Various Artists - NOW: Yearbook 1979 - (Special Edition 4CD Album)

Various Artists - NOW: Yearbook 1979 - (Special Edition 4CD Album)

This Special Edition CD is housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz, and original singles artwork, and as a standard 4-CD package.

Since June 2021 we have presented five editions of the NOW – Yearbook series that span the first half of the 1980s. NOW Music is proud to present the newest edition to our ‘Yearbook’ family: NOW – Yearbook 1979. With a re-imagined look that reflects the era, 85 tracks over 4-cds celebrate a truly spectacular year of chart magic.

Kicking off with one of Queen’s most popular songs ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, Disc 1 includes #1’s from The Police, The Boomtown Rats, Ian Dury & The Blockheads and the defining ‘Heart Of Glass’ from Blondie, as well as timeless hits from Kate Bush, Roxy Music and the debut from Pretenders. There’s early Synth-Pop hits from The Flying Lizards, one of two #1s in 1979 from Gary Numan, and the Top 10 return of Sparks with ‘Beat The Clock’ produced by Giorgio Moroder – who also co-produced ‘Hot Stuff’ for Donna Summer – which is included alongside massive Disco-Floor-Fillers from Chic, Sister Sledge, ABBA’s ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ and two further iconic #1s from Gloria Gaynor with ‘I Will Survive’ and ‘YMCA’ from Village People.

Disc 2 opens with three Ska/Pop crossover hits from Madness, The Selecter and The Specials, leading into sublime ‘Lovers-Rock’ from Janet Kay with ‘Silly Games’, before taking in some Classic Rock including Meat Loaf, Electric Light Orchestra and the collaboration between Gary Moore and Phil Lynott. Next up is an astonishing run of New Wave and Post-Punk hits including Squeeze, The Jam, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Cure, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Clash and Sex Pistols, before closing with two of the year’s most unforgettable chart debuts: ‘Lucky Number’ from Lene Lovich and ‘Rock Lobster’ from The B-52’s.

Four of 1979s most beautiful songs open Disc 3 from ABBA with ‘Chiquitita’, ‘Every Day Hurts’ from Sad Café, Elton John’s ‘Song For Guy’, and the best-selling single of the year: ‘Bright Eyes’ by Art Garfunkel, before presenting a stellar line-up of dance-floor gold including massive hits from Amii Stewart, The Crusaders, The Real Thing, Eruption and Earth, Wind & Fire With The Emotions on the epic ‘Boogie Wonderland’, before finishing with one of the most influential singles of all time: ‘Rapper's Delight’ from The Sugarhill Gang.

The final disc in this collection features four more of the year’s #1s and opens with one of them – Cliff Richard’s ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’, before further pop brilliance from Wings, Olivia Newton-John, Neil Diamond, Suzi Quatro, Boney M. and the winner of 1979’s Eurovision Song Contest – the Top 5 hit ‘Hallelujah’ from Milk & Honey. Smooth Soul ballads from Commodores, Peaches & Herb and The Three Degrees follow, as does a Country Pop #1 from Dr. Hook. The disc concludes with three Synth-Pop smashes that pointed the way to the upcoming decade – ‘Pop Muzik’ from M, and the two final #1s featured: ‘Are Friends Electric?’ – the first of the aforementioned two chart-toppers for Gary Numan in 1979 – and closing with ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ by The Buggles. This track was co-written, produced and performed by Trevor Horn whose work would define the Pop landscape over the next few years – whilst the song would be the first to be played on MTV in the US when it launched in 1981.

NOW – Yearbook 1979 – A celebration of the diversity of the charts, and the creative brilliance of the year in pop.

Tracklisting

CD1

1. Queen - Don't Stop Me Now
2. The Police – Walking On The Moon
3. The Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays
4. Kate Bush – Wow
5. Ian Dury & The Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
6. Blondie - Heart Of Glass
7. ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
8. Chic - Good Times
9. Sister Sledge - We Are Family
10. Earth, Wind & Fire – September
11. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
12. Village People – YMCA
13. Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
14. Sparks – Beat The Clock
15. Gary Numan – Cars
16. The Flying Lizards – Money
17. Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing
18. Dave Edmunds – Girls Talk
19. Gerry Rafferty – Night Owl
20. Billy Joel – My Life
21. Roxy Music – Dance Away

CD2

1. Madness – One Step Beyond
2. The Selecter – On My Radio
3. The Specials – Gangsters
4. Janet Kay – Silly Games
5. Gary Moore & Phil Lynott – Parisienne Walkways
6. Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell
7. Electric Light Orchestra – Don’t Bring Me Down
8. Rainbow – Since You Been Gone
9. The Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down To Georgia
10. The Knack – My Sharona
11. The Tourists - I Only Want To Be With You
12. Squeeze – Cool For Cats
13. Skids – Into The Valley
14. Sex Pistols – Something Else
15. The Clash – I Fought The Law
16. The Jam – The Eton Rifles
17. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Accidents Will Happen
18. XTC – Making Plans For Nigel
19. Joe Jackson – Is She Really Going Out With Him
20. The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry
21. Siouxsie And The Banshees – The Staircase (Mystery)
22. Lene Lovich – Lucky Number
23. The B-52’s – Rock Lobster

CD3

1. ABBA – Chiquitita
2. Art Garfunkel – Bright Eyes
3. Elton John - Song For Guy
4. Sad Café – Every Day Hurts
5. Eruption – One Way Ticket
6. Amii Stewart – Knock On Wood
7. Chic – I Want Your Love
8. Sister Sledge – He’s The Greatest Dancer
9. Donna Summer – Bad Girls
10. The Crusaders – Street Life
11. Earth, Wind & Fire With The Emotions – Boogie Wonderland
12. McFadden & Whitehead – Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now
13. Kool & The Gang – Ladies Night
14. The Real Thing – Can You Feel The Force
15. Edwin Starr – Contact
16. Leif Garrett – I Was Made For Dancin’
17. The Dooleys – Wanted
18. Frantique - Strut Your Funky Stuff
19. Dynasty - I Don’t Want To Be A Freak (But I Can’t Help Myself)
20. The Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight

CD4

1. Cliff Richard – We Don’t Talk Anymore
2. Neil Diamond - Forever In Blue Jeans
3. Wings – Goodnight Tonight
4. Electric Light Orchestra – Shine A Little Love
5. Olivia Newton-John – A Little More Love
6. Blondie – Dreaming
7. Suzi Quatro – She’s In Love With You
8. Dr. Hook - When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman
9. The Korgis – If I Had You
10. Dollar - Love’s Gotta Hold On Me
11. Milk & Honey – Hallelujah
12. The Three Degrees – Woman In Love
13. Peaches & Herb – Reunited
14. Commodores – Still
15. Racey - Lay Your Love On Me
16. BA Robertson – Bang Bang
17. Village People – In The Navy
18. Boney M. - Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday
19. M – Pop Muzik
20. Tubeway Army – Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
21. The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star

Format: Special Edition 4CD Album
Barcode: 0196587150327
Catalogue Number: CDYBXNOW79
Label: Universal Music
Release Date: Friday, 9th September 2022