High Life – Da Geht Die Post Ab! (Polystar, 1986)

Review
1986 was the year in which Polystar released four High Life compilations. The final one, High Life – Da Geht Die Post Ab! also came in a double vinyl edition and a single CD. As a result, the following tracks are omitted from the CD: Jesse Johnson – Crazy, Moody Blues – The Other Side Of Life, Milou – Sentimental Lover, Eddy Grant – Dance Party, Carola – The Runaway, I’m Talking – Do You Wanna Be, High Frontier – Made In Heaven.

Like the previous volume, High Life – Himmlische Top Hits, this new release contains a number of songs that were included on Now That’s What I Call Music 8. This quartet consists of the 1-2 opening pair of Status Quo’s bombastic In The Army Now and Madness’ thoughtful (Waiting For) The Ghost Train along with the manic pop thrills of Swing Out Sister’s Breakout and the Pet Shop Boys’ Suburbia. The first gem to be unearthed is Berlin’s iconic and awesome Like Flames. Then we get the taut single mix of Janet Jackson’s extremely funky Control; one of the decade’s key albums.

The Kinks’ regretful How Are You remains one of their most undiscovered tracks. It originally appeared on Think Visual and the 7″ edit is here. Soul time: Tina Turner’s sultry Two People and Kool and The Gang’s funky Victory. Deep in the heart of nowhere is Bob Geldof’s flop 45 This Is The World Calling. The listeners were indifferent. PS – 1986 was also the year of Ireland’s Self Aid concert. So Cutting Crew: it makes a pleasant change to hear I’ve Been In Love Before, a gentle slow number that I saw them perform in The Bridge Hotel, Waterford back in 1988. And then we go into the light to be dazzled by Chris De Burgh and the dramatic overblown theatrics of Say Goodbye It All.

Keep on running: The Commodores bring out the uptown funk on the finely aged Goin’ To The Bank. The nightmare apocalypse of Suburbia and those dogs gives way to Barclay James Harvest’s prog-lite He Said Love. And more heart stuff with Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s driving We Love Age. Truly The Pacific Age. There’s a touching duet between Elton John and Cliff Richard – Slow Rivers – which failed to make an impact on the UK charts stalling at #44. Lastly we return to Falco and the second part in the Jeanny saga. Part 1 was featured on High Life – Nur Das Gelbe Vom Ei!; the follow-up sees Theresa Guggenberger back in the video despite the previous outcry. A story for the ages.

Favourite tracks
Berlin – Like Flames

Janet Jackson – Control

Lest we forget
The Kinks – How Are You