NOW Yearbook Vault '80 [2025]

There are two schools of thought on the NOW Yearbook Vault series I've gleaned from comments and reviews of the first two sets, which covered 1983 and 1984:

1. After two, sometimes three multi-disc collections devoted to a singular year, these are nothing but the leftovers, second thoughts, newly licensed tracks, or songs that were only popular in America.
2. They are refreshing to listen to simply because they don't contain the overly anthologized big UK hits.

I'm in both camps, with most of my opinions aligned with the first school. I lack the "familiarity breeds contempt" gene that many of my friends seem to possess, but I am also not in constant search of the next, the new, or at least new to me; I can happily listen to my favorite songs repeatedly without complaint. Today, we're listening to NOW Yearbook Vault '80, a 4-disc set released on February 28, 2025.

I remember 1980 somewhat clearly. Finished up eighth grade, football conditioning most of the summer, with high school starting in the fall. Fractured my right wrist for the third time in five years, and the doc strongly advised me to end my playing days or "be crippled". The only good thing about having my right wrist broken so often was that I learned to be ambidextrous. The music of 1980 was provided by WLS for the most part, with the clean stereo sound of WLRW making inroads on my personal soundtrack. Albums I recall listening to a lot in 1980 include Hall & Oates' Voices, AC/DC's Back In Black, and Bob Seger's Against The Wind. Lots of long bike rides around the perimeter of the base on my trusty 10-speed. Lots of lawn mowing to earn money. My favorite 1980 movie is The Empire Strikes Back – I still watch it at least once a month. Other favorite movies from that year include The Hollywood Knights, Urban Cowboy, and Flash Gordon. My music collecting habits were still switching over from buying 45s to buying albums.

One of the first tracks I fell for after hearing it on WLRW was Springsteen's "Hungry Heart". It was my gateway into his music. Another great WLRW find was Billy Joel's "You May Be Right". My favorite Blondie album is Eat To The Beat, and the first track is "The Hardest Part". Ramones keep the streak going to 1-2-3-4 sweet tracks in a row, but then it falls off. I recognize nearly all the artists (except Karel and Tiswas) and almost none of the songs. Ears perked up for Robert Palmer's "Looking for Clues" and "This World Of Water" by New Musik. CD One rates a 28.57.

CD Two starts for me with the Squeeze track at the third spot on the disc. I've said before that The Stranglers were a new-to-me treat, and their "Bear Cage" got my attention on this one. Love The Clash; don't care for "The Call Up". I'm back on track with "The Breaks", and "Twilight Zone, Twilight Tone" is a recent addition to my Halloween playlist. Better late than never, right? Then there is a smooth eight-song segue to close out the disc, beginning with Earth, Wind & Fire and ending with The Manhattans. It's R&B with a jazz sprinkle, the very definition of Kool & the Gang. Their "Too Hot" is the high point of the disc for me. CD Two rating: 63.16.

It was very weird hearing Donna Summer's "Sunset People" NOT seguing out of "Dim All The Lights" like it does on the compilation album On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I and II. I like the song, but it was just a disconcerting experience to hear it out of the context I was used to hearing it. I know it's the final track on the Bad Girls album. I listen to that album much, much less than I listen to On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I and II. Did "Sunset People" ruin the rest of the disc for me? No. Maybe? Probably? Did I like any of the other tracks on CD Three? Yes. Just one – XTC's "Generals and Majors" down at number 17. CD Three rating: 9.52

On the previous two NOW Yearbook Vault sets we've covered, the fourth discs seemed to be devoted to US chart hits. CD Four starts off with eight consecutive tracks as evidence that the trend is continuing, but then there's The Motels and "Whose Problem?" which, although it failed to chart in the US, is a decent song. The questionable non-charting choices continue with Jermaine Jackson's "Burnin' Hot" and the David Foster-produced Hall & Oates track "Running From Paradise". The consistent chart hits fire up again around track 14, going through to the disc-ending track 19, ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses". CD Four rating: 89.47

There are more than a few songs on the first disc of NOW Yearbook Vault '80 I could learn to like with repeated listenings, I think. Songs such as "When I Dream", "Do You Dream In Colour", and "When I'm With You". They just didn't grab me immediately. The second disc was appealing right from the initial audition and will probably not benefit from further listens. So many tracks I did not care for on the third disc; as confessed, I was thrown off by the opening track, which was never released as a single here in the US, and there may be a few tracks – less than a handful – that may grow on me through the power of repetition and familiarity. The fourth disc was pretty solid, except for the Jermaine Jackson ode to dumpster fires. Our next vault visit will be NOW Yearbook Vault '81. And the one after that will be NOW Yearbook Vault '82. As of the date this post was published, no further NOW Yearbook Vault sets have been announced.

NOW Yearbook Vault '80 rating: 46.25

NOW Yearbook Vault '83 rating: 40.00

NOW Yearbook Vault '84 rating: 47.50