As the Seventies faded into the Eighties, Top of the Pops approached its 1000th episode, MTV launched in America, and kids across Britain were falling in love with pop music away from the TV, through a small little box called a Walkman.

Through their headphones came new, strange sounds: mechanical, but organic and alive. The synthesizer was the sound of tomorrow, today, and it was thrilling. If the Seventies was the era of the album, the Eighties gave new life to the single short bursts of bright, gleeful keyboards, portals to other worlds which made yours feel a little brighter.

Pop music was suddenly ablaze with infectious and irresistible sounds, led by a new batch of stars, Marc Almond, Donna Summer, Grace Jones, Holly Johnson. All eccentric and lovable, extra-terrestrial yet human, and groomed for the video pop generation. Gathered on this 3CD set are the very best tracks from the era, all monstrous hits, which define their times, yet still sound like the future.

From the arched eyebrow of ‘Relax’, the Italo-disco of ‘I Feel Love’, to the swooning, grandiose ‘Vienna’. But we begin with a collaboration between a mustachioed pioneer from the mountains of Italy, Giorgio Moroder, and the pride of Sheffield, Phil Oakey. The lightning in a bottle recording apparently took ten minutes to make. It’s lasted decades and kickstarts this album, a pure celebration of the era. Enjoy!