VA - NOW Yearbook '78 Extra (2023)

NOW Music is proud to present 66 more essential gems from the incredible year in Pop that was 1978 with NOW – Yearbook Extra 1978.

CD1 kicks off with Queen’s classic ‘Bicycle Race’ followed by New Wave hits from The Boomtown Rats with ‘Like Clockwork’, and Blondie with the first single from ‘Parallel Lines’, ‘Picture This’. Huge chart hits from Electric Light Orchestra and Smokie lead into Rock’n’roll revival Pop from Darts, Showaddywaddy and John Travolta with ‘Greased Lightnin’’ (from the year’s biggest movie ‘Grease’). Beautiful ballads from Crystal Gayle, Anne Murray and Hot Chocolate are up next before a fantastic run of Soul including hits from Raydio, Third World and The O’Jays, and some fabulous European Disco from Amanda Lear, Voyage, Patrick Juvet and Boney M., plus U.S. Disco gold from Cheryl Lynn and Musique before Donna Summer’s Academy Award winning ‘Last Dance’ closes this first disc.

Meat Loaf’s ‘Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad’ from ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ opens Disc 2 – and is joined by timeless ballads from Billy Joel, Dean Friedman and Chris Rea, along with pure Pop from Lindisfarne and David Soul, plus a one-off non-album single ‘Ego’ from Elton John.

Rock from Status Quo and the epic ‘The Eve Of The War’ from Jeff Wayne & Justin Hayward leads into an amazing selection of Punk and New Wave including hits from The Clash, The Jam, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Sham 69, Squeeze and Public Image Limited before the disc finishes with one-off’s from Yellow Dog, and Streetband with ‘Toast’ giving singer Paul Young his first hit.

The final CD opens with more Pop gems from Blondie, Andrew Gold, Samantha Sang – with ‘Emotion’ – written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, and the duet ‘Stumblin’ In’ between Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro – a Top 5 single in the US, Germany, Australia and Canada. Sophisticated Disco hits from Earth, Wind & Fire, Donna Summer and Evelyn “Champagne” King feature alongside 1978 Eurovision competitors Baccara and winner Izhar Cohen & Alpha Beta. Sublime Easy-listening Pop hits from Barry Manilow, Elkie Brooks and Johnny Mathis duetting with Deniece Williams follow, before more retro inspired Pop from Leo Sayer, Child and second appearances for Darts and Showaddywaddy. We sign off 1978’s ‘extra’ with the second Top 20 hit from Father Abraham (and The Smurfs), The Barron Knights ‘A Taste Of Aggro’ – a million seller which parodied three of 1978’s biggest singles… and the final track was fittingly the last #1 of the year, and Christmas chart topper – ‘Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord’ from Boney M.

NOW – Yearbook Extra 1978 – a further celebration of the diversity and magic of the year in Pop.