VA - Now Yearbook '78 (2023)

NOW Music is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series, NOW – Yearbook 1978; 85 tracks from a magical year in Pop! 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.Opening with the epic ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ from Electric Light Orchestra, the timeless ‘Baker Street’ from Gerry Rafferty, and Rod Stewart’s massive #1 ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ More #1s follow from ABBA with the brilliant Pop of ‘Take A Chance On Me’ and 1978’s biggest selling single, ‘Rivers Of Babylon’ from Boney M. Pop-Reggae chart-toppers from 10cc and Althea and Donna are up next, before a run of dancefloor fillers including ‘I’m Every Woman’ from Chaka Khan, and Donna Summer’s incredible version of ‘Macarthur Park’, before a couple of Soul ballads from Rose Royce and the huge #1 ‘Three Times A Lady’ from Commodores. The first disc draws to a close with a stack of Pop classics from Marshall Hain, Clout, Bonnie Tyler and Suzi Quatro and Wings, before the peerless ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’ from Kate Bush.

The second disc pays tribute to the incredible line-up of artists in the charts of 1978 with their roots in Punk and beginning the burgeoning EnhancedWave movement , kicking off here with the stunning #1 ‘Rat Trap’ from The Boomtown Rats, the era-defining ‘Teenage Kicks’ from The Undertones, ‘Ever Fallen In Love…’ from Buzzcocks, and ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ from Blondie, alongside classic singles from Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Rezillos, The Clash, The Jam, Elvis Costello and The Attractions, and Ian Dury and The Blockheads… and US EnhancedWave saw Patti Smith and The Cars score huge hits. The remainder of Disc 2 features some of the year’s biggest Pop-Rock songs including hits from Billy Joel, The Who, Elton John, and Justin Hayward’s ‘Forever Autumn’ from the massive ‘Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds’ album.

Disc 3 is a fabulous celebration of Disco in 1978. A stunning run of Disco gold, led by the sophisticated groove of ‘Le Freak’ from Chic, alongside ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’, ‘Instant Replay’, ‘Let’s All Chant’ and ‘More Than A Woman’ by Tavares from the soundtrack of ‘Saturday Night Fever’. European created Pop/Disco from Baccara, Sheila and B Devotion, The Three Degrees, Eruption, and Voyage are included before a group of floor-fillers paying tribute to the sci-fi craze of the time: ‘I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper’, ‘Galaxy Of Love’, and ‘Automatic Lover’. More Dance-oriented hits from Hot Chocolate and Earth, Wind and Fire feature, before the disc closes with two of the year’s most beautiful ballads from Heatwave and the timeless ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ from Rose Royce.

The final disc is all about the Pop smashes of the year – opening with ‘Denis’ the chart breakthrough from Blondie, and two huge hits from the soundtrack to ‘Grease’ from Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. Darts paid tribute to 50s doo-wop, and Bill Withers and John Paul Young produced two of the most uplifting songs ever (‘Lovely Day’ and ‘Love Is In The Air’). Unique hits from Renaissance, Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley, and Barry Manilow are followed by a run of Pop gems from Dollar, Andrew Gold, Boney M., a #1 from Brotherhood Of Man, and the year’s UK Eurovision entry from Co-co, before a sublime run of Easy Listening Pop including ‘Lucky Stars’ from Dean Friedman w/ Denise Marsa, The Manhattan Transfer, Crystal Gayle, David Soul and Elkie Brooks. This incredible collection draws to a close with ‘Oh What A Circus’ a massive hit for David Essex, Brian and Michael’s #1 ‘Matchstalk Men And Matchstalk Cats And Dogs’, and what better way to sign-off such a diverse year in the charts than with 1978’s best-selling #2 peaking single – Father Abraham with the ‘Smurf Song’.

NOW – Yearbook 1978 – A celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of the year in Pop.

Tracklist
Disc: 1
1 Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky
2 Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
3 Rod Stewart - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
4 ABBA - Take A Chance On Me
5 Boney M. - Rivers Of Babylon
6 10cc - Dreadlock Holiday
7 Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking
8 Donna Summer - MacArthur Park
9 Chaka Khan - I'm Every Woman
10 Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You
11 Chic - Everybody Dance
12 Odyssey - Native New Yorker
13 Rose Royce - Wishing On A Star
14 Commodores - Three Times A Lady
15 Marshall Hain - Dancing In The City
16 Clout - Substitute
17 Bonnie Tyler - It’s A Heartache
18 Suzi Quatro - If You Can't Give Me Love
19 Wings - With A Little Luck
20 Kate Bush - The Man With The Child In His Eyes

Disc: 2
1 The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap
2 The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
3 Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)
4 Siouxsie and The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden
5 The Rezillos - Top Of The Pops
6 Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone
7 Elvis Costello and The Attractions - (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
8 The Clash - (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
9 The Jam - Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
10 Ian Dury and The Blockheads - What A Waste
11 Patti Smith - Because The Night
12 The Cars - My Best Friend's Girl
13 The Motors - Airport
14 City Boy - 5.7.0.5.
15 Sweet - Love Is Like Oxygen
16 Elton John - Part-Time Love
17 Billy Joel - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
18 The Who - Who Are You
19 Foreigner - Cold As Ice
20 Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good
21 Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
22 Justin Hayward - Forever Autumn

Disc: 3
1 Chic - Le Freak
2 A Taste Of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
3 Tavares - More Than A Woman
4 Alicia Bridges - I Love The Nightlife (Disco 'Round)
5 Dan Hartman - Instant Replay
6 Michael Zager Band - Let's All Chant
7 Raffaella Carrà - Do It Do It Again (A Far L'Amore Comincia Tu)
8 Baccara - Sorry, I'm A Lady
9 Sheila and B Devotion - Singin’ In The Rain
10 Voyage – From East To West
11 Donna Summer - I Love You
12 The Three Degrees - Givin' Up Givin' In
13 Eruption - I Can't Stand The Rain
14 Dee D. Jackson - Automatic Lover
15 Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip - I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper
16 Crown Heights Affair - Galaxy Of Love”
17 Gladys Knight and The Pips - Come Back And Finish What You Started
18 Hot Chocolate - Every 1's A Winner
19 Earth, Wind and Fire - Fantasy
20 Heatwave - Always And Forever
21 Rose Royce - Love Don't Live Here Anymore

Disc: 4
1 Blondie - Denis
2 Olivia Newton-John - Hopelessly Devoted To You
3 John Travolta – Sandy
4 Darts - The Boy From New York City
5 Bill Withers - Lovely Day
6 John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air
7 Barry Manilow - Copacabana
8 Renaissance – Northern Lights
9 Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley - If I Had Words
10 Boney M. - Brown Girl In The Ring
11 Brotherhood Of Man - Figaro
12 Co-Co - Bad Old Days
13 Dollar – Shooting Star
14 Andrew Gold - Never Let Her Slip Away
15 Dean Friedman w/ Denise Marsa - Lucky Stars
16 The Manhattan Transfer - Walk In Love
17 David Soul - Let's Have A Quiet Night In
18 Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
19 Elkie Brooks - Don't Cry Out Loud
20 David Essex - Oh What A Circus
21 Brian and Michael - Matchstalk Men And Matchstalk Cats And Dogs
22 Father Abraham – Smurf Song