It's Only Love 1985-1989 follows the pattern of JCI's It's Only series, offering a seemingly random collection of 20 hits from a given genre or style for a period of five years. These songs weren't necessarily the biggest hits of these five years, although there are a number of classics and smashes here. It may be hard to deduce exactly why these songs were chosen -- especially since the compilers apparently define the "love" genre as anything vaguely romantic, muiscally or lyrically -- but the end results are nevertheless ...
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It's Only Love 1985-1989 follows the pattern of JCI's It's Only series, offering a seemingly random collection of 20 hits from a given genre or style for a period of five years. These songs weren't necessarily the biggest hits of these five years, although there are a number of classics and smashes here. It may be hard to deduce exactly why these songs were chosen -- especially since the compilers apparently define the "love" genre as anything vaguely romantic, muiscally or lyrically -- but the end results are nevertheless quite entertaining. All of the songs are featured in their original hit versions, not remakes, which isn't always the case with midline collections. Furthermore, there a few cuts that aren't easy to find on other collections or even greatest-hits albums, which means it's interesting to collectors as well as casual fans. Most importantly, each volume captures the feeling of the era, even if it's missing several big hits, and that's what makes the series a nice introductory overview for curious listeners. Among the highlights on It's Only Love 1985-1989 are Starship's "Sara," Eric Carmen's "Make Me Lose Control," Mr. Mister's "Is It Love," Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere," Hall & Oates' "Method of Modern Love," General Public's "Tendernexx," Debbie Gibson's "Out of the Blue," Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart," Sheila E's "A Love Bizarre," Chris DeBurgh's "Lady in Red," Winger's "Headed for a Heartbreak," Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" and Jack Wagner's "All I Need," the second-best pop song ever sung by a male soap opera actor. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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