the greatest album of all time?

when i was in college, k-tel records released a collection called, "the beat: soundwave of the 80's", which, surprisingly, encapsulated the oncoming new wave rather well:


A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
Kim Wilde - Kids In America
Haircut One Hundred - Love Plus One
Sparks - I Predict
Split Enz - I Got You
Graham Parker - You Hit The Spot
The Waitresses - I Know What Boys Like
The GoGo's - We Got The Beat
Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy
Duran Duran - Girls On Film
Thompson Twins - In The Name Of Love
Depeche Mode - Dreaming Of Me
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Joan Of Arc
Billy Idol - Hot In The City

nobody on radio or tv was playing this stuff...for a young student stuck in utah, this collection was something of a lifeline.