NOW Yearbook ’78 is a new 4CD or 3LP collection that covers one of the greatest years for UK pop singles. The compilation is available on vinyl – with a 3LP limited pink vinyl release featuring 46 tracks, and two versions of the CD release: the limited hardback 4CD version (including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz, and original singles artwork) and a standard 4CD version, both featuring the same 85 tracks.
It is worth noting that the limited editions (vinyl and hardback) usually sell-out, and if you don’t want to pay a premium tracking down more expensive copies on Discogs or eBay, if you are interested, get your pre-order in.
1978 was a great year for so many genres. Look at the new wave hits (mostly congregating on LP 2 side B and CD disc 2). Siouxsie and The Banshees debut single Hong Kong Garden jostles for attention with The Clash’s (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais, an early classic from The Jam with the chilling Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, alongside one of Ian Dury and The Blockheads finest singles What A Waste. The Bruce Springsteen / Patti Smith song Because The Night is a track that sounds as powerful today as it did back in 1978. Great music is timeless.
The rock and roll revival of the late 70s is represented by Darts with The Boy From New York City, and one of the biggest films of the year in Grease features with two of the soundtracks ballads, Olivia Newton-John’s Hopelessly Devoted To You and John Travolta’s Sandy.
Disco was one of the most popular genres in 1978, and some absolute classic are featured on NOW Yearbook 1978. Donna Summer features twice with MacArthur Park and the classic pop of I Love You. Instant Replay from Dan Hartman and the Michael Zager Band’s Let’s All Chant will get you on your feet as well as singing along. Eruption’s I Can’t Stand The Rain was all over the airwaves in 1978 and is deservedly included here, as is Earth, Wind and Fire’s Fantasy along with a couple of soul ballads in Heatwave’s Always And Forever and Love Don’t Live Here Anymore from Rose Royce.
Classic Rock and progressive pop also features strongly. An often overlooked band from this era, City Boy, contribute 5.7.0.5., their only hit single. One of the last great singles from The Who (Who Are You) is well-sequenced in this compilation next to Cold As Ice by Foreigner, a staple of FM radio in Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh and the finest Blue Oyster Cult single, (Don’t Fear) The Reaper, a song used to wonderful effect in the TV adaptation of Steven King’s The Stand from 1994.
Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds was a massive selling album in the late 70s, and one of the key songs in Justin Hayward’s Forever Autumn features in NOW Yearbook ’78. Renaissance and their top 10 hit single Northern Lights is rarely played on oldies stations these days, but its a fine single. A Taste Of Honey with Boogie Oogie Oogie was another that was a much-played song on the radio and yet seems to have been forgotten as the years have passed.
Some songs that do still feature on 70s themed stations make a welcome appearance. Gerry Rafferty and Baker Street with one of the most iconic sax solos in pop and Mr. Blue Sky, a signature song from Electric Light Orchestra, are well-known, yet some less celebrated singles such as Love Is In The Air by John Paul Young and the late Andrew Gold with the pop nugget that is Never Let Her Slip Away are just as rewarding.
The only mis-step is the inclusion of Father Abraham’s Smurf Song. I know it was a hit but does anyone really want to hear this novelty song in 2023? The CD will be switched off before the song comes on, and I’m sure I won’t be alone in doing this. It was wisely programmed as the final track on the CD set.
NOW Yearbook 1978 will be released on 28 April 2023.
3LP pink vinyl (limited)
Deluxe hardback 4CD (limited)
Standard 4CD
3 LP Vinyl Track listing
Tracklist
LP 1 Side A
Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky
Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?
10cc – Dreadlock Holiday
Justin Hayward – Forever Autumn
Wings – With A Little Luck
Kate Bush – The Man With The Child In His Eyes
LP 1 Side B
Bonnie Tyler – It’s A Heartache
Suzi Quatro – If You Can’t Give Me Love
Clout – Substitute
Crystal Gayle – Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
Elton John – Part-Time Love
Billy Joel – Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
Joe Walsh – Life’s Been Good
Blue Öyster Cult – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
LP 2 Side A
Donna Summer – MacArthur Park
Chic – Le Freak
A Taste Of Honey – Boogie Oogie Oogie
The Three Degrees – Givin’ Up Givin’ In
Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman
Yvonne Elliman – If I Can’t Have You
Odyssey – Native New Yorker
Earth, Wind & Fire – Fantasy
LP 2 Side B
The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap
The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)
Siouxsie And The Banshees – Hong Kong Garden
The Rezillos – Top Of The Pops
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea
The Jam – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
Patti Smith – Because The Night
LP 3 Side A
ABBA – Take A Chance On Me
Baccara – Sorry, I’m A Lady
Boney M. – Rivers Of Babylon
Althea & Donna – Uptown Top Ranking
Blondie – Denis
Olivia Newton-John – Hopelessly Devoted To You
Renaissance – Northern Lights
Dean Friedman w/ Denise Marsa – Lucky Stars
LP 3 Side B
Marshall Hain – Dancing In The City
Eruption – I Can’t Stand The Rain
Dee D. Jackson – Automatic Lover
Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip – I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper
Hot Chocolate – Every 1’s a Winner
Commodores – Three Times A Lady
Rose Royce – Wishing On A Star
4CD Track listing
Disc: 1
Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky
Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?
