Classic Alternatives, Vol. 2

Audio Remixers: Maomen; Joseph Watt; Mark Kamins; Daniel VanPatten; Mike Howlett; Steve Thompson .
Vol. 2 in SPG' s Classic Alternatives collection cobbles together another set of dance-heavy new wave confections from the '80s, including familiar radio fare like Big Country's "In a Big Country" and "Our House" by Madness, as well as more obscure club hits such as Romeo Void's "Never Say Never" ("Might've been better if we'd slept together"), "Happy Birthday" from Altered Images, and "Reap the Wild Wind" by Ultravox. There is no shortage of comps from this era, but this series is continuously surprising in its song choices, making it a notch above all of the budget-priced K-Tel and Super Hits anthologies that reproduce like gremlins with every year that passes. ~ James Christopher Monger