The Now That’s What I Call Music team are effectively issuing a companion 3CD set to Now Yearbook 1980-1984: The Final Chapter, itself a companion to the ten previous Yearbook releases covering those five years. If you’re a Now That’s What I Call Music Yearbook vinyl collector and have felt shortchanged because none of the ‘Extra’ volumes ever came out on your format of choice, SDE has good news for you. In December, the NOW team will release Yearbook 1980-1984: Vinyl Extra, a special 5LP coloured vinyl box set that effectively brings together supplemental ‘Extra’ LPs for the years in question. The ‘Extra’ version of Yearbook 1980-1984 is, as usual, a 3CD set in a card sleeve and this one features 63 “essential hits” from the period. Remarkably, the early 1980s can handle what is in effect a ‘fourth level’ of examination (Yearbook > Yearbook Extra > Final Chapter > Final Chapter Extra) and this is far from ‘the dregs’ of the era with loads of classic pop hits from Queen, Eurythmics, Pretenders, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Japan, Heaven 17, Level 42, Nik Kershaw, XTC, Elton John and more. The final disc finds its feet with huge floor-fillers from Lionel Richie, Donna Summer, Flash & The Pan, Patrice Rushen, and Shalamar before club hits from Linx and Animal Nightlife and a closing selection of Pop gold including Stars On 45, F.R. David, Sheena Easton – and three #1s from Kenny Rogers, Goombay Dance Band and the unforgettable 1982 year-end chart topper ‘Save Your Love’ from Renée & Renato.

NOW is proud to present 63 more essential pop memories: ‘NOW - Yearbook Extra 1980 - 1984: The Final Chapter’ – an epilogue to the recent ‘Final Chapter’ collection.