much dull.

What I like out of a cover song is that: 1) the song is still (mostly) recognizable from its previous incarnation and 2) the person/band covering it go out of their way to make it "their own." The best examples of this that I think everyone might immediately identify are the Tiffany cover of "I Think We're Alone Now," the Disturbed cover of "Shout 2000" and the Marilyn Manson cover of "Tainted Love."

Each song is readily discernible if the original is known, yet each is also recognizably belonging to the artist/s in question.

That is not the case of the bulk of the songs on "Punk Goes 80's.

A good many of the songs keep the same tempo, majority arrangement and style of the original - and thus, as far as I am concerned, better as filler for live performances vice for a compilation as such. Hell, the "Power of Love" cover is freaking acoustical - ACOUSTICAL on a punk compilation. That's just wrong. And the cover of "Dead Man's Party" - while keeping very close to the original - could have been an alternate track by Oingo Boingo themselves it was so unoriginal.

The one song that did stand out was the cover of "Straight Up" (originally performed by Paula Abdul), but otherwise this was a pretty bland rehashing of these songs.

Weak and Sanitized
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Emo/Punk Meets the 80's - Brilliant Match
I lived in the 80's. I love the 80's. I grew up listening to bands like New Order, Tears for Fears, OMD, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Siouxie and the Banshees, the Church, etc. You should know the drill. In my adulthood, I found emo/screamo (which equals punk according to groups listed on this cd) because these harken back to those days. Oh, it's different alright but the spirit is in the right place. So this compilation was exactly what I would have dreamt up. If you are an 80's lover looking for a primer of what bands you might enjoy, this CD is a great introduction. Bands such as Relient K, Sugarcult, Emergy, Halifax, Motion City Soundtrack will give you a great peak at current music. They don't always break new ground with new arrangements. I think the most inspired retread was Straight Up by Halifax. You will never hear that song the same way again. I was amazed how a frivolous dance song suddenly had musical depth. Emery brings the best vocals of any track with their version of Holding Out for a Hero. Sugarcult holds their own quite nicely with I Melt with You. You will want to run out get these bands cds. Because I checked them all out shortly after these covers. They really are as good as their covers on this CD. Give it a try.