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

The sixteenth 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.

yr	dsc-trk	title	artist	time	UK	US
84	1-1	I Want To Break Free	Queen	4:18	3	45
81	1-2	Spirits In The Material World	The Police	2:58	12	11
83	1-3	Right By Your Side	Eurythmics	3:50	10	29
83	1-4	This Charming Man	The Smiths	2:42	25
83	1-5	The Celtic Soul Brothers	Dexys Midnight Runners	3:10	20	86
83	1-6	Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)	Madness	3:12	8
84	1-7	My Guy	Tracey Ullman	2:55	23
81	1-8	Do Nothing	The Specials	3:40	4
80	1-9	My Way Of Thinking	UB40	3:22	6
84	1-10	Pulling Punches	David Sylvian	3:03	56
83	1-11	Listen To The Radio - Atmospherics	Tom Robinson	3:43	39
83	1-12	Cold As Christmas (In The Middle Of The Year)	Elton John	4:19	33
84	1-13	I Wanna Be Loved	Elvis Costello & The Attractions	4:47	25
80	1-14	Another Nail In My Heart	Squeeze	2:56	17
84	1-15	Middle Of The Road	Pretenders	4:13	81	19
81	1-16	Don't Stop Believin'	Journey	4:09	62	9
84	1-17	Run Runaway	Slade	3:43	7	20
82	1-18	Some Guys Have All The Luck	Robert Palmer	3:07	16
84	1-19	Out Of Touch	Hall & Oates	4:06	48	1
84	1-20	Hey D.J.	World's Famous Supreme Team	3:25	52
81	1-21	Backfired	Debbie Harry	3:35	32	43
81	1-22	Christmas Wrapping	The Waitresses	4:20	45

Of course, a Queen track nabs the pole position. As you can see from the table above, 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.

yr	dsc-trk	title	artist	time	UK	US
82	2-1	Music For Chameleons	Gary Numan	3:39	19
83	2-2	After A Fashion	Midge Ure & Mick Karn	3:58	39
81	2-3	Boys And Girls	The Human League	3:10	48
82	2-4	European Son	Japan	3:46	31
81	2-5	Penthouse And Pavement	Heaven 17	4:03	57
82	2-6	Windpower	Thomas Dolby	3:49	31
84	2-7	The More You Live, The More You Love	A Flock Of Seagulls	4:06	26	56
83	2-8	Numbers	Soft Cell	4:55	25
82	2-9	Melt	Siouxsie And The Banshees	3:47	49
80	2-10	Wednesday Week	The Undertones	2:14	11
81	2-11	Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)	XTC	3:35	16
81	2-12	Cartrouble	Adam & The Ants	3:25	33
81	2-13	Good Morning Universe	Toyah	3:36	14
82	2-14	Love Hangover	The Associates	4:20	21
84	2-15	Cry And Be Free	Marilyn	3:30	31
83	2-16	Big Apple	Kajagoogoo	4:09	8
84	2-17	Dancing Girls	Nik Kershaw	3:21	13
84	2-18	Pearl In The Shell	Howard Jones	3:58	7
84	2-19	Hot Water	Level 42	3:37	18	87
82	2-20	Easier Said Than Done	Shakatak	3:46	12
84	2-21	Venceremos	Working Week	4:41	64

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.

yr	dsc-trk	title	artist	time	UK	US
81	3-1	It's My Party	Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin	3:47	1	72
81	3-2	Cambodia	Kim Wilde	3:55	12
84	3-3	Love's Great Adventure	Ultravox	3:06	12
84	3-4	Highly Strung	Spandau Ballet	4:09	15
83	3-5	On A Sunday	Nick Heyward	4:00	52
84	3-6	Sister Of Mercy	Thompson Twins	4:54	11
84	3-7	Help!	Tina Turner	3:44	40
83	3-8	Penny Lover	Lionel Richie	3:45	18	8
83	3-9	I Need You	The Pointer Sisters	4:02	25	48
83	3-10	Over And Over	Shalamar	4:13	23
84	3-11	Tossing & Turning	Windjammer	3:59	18
84	3-12	(When You Say You Love Somebody) In The Heart	Kool & The Gang	3:54	7
82	3-13	Girl Crazy	Hot Chocolate	3:22	7
80	3-14	Dreamin'	Cliff Richard	3:37	8	10
80	3-15	Substitute	Liquid Gold	4:25	8
83	3-16	If You Can't Stand The Heat	Bucks Fizz	3:32	10
80	3-17	Don't Make Waves	The Nolans	3:42	12
84	3-18	Love Games	Belle & The Devotions	3:19	11
82	3-19	Quiereme Mucho (Yours)	Julio Iglesias	4:12	3
83	3-20	A Winter's Tale	David Essex	4:11	2

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 6 out of 63. 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]

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

* did not buy - vinyl only set - details