Now yearbooks 1978

In September of last year this epic series of cd sets took a leap into the nineteen seventies with the 1979 edition and corresponding (on cd) Extras set which was welcome as comprehensive Year based sets covering the 70's tend to be the exception and it was noted sales were high for it.

1978 is a year that some of us remember well from the soccer World Cup in Argentina, Israel winning Eurovision and on the radio and big screen the year being dominated by Saturday Night Fever and Grease as we got older and more aware of things happening in the UK and abroad.

It was a very diverse music scene not least on the singles charts which was something I loved back then as now so we're taking a trip through the contents.

Opening disc 1 we start with ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ from Electric Light Orchestra, the timeless ‘Baker Street’ from Gerry Rafferty, and Rod Stewart’s chart topping ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’

 More chart toppers follow from ABBA with ‘Take A Chance On Me’ and 1978’s biggest selling single, ‘Rivers Of Babylon’ from Boney M. Pop-Reggae chart-toppers from 10cc and Althea and Donna are up next, before a run of dancefloor fillers including ‘I’m Every Woman’ from Chaka Khan, and Donna Summer’s incredible version of ‘Macarthur Park’, before a couple of Soul ballads from Rose Royce and 'Three Times A Lady’ from Commodores. The first disc draws to a close with a stack of Pop classics from Marshall Hain, Clout, Bonnie Tyler and Suzi Quatro and Wings with a personal favourite 'With A Little Luck'  before the peerless ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’ from Kate Bush.

The second disc pays tribute to the incredible line-up of artists in the charts of 1978 with their roots in Punk and the burgeoning New Wave movement, kicking off here with the stunning no.1 ‘Rat Trap’ from Ireland's The Boomtown Rats, the era-defining ‘Teenage Kicks’ from The Undertones, ‘Ever Fallen In Love…’ from Buzzcocks, and ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ from Blondie, alongside classic singles from Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Rezillos, The Clash, The Jam, Elvis Costello and The Attractions, and Ian Dury and The Blockheads plus America's Patti Smith and The Cars score huge hits. 

The remainder of Disc 2 features some of the year’s biggest Pop-Rock songs including hits from Billy Joel, The Who  with 'Who Are You?', Elton John, and Justin Hayward’s ‘Forever Autumn’ from the hugely successful Sci-Fi ‘Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds’ album.

The third disc centres on disco in 1978 which was huge. A stunning run of disco gold, led by the sophisticated groove of ‘Le Freak’ from Chic, alongside ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’, ‘Instant Replay’, ‘Let’s All Chant’ and ‘More Than A Woman’ by Tavares from the soundtrack of ‘Saturday Night Fever’. 

European created pop/disco from Baccara, Sheila and B Devotion, The Three Degrees, Eruption, and Voyage are included before a group of floor-fillers paying tribute to the sci-fi craze of the time: ‘I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper’, ‘Galaxy Of Love’, and ‘Automatic Lover’. More disco related hits from Hot Chocolate and Earth, Wind and Fire feature, before the disc closes with two of the year’s most beautiful ballads from Heatwave and the timeless ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ from Rose Royce.

Disc four closing this set is all about the pop smashes of the year – opening with ‘Denis’ the chart breakthrough remake of the Randy and The Rainbows 1964 hit from Blondie, and two huge hits from the soundtrack to ‘Grease’ from Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. 

Darts paid tribute to 50s doo-wop, and Bill Withers and John Paul Young produced two of the most uplifting songs ever (‘Lovely Day’ and ‘Love Is In The Air’). They are followed by unique hits from Renaissance, Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley, and Barry Manilow.

 Pop gems from Dollar, Andrew Gold, Boney M., a chart topper from Brotherhood Of Man, and the year’s UK Eurovision entry from Co-co follow, before a sublime run of Easy Listening Pop including ‘Lucky Stars’ from Dean Friedman, The Manhattan Transfer, Crystal Gayle, David Soul and Elkie Brooks. 

This rather topping collection closes with ‘Oh What A Circus’ a massive hit for David Essex, Brian and Michael’s no.1 ‘Matchstalk Men And Matchstalk Cats And Dogs’ before signing off with 1978’s no.2 peaking single – Father Abraham with the ‘Smurf Song’.

Part of that diversity came from having a wide age range of buyers from younger children who 'got' The Smurfs to older and more nostalgic adults who like the image of Matchstick Men and Clogs in a year that saw some of the highest ever sales figures while New Wave freshened up the charts with new and often highly talented artists.

June 9th sees the Extra volume to the main Yearbook issued in its card wrap around three disc form adding some 66 additional songs to this years collection.

The first disc kicks off with Queen’s classic ‘Bicycle Race from their Jazz album’ followed by New Wave hits from The Boomtown Rats with ‘Like Clockwork’, and Blondie with the first single from ‘Parallel Lines’, ‘Picture This’. 

We then move into massive chart hits from Electric Light Orchestra and Smokie lead into Rock’n’roll revival Pop from Darts, Showaddywaddy and John Travolta with ‘Greased Lightnin’’ (from the year’s biggest movie ‘Grease’) before encountering beautiful ballads from Crystal Gayle, Anne Murray and Hot Chocolate before closing the disc with a fantastic run of Soul including hits from Raydio, Third World and The O’Jays, and some fabulous European Disco from Amanda Lear, Voyage, Patrick Juvet and Boney M.

 We move to U.S. Disco gold from Cheryl Lynn and Musique before Donna Summer’s Academy Award winning ‘Last Dance’ ends the disc.

Disc two opens with Meat Loaf’s ‘Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad’ from ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ and is joined by timeless ballads from Billy Joel, Dean Friedman and Chris Rea, along with pure Pop from Lindisfarne and David Soul, plus a one-off non-album single ‘Ego’ from Elton John.

Rock from Status Quo and the epic ‘The Eve Of The War’ from Jeff Wayne & Justin Hayward leads into an amazing selection of Punk and New Wave including hits from The Clash, The Jam, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Sham 69, Squeeze and Public Image Limited before the disc finishes with one-off’s from Yellow Dog, and Streetband with ‘Toast’ giving singer Paul Young his first hit.

Finally we come to disc three with more Pop gems from Blondie, Andrew Gold, Samantha Sang – with ‘Emotion’ – written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, and the duet ‘Stumblin’ In’ between Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro – a Top 5 single in the US, Germany, Australia and Canada. 

Sophisticated Disco hits from Earth, Wind & Fire, Donna Summer and Evelyn “Champagne” King feature alongside 1978 Eurovision competitors Baccara and winner Izhar Cohen & Alpha Beta. 

We are then treated to sublime Easy-listening Pop hits from Barry Manilow, Elkie Brooks and Johnny Mathis duet with Deniece Williams follow, before more retro inspired Pop from Leo Sayer, Child and second appearances for Darts and Showaddywaddy. 

We sign off 1978’s ‘extra’ with the second Top 20 hit from Father Abraham (and The Smurfs),that unforgettable ‘A Taste Of Aggro’ by The Barron Knights  – a million seller which parodied three of 1978’s biggest singles and finally the last track was fittingly the last  number 1 of the year, and Christmas chart topper – ‘Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord’ from Boney M.

1978 was one of pops most fantastic years and this yearbook set in two parts is a testament to it.