Sometimes inspired, but often middling
Sometime in the 1990s, Rhino released a set of 15 CDs titled Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The 80s. Most of those have fallen out of print, and I suppose this box set was supposed to act as a replacement. Whatever the scenario may be, I'd encourage anyone to try to hunt down the 15 Just Can't Get Enough CDs, because everything that Rhino did right in that series is amplified by all that is done wrong here.

The 1980s produced a lot of great New Wave singles, some of which are on this box set and many of which can be found on the Just Can't Get Enough series. But instead of going the extra mile to license those off-beat tracks for this box set, the producers filled the discs with a whole bunch of crap.

Sure, you get "Whip It" and "Turning Japanese." You get Gary Numan, The Buggles, Blondie and Duran Duran. And you get some great rock tracks from the J. Geils Band, Billy Idol, and Georgia Satellites. But Christopher Cross? Grover Washington Jr.? Billy Crystal? The theme to The Greatest American Hero? Simply put, for every great song like the Cars' "Shake It Up" there are tracks by Styx or New Kids On The Block.

This issue is compounded more when you consider what is not on the set. While chart-topping artists like U2, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Guns N' Roses and Def Leppard may have presented licensing hurdles, the entire underground alternative rock scene is ignored. You'll find nothing from the Replacements, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., the Pixies, R.E.M., or any other groundbreaking alt-rock 80s band.

Also absent is XTC, "88 Lines About 44 Women," "I Don't Like Mondays," "Pop Muzik," Marshall Crenshaw, "I Melt With You," "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades," A Flock Of Seagulls, Adam Ant, Ultravox, "Mexican Radio," and Midnight Oil's stellar single "Beds Are Burning." These omissions are simply inexcusable. The birth of hip-hop is also given the short end of the stick.

In short, the 80s could have been done much better.

Audio CD
I had been looking for a number of these songs and found it in all one boxed set. Buying from Amazon was much more economical than from the bookstore, even with 15% off. Delivery was immediate, as promised.

great collection
its a very good and almost complete 80's colletion.
there is a few songs not important or famous.
the box is pretty and the book its interesant.

Decent Collection for Reagan Babies
As a child of the 80's I really enjoyed hearing all of the songs in this box set. The box set really showcases all of the one-hit-wonders that seemed to make up top 40 radio in the 80's: Kajagoogoo, Bow Wow Wow, Taco, The Fixx, etc. Most of the decade's major stars are absent, but I'm sure one Madonna, Michael Jackson or Prince tune would have cost way too much to license. If you love 80's music, you will enjoy this box set, that is if you don't already own most of these tunes.

My problem with the box set is that it doesn't differentiate itself from so many countless others that are available. I picked this box set up after listening to Rhino's "Have a Nice Decade: 70's Box Set". The 70's box featured about 4 or 5 soundbites per disk wedged between songs. The scope of music found of the 70's box set was fantastic, and the various styles presented kept my attention. The Newscasts and soundbites, the variety really captured the flavor of the 70's. You won't find this in the 80's box set. The tunes presented in the 80's set are basically all Top 40 hits, and really doesn't scratch the surface of the music scene in the 80's. Where is Siouxsie and the Banshees, where are The Dead Milkmen, where is Morris Day and the Time? I like the hits, but let's face it, I don't need another copy of "Tainted Love" or "Take on Me" which are readily available on almost any 80's best of CD.
The booklet that comes with the box set has some decent info, but why does it start off with an essay that is so critical of the decade? Instead of celebrating the Reagan years, we get a diatribe about "greed" and how shallow and dismal the decade was???? Buyers of this box set probably have fond memories of the time this set represents...why have such a negative essay start things off? The song by song rundown is good, as is the timeline running along the bottom of the booklet which points out key events of the decade.
I guess in the long run it boils down to if you don't have these tunes, this is a handy collection to pick them all up in one shot, but if you already have plenty of 80's cds in your collection..you may want to pass as there really isn't anything new here.

just ok
Although this set has a good selection of 80's music i don't feel it included a lot of songs that are better than what it has. I really like the 70's version of this set though.