VA - Back To The 80's: The Long Versions Vol.2 (2003)

Another four-disc box that compiles extended and uncut versions of '80s singles, Back to the 80's: The Long Versions, Vol. 2 (from Sony Holland) might be worth it for those who still love mainstream pop from that bygone decade. Most '80s-themed compilations use truncated radio edit versions in order to cram as many songs as possible on one disc; this does just the opposite and therefore sticks out compared to the average various-artists collection. The Blue Nile's "Tinseltown in the Rain," Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme," Captain Sensible's "Wot," Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy," Donald Fagen's "I.G.Y.," and Thomas Dolby's "I Scare Myself" are just some of the songs presented in extended or full form here. Amazingly, all 17 minutes of Steve Miller Band's "Macho City" - a very uncharacteristic song from Miller, and an unlikely underground club hit in the U.S. are included.