VA - The Hits Album, The Soft Rock Album [2019] (4 x CDs)

SOFT ROCK

VA - The Hits Album, The Soft Rock Album [2019] (4 x CDs)

Issued in August 2019 by Sony Music and UMC, this four-disc set gathers a wide sweep of radio favourites that shaped the softer edge of rock across several decades. The collection sits within the long running Hits Album series, and the presentation reflects the label partnership that has kept these anthologies consistent in sound and scope. The track list is broad, yet the sequencing feels measured, with each disc carrying its own character drawn from the familiar blend of classic rock, pop rock, and soft rock styles shown on the release page.

The first disc leans into the big choruses that defined the mid-eighties, with artists like Toto, Bonnie Tyler, and Heart setting a confident tone. These selections remind you how polished studio production became during that period, and how strongly melody drove the charts. The second disc shifts toward a mix of seventies and eighties staples, where bands like 10cc, Electric Light Orchestra, and Stealers Wheel sit comfortably beside later acts such as Divinyls and Crowded House. The pacing is steady, and the transitions feel natural, which is not always the case with large compilations.

Disc three brings in a different energy, with Billy Joel, John Farnham, and Roy Orbison anchoring a run of songs that balance nostalgia with a sense of forward movement. The inclusion of soundtrack associated tracks adds another layer, and the flow from one song to the next feels carefully considered. The final disc moves into the nineties and early 2000s, where Richard Marx, Train, Sheryl Crow, and Kelly Clarkson show how soft rock adapted to new production styles without losing its emotional clarity. The variety across these four discs reflects the genre’s long reach, and the remastering keeps everything clean without losing warmth.

For collectors, the appeal lies in the breadth of material and the way the set captures several eras without forcing them together. It is a generous overview, shaped with enough care to reward both casual listening and deeper exploration. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Philip Bailey & Phil Collins - Easy Lover 4:43

02 Toto - Africa 4:55

03 Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of The Heart 4:27

04 Celine Dion - It's All Coming Back to Me Now 5:18

05 Cher - I Found Someone 3:42

06 Heart - These Dreams 4:14

07 Reo Speedwagon - Can't Fight This Feeling 4:46

08 Poison - Every Rose Has It's Thorn 4:18

09 Cutting Crew - (I Just Died) in Your Arms 4:41

10 Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me) 4:20

11 Huey Lewis & The News - The Power of Love 3:51

12 J. Geils Band - Centerfold 3:36

13 Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl 3:13

14 Pat Benatar - We Belong 3:37

15 Dan Hartman - I Can Dream About You 3:53

16 Daryl Hall & John Oates - Out of Touch 4:05

17 Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes 3:38

18 Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face 4:08

19 Maria McKee - Show Me Heaven 3:45

CD2

01 Meat Loaf - Two Out of Three Ain't Bad 4:46

02 10cc - I'm Not in Love 3:43

03 Electric Light Orchestra - Evil Woman 4:13

04 Stealers Wheel - Stuck in The Middle With You 3:23

05 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird 3:30

06 Thin Lizzy - Dancing in The Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight) 3:26

07 Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle 3:40

08 Patti Smith Group - Because The Night 3:19

09 Texas - I Don't Want A Lover 4:21

10 Divinyls - I Touch Myself 3:45

11 Belinda Carlisle - In Too Deep 4:00

12 Jane Wiedlin - Rush Hour 4:03

13 Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over 3:50

14 Roxy Music - Avalon 4:13

15 Gary Moore feat. Phil Lynott - Parisienne Walkways 3:23

16 Santana feat. Everlast - Put Your Lights On 4:45

17 Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid 4:04

18 Soul Asylum - Runaway Train 4:25

19 Spin Doctors - Two Princes 4:14

20 Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away 3:41

CD3

01 Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire 4:27

02 John Farnham - You're The Voice 4:16

03 Roy Orbison - You Got It 3:30

04 T'Pau - China in Your Hand 4:06

05 Eric Carmen - Hungry Eyes 4:05

06 Mr. Mister - Broken Wings 4:19

07 John Waite - Missing You 3:55

08 Steve Winwood - Higher Love 4:11

09 Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean to Turn You On 3:42

10 The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter 2:47

11 Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night 4:09

12 Quarterflash - Harden My Heart 3:49

13 Survivor - Burning Heart 3:49

14 Kenny Loggins - Playing With The Boys 3:58

15 Michael Bolton - Time, Love and Tenderness 4:16

16 Europe - Carrie 4:30

17 Martika - Toy Soldiers 4:17

18 Will to Power - Baby I Love Your Way - Freebird (Free Baby) 4:06

19 Fire Inc. - Tonight is What it Means to Be Young 6:54

CD4

01 Richard Marx - Hazard 4:40

02 Train - Drops of Jupiter 4:18

03 Scorpions - Wind of Change 3:37

04 Sheryl Crow - Run, Baby, Run 4:51

05 4 Non Blondes - What's Up? 4:11

06 Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's 4:16

07 Calling - Wherever You Will Go 3:26

08 Joan Osborne - One of Us 4:14

09 Anastacia - Left Outside Alone 3:50

10 Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone 3:07

11 Meredith Brooks - Bitch 3:55

12 John Mayer - Bigger Than My Body 4:24

13 Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm 3:51

14 Phantom Planet - California 3:13

15 Gavin DeGraw - I Don't Want to Be 3:37

16 Shawn Mullins - Lullaby 4:31

17 Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover 4:13

18 Bruce Hornsby & The Range - The Way it Is 4:56

19 Lonestar - Amazed 4:25

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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