VA - NOW 12" 80s: 1980 (2023)

The Now That’s What I Call Music team is to release NOW 12″ 80s: 1980 a new 4CD set of 12-inch mixes which will be the first instalment in a brand new series.

The NOW team’s intention is clearly to work through the decade and there’s only one place to start and that’s at the beginning in 1980 when the 12” single was an increasingly essential part of the release schedule and would become even more so as the decade progressed. These extended versions, remixes, re-inventions – call them what you will – gave the dancefloor a longer version and the home listener an alternative take on a song.

The 12” single was a dynamic and increasingly essential part of the release schedule as the decade progressed. Incorporating extended (sometimes the full album) versions, remixes, and re-inventions – they not only gave the dance-floor a longer version, and the listener an alternative take, but also highlighted the artistry of the producer – bringing together all kinds of elements to create new soundscapes woven together with the original track, either vocal or instrumental, to present another reason to be excited on release date.

Across 4 CDs, 45 extended, full-length or remixed versions – 44 of which appeared on 12” singles, and 1 (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) which although released on a 10” single, admirably fits the criteria.

As the decade opened, Disco was the dominant chart genre, and ‘NOW 12” 80s: 1980’ brings together 12” versions of huge Disco hits from Lipps Inc, Grace Jones, Change, Odyssey, Donna Summer, Gibson Brothers, and Kool & The Gang. Sheila & B. Devotion, Diana Ross and Sister Sledge all enjoyed massive success with production and writing from Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards from Chic and Pop smashes became Disco gold from Liquid Gold, Village People, Kelly Marie and the aptly titled ‘D.I.S.C.O.’ from Ottawan.

The funkier side of the dance-floor came from the U.S. with The Gap Band, Leon Haywood, Bobby Thurston, Teena Marie, Jermaine Jackson and the timeless ‘Funkin’ For Jamaica’ from Tom Browne, and the U.K. was dancing to the Brit-Funk of Linx with ‘You’re Lying’ and the relaxed Dub explorations of UB40, with two of their early 12”s included. Club smashes including ‘If You Could Read My Mind’ from Viola Wills, ‘Take Your Time’ from The S.O.S. Band, ‘Walk Away’ from Donna Summer and the hugely influential ‘Love Sensation’ from Loleatta Holloway are all included.

UK #1s from The Spinners ‘Working My Way Back To You / Forgive Me Girl’, and ‘Call Me’ from Blondie in its’ stunning extended version (which wasn’t originally available in the UK on 12” single) are both featured. In 1981, Toyah would become a Top 10 regular, but in 1980 ‘Ieya’ was a huge track on the Independent chart and Sparks enjoyed a European smash with the Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltermeyer produced ‘When I’m With You’.

As the singles chart continued to reflect the rise of Synth-Pop and the burgeoning New Romantic scene – two of the first era defining extended versions are here, from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark with the re-recorded, longer 10” single version of ‘Messages’ – and ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’ the debut from one of the decades’ most successful groups, Spandau Ballet.

By 1981, the influence of dance-floor was still felt on the charts and on the 12” singles of the year, but by a huge number of artists enjoying their first hits and across many different genres. 1981 would be a rich and defining year in the story of the singles charts and one in which the 12” single gained momentum as an essential format, but that’s for next time…

NOW 12” 80s : 1980 – 4 CDs – 45 tracks – an extended celebration of the magic of 1980s Pop.