NOW Yearbook Vault '81 [2025]

NOW Yearbook Vault '81 was released on June 13, 2025, in all the usual formats. The 4CD sets have 82 tracks, while the 3LP set has 45 tracks on translucent purple vinyl. Nearly 200 UK charting singles have been released on NOW Yearbook '81, NOW Yearbook EXTRA '81, NOW Yearbook 1980-1984 The Final Chapter, and NOW Yearbook EXTRA 1980-1984 The Final Chapter. Let's see what NOW found in the Vault. We'll keep it positive by only mentioning the songs we enjoy.

While I wasn't into the music of Simple Minds before New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), I've since acquired a taste for their earlier stuff. Never been a Spandau fan, but I'm liking "Paint Me Down" while also wondering what it means to be painted down. "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was my first taste of Heaven 17 and is always welcome. The simple and subtle "Never Gonna Cry Again", their first single as Eurythmics, is a showcase for Annie's vocals with a muted synth and drum machine backing that reminds me of Soft Cell. Donna Summer continued working with her disco dream team, changing her M.O. to a more rock-ish and new wave-ish sound on "Cold Love". The sound of Billy Idol's imminent solo career is evident in the banging groove of "Dancing With Myself". Squeeze asks a timeless relationship question while Rex Smith & Rachel Sweet answer with their cover of "Everlasting Love". CD One scores a 38.10

Springsteen's "The River" is the unvarnished truth about the hopelessly dark side of living just short of the American Dream. Though Mellencamp would disown "Ain't Even Done With the Night", I always found it immensely relatable as an awkward, hormonal teen. The eternal optimism of Winwood's "While You See A Chance" hasn't worn thin in the ensuing 45 years. The driving rhythm of Elton John's "Nobody Wins" always grabs my attention, and learning that Thomas Dolby is behind the synth on "I'm Lucky" only makes me like it that much more. Rush's "Tom Sawyer" is just all kinds of goodness and just may be the last song I heard played on WLS before we moved away. Dolby returns on the pulsating "Urgent", which also benefits from a Junior Walker sax solo. The musical direction of the disc abruptly switches with the Commodores track "Lady (You Bring Me Up)", a bouncy tribute to great relationships. And Rick James unveils his punk-funk with "Super Freak", featuring back-up vocals from the Temptations. CD Two scores a 45.00

"Procession" from New Order is one of the transitional tracks from their days as Joy Division. The Clash's "This Is Radio Clash" is our boys doing their best boom-bap punk rap. With "Boy From New York City", The Manhattan Transfer buried an earworm deep, deep in my brain. Makes me feel so fy-yi-yi-ine. I skipped Joe Jackson's big band phase back in the day, but I've been here for it for the past couple of decades at least. It makes me dance with a lot of head-shaking and jazz hands. CD Three scores a 19.05, but having listened to three previous NOW Yearbook Vault titles covering the years 1980, 1983, and 1984, I know that the fourth disc rarely disappoints. It's usually twenty or so of my favorite tracks from the respective year.

Hiding in plain sight at the end of the Pretenders II album, "Louie Louie" is not the classic, unintelligible frat rocker you may think it is. It's a high-energy raver with great horns. "Fire And Ice" is a slow-burning assessment of a relationship with a brutal, soaring chorus. The live take of "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" from Joel's Songs In The Attic is my favorite Billy Joel song bar none. "This Little Girl" is a fantastic Springsteen song; the fact that he gave it to Gary U.S. Bonds, who does it justice, is icing on an already sweet cake. Rick Springfield rocked the pop (popped the rock?) out of Sammy Hagar's "I've Done Everything For You", making it a fave. I'm a sucker for a Jim Steinman song anyway, but to have one sung by the man himself about the power of music itself is almost too much. "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" indeed. My personal parade of favorite songs continues with Journey's "Who's Crying Now". To my ears, "Don't Want To Wait Anymore" sounds like a Chicago song from the Eighties, but in a good way. Was surprised to learn it was The Tubes after hearing it a few times. Sure, it's a sleep-inducing track, but we still love "Time" from The Alan Parsons Project. To his credit, Eric Wolfson kills it on his vocal debut after years behind the scenes. Juice Newton had a nice little run during the early Eighties with "Queen Of Hearts" being a perfect vehicle for her. Like Newton, Eddie Rabbitt also had a great run in the early Eighties, crossing over from the country charts. "I Love A Rainy Night" is an irresistible sing-along. Very few songs have the power to relax and mellow me out more than Christopher Cross's "Sailing". CD Four scores a 60.00.

NOW Yearbook Vault '81 scores a 40.24. Of the four Vaults reviewed to date, that's the second lowest score, with the lowest score bestowed upon Vault '83 with a 40.00. Not that Vault '80 (46.25) or Vault '84 (47.50) were that much better. This one could have outscored them all if CD Four hadn't been such a disappointment with a 60.00, which is the lowest score by far of any of the four Vaults we've featured. Here are the CD Four scores from the previous Vaults for comparison:

• Vault '80    89.47
• Vault '83  100.00
• Vault '84    80.00

Stepping back from the numbers, there are some good things about NOW Yearbook Vault '81, like how the perceived loudness of all the songs sounds about the same, unlike nearly every other collection under the NOW Yearbook umbrella, though it should be said that NOW Yearbook Vault '83 has a similar sound profile. We still have high hopes for NOW Yearbook Vault '82, especially that fourth disc. At our current rate of NOW Yearbook reviews, we should be getting around to Vault '82 sometime in July or August. Maybe. We'll see.