Now That's What I Call Music (Nostalgia)

Oh, so Nobody told me was a previously unreleased track at the time? I just assumed it was a well known song from his heyday.

I suppose the Double Fantasy album (which was intended to be released, as it came out a few weeks before his murder) was such a success - and the Lennon Collection comp in late 82 was too - that the label (and doubtless Yoko) saw an opportunity to issue the leftovers of what else John had been working on in 1980. In fact I think the resulting album - Milk & Honey - is a 50/50 project with half of the tracks by Yoko. I've got the CD in a used store about 2 years ago, lovely original Polydor disc, but never played it all.

The expectation was another #1 album, but it only managed #3 and didn't stay around very long. The 2nd single, Borrowed Time, barely made the Top 40 and the third didn't even hit the Top 75 at all. I've actually grown to quite like Nobody Told Me, though it sounds completely out of place in 1984.
 
Interesting that they chose 'Girl You're So Together' from the 1984 Motown remixes rather than 'Farewell My Summer Love', which I believe is the only Michael Jackson song ever to feature on a traditional NOW album. I guess these are the only two MJ songs NOW can get their hands on!

His Motown-era material is easier to license than his Epic stuff. Having said that, Love Never Felt So Good did feature on NOW 88 or 89 in 2014.
 
I mean, there really is so much scope for these Yearbook things. I have started making CD-length iTunes playlists, chronologically through each month of the 80s (well, 1983-1989 so far) and it works out at between 40 and 45 volumes for every calendar year. No need for so much repetition and lack of variety, other than licensing and cost measures of course.
 
For anyone that wanted to go back to 1982 instead of moving onto 1985, NOW have you covered.

NOW Music is proud to present the newest addition to the ‘Yearbook’ series: NOW – YEARBOOK 1982. 4 CDs of 84 defining tracks that ruled the charts in 1982.

Featuring 16 of the year’s number 1s, including ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ (Survivor), ‘Ebony And Ivory’ (Paul McCartney), ‘House Of Fun’ (Madness), ‘Town Called Malice’ (The Jam), ‘Pass The Dutchie’ (Musical Youth), and 1982’s biggest seller ‘Come On Eileen’ from Dexys Midnight Runners.

1982 saw the first huge hits from a wealth of new artists including Culture Club, Wham! and Tears For Fears, as well as an incredible line-up from artists who had established their chart presence in the prior 18 months and would produce some of the greatest tracks of the decade; Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, ABC, Haircut 100, Soft Cell, The Human League, and a newly solo Adam Ant.

‘Fame’ was the TV phenomenon of the year, and its cast, ‘The Kids From “Fame”’, along with Irene Cara’s theme from the original 1980 film, enjoyed massive success.

As ABBA released their last singles for nearly 40 years, pure-pop from Bucks Fizz, Dollar, Tight Fit, Modern Romance and Kim Wilde is celebrated alongside synth-pop gems from New Order, Simple Minds, Visage and Japan.

Leading artists from the punk scene enjoyed continued and renewed success, including The Stranglers, The Clash and Pretenders, whilst Foreigner, Meat Loaf with Cher, and Steve Miller Band provided radio-favourite rock and power ballads.

1982 saw a huge chart presence for dance music – from the hi-NRG of Boys Town Gang and Sylvester, to the electro-infused beats of Malcolm McLaren, and Rockers Revenge, the 1980’s disco of Shalamar, Kool & The Gang and Imagination alongside soul classics from Marvin Gaye, Fat Larry’s Band, Donna Summer, and a return to the charts for Dionne Warwick. Plus, stellar ballads from Elton John, Lionel Richie, and Roxy Music.

NOW – Yearbook 1982; a celebration of the eclectic brilliance of the year in pop.

Tracklist

CD1

  1. Wham! - Young Guns (Go For It!)
  2. Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
  3. ABC - The Look Of Love - Pt. 1
  4. Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf
  5. Spandau Ballet - Instinction
  6. Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
  7. Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
  8. ABBA - Under Attack
  9. Bucks Fizz - The Land Of Make Believe
  10. Tight Fit - Fantasy Island
  11. Dollar – Videotheque
  12. Madness - House Of Fun
  13. Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
  14. The Jam - Town Called Malice
  15. Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country
  16. Fun Boy Three feat. Bananarama - It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It
  17. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
  18. Fat Larry’s Band – Zoom
  19. Dionne Warwick – Heartbreaker
  20. Lionel Richie – Truly
  21. Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
  22. Donna Summer - State Of Independence

CD2

  1. Paul McCartney – Ebony And Ivory
  2. Irene Cara – Fame
  3. Shalamar – A Night To Remember
  4. Odyssey – Inside Out
  5. Evelyn “Champagne” King – Love Come Down
  6. Kool & The Gang – Get Down On It
  7. Carly Simon – Why
  8. Malcolm McLaren, The World’s Famous Supreme Team – Buffalo Gals
  9. Rockers Revenge feat. Donnie Calvin - Walking On Sunshine
  10. Boys Town Gang – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
  11. Patrick Cowley feat. Sylvester – Do You Wanna Funk
  12. Imagination – Just An Illusion
  13. Soft Cell – Torch
  14. Tears For Fears – Mad World
  15. The Human League – Mirror Man
  16. A Flock Of Seagulls – Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
  17. Visage – The Damned Don’t Cry
  18. Simple Minds – Promise You A Miracle
  19. Utravox – Reap The Wild Wind
  20. Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark – Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc)
  21. Japan – Ghosts

