(ABC/Universal)

Back when a certain kind of style was all the rage

Retro? It’s a word that has contradictory connotations - of sleek and geek, chic and cheesy, fashionable and funny. It usually involves things of debatable taste, pushing the limits of what can be done with design, form, colour and materials. Which may explain why retro and ‘80s music seem to fit together so well. Prime suspects for this category include Duran Duran, Adam & The Ants, Dead Or Alive and Soft Cell. And they’re all here in their gaudy glory on this 30-track DVD drawn from the obviously extensive archives of the now venerable ABC video show Rage (which came to our screens during this colourful era). Actually, this collection makes an attempt to avoid some of the more, shall we say, exotic examples of the period – no A Flock Of Seagulls, no Culture Club, no Ultravox, no Haircut 100, for instance. Instead, there are classier names like David Bowie, The Cure, REM, The Style Council, Nick Cave, The Specials, The Triffids, The Church and The Go-Betweens. Oh, and Men At Work, Yazz and Olivia Newton-John (so maybe I’m wrong there). And with each of these names comes a signature tune and a visual depiction that was often cutting-edge for its day and still has the power to pull you in. After all, the ‘80s was the time when video really came into its own, a combination of creativity and technology that kicked everything up several notches. While there’s a fair degree of overlap, the companion 30-track double CD has a re-arranged track order and a slightly different tracklisting, bringing in Billy Idol, Suzanne Vega and The Psychedelic Furs, dropping Sonic Youth, The Jesus And Mary Chain and Do Re Mi. Why? Who knows? But either way, this is a flashback with plenty of flash.

*** ½

BILL HOLDSWORTH