NOW Yearbook 1977
Various Artists
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Release Date: 01/11/2024
NOW is going back to the 1970s to proudly present the next instalment in our ongoing 'Yearbook' series - with 80 tracks across 4 CDs, celebrating a magnificently diverse year of Pop singles. This special edition CD is housed 'hardback book' packaging featuring a 28-page booklet, including notes about each track. Kicking off with a timeless anthem from Queen with 'We Are The Champions' and followed by the huge instrumental rock of 'Fanfare For The Common Man' by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The song that would open 'Live Aid' years later is next up from Status Quo with their signature 'Rockin' All Over The World', and 1977 saw 'Way Down' from Elvis Presley go to #1 in the wake of his death. Classic pop-rock from 10CC with 'Good Morning Judge' is followed by a trio of ballads from Electric Light Orchestra with 'Telephone Line', Leo Sayer with his trans-Atlantic chart topper 'When I Need You', and David Soul with another UK and US #1 'Don't Give Up On Us'. Hot Chocolate enjoyed their first #1 with 'So You Win Again' and is followed by a superb run of dance-pop from Candi Staton, Patsy Gallant, Donna Summer, Boney M. and The Rah Band. More pop-rock from Suzi Quatro, Smokie and a hit from the soundtrack of the tv series 'Rock Follies' lead toward the emotionally charged closing tracks on the first disc - from Elkie Brooks with 'Pearl's A Singer', Liverpool Express and 'Every Man Must Have A Dream', and the #1 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' from the concept album for the upcoming musical 'Evita' by Julie Covington along with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Disc Two opens with an amazing run of punk and new wave classics: The Stranglers with 'No More Heroes', Ramones with 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker', The Clash with their debut 'White Riot', and The Jam with their first Top 20 hit 'All Around The World'. The Boomtown Rats debuted with 'Lookin' After No.1' and defining hits are featured from Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers, Mink DeVille and Elvis Costello with the peerless 'Watching The Detectives'. A genre defying hit from the Tom Robinson Band leads into a sequence of hits that includes singer-songwriters Paul Simon, Boz Scaggs and Bryan Ferry, rock smashes from Boston and Santana, and to close the disc softer rock from Thin Lizzy and beautiful ballads from Racing Cars with 'They Shoot Horses Don't They', and Yes with 'Wonderous Stories'. The charts in 1977 were fantastically diverse, and one of the biggest genres of hits was Disco. Arguably one of pop music's defining moments came in 1977 with Donna Summer's #1 'I Feel Love' with it's production showcasing the role of the synthesiser. European disco smashes found huge success: Baccara topped the charts with 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie', along-side massive tracks from Belle Epoque and the debut 'Daddy Cool' for Boney M. - who a year later would become the biggest selling singles act of 1978. Meco re-worked the 'Star Wars' theme into a US disco chart topper, and The Trammps, Heatwave, The Emotions, Rose Royce, Thelma Houston and chart newcomers Chic all feature here in a stellar run of floor-filling hits. Marvin Gaye had a massive track with 'Got To Give It Up - Pt.1' and Gladys Knight & The Pips continued their run of hits with 'Baby, Don't Change Your Mind'. The disc finishes with 3 of 1977's greatest soul tracks: Deniece Williams took 'Free' to #1, and the Commodores released an all-time classic, with 'Easy', featuring Lionel Richie on vocals, whilst Detroit R&B vocal group The Floaters scored their only UK hit in style with 'Float On' reaching #1 in August. The final disc opens with 1977's biggest seller - the first single to sell over two million copies! - and the years' Christmas #1, 'Mull Of Kintyre' from Paul McCartney & Wings. Two more #1s follow: Manhattan Transfer with 'Chanson D'Amour', and the second chart-topper in the year for David Soul with 'Silver Lady'. Olivia Newton-John's 'Sam' continues the run of 'easy-listening' pop that also includes #1 'Angelo' from Brotherhood Of Man', sublime tracks, 'The Things We Do For Love', from 10CC, 'Oh Lori' from Alessi Brothers, and the Boz Scaggs penned 'We're All Alone' by Rita Coolidge, plus pop gems from Carole Bayer Sager and Meri Wilson all feature. Kenny Rogers hit #1 with 'Lucille', Billy Ocean enjoyed his second #2 smash with 'Red Light Spells Danger', while The Dooleys and Andrew Gold made their chart debuts. Rock 'n' roll was enjoying a revival and two contemporary groups both enjoyed massive success - Showaddywaddy continued their run of hits with 'Dancin' Party', and Darts arrived with a medley of 'Daddy Cool' and 'The Girl Can't Help It'.and the collection finishes with two instrumental hits, 'Portsmouth' from Mike Oldfield reached #3 in the first week of the year, whilst unexpectedly 'The Floral Dance' became a massive seller for the Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band, spending the last four weeks of 1977 at #2 behind 'Mull Of Kintyre'. 'NOW - Yearbook 1977' - a celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a truly magnificent year in pop.