CD3

  1. Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger
  2. Meat Loaf with Cher - Dead Ringer For Love
  3. The J. Geils Band – Centerfold
  4. Steve Miller Band – Abracadabra
  5. Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang
  6. Daryl Hall & John Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
  7. Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
  8. Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry
  9. Foreigner - Waiting For A Girl Like You
  10. Roxy Music – Avalon
  11. The Stranglers - Golden Brown
  12. Siouxsie And The Banshees – Fireworks
  13. The Clash - Rock The Casbah
  14. The Jam - Beat Surrender
  15. Madness - Our House
  16. Toyah – Brave New World
  17. Altered Images - See Those Eyes
  18. Haysi Fantayzee - John Wayne Is Big Leggy
  19. The Associates - Party Fears Two
  20. New Order – Temptation

CD4

  1. ABBA – The Day Before You Came
  2. Elton John – Blue Eyes
  3. Duran Duran – Save A Prayer
  4. ABC – All Of My Heart
  5. The Kids From “Fame” – Starmaker
  6. Bucks Fizz- My Camera Never Lies
  7. Dollar – Mirror Mirror
  8. Bardo – One Step Further
  9. Kim Wilde – View From A Bridge
  10. Haircut 100 – Fantastic Day
  11. Modern Romance – Best Years Of
  12. Blondie – Island Of Lost Souls
  13. Tight Fit – The Island Sleeps Tonight
  14. Shakin’ Stevens – Oh Julie
  15. Mari Wilson – Just What I Always Wanted
  16. Nicole – A Little Peace
  17. Charlene – I’ve Never Been To Me
  18. Clannad – Theme From Harry’s Game
  19. Ph.D. – I Won’t Let You Down
  20. Japan – I Second That Emotion
  21. Soft Cell – Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

There's also a vinyl release with this tracklisting:
LP1 Side A

  1. Wham! - Young Guns (Go For It!)
  2. Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
  3. ABC - The Look Of Love - Pt. 1
  4. Spandau Ballet - Instinction
  5. Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
  6. Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
  7. Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

LP1 Side B

  1. Paul McCartney - Ebony And Ivory
  2. Elton John - Blue Eyes
  3. Lionel Richie - Truly
  4. Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
  5. Bucks Fizz - My Camera Never Lies
  6. Blondie - Island Of Lost Souls
  7. Madness - Our House
  8. Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen

LP2 Side A

  1. Tears For Fears - Mad World
  2. The Human League - Mirror Man
  3. Visage - The Damned Don't Cry
  4. Simple Minds - Promised You A Miracle
  5. Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind
  6. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc)
  7. Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

LP2 Side B

  1. Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger
  2. Meat Loaf with Cher - Dead Ringer For Love
  3. Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang
  4. Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra
  5. Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
  6. Foreigner - Waiting For A Girl Like You
  7. Roxy Music - Avalon


LP3 Side A

  1. ABBA - The Day Before You Came
  2. Donna Summer - State Of Independence
  3. Shalamar - A Night To Remember
  4. Irene Cara - Fame
  5. Boys Town Gang - Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
  6. Rockers Revenge feat. Donnie Calvin - Walking On Sunshine
  7. Malcolm McLaren, The World's Famous Supreme Team - Buffalo Gals

LP3 Side B

  1. The Jam - Town Called Malice
  2. The Clash - Rock The Casbah
  3. Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country
  4. New Order - Temptation
  5. The Associates - Party Fears Two
  6. The Stranglers - Golden Brown
  7. Japan - Ghosts
  8. Clannad - Theme From Harry's Game

 
I rather like the line-up for the 1982 Yearbook, even if I was expecting '85 to be next. Amused that ABBA's final two singles have made it when for years no-one gave those songs a second thought. Assume that Ebony and Ivory omitting Stevie Wonder is a mistake, rather than some un-Stevie version.

Also means that Wham!'s early singles are all represented on the Yearbooks except Bad Boys, the biggest hit of them all (I know George hated it and did his best to erase it, but it was the song that made me a Wham! fan back then and remains a brilliant pop song.
 
Agree with @Brother Louie and @Eric Generic - those two Abba singles (as great as they are) look out of place on that Now 1982 yearbook! Great tracklist - let's hope they use the correct 7 inch edits.
The best run for me is CD2 tracks 13 to 21!
Artists/Song titles run with humour:
Do you really want to hurt me - Under attack
The land of make believe - Fantasy Island
Love come down - Get down on it
I can't go for that (No can do) - Arthur's Theme (best that you can do)
 
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I'd say the crediting for Ebony & Ivory is down to the fact that it was on a Macca album so I'd imagine it's the regular version we all know

The Girl Is Mine being the opposite and considered a Michael Jackson track....

I like the look of 1982 Yearbook. Looks like Yazoo cannot be licensed - Nobody's Diary was an obvious omission from 1983/Extra.
 

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