Best Choice NOW YEARBOOK 1981 – Black Vinyl Vinyl LP

NOW Music is proud to present the newest addition to the ‘Yearbook’ series: NOW – Yearbook 1981. 3 LPs of 46 tracks that defined the charts in 1981.

Kicking off with legendary No. 1s from Queen and David Bowie (‘Under Pressure’), The Police (‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’), and including No. 1’s from The Specials (‘Ghost Town’), John Lennon (‘Woman’) and Roxy Music’s cover of ‘Jealous Guy’.

1981 was a watershed year for pop with new British artists emerging from the ashes of punk and disco by way of the New Romantic movement either beginning or consolidating their chart success – including here , Duran Duran, Visage, Ultravox, Japan, Spandau Ballet and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – artists who would set the pop and fashion agenda over the next few years leading, for some, to global success….and including the two biggest selling singles of the year, ‘Tainted Love’ from Soft Cell, and The Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’.

Pop was fresh, exciting and often, with an accompanying promo video, more theatrical and colorful than ever with Adam & The Ants’ ‘Stand And Deliver’ and ‘Prince Charming’ both featured here alongside debut chart hits for Toyah, Kim Wilde, Altered Images, Haircut 100, Tom Tom Club, Imagination and ABC… plus Bucks Fizz winning the Eurovision with a pop classic, and Shakin’ Stevens hitting No. 1 with ‘This Ole House’ makes celebrating the pop of 1981 brilliantly eclectic.

Established acts Blondie, ABBA, Olivia Newton-John, Electric Light Orchestra, Pretenders and The Who all enjoyed continued success with some of their biggest hits, and chart regulars The Jam, Madness and the more recently established UB40 went from strength to strength, as Odyssey and Earth, Wind & Fire both celebrated massive chart singles. Four past and present Motown stars produced 3 of the greatest love songs of all time – with the rediscovered ‘One Day In Your Life’ from Michael Jackson, and ‘Being With You’ by Smokey Robinson both topping the chart, and the superstar collaboration on ‘Endless Love’ by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross topping the U.S. chart for 9 weeks and becoming the year’s second biggest seller there behind ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ from Kim Carnes, which is also included on this Yearbook.

NOW – Yearbook 1981; celebrating an outstanding year in eclectic and creative pop.

LP1 SIDE A

1Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

2The Police – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

3Blondie – Rapture

4Olivia Newton John – Physical (Remastered)

5Lionel Richie & Diana Ross – Endless Love (From “The Endless Love” Soundtrack)

6Pretenders – I Go To Sleep

7ABBA – One Of Us

LP1 SIDE B

1Ultravox – Vienna

2Visage – Fade To Grey

3Soft Cell – Tainted Love

4Japan – Quiet Life

5Duran Duran – Planet Earth

6The Human League – Don’t You Want Me

7Kim Wilde – Kids In America

8Adam & The Ants – Stand And Deliver

LP2 SIDE A

1John Lennon – Woman

2Roxy Music – Jealous Guy

3Hazel O’Connor – Will You?

4Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes

5REO Speedwagon – Keep On Loving You

6The Who – You Better You Bet

7Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight

LP2 SIDE B

1The Specials – Ghost Town

2The Jam – That’s Entertainment

3UB40 – One In Ten

4Madness – It Must Be Love

5Sheena Easton – For Your Eyes Only

6Odyssey – Going Back To My Roots

7Earth, Wind & Fire – Let’s Groove

8Imagination – Body Talk

LP3 SIDE A

1Duran Duran – Girls On Film

2Spandau Ballet – Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)

3Haircut 100 – Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)

4ABC – Tears Are Not Enough

5Phil Lynott – Yellow Pearl

6Landscape – Einstein A Go-Go

7Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Souvenir

8The Passions – I’m In Love With A German Film Star

LP3 SIDE B

1Adam & The Ants – Prince Charming

2Altered Images – Happy Birthday

3Toyah – It’s A Mystery

4Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood

5Bucks Fizz – Making Your Mind Up

6Shakin’ Stevens – This Ole House

7Smokey Robinson – Being With You

8Michael Jackson – One Day In Your Life