ABBA – Take A Chance On Me
Boney M. – Rivers Of Babylon
10cc – Dreadlock Holiday
Althea and Donna – Uptown Top Ranking
Donna Summer – MacArthur Park
Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman
Yvonne Elliman – If I Can’t Have You
Chic – Everybody Dance
Odyssey – Native New Yorker
Rose Royce – Wishing On A Star
Commodores – Three Times A Lady
Marshall Hain – Dancing In The City
Clout – Substitute
Bonnie Tyler – It’s A Heartache
Suzi Quatro – If You Can’t Give Me Love
Wings – With A Little Luck
Kate Bush - The Man With The Child In His Eyes
Disc: 2
The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap
The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)
Siouxsie and The Banshees – Hong Kong Garden
The Rezillos – Top Of The Pops
Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone
Elvis Costello and The Attractions – (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea
The Clash – (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
The Jam – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
Ian Dury and The Blockheads – What A Waste
Patti Smith – Because The Night
The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl
The Motors – Airport
City Boy – 5.7.0.5.
Sweet – Love Is Like Oxygen
Elton John – Part-Time Love
Billy Joel – Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
The Who – Who Are You
Foreigner – Cold As Ice
Joe Walsh – Life’s Been Good
Blue Oyster Cult – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
Justin Hayward – Forever Autumn
Disc: 3
Chic – Le Freak
A Taste Of Honey – Boogie Oogie Oogie
Tavares – More Than A Woman
Alicia Bridges – I Love The Nightlife (Disco ‘Round)
Dan Hartman – Instant Replay
Michael Zager Band – Let’s All Chant
Raffaella Carrà – Do It Do It Again (A Far L’Amore Comincia Tu)
Baccara – Sorry, I’m A Lady
Sheila and B Devotion – Singin’ In The Rain
Voyage – From East To West
Donna Summer – I Love You
The Three Degrees – Givin’ Up Givin’ In
Eruption – I Can’t Stand The Rain
Dee D. Jackson – Automatic Lover
Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip – I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper
Crown Heights Affair – Galaxy Of Love
Gladys Knight and The Pips – Come Back And Finish What You Started
Hot Chocolate – Every 1’s A Winner
Earth, Wind and Fire – Fantasy
Heatwave – Always And Forever
Rose Royce – Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
Disc: 4
Blondie – Denis
Olivia Newton-John – Hopelessly Devoted To You
John Travolta – Sandy
Darts – The Boy From New York City
Bill Withers – Lovely Day
John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air
Barry Manilow – Copacabana
Renaissance – Northern Lights
Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley – If I Had Words
Boney M. – Brown Girl In The Ring
Brotherhood Of Man – Figaro
Co-Co – Bad Old Days
Dollar – Shooting Star
Andrew Gold – Never Let Her Slip Away
Dean Friedman w/ Denise Marsa – Lucky Stars
The Manhattan Transfer – Walk In Love
David Soul – Let’s Have A Quiet Night In
Crystal Gayle – Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
Elkie Brooks – Don’t Cry Out Loud
David Essex – Oh What A Circus
Brian and Michael – Matchstalk Men And Matchstalk Cats And Dogs
Father Abraham – Smurf Song
Kate Bush has released the second set of remastered versions of her albums – as a box-set and as individual albums, on CD and vinyl. Y
Kate Bush has released remastered versions of her first seven studio albums – as a 
Lionheart, compared to the original CD issue (listening, not comparing waveforms!) is a more sympathetic remaster. The original sounds slightly muddy in comparison, whilst the new master feels cleaner and lets you push the volume up. This is especially noticeable on Symphony In Blue (the drums sound much better) and on Wow (the strings sound gorgeous).
The piano and keyboards on the intro to Babooshka from Never For Ever (1980) sound much less harsh than the original master, they sparkle more. One of my favourite songs on the album, Delius also benefits and feels more natural.
The Dreaming is my favourite overall Kate Bush album, and I love the way the vocals sound on this remaster. At normal volume, the changes are noticeable, but when played at volume, the strengths of The Dreaming really hit home. Those drums on Sat In Your Lap!
The Sensual World (1989) has more punch, especially in the chorus of the title track and on the percussion on Reaching Out, one of my favourites from the album.
The Red Shoes (1993) has some key improvements in sound quality – such as on the chorus of Rubberband Girl, with a stronger bass and guitar sound. The deep strings in Moments Of Pleasure are more vibrant and richer and Top Of The City sounds more widescreen and cinematic.
No I am not going mad, and slipping back in time to the 80’s to review the second album from Tears for Fears. This is a review of the 2014 six-disc deluxe edition.
Disc five – ahh disc five. This is the highlight of the collection. This disc contains a brand new 2014 5.1 surround sound mix of Songs From The Big Chair by Steven Wilson. If you know Wilson’s solo work, or his recordings with Porcupine Tree and no-man, you will be aware that his productions always sound amazing. He has recently remixed albums by Yes and XTC into 5.1 surround sound, and Songs From The Big Chair is another 5.1 success.
– box-set on Amazon
Mr Kinski's Music Shack 