NOW That's What I Call an Era: The Sound of the Suburbs 1977-1980

In celebration of one of the most dynamic and diverse periods ever in the singles charts, NOW are proud to present 'NOW That's What I Call an Era: The Sound of the Suburbs'. This 4CD collections spans multiple genres that contributed to the rich diversity of the era - including punk, new wave, reggae, ska, mod and electronic - between 1977 and the end of 1980, and all of which would inspire the wave of new art and club influenced pop that would come to define the musical landscape of the early '80s. Kicking off with punk & new wave classics from The Clash with the iconic 'London Calling', the Ramones, Iggy Pop, The Jam and The Boomtown Rats who were the first punk/new wave band to have a #1 single, with 'Rat Trap'. The Undertones created a defining anthem, and Siouxsie And The Banshees began a run of hit singles that would last for more than fifteen years. Unforgettable chart debuts from The Rezillos, Plastic Bertrand and Martha And The Muffins feature alongside early hits for bands that would rate amongst the most influential of all time including The Cure and Joy Division. Dexys Midnight Runners took a fusion of soul and new wave to #1 - plus artists that had their roots in punk and found massive success with new wave pop are here - including Blondie, Squeeze, the Pretenders and Adam & The Ants. The collection's subtitle, 'The Sound Of The Suburbs', opens Disc 2 from The Members, along with punk anthems from The Stranglers, The Ruts, The Runaways and a second defining track from the Ramones. Patti Smith hit the chart with 'Because The Night', and Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello and Jonathan Richman all feature with signature self-penned songs. The Tom Robinson Band, Dr. Feelgood, Generation X, and The Skids all enjoyed chart success with anthemic singles - and the disc is rounded off with energetic punk-pop from Sham 69 and The Dickies with their take on tv theme 'Banana Splits'. Fusing traditional ska, reggae, rocksteady and new wave, The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, The Beat and Bad Manners open Disc 3 with a stellar run, ahead of reggae influenced singles from UB40 and The Clash. New wave cover versions feature from Grace Jones with 'Love Is The Drug', Devo with '(I Can't Get Me No) Satisfaction', Blondie with 'Hanging On The Telephone', and the Pretenders, who made their debut in 1979 with 'Stop Your Sobbing'. Power-pop/new wave hits from The Motors and The Jags bring the disc to a close along with the combination of punk, mod and pop from Secret Affair and The Jam. The final disc presents The B-52's, Adam & The Ants, Toyah, Hazel O'Connor, and Bow Wow Wow with new wave pop gems, and post-punk from Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Psychedelic Furs and Joy Division. The remainder of the disc celebrates the fusing of new wave attitude with electronic music to create hugely influential synth-pop that would set the direction for the new decade, featuring a stellar line-up including Japan, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, The Human League, Devo, Sparks, John Foxx, Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, and #1's from Tubeway Army with 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' and The Buggles with their 1979 chart topper 'Video Killed The Radio Star' - which in 1981 would become the first music video shown on MTV. Whether you were there at the time or have discovered this incredible music since - we are delighted to present the sounds of an ERA. 'NOW That's What I Call An Era: The Sound of the Suburbs 1977-1980'.

Special Features

Special edition 4CD encased in 'hardback book' packaging, which includes a 28-page booklet packed with notes about all of the 80 featured tracks.

Disc 1
1: London Calling - The Clash
2: Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
3: Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
4: Going Underground - The Jam
5: Rat Trap - The Boomtown Rats
6: Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
7: Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees
8: Top of the Pops - The Rezillos
9: Ça Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand
10: Cool for Cats - Squeeze
11: Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
12: Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
13: Geno - Dexys Midnight Runners
14: Roxanne - The Police
15: Brass in Pocket - The Pretenders
16: Atomic - Blondie
17: Echo Beach - Martha and The Muffins
18: It's Different for Girls - Joe Jackson
19: Over You - Roxy Music
20: Antmusic - Adam & The Ants

Disc 2
1: The Sound of the Suburbs - The Members
2: No More Heroes - The Stranglers
3: Babylon's Burning - The Ruts
4: Sheena Is a Punk Rocker - Ramones
5: Cherry Bomb - The Runaways
6: King Rocker - Generation X
7: Because the Night - Patti Smith Group
8: Is She Really Going Out With Him? - Joe Jackson
9: (I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
10: Roadrunner (Once) - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
11: 2-4-6-8 Motorway - The Tom Robinson Band
12: Milk and Alcohol - Dr. Feelgood
13: Just One More Night - Yellow Dog
14: Do Anything You Wanna Do - Eddie & The Hot Rods
15: Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones
16: Into the Valley - Skids
17: Shot By Both Sides - Magazine
18: Automatic Lover - The Vibrators
19: If the Kids Are United - Sham 69
20: Banana Splits - The Dickies

Disc 3
1: Gangsters - The Specials
2: The Prince - Madness
3: On My Radio - The Selecter
4: Mirror in the Bathroom - The Beat
5: Special Brew - Bad Manners
6: Food for Thought - UB40
7: (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais - The Clash
8: Like Clockwork - The Boomtown Rats
9: Death Disco - Public Image Ltd
10: Love Is the Drug - Grace Jones
11: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Devo
12: Typical Girls - The Slits
13: 7 Teen - The Regents
14: Making Plans for Nigel - XTC
15: Take Me I'm Yours - Squeeze
16: Hanging On the Telephone - Blondie
17: Stop Your Sobbing - The Pretenders
18: Airport - The Motors
19: Time for Action - Secret Affair
20: Back of My Hand - The Jags
21: All Around the World - The Jam

Disc 4
1: Rock Lobster - The B-52's
2: C30 C60 C90 Go - Bow Wow Wow
3: Dog Eat Dog - Adam and the Ants
4: Ieya - Toyah
5: Happy House - Siouxsie and the Banshees
6: Eighth Day - Hazel O'Connor
7: Whip It - Devo
8: Money - Flying Lizards
9: Nightclubbing - The Human League
10: Sister Europe - The Psychedelic Furs
11: Atmosphere - Joy Division
12: Underpass - John Foxx
13: Life in Tokyo - Japan
13: Are 'Friends' Electric? - Tubeway Army
14: Life in Tokyo - Japan
15: Messages - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
16: The Number One Song in Heaven - Sparks
17: Sleepwalk - Ultravox
18: To Cut a Long Story Short - Spandau Ballet
19: Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles

Number of Discs: 4

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.