Tube Tunes Volume Three: The 70's & 80's

Tube Tunes, Vol. 3: The '80s carries listeners into that decade with a highly varied platter of music -- "WKRP in Cincinnati" by Steve Carlisle with an extended guitar and keyboard break and extra lyrics and Waylon Jennings' own rendition of "Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard" theme set the parameters for the songs, which range from the embarrassing ("The Facts of Life" by Gloria Loring) to the cheesily pleasant ("Theme from Greatest American Hero" by Joey Scarbury and the satisfying but insignificant "Charles in Charge," sung charmingly by Shandi). For instrumentals, there are Bill Conti's low-key "Theme from Dynasty," Jan Hammer's pounding "Miami Vice Theme," Mike Post's breezy "Theme from Hill Street Blues," and Stewart Copeland's ominous theme from The Equalizer. Probably the most familiar piece here, however, is the theme from the first modern mega-hit sitcom, Gary Portnoy's "Theme from Cheers." The sound throughout is excellent, and the annotation is reasonably thorough. ~ Bruce Eder