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.

Good compilation, awful sound
Some of my downloads from Kazaa sound better than the songs on this collection. I doubt that Rhino used the master tapes for this set as most songs have serious imperfections. That's a shame because the songs selection is very good. After listening to three or four songs, my ears start ringing. This collection is probably more suitable for car listening on long trips. For this reason I will never buy another Rhino collection. Period.

Rhino Made It...What'd You Expect?
Well, like many of the reviewers, this set has lots of well known songs, but many tracks are not worth the price.

I have been collecting 80's songs via iTunes for a few years now. I have 7 discs that I made myself of 80's hits. A lot of this set included. I, however, was able to skip downloading Don Johnson, Billy Crystal and many of those random, unwanted songs that have been mentioned.

When I am finished with my "Ultimate 80's Box Set" I will have about 15 discs of all the songs I remember hearing during those long bus rides to and from school in the 1980's. Of course, I listen on an iPod, so I don't need the discs anymore.

My rule of thumb is if it is made by "Rhino" don't bother. It will be overpriced, poorly constructed, poorly compiled, poor quality, not remastered and you'll eventually be left feeling ripped off.

Go to iTunes. I have only had a few songs not come up so far. Some of those have eventually made it to iTunes. If you can't find it there, just wait...it won't take long.