next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – pressed in lovely-lime-green vinyl on a 3-LP set packed with 47 stellar tracks celebrating a brilliant year of pop singles. NOW – Yearbook 1976.



LP1: Kicking off in magnificent style with signature songs from legendary artists: A #2 in 1976, Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’ is first up, followed by Electric Light Orchestra with ‘Livin’ Thing’, Fleetwood Mac with ‘Say You Love Me’, and 10cc with ‘I’m Mandy Fly Me’. Dr. Hook had a huge hit with ‘A Little Bit More’, and Chicago hit #1 with their all-time classic ballad ‘If You Leave Me Now’, while the side closes with Eric Carmen’s enduringly popular ‘All By Myself’. Flip the LP over for huge hits from the year – including 4 #1s: 14 years after making their UK chart debut, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons enjoyed their first chart-topper with ‘December 1963 (Oh What a Night)’, whilst Leo Sayer reached #2 in the UK, and #1 in the US with ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’. Pop gems follow from David Dundas, Bryan Ferry, Sailor, Smokie – and Slik, featuring a pre-Ultravox Midge Ure reached the top with ‘Forever And Ever’. Showaddywaddy celebrated their biggest hit and their first #1 with ‘Under The Moon Of Love’, and the UK won at Eurovision, with the winner ‘Save Your Kisses For Me’ by Brotherhood Of Man not only hitting the #1 spot but also becoming 1976’s biggest seller and bringing the first LP to a close.



LP2: Opening with a stellar run of pure-pop classics. Elton John celebrated his first UK #1 single, in a duet with Kiki Dee on ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, and Cliff Richard with ‘Devil Woman’, ahead of dance-floor favourites – and both #1s in ’76: Tina Charles with ‘I Love To Love’ and The Real Thing with ‘You To Me Are Everything’. More pop nuggets follow from Billy Ocean and Dana, before the side finishes with R&J Stone with ‘We Do It’ and the sublime ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ from Gladys Knight & The Pips. Over on the second side, ‘Silly Love Songs’ gave Wings a UK #2 and became ‘76’s biggest seller in the US and opens a run of great vocalists; Neil Diamond, Daryl Hall & John Oates with ‘She’s Gone’, Paul Simon’s ’50 Ways To Leave Your Lover’ and a trio of the year’s classic rock smashes: ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ from Thin Lizzy, ‘Squeeze Box’ from The Who, and closing with the epic ‘Music’ from John Miles.



LP3: Celebrating ‘76’s dancefloor with a stunning collection of disco and soul gold: First up, Donna Summer with her debut smash ‘Love To Love You Baby’ before ‘More More More’ from Andrea True Connection and Candi Staton’s timeless ‘Young Hearts Run Free’. Melba Moore with ‘This Is It’ comes ahead of Diana Ross with the genre-defining ‘Love Hangover’, and the side is completed with huge floor-fillers from Tavares and Barry White ahead of The Isley Brothers with the soul standard ‘Harvest For The World’ and over on the final side country music is represented with Dolly Parton making her UK singles chart debut with ‘Jolene’ three years after it was a hit in the US, but it was a Dutch band, Pussycat, who hit the top with their country-pop track ‘Mississippi’. Bonnie Tyler made her chart debut with ‘Lost In France’, and ‘Forever And Ever’ gave Demis Roussos a ’76 chart topper, and an easy-listening classic, whilst Guys N Dolls had a second Top 5 hit with their cover of ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’. The LP ends with a trio of the year’s most beautiful ballads: Gallagher And Lyle with ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, ‘Love And Affection’ the stunning singles chart debut for Joan Armatrading, and finishing with a second peerless single on this collection from Elton John with ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’.



NOW – Yearbook 1976 – a celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a truly fabulous year in pop.

TRACKLIST

• A1:     Queen - Somebody To Love
• A2:     Electric Light Orchestra - Livin' Thing
• A3:     Fleetwood Mac – Say You Love Me
• A4:     10Cc - I'm Mandy Fly Me
• A5:     Dr. Hook - A Little Bit More
• A6:     Chicago – If You Leave Me Now
• A7:     Eric Carmen - All By Myself
• B1:     Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)
• B2:     Leo Sayer - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
• B3:     David Dundas - Jeans On
• B4:     Bryan Ferry - Let's Stick Together
• B5:     Sailor - A Glass Of Champagne
• B6:     Smokie - I'll Meet You At Midnight
• B7:     Slik - Forever And Ever
• B8:     Showaddywaddy – Under The Moon Of Love
• B9:     Brotherhood Of Man - Save Your Kisses For Me
• C1:     Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart
• C2:     Cliff Richard – Devil Woman
• C3:     Tina Charles - I Love To Love
• C4:     The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything
• C5:     Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts Without You
• C6:     Dana - Fairytale
• C7:     R & J Stone - We Do It
• C8:     Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia
• D1:     Wings - Silly Love Songs
• D2:     Neil Diamond - Beautiful Noise
• D3:     Daryl Hall & John Oates – She’s Gone
• D4:     Paul Simon - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
• D5:     Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town
• D6:     The Who - Squeeze Box
• D7:     John Miles - Music
• E1:     Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby
• E2:     Andrea True Connection - More, More, More
• E3:     Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free
• E4:     Melba Moore - This Is It
• E5:     Diana Ross - Love Hangover
• E6:     Tavares - Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel (Part 1)
• E7:     Barry White - You See The Trouble With Me
• E8:     The Isley Brothers - Harvest For The World
• F1:     Dolly Parton - Jolene
• F2:     Pussycat - Mississippi
• F3:     Bonnie Tyler - Lost In France
• F4:     Demis Roussos - Forever And Ever
• F5:     Guys N Dolls - You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
• F6:     Gallagher And Lyle - Heart On My Sleeve
• F7:     Joan Armatrading - Love And Affection
• F8:     Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word