Even the biggest fans of New Wave will have to laugh at the title of Roots of Rock: New Wave, since it's ludicrous to think of any music made in the '80s as "the roots of rock," let alone one that relied so heavily on synthesizers. That said, even skepetics might admit that the 12-track collection (ten on cassette) is a shamelessly entertaining listen, thanks to a virtually nonstop parade of hits and cult classics -- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Something About You," "She Blinded Me with Science," "The Look of Love," "Obsession," "In a Big Country, " "99 Luftballons," "I Know What Boys Like," "Come on Eileen," "Town Called Malice." A couple of items may be overly familiar to New Wave fetishists, but there are enough songs that don't pop up that often (especially on budget-line collections) to make this disc a bargain for casual listeners. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Based on 
![The Lexicon of Love [Bonus Track]](http://d3dvedx3sqrauf.cloudfront.net/i/boxart/mid/82/731453825024.jpg?v=2 "The Lexicon of Love [Bonus Track]")
