:: Various Artists - Empire: Back To The Movies

Various Artists

I‘m not sure who decided we needed a double album of soundtrack songs from the big screen, or why they only limited it to one decade but I wish they hadn't. Some songs remain classics: 'Don't You Forget About Me’ (Simple Minds), ‘Slave To Love’ (Bryan Ferry), ‘China Girl’ (David Bowie), ‘What A Wonderful World’ (Louis Armstrong), while most of the others are best forgotten: ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On’ (Joe Cocker), ‘Lady In Red’ (Chris De Burgh), ‘Never Ending Story’ (Limahl), ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ (Billy Ocean), ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’ (Belinda Carlisle), ‘Dangerzone’ (Kenny Loggins), etc. I'm also not sure when's the best time to throw this is on the stereo? Is it for that '80s party you're hos ting, perhaps it's doing the house work or maybe it's to impress your friends with your “vast” collection of music? With 40 tracks to reminisce or cringe to, this is one of those compilations that invariably looks good on first inspection but half way through has you searching for the receipt to get a refund.