Though including tracks from the Church and the Stone Roses on a new wave collection is using the term a little too loosely, 1980's New Wave is a decent collection of singles that span the style's eventual evolution into alternative rock. The set does include several definitive new wave and synth pop singles, such as the Cars' "Shake It Up," Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams," A Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)," and Men at Work's "Who Can It Be Now?," as well as some of new wave's later ventures into the mainstream like the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian." And though the Church's "Under the Milky Way Tonight" and the Stone Roses' "I Wanna Be Adored" aren't quite as good a fit with the rest of the collection as Love and Rockets' "So Alive" is, they do add to the album's overall quality. As a new wave collection, 1980's New Wave leaves a bit to be desired, but it still works as a collection of some of the decade's better singles. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide