NOW Yearbook '80-'84: The Final Chapter EXTRA [2023]

The sixteenth seventeenth volume in the NOW Yearbook series was the second "mop-up" through the early Eighties following Now Yearbook '80-'84: The Final Chapter. Featuring 63 more essential UK chart hits from 1980-1984, Now Yearbook '80-'84: The Final Chapter EXTRA was announced the first week of January 2023 and released five short weeks later just before Valentine's Day 2023. What we like about the EXTRA collections is they are easy pre-orders; there's only the digifile 3CD format and usually at an inviting price point. We might have even neglected to glance at the tracklist until Now Yearbook '80-'84: The Final Chapter EXTRA arrived in our neighborhood box unit. We ripped the shrinkwrap off popped the three discs in our five-disc Sony CDP-CE515 CD player and let the music play.

Of course, a Queen track nabs the pole position. Less than half the tracks on CD1 crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the Billboard Hot 100. We counted five songs we had no memory of ever hearing so we welcomed them with open ears. Two songs from 1980 and eight from 1984.

Lots of new-to-me tracks on CD2 with less than a handful of old synth-pop favorites from Human League, Heaven 17, Thomas Dolby, Flock of Seagulls, and Howard Jones. In addition to Queen or Wham!/George Michael songs in the pole position, NOW fans know that Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones tracks are usually grouped together. Only one song from 1980, one UK Top 10, and just two U.S. crossovers. Pickings are getting slim.

The final discs of NOW Yearbooks are the junk drawers of the compilations with a little bit of every genre and those songs that didn't fit anywhere else. Three songs from 1980 make it a total of 6 songs from that year out of 63 songs total. We were amazed after listening to CD3 that it has more UK Top 10s than the other two discs. We don't really care for Tina Turner's downbeat cover of the Beatles classic but that is a mighty fine picture sleeve.

Still need more hits from the early Eighties?

Check out Paul English's Extra Plus playlist on Spotify.

Where will the NOW Yearbook series go next? We'll find out next time.

NOW Yearbook Series

(as covered here on The Hideaway)

01    NOW Yearbook '83 [2021]
02    NOW Yearbook '84 [2021]
03    NOW Yearbook '83 EXTRA [2021]
04    NOW Yearbook '84 EXTRA [2022]
05    NOW Yearbook '82 [2022]
06    NOW Yearbook '82 EXTRA [2022]

07    NOW Yearbook '81 [2022]

08    NOW Yearbook '81 EXTRA [2022]

09    NOW Yearbook '80 [2022]

10    NOW Yearbook '80 EXTRA [2022]

11    NOW Yearbook '79 [2022]

12    NOW Yearbook '79 EXTRA [2022]

13    NOW Yearbook '85 [2022]
14    NOW Yearbook '80-'84: The Final Chapter [2022]

15    NOW Yearbook '80-'84 EXTRA: Collectors Edition* [2022]

17    NOW Yearbook '80-'84: The Final Chapter EXTRA [2023]

* did not buy - vinyl only set - details