Rock 80: K-Tel's Finest Moment?

Another example of the Tory conspiracy getting in touch with their Neo-Con contacts in the United States to reinforce Thatcher's victory in 1979 and how it changed things FOREVER AND FOR THE BEST.

I'm getting this urge to lace up rollerskates.

Thank you for posting this!!! I have been trying to recreate this album, through CD & digital purchase... you have made the process so much easier. The other album from K-tel I was trying to recreate was The Rock Album, with the Ramones, Blue Oyster Cult... Excellent stuff!!

Wow, what can I say, this was the first record I ever bought. I lived in Athens GA, in 1980, and this shit was fucking NEW WAVE for Georgia. I must say this though, Cars by Gary Numan made quite the impression on me, as well as Blondie and the Knack, perhaps this is the crowning achievement in the K-Tel catalog. Funny thing is later in life (2002) I sold a catalog of my work to them, I won't give any titles due to the shame of their content, but wow.

Um, I feel really old now. And by the way how can anyone compare Ronco and K-Tel? Apples to Oranges my friends.

This album certainly brings back fond memories for me, as it was one of the first albums I ever purchased, and I wore it out. Just a great group of songs, and I can hear any one of them on the radio and I'm 14 again, living with my parents again jamming out in my bedroom.

K-tel comps rule. Picked this up for fifty cents a few weeks ago:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2611/4128525939_27c61cc15d.jpg

i owned this one when i was very small:

http://www.shaunsayre.com/70s/hienergy.jpg

1. Knock on Wood Stewart, Ami 3:50
2. I Got My Mind Made Up Instant Funk 4:42
3. Fire Pointer Sisters 3:25
4. Renegade Styx 4:12
5. I Just Wanna Stop Vannelli, Gino 3:36
6. Call Me Skyy 6:21 (i really thought this was the Blondie song, but it say no)
7. Let's Get Serious Jackson, Jermaine 3:31
8. Love Machine, Pt. 1 Miracles 3:00
9. I Like Dreamin' Nolan, Kenny 3:27
10. You've Never Done It Like That Before Captain & Tennille

destroy: hooked on... series

Except for a couple of tracks I really like this one (got the 8 track around somewhere):

http://i40.tinypic.com/dvrkuu.jpg

Side One:
The Candy Man - Sammy Davis Jr.
Nice To Be With You - Gallery
A Simple Man - Lobo
If Not For You - Olivia Newton-John
One Bad Apple - Osmonds
Rainy Day Feeling - Fortunes
Mammy Blue - Pop Tops
Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Chicaboom - Daddy Dewdrops
You Could Have Been A Lady - April Wine
Popcorn - Hot Butter

Side Two:
Layla - Derek & The Dominos
Small Beginnings - Flash
Son of My Father - Giorgio
Butterfly - Danyel Butterfly
You Are The One - Sugar Bears
Wedding Song - James Last
Baby Let Me Take You - Detroit Emeralds
Power To The People - Chi-Lites
My Man, A Sweet Man - Millie Jackson
Honky Tonk Pt. 1 - James Brown
Power of Love - Joe Simon

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/354565141_92d6fb0d66.jpg
Been rockin this one I bought for $1 last week:

Side One
Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft
Staple Singers - Respect Yourself
Millie Jackson - My Man, A Sweet Man
Frederick Knight - I've Been Lonely So Long
Barbara Mason - Give Me Your Love
Detroit Emeralds - Baby Let Me Take You
Love Unlimited _ Walkin in the Rain With the One I Love
Joe Simon - Power Of Love
Sylvers - Wish that I could Talk to You
Timmy Thomas - Why Can't We Live Together

Side Two
Chi-Lites - (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People
Freda Payne - Band of Gold
Chairman of the Board - Gimme Just a Little More Time
James Brown - Good Foot part 1
Joe Tex - I Gotcha
Honey Cone - Want Ads
Presidents - 5-10-15-20 (25-30) Years of Love (LOL @ that title)
Free Movement - I've Found Someone of My Own
Main Ingredient - Everybody Plays the Fool
Jerry Butler - One Night Affair

but googling reveals a UK version with a totally different track listing including more well-known classics like Who's that Lady, What's Goin On, Movin On Up...

I have that 22 Explosive Hits one. It's pretty awesome. Super Bad looks fucking great, too.

Yep, my Canadian "22 Explosive" (one of the first dozen albums I owned) had about a half-dozen different tracks than the one above

I haven't thought about the song Rainy Day Feeling for a minute.
These comps are all super solid!

I still have an original copy of Rock '80 I got for Christmas when I was 11! I also have K-Tel's "SoundWaves."

http://a6.vox.com/6a00cd970e83b84cd500e398cb10ce0004-200pi

SIDE ONE
Upside Down - Diana Ross
Funkytown - T Lipps
Could Have Loved You For a Long Time - The Spinners
Let's Get Serious - Jermaine Jackson
I Wanna Be Your Lover - Prince
The Empire Strikes Back Medley - Meco
I Was Made For Loving You - KISS
You Better Run - Pat Benatar

Also a big fan of Pravda Records' K-Tel Tribute Albums: http://www.pravdamusic.com/compilations.php?compID=1

SIDE TWO
Steal Away - Robbie Dupree
Tired of Toein' the Line' - Rocky Burnette
Let Me Love You Tonight - Pure Prairie League
Do That To Me One More Time - Captain and Tennille
Lost in Love - Air Supply
Take A Little Rhythm - Ali Thomson
Into The Night - Benny Mardones

My approximate Top 21 or so, minus whichever ones I might have missed on my compilation shelf (some of these are foreign K-Tels though):

Super Bad Is Back
Body Moves: Electric Boogie
Rowdy Country
Disco Fever (Germany K-Tel 1977)
More Rowdy Country
Disco Rocket (Germany K-Tel 1975)
Rock 80
Disco Fever (U.K. K-Tel 1977 - different album)
Southern Fried Rock
Hot Nights & City Lights
Disco Rocket (U.S. 1978)
The Beat: Sound Wave Of The '80s (more new wave, 1982/early MTV era)
Super Star Collection (double LP from 1978)
20 Explosive Hits
Goofy Greats
Fantastic
Dynamite
Music Power
Full Tilt
Hit Parade
Hot Tracks

Wrote more detailed things about lots of them here:

I Have Never Heard Entire Albums By These Bands Who Have Excellent Songs On Late '70s/Early '80s European K-Tel-Style Compilations