Various Artists - NOW - Yearbook Extra 1976 (Preorder 10/10/25)

Various Artists - NOW - Yearbook Extra 1976 (Preorder 10/10/25)

Label: NOW - CDYBENOW76 - 198029408225
Format: 3 CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 10th Oct 2025
Genre: Pop
Style: Pop

Description
NOW Music proudly presents 63 more essential singles from the amazing year of pop that was 1976. NOW – Yearbook Extra 1976 – 3CD released 10 October 2025.

 

Opening with the elegant pop trio of Queen’s ‘You’re My Best Friend’, ‘Bennie And The Jets’, one of Elton John’s best loved hits of the ‘70s and Paul McCartney & Wings with their #2 smash ‘Let ‘Em In’. Electric Light Orchestra hit the Top 10 in both the UK and the US with ‘Evil Woman’ – a track that became one of the band’s signature songs – and 10cc continued their run of hits with ‘Art For Art’s Sake’. Up next Bryan Ferry and Andy Fairweather Low ahead of ‘Loving And Free’ from Kiki Dee which followed her #1 with Elton John earlier in ’76. Neil Diamond released ‘If You Know What I Mean’ as the lead single from his ‘Beautiful Noise’ LP, plus Johnny Nash scored a hit with a classic cover.

 

Disco was growing in popularity and the year’s disco hits included floor fillers from KC & The Sunshine Band, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and The Trammps – alongside sublime vocals from Barry White and The Stylistics on soulful cuts aimed at the discos – and to complete the first disc, a trio of beautiful ballads from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes ft. Teddy Pendergrass, The Manhattans and Gladys Knight & The Pips.

 

CD2 kicks off with a stellar run of disco classics led by Donna Summer and her version of ‘Could It Be Magic’ ahead of Tavares, Tina Charles and The Real Thing with ‘Can’t Get By Without You’. Gloria Gaynor and Diana Ross feature with Top 40 hits, while Johnnie Taylor’s ‘Disco Lady’ hit the US #1 spot. Billy Ocean, The Drifters, Bay City Rollers, Marmalade, and Hot Chocolate are up next with some pop nuggets and are followed by some ‘easy listening’ pop from Dana, Barry Manilow and Demis Roussos who reached #2 with ‘When Forever Has Gone’ the follow up to his #1 ‘Forever And Ever’ from earlier in 1976. ‘Hurt’ gave Elvis Presley another Top 40 hit, and composer Simon May had a Top 10 hit with ‘The Summer Of My Life’ – a song that had originally appeared in the long-running TV series ‘Crossroads’. The Wurzels followed up their earlier chart topper with ‘I Am A Cider Drinker (Paloma Blanca)’ and the Christmas season saw Paul Nicholas in the Top 10 with ‘Grandma’s Party’, and Mike Oldfield start the year by reaching #4 with ‘In Dulce Jubilo’.

 

The final disc opens with Elton John’s version of ‘Pinball Wizard’ (which he performed in the film ‘Tommy’) ahead of Roxy Music’s ‘Both Ends Burning’. Rock hits from Status Quo, Thin Lizzy, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Sweet come next ahead of the third Top 20 hit for Smokie, ‘Something’s Been Making Me Blue’. Be Bop Deluxe hit the Top 30 with ‘Ships In The Night’, and US hits from Boz Scaggs and Daryl Hall & John Oates follow, alongside slower paced hits from Gallagher And Lyle and Frankie Valli. The collection finishes in funky style with a stellar run of soul and funk: David Ruffin and The Stylistics both enjoyed Top 10 hits with ‘Walk Away From Love’ and ‘Funky Weekend’. The Spinners and a second appearance from Barry White are up next – and to close, a trio of feel-good funk classics; Brass Construction with ‘Movin’’, Ohio Players with their U.S. chart topper ‘Love Rollercoaster’, and the Top 20 ‘Sunshine Day’ from Osibisa.

 

NOW – Yearbook Extra 1976 – a further celebration of the diversity and magic of the year in pop.

Tracklist

CD1

1. Queen - You're My Best Friend 

2. Elton John - Bennie And The Jets 

3. Paul McCartney & Wings - Let 'Em In

4. Electric Light Orchestra - Evil Woman 

5. 10cc - Art For Art's Sake

6. Bryan Ferry - The Price Of Love 

7. Andy Fairweather Low - Wide Eyed And Legless 

8. Kiki Dee - Loving And Free

9. Neil Diamond - If You Know What I Mean 

10. Johnny Nash - Wonderful World 

11. Johnny Wakelin - In Zaire 

12. KC & The Sunshine Band - (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty

13. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Silver Star

14. Jimmy James & The Vagabonds - I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me 

15. The Trammps – That’s Where The Happy People Go

16. Barry White - Baby We Better Try To Get It Together 

17. The Stylistics - Sixteen Bars 

18. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass - Wake Up Everybody 

19. The Manhattans - Hurt 

20. Gladys Knight & The Pips - So Sad The Song 

 

CD2

 

1. Donna Summer - Could It Be Magic

2. Tavares - Don't Take Away The Music

3. Tina Charles - Dance Little Lady Dance 

4. The Real Thing - Can't Get By Without You

5. Gloria Gaynor - How High The Moon

6. Diana Ross - I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love)

7. Johnnie Taylor - Disco Lady

8. Billy Ocean - Stop Me (If You've Heard It All Before) 

9. The Drifters - Hello Happiness 

10. Bay City Rollers - I Only Wanna Be With You 

11. Marmalade – Falling Apart At The Seams

12. Hot Chocolate – Man To Man

13. David Essex - If I Could

14. Dana - Never Gonna Fall In Love Again 

15. Barry Manilow - I Write The Songs 

16. Demis Roussos - When Forever Has Gone 

17. Elvis Presley - Hurt 

18. Simon May - The Summer Of My Life 

19. The Wurzels – I Am A Cider Drinker (Paloma Blanca)

20. Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots - Disco Duck 

21. Paul Nicholas - Grandma's Party 

22. Mike Oldfield - In Dulce Jubilo 

 

CD3

 

1. Elton John - Pinball Wizard

2. Roxy Music - Both Ends Burning 

3. Status Quo - Rain 

4. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

5. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Boston Tea Party

6. Sweet - The Lies In Your Eyes 

7. Smokie - Something's Been Making Me Blue 

8. Be Bop Deluxe – Ships In The Night 

9. Boz Scaggs - Lowdown

10. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Sara Smile 

11. Dr. Hook - If Not You

12. Don Williams - I Recall A Gypsy Woman 

13. Gallagher And Lyle - I Wanna Stay With You 

14. Frankie Valli – Fallen Angel

15. David Ruffin - Walk Away From Love

16. The Stylistics - Funky Weekend 

17. The Spinners – The Rubberband Man

18. Barry White - Don't Make Me Wait Too Long

19. Brass Construction - Movin'

20. Ohio Players - Love Rollercoaster

21. Osibisa - Sunshine Day