Disc 1
1: We Are the Champions - Queen
2: Fanfare for the Common Man - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3: Rockin' All Over the World - Status Quo
4: Way Down - Elvis Presley
5: Good Morning Judge - 10cc
6: Telephone Line - Electric Light Orchestra
7: When I Need You - Leo Sayer
8: Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul
9: So You Win Again - Hot Chocolate
10: Nights On Broadway - Candi Staton
11: From New York to L.A. - Patsy Gallant
12: Love's Unkind - Donna Summer
13: Ma Baker - Boney M.
14: The Crunch - The Rah Band
15: Tear Me Apart - Suzi Quatro
16: OK? - Rock Follies
17: Living Next Door to Alice - Smokie
18: Pearl's a Singer - Elkie Brooks
19: Every Man Must Have a Dream - Liverpool Express
20: Don't Cry for Me Argentina - Julie Covington, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice
Disc 2
1: No More Heroes - The Stranglers
2: Sheena Is a Punk Rocker - Ramones
3: White Riot - The Clash
4: All Around the World - The Jam
5: Lookin' After No. 1 - The Boomtown Rats
6: Do Anything You Wanna Do - Eddie & The Hot Rods
7: Roadrunner (Once) - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
8: Spanish Stroll - Mink DeVille
9: Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello
10: Peaches - The Stranglers
11: 2-4-6-8 Motorway - Tom Robinson Band
12: Black Betty - Ram Jam
13: More Than a Feeling - Boston
14: Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs
15: She's Not There - Santana
16: This Is Tomorrow - Bryan Ferry
17: Slip Slidin' Away - Paul Simon
18: Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in a Spotlight) - Thin Lizzy
19: They Shoot Horses Don't They? - Racing Cars
20: Wonderous Stories - Yes
Disc 3
1: I Feel Love - Donna Summer
2: Yes Sir, I Can Boogie - Baccara
3: Black Is Black - Belle Epoque
4: Daddy Cool - Boney M.
5: Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band - Meco
6: Disco Inferno - The Trammps
7: Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) - Chic
8: Boogie Nights - Heatwave
9: Car Wash - Rose Royce
10: Best of My Love - The Emotions
11: Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
12: The Shuffle - Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony
13: Got to Give It Up (Pt. 1) - Marvin Gaye
14: Baby, Don't Change Your Mind - Gladys Knight & The Pips
15: You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
16: You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book - The Drifters
17: Jack in the Box - The Moments
18: Free - Deniece Williams
19: Easy - Commodores
20: Float On - The Floaters
Disc 4
1: Mull of Kintyre - Paul McCartney & Wings
2: Chanson D'amour - The Manhattan Transfer
3: Silver Lady - David Soul
4: Sam - Olivia Newton-John
5: Angelo - Brotherhood of Man
6: You're Moving Out Today - Carole Bayer Sager
7: Telephone Man - Meri Wilson
8: Oh Lori - Alessi Brothers
9: The Things We Do for Love - 10cc
10: We're All Alone - Rita Coolidge
11: Lucille - Kenny Rogers
12: Desirée - Neil Diamond
13: Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love With You - The Dooleys
14: Red Light Spells Danger - Billy Ocean
15: Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold
16: Have I the Right - Dead End Kids
17: Dancin' Party - Showaddywaddy
18: Daddy Cool/The Girl Can't Help It - Darts
19: Portsmouth - Mike Oldfield
20: The Floral Dance - The Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band