Each volume of Excelsior's Rock On series provides an extremely arbitrary snapshot of the year that's being covered. Only 12 songs are on each disc, meaning that a good amount of space goes to waste, and there's little in the way of stylistic focus. Needless to say, these hastily patched-together budget-line discs shouldn't be considered suitable documentation for the years they are covering. This five-disc box includes the volumes covering the years 1980 through 1984, which feature plenty of new wave, mainstream rock, urban, and adult contemporary. Major hits from the likes of Billy Squier, Blondie, Ambrosia, Irene Cara, Juice Newton, and the Spinners can be found here. It's a cheap way to obtain a lot of popular music, but you won't necessarily be getting a good value.
Various Artists
Rock On: 1980-1984
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AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman
Track Listing - Disc 1
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blondie | 03:31 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | Ambrosia | 04:11 | Amazon | ||||
| 3 | The Spinners | 04:04 | Amazon | ||||
| 4 | Air Supply | 03:54 | Amazon | ||||
| 5 | Rufus & Chaka Khan | 04:32 | Amazon | ||||
| 6 | Rupert Holmes | 04:05 | Amazon | ||||
| 7 | Christopher Cross | 03:58 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | Robbie Dupree | 03:29 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Dr. Hook | 03:01 | Amazon | ||||
| 10 | The Doobie Brothers | 04:20 | Amazon | ||||
| 11 | Amy Holland | 04:01 | Amazon | ||||
| 12 | Little River Band | 05:13 | Amazon |
Track Listing - Disc 2
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blondie | 05:39 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | J. Geils Band | 03:38 | Amazon | ||||
| 3 | Foreigner | 04:38 | Amazon | ||||
| 4 | Billy Squier | 03:40 | Amazon | ||||
| 5 | A Taste of Honey | 03:43 | Amazon | ||||
| 6 | Juice Newton | 03:26 | Amazon | ||||
| 7 | Marty Balin | 04:19 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | April Wine | 03:57 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Little River Band | 05:16 | Amazon | ||||
| 10 | Pat Benatar | 03:21 | Amazon | ||||
| 11 | Gino Vannelli | 04:03 | Amazon | ||||
| 12 | Terri Gibbs | 02:59 | Amazon |
Track Listing - Disc 3
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toni Basil | 03:39 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | J. Geils Band | 03:58 | Amazon | ||||
| 3 | The Motels | 03:17 | Amazon | ||||
| 4 | Asia | 03:50 | Amazon | ||||
| 5 | Stray Cats | 03:26 | Amazon | ||||
| 6 | Foreigner | 04:22 | Amazon | ||||
| 7 | Quarterflash | 03:53 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | Juice Newton | 03:15 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Little River Band | 02:50 | Amazon | ||||
| 10 | Paul Davis | 03:43 | Amazon | ||||
| 11 | Ray Parker, Jr. | 04:06 | Amazon | ||||
| 12 | Patrice Rushen | 04:41 | Amazon |
Track Listing - Disc 4
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Bowie | 04:10 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | Thomas Dolby | 05:10 | Amazon | ||||
| 3 | Naked Eyes | 03:41 | Amazon | ||||
| 4 | The Fixx | 03:19 | Amazon | ||||
| 5 | Pat Benatar | 05:23 | Amazon | ||||
| 6 | Stray Cats | 03:18 | Amazon | ||||
| 7 | Culture Club | 04:02 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | The Tubes | 04:00 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Air Supply | 05:44 | Amazon | ||||
| 10 | Kajagoogoo | 03:45 | Amazon | ||||
| 11 | Sheena Easton | 03:46 | Amazon | ||||
| 12 | The Motels | 03:38 | Amazon |
Track Listing - Disc 5
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Waite | 04:30 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | Chaka Khan | 05:48 | Amazon | ||||
| 3 | Thompson Twins | 04:14 | Amazon | ||||
| 4 | Corey Hart | 03:57 | Amazon | ||||
| 5 | Pat Benatar | 03:42 | Amazon | ||||
| 6 | The Cars | 03:59 | Amazon | ||||
| 7 | Dan Hartman | 03:52 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | Billy Squier | 04:58 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Ashford & Simpson | 05:09 | Amazon | ||||
| 10 | Sheena Easton | 04:02 | Amazon | ||||
| 11 | Culture Club | 04:32 | Amazon | ||||
| 12 | Irene Cara | 03:01 | Amazon |
