Nearly two years ago, Consumable readers participated in a poll to determine which album they would most want to see on compact disc. The #1 vote-getter was something which has never appeared in *any* format - the soundtrack to John Hughes' Ferris Bueller's Day Off. However, thanks to Oglio Records reissue, the #2 choice - Men Without Hats' greatest hits, titled here as Collection - has finally secured a well-deserved place in record bins.
It's not just the 2 big hits ("Safety Dance", "Pop Goes The World") that have secured a place in synth-pop fans forever - Ivan and the band could always offer more than just the occasional hit single. Though tracks such as "Living in China" and "Where Do The Boys Go?" seemingly evoke memories of bands with small but loyal devotees such as A Flock of Seagulls and Gary Numan, the challenge is remembering that these were just the the lesser-known songs of a band that took synth-pop to the next level.
This collection is *not* recommended for the people down the street who just purchased the Frat Rock collection. But those people who jumped on the Depeche Mode bandwagon in the late 80's, or anyone who has been dying to land their hands on some of these tracks - several of which have been out of print for years - should be overjoyed by this compilation.
It's about time. Kudos - one more time - to Oglio. TRACK LISTING: The Safety Dance (Regular, Extended), Living In China, Antarctica, I Got The Message (Regular, Dance), I Like, Where Do The Boys Go? (Regular, Extended), Messiahs Die Young, Pop Goes The World, Moonbeam, Hey Men, Editions of You
