On August 30, 2024, NOW Yearbook '87 joined its brethren in CD and vinyl racks across the globe. Released in the usual abbreviated (43 tracks) triple vinyl format in a color very much like my wife's car, and the two levels of packaging for 80 tracks across the four compact discs that have been the Yearbook standard from the beginning. As one astute Hideaway viewer pointed out a few years back, I just might be a "sucker for music from the '80s". After two whole days of contemplation following the July 25, 2024, announcement of its release, I placed my pre-order for NOW Yearbook '87.
The year 1987 was an absolutely huge year in my life. It was the year we got married and welcomed our first child. We attended six great concerts, saw nearly seventy-five films at a theater less than a block from the front door of our new rental home, and I bought a few dozen of the greatest albums ever recorded and released. I was looking forward to hearing the hit parade assembled on NOW Yearbook '87.
Four tracks kick off CDOne of NOW Yearbook '87 with a bang. George Michael, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, and the collective made up of two groups and two DJs that called itself M/A/R/R/S start things off right. I'm gonna need a few minutes to go back and listen to these four tracks again. Woo doggy! That's some good stuff. Then there's the run of ABC, Curiosity Killed The Cat, and Johnny Hates Jazz in a little sophistipop set. There are a couple of soul songs from the Sixties on the charts again because they were used in a movie ("Stand By Me" in Stand By Me) or commercial ("When A Man Loves A Woman" for Levi's). Black's "Wonderful Life" pops up just before the disc ends, and I'm once again wondering why the single never broke through here in the United States.
CDOne score: 50.00
CDTwo starts with a great track from Aretha Franklin and George Michael. (You know the one.) Then there's an irresistible Whitney track, followed by the main song from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, the one with a Righteous Brother and the Eighties soundtrack queen, which still gets my full attention whenever it's played. Seven tracks that sound like they were produced on the Stock Aiken Waterman production line follow before The Communards put an end to my suffering with their brilliant cover of "Never Can Say Goodbye". Five more enjoyable tracks follow from Boogie Box High (with vocals from George Michael) to Jody Watley. Sananda Maitreya, the artist formerly known as Terrence Trent D'Arby, closes the album out in style with "Wishing Well".
CDTwo score: 50.00
The first song on CDThree misses its mark with this listener, but the next eight tracks, from Paul Simon to Beastie Boys, are winners. With the exception of The Cure's "Why Can't I Be You?" and Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over", the bright flame of CDThree quickly burns out for us.
CDThree score: 50.00
CDFour score: 20.00
We were doing pretty well until the final disc. No new-to-us tracks added to our digital library; no new-to-us tracks at all, actually. We knew what we liked going in, and there were no surprises, so it came down to the sequencing. We think NOW Yearbook '87 is a keeper, and it has us wondering if NOW Yearbook Extra '87 will be as enjoyable.
NOW Yearbook '87 score: 42.50
NOW Yearbook Extra '87 was announced in September 2024 for an October 11, 2024, release. The three discs feature fifty-nine more tracks from 1987. Are they essential, as it says on the cover? Let's take a listen.
As has usually been the case, the Extra was disappointing in comparison to the Yearbook. Lots of familiar acts with lesser tracks and some terrible cover versions, though we have always enjoyed Pseudo Echo's fun take on "Funkytown", as the song is titled here in America.
We have always enjoyed the George Michael track that opens the first disc, preferring the included single version, aka "Rhythm 1: Lust", rather than the album version. Love the crunchy Eurythmics track "Missionary Man" that follows as well. There are no other consecutive track runs on CDOne but we enjoyed the inclusion of New Order's "Touched By The Hand Of God", T'Pau's "Heart And Soul" and a handful of other tracks.
CDOne score: 35.00
"Fake" is the first track to grab our attention on CDTwo. Then there are nine tracks I need not hear again, including a group of covers. But we love us some Pseudo Echo's "Funky Town", Robbie Nevil's "C'est La Vie", and the Timbuk 3 track. Good segue; takes me back to 1987. The rest of the disc? Not so much.
CDTwo score: 20.00
CDThree starts off nicely with Springsteen's "Tunnel of Love". And we always enjoy chilling out with Idol's "Sweet Sixteen", but other than underrated tracks from Curiosity Killed The Cat and Wax, there wasn't much for us on this disc.
CDThree score: 20.00
NOW Yearbook Extra '87 score: 25.42
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