Various Artists – Now That's What I Call The 70's / Various

It's time to celebrate an incredible decade in pop music - with 46 tracks on 3-LPs pressed in suitably 70s wallpaper favourite colours - one for each disc - orange, beige and brown - and including an amazing 20 #1 singles... Time to immerse yourself in rock, glam, disco, punk, new wave, soul, easy listening and pure pop gold... NOW That's What I Call The 70s! Kicking off with one of Queen's best loved anthems, 'Don't Stop Me Now' ahead of the timeless 'Mr Blue Sky' from Electric Light Orchestra. Stars don't come much bigger than Elton John, his classic 'Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time)' is next before Rod Stewart's #1 'Maggie May' and Roberta Flack's stunning 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. Donna Summer scored a huge hit with her version of 'MacArthur Park' and closing the first side is Blondie's #1 disco excursion 'Heart Of Glass'. Flip the LP over for a side of pop and glam favourites; #1s from David Essex and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel leading into glamtastic chart toppers from Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Wizzard and Mud - plus Alvin Stardust and the David Bowie-penned 'All The Young Dudes' from Mott The Hoople. LP2 includes some of the most influential artists of the era: Bob Dylan with 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door', The Police with 'Message In A Bottle', 'London Calling' from The Clash, and The Boomtown Rats with 'Rat Trap' - the first #1 single from a punk or new wave act. Glam art-pop from Roxy Music and Sparks leads to the side concluding with Gary Numan and his 1979 #1 'Cars', pointing the way to the synth-led 1980s. Over on the other side, disco #1s from Baccara and Village People, and huge tracks 'Good Times' from Chic and 'September' from Earth, Wind & Fire. Barry White hit the top spot in 1974 with 'You're The First, The Last, My Everything', and Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross reinforced their superstar status, whilst closing this LP, Commodores with their 1978 #1 'Three Times A Lady'. Rock in the '70s is represented on LP3 by Bruce Springsteen with his signature 'Born To Run', Meat Loaf with the epic drama of 'Bat Out Of Hell', Status Quo with 'Rockin' All Over The World' - their Top 3 smash from 1977, that nearly 8 years later would open 'Live Aid', and Gerry Rafferty who scored a massive hit with 'Baker Street'. Don McLean and Bonnie Tyler follow, with 'Mull Of Kintyre' - a gigantic record breaking hit for Paul McCartney & Wings, which spent 9 weeks at #1, and became the first single to sell over two million copies in the UK ending this side... and over to the final side with Neil Diamond and the enduringly popular 'Sweet Caroline', ahead of Dolly Parton with her unforgettable 'Jolene', and easy-listening pop from The Manhattan Transfer with 'Chanson D'Amour', and Dean Friedman w/ Denise Marsa on the brilliant 'Lucky Stars'. Boney M. not only hit #1 in 1978 with 'Rivers Of Babylon', but it became the year's best seller and is another track to have sold over 2 million copies. A true one-off 'Uptown Top Ranking' is up next from Althea & Donna, the first of a closing trio of #1s, with 10cc and their beautiful 'I'm Not In Love', and 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' by Simon & Garfunkel - one of the most loved songs of all time - and this 1970 #1 completes this superb collection. Celebrate the diversity and creativity of an amazing time in pop music with 46 fabulous tracks from this incredible decade... NOW That's What I Call The 70s