Now Yearbook Vault 1980

We last tackled the new now yearbook Vault series in early October when we bought and reviewed the 1984 edition as I felt this by offering American only hits and Bubbling Under UK hits did offer something that would slot in with my original Now 2,3 and 4 and Hits and Hits II compilation albums bought back then.

Well they returned last Friday not with the previous two years but a three lp version of a set devoted to 1980 which is a under represented period with compilations here so looking at the tracklist, I decided to buy this one.
 

 

Record 1 kicks off with established superstars with big U.S, hits: Bruce Springsteen (with ‘Hungry Heart’ from the great The River album), Billy Joel (with ‘You May Be Right’) and Blondie with ‘The Hardest Part’ that was a single in the U.S. but not in the U.K. 

New-wave with a retro feel from The Ramones, The Revillos and The B-52’s lead into singles before the hits came for Echo & The Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes.

Fipping over the side for disco-pop from Donna Summer with ‘Sunset People’ and Shalamar with ‘Right In The Socket’ ahead of the fusion of soul & jazz from The Manhattan Transfer, and the superb collaboration between Wilton Felder and Bobby Womack on ‘Inherit The Wind’. 

Jazz influenced pop from Level 42 who we were to hear more from in 1982 leads to chilled soul from Brenda Russell with her timeless track ‘In The Thick Of It’ and finishing with the unmistakable vocals of Joan Armatrading.

Synth-driven pop would become the dominant genre in the charts over 1981 which is featured on Record 2 celebrates some of the formative singles of the genre from Sparks and John Foxx alongside Ultravox, The Human League and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark who would be among the most successful groups of the next five years. 

More synth-pop from The Buggles and New Musik follows whilst the disc draws to its close with The Tourists with ‘Don’t Say I Told You So’.

Turning over to the second side we open with ‘Dance Stance’ from Dexys Midnight Runners  that was the single that came a few months before ‘Geno’ took them to #1. 

Great guitar pop from Squeeze and XTC leads into The Clash, ahead of reggae and ska from Junior Murvin and The Bodysnatchers, and hugely influential early hip-hop from Kurtis Blow with ‘The Breaks’.

Record 3 begins with the ballad ‘Sartorial Eloquence’ from Elton John followed by more huge musical icons such as Paul Simon (‘Late In The Evening’), Linda Ronstadt (‘Hurt So Bad’) and Carly Simon (‘Jesse’). Robert Palmer, Bill Nelson and The Cars with Touch And Go complete the side with new-wave classics .

Turning the record over over on the flip side shows stellar vocals from Pat Benatar and Journey kick off an explosive line up of 1980’s rock from Saxon, Girlschool, UFO and the debut single from Iron Maiden. Phil Lynott features with his first solo hit ‘Dear Miss Lonely Hearts’, whilst the final word is given to the legendary ZZ Top – they were 4 years away from a U.K. chart single, but ‘Cheap Sunglasses’ hit the U.S. chart in 1980.

 Although we have the Now Yearbook 80 lp, two lps of Extras and a few original complations this brings otherwise missing American favourites and the early singles of acts we were to hear more of in one nice package. Recommended.