Updating the Nows - Now Yearbook 1978

The last time we visited the topic of the Now Yearbooks was in early February which was for the three cd Now Yearbook 80-84 Extra as my involvement around this series was with records and the last records we reviewed here were Now Yearbook 80-84, a three lp set of songs from that period not included on standalone releases and the vinyl only five lp per year Extra.

Time flies and while the series has covered 1985 and more recently 1986 given I had original vinyl editions of Now 5 through 8 and the related Hits compilations I skipped over them.

In early September the series did go backwards in time to 1979 and on April 28th this year the series took a further leap back into the 1970's with the release on pink vinyl of the 1978 yearbook which like previous volumes places three lps in inner sleeves into a single outer.

Obviously in condensing four well filled cds to three lps some items are missed out but everything that should be here is and given back then we were on KTel and Ronco edited and more mid fi twenty track single lps this set is a real asset for vinyl fans of chart music of this year.

As with previous editions we get the tracklist but sadly no brief background notes on the tracks which is a pity.

LP1 opens with the epic ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ from Electric Light Orchestra, the timeless ‘Baker Street’ from Gerry Rafferty, and Rod Stewart’s no.1‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ 

Reggae influenced Pop from 10cc follows, plus Justin Hayward’s ‘Forever Autumn’ from the massive ‘Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds’ album with the first side closeing with sophisticated Pop from Wings, before the peerless ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’ from Kate Bush. 

Flipping over to Side Two, a stack of Pop classics from Bonnie Tyler, Clout and Suzi Quatro, before Rock-infused Pop from Billy Joel, Elton John, and the classic ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’ from Blue Öyster Cult.

LP2 is a celebration of Disco in 1978 which was massive. 

A floor-filling run of Disco gold, led by the stunning version of ‘Macarthur Park’ from Donna Summer alongside the sophisticated groove of ‘Le Freak’ from Chic, ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’, ’I’m Every Woman’, and Odyssey’s ‘Native New Yorker’,.

Side two pays tribute to the incredible line-up of artists in the charts of 1978 with their roots in Punk and beginning the burgeoning New Wave movement , kicking off here with the number one 1 ‘Rat Trap’ from The Boomtown Rats, the era-defining ‘Teenage Kicks’ from The Undertones, and ‘Ever Fallen In Love…’ from Buzzcocks, alongside classic singles from Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Rezillos, The Jam, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, and Patti Smith.

LP3's first side is all about the pure Pop smashes of the year – starting with the Pop brilliance of ‘Take A Chance On Me’ from ABBA, the year’s biggest seller in the UK ‘Rivers Of Babylon’ from Boney M., and Althea & Donna’s Reggae- number one 1 ‘Uptown Top Ranking’, along with Blondie’s breakthrough ‘Denis’, Olivia Newton-John’s smash ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ from the smash hit film Grease’, Pop gems from Baccara and Renaissance, finishing with the sublime Easy Listening Pop of ‘Lucky Stars’ from Dean Friedman.

 Side two of the final record rounds-up further Dance oriented smashes from Marshall Hain, Eruption, and Hot Chocolate, tributes to the sci-fi craze of the time: ‘I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper’, and ‘Automatic Lover’, and drawing to a close with two of 1978’s biggest ballads – the Motown number one smash ‘Three Times A Lady’ from the Commodores, and the classy soul ‘Wishing On A Star’ from Rose Royce.

This set may not have every single track you like but does give a fantastic overview of a very diverse year in music where singles sales were amongst the highest ever in the UK from a year I remember well.