NOW Yearbook – THE VAULT: 1985 (4CD)

1985 was a remarkable year in pop music. Across the releases on Yearbook 1985 and its’ ‘Extra’ we’ve already celebrated many of the year’s biggest hits – the tracks that dominated the charts … but as ever, that’s only part of the year’s story…

Welcome to THE VAULT for 1985. A collection that digs deeper into the year’s musical landscape – uncovering singles that may not have always reached the highest chart positions but remain essential to the rich and diverse pop story of 1985. Some were overshadowed at the time, some were highlights from albums that had already sold huge amounts, some found greater success internationally – but all deserve their place in this continued celebration of 80s pop. 78 tracks across 4-CDs – NOW Yearbook – The Vault: 1985.

CD1 opens with a trio of tracks from huge-selling albums:- Bruce Springsteen’s ‘My Hometown’, the sixth single in the UK from ‘Born in the U.S.A’ - one of the best-selling albums of the decade, followed by Bryan Ferry with the stunning ‘Windswept’ from ‘Boys And Girls’ and Sting’s ‘Love Is The Seventh Wave’, taken from his solo debut ‘The Dream Of The Blue Turtles’. Next up, Go West with a U.S single release ‘Eye To Eye’, Scritti Politti with ‘Perfect Way’ – their biggest hit in America, and ABC with ‘Be Near Me’. The emerging groups of the year – including Fine Young Cannibals and The Colourfield sit alongside established acts including China Crisis and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Midge Ure, Blancmange and Heaven 17 follow alongside the second collaboration between Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder with ‘Good-Bye Bad Times’. The disc draws to it’s close with Simply Red, Adam Ant, The Style Council and The Power Station before finishing with ‘Legs’ from The Art Of Noise’.

CD2 features a diverse line up celebrating multiple genres…Cocteau Twins open with the dream-pop atmospherics of ‘Aikea-Guinea’, ahead of The Jesus And Mary Chain with ‘Just Like Honey’, and The Dream Academy with ‘The Love Parade’. Elvis Costello & The Attractions released the 1979 track ‘Green Shirt’ to promote their ‘Best Of’ collection and is followed by three of the most influential Punk & New Wave bands; The Clash’s ‘This Is England’, would become their last originally released hit, plus The Stranglers and The Damned. Next up, the driving intensity of New Model Army’s ‘No Rest’ and Sisters Of Mercy’s ‘No Time To Cry’ ahead of a change of pace with Marillion’s ‘Heart Of Lothian’ the third hit from their huge ‘Misplaced Childhood’ album. Anthemic polished pop from Bonnie Tyler with Todd Rundgren is alongside a U.S. single from Tina Turner and Princess with the follow-up to her massive debut. The remainder of the second disc includes Loose Ends with their cover of David Bowie’s ‘Golden Years’, Brilliant with their cover of James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ and jazz-influenced pop from Matt Bianco. Daryl Hall & John Oates, Chris Rea and Squeeze bring Disc 2 to a close.

CD3 celebrates the dancefloor, with a vibrant mix of Hi-NRG, soul, electro and club-influenced pop. Opening with Sheryl Lee Ralph’s ‘In The Evening’ and Barbara Pennington’s equally superb ‘On A Crowded Street’, the hi-energy continues with Miquel Brown and Hazell Dean, plus soul legends The Three Degrees returning in 1985 with ‘The Heaven I Need’ produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman. A big US hit from Laura Branigan (‘Spanish Eddie’) comes ahead of Divine’s cover of ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’ which leads into two massive U.S. dancefloor smashes:- Eddie Murphy’s ‘Party All The Time’, and Patti LaBelle with ‘New Attitude’. The stellar vocals continue with ‘Act Of War’, the huge collaboration between Elton John & Millie Jackson, and The Pointer Sisters with ‘Baby Come And Get It’, the sixth single from their hit-packed ‘Break Out’ album. U.S. R&B and electro-funk are represented by Ready For The World, The Limit and Mary Jane Girls, and there’s funk-driven cuts from Steve Arrington, Cameo and Sister Sledge. Five Star and Eighth Wonder nod at the upcoming next wave of UK pop, and the disc closes with fourth and final charting single from Marilyn with the ear-worm ‘Baby U Left Me (In The Cold)’

The final CD salutes some of the singles that achieved bigger hit status in the US than here and opens with Billy Joel’s ‘You’re Only Human (Second Wind)’, a track written exclusively for his ‘Greatest Hits – Volume I & II’ compilation, ahead of the high‑profile solo success of David Lee Roth with ‘California Girls’. Pop-Rock from John Mellencamp plus an anthemic smash from Bon Jovi alongside Dio’s ‘Rock ‘N” Roll Children’ are included next. Soundtrack highlights feature with Oingo Boingo’s ‘Weird Science’, and Pat Benatar’s ‘Invincible’, coming before new wave hits from Kim Carnes, Animotion, The Cars and ‘Til Tuesday. Foreigner followed their global #1 ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ with ‘That Was Yesterday’ plus Journey and Rick Springfield continue a run of major U.S. chart acts, before the disc moves into sophisticated pop-R&B from Michael McDonald and Philip Bailey… and the collection closes with two outstanding vocal performances: Chaka Khan’s ‘Through The Fire’ and the U.S. breakthrough hit from Whitney Houston with ‘You Give Good Love’ – signalling the arrival of one of the decade’s brightest new stars.

NOW Yearbook – The Vault: 1985 – A deeper dive into an unforgettable year in pop.