Lies

During the '80s, Thompson Twins arguably produced the finest synth-pop singles, and Greatest Hits recollects their industrious years with Arista in clear, digitally remastered sound. Numerous collections exist in the Twins' catalog and nearly equal their studio albums, but Greatest Hits prevails as the most essential as it offers a definitive chronology from 1982's infectious debut "In the Name of Love" through 1987's reflective "Long Goodbye." Featuring 16 tracks, this brimming retrospective recalls MTV's formative years ("Lies"), those unforgettable Dr. Pepper commercials ("Doctor! Doctor!"), the anti-Apartheid movement ("The Gap"), and countless other '80s pop culture memories. Nearly flawless, this collection contains only one inferior single, the hokey electronic hoe-down "You Take Me Up," and it also excludes non-Arista releases, which means 1989's minor hit "Sugar Daddy," a Red Eye label recording, is absent. Nevertheless, Thompson Twins' Greatest Hits, along with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's The Singles and The Best of Howard Jones, remain indispensable for any '80s synth-pop enthusiast. ~ Jacob N. Lunders