Michaeö Jackson 2022

During 2020 I noticed that I was gravitating - as a listener - to more intimate, human-sounding music. Nick Drake. Joni Mitchell. I wanted to hear skin on guitar string, or a voice that sounded as clear and close as if that person were sitting right next to me. Looking back, it makes sense that I was seeking out that human touch in a time that was so robbed of it. Just like everybody, it was a hard time for me.

Heralded as 'a riveting adrenaline rush of a show!' by Peter Marks in The Washington Post, 'MJ the Musical' opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on February 1, 2022 to rave reviews from both critics and audiences. 'MJ delivers the thrills!' exclaimed Jesse Green at The New York Times. Recorded at Power Station at BerkleeNYC, the album was produced by David Holcenberg and Jason Michael Webb and co-produced by Derik Lee, Lia Vollack, John Branca, and John McClain served as executive producers.

As well as picking up litter on Wimbledon Common, The Wombles were the pop sensations of 1974, and ‘The Wombling Song’ kicks the last disc off – Boney M., Village People, Hot Chocolate and 10cc follow – as does the second featured track from ABBA, ‘SOS’, and Terry Jacks’ No. 1 ‘Seasons In The Sun’. Slade, Smokie, Sparks and Sailor all delivered stellar pop gold and Showaddywaddy, Darts, Mud and John Travolta all pay homage to the Rock ‘N’ Roll era - 70’s style, as does the theme from the huge TV show ‘Happy Days’, and the first single to sell over two million copies in the UK and spent nine weeks at No. 1. ‘Mull Of Kintyre’ from Wings makes the perfect song to conclude our journey through the pop goldmine of the 1970s.

While many of the decade’s most successful UK bands (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones et al) were originally inspired and influenced by Black American soul and R&B, it could be argued that Black artists recording in Britain at the time weren’t given the exposure they deserved.

NOW Music is proud to present the newest addition to the 'Yearbook' series: NOW - Yearbook 1980. 4 CDs of 85 tracks that defined the charts in 1980.Kicking off with Queen's anthem 'Another One Bites The Dust', Disc 1 includes massive hits from Kate Bush, Madness, Roxy Music and the Top 40 debut from Adam and The Ants, alongside #1s from Blondie, Dexys Midnight Runners, The Jam and ABBA - plus the decade's first new #1 'Brass In Pocket' from Pretenders - and 1980's biggest selling single 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' from The Police. Lipps Inc., Diana Ross and Sheila and B. Devotion had timeless floor-fillers - and synth driven pop, that would come to dominate the charts of the early 80s , fuelled iconic hits for Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Gary Numan, Ultravox and the debut from Spandau Ballet… and to close the first disc, three of the year's biggest love songs from KC and The Sunshine Band, Randy Crawford and Billy Preston and Syreeta.