Released: 28th August 2026. Step back to the early ’70s – an unforgettable era of pure pop, rock, soul, easy listening and singer-songwriter classics with NOW Yearbook 1971, featuring 80 amazing tracks across 4 CDs.
Opening with an incredible run of truly timeless classics… Elton John’s signature ‘Your Song’ leads, followed by Paul McCartney’s debut solo single ‘Another Day’, and Rod Stewart with his first chart-topper ‘Maggie May’ alongside the second #1 for T.Rex with ‘Get It On’. U.S. classics; Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ is as popular today as it was in ’71, as is John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’. Country-pop hits for Lynn Anderson and Olivia Newton-John come ahead of singer-songwriter gold from Cat Stevens and Carly Simon…Diana Ross hit #1 with ‘I’m Still Waiting’ and the Jackson 5 hit the top in the U.S. with one of their most beloved tracks, ‘I’ll Be There’. Next up, peerless soul ballads from The Delfonics and Al Green along with big pop hits for R. Dean Taylor, Blue Mink, The Fortunes, Sweet and The Kinks before Tom Jones completes the first disc with ‘She’s A Lady’.
Judy Collins’ version of ‘Amazing Grace’ was massive hit and would end up spending an incredible 67 weeks on the UK charts! …and opens CD2… Peter Noone enjoyed a big hit covering David Bowie’s ‘Oh You Pretty Things’ and Cilla Black was back in the Top 3 with ‘Something Tells Me…’.’Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves’ gave Cher a U.S. #1 and comes ahead of a run of pure-pop gems from Clodagh Rodgers (with 1971’s UK Eurovision entry), The Mixtures, Jackie Lee, Lobo and ‘Knock Three Times’, the first #1 for Tony Orlando & Dawn. Easy Listening gold up next from Andy Williams, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and Tony Christie, plus more of the years’ pop hits from Bay City Rollers, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Marmalade, New World, Hurricane Smith and to close the disc a Top 10 hit, ‘I Believe (In Love)’ for Hot Chocolate.
CD3 celebrates 1971’s groundbreaking soul, rock and singer-songwriter classics, opening with Marvin Gaye’s landmark masterpiece ‘What’s Going On’, before the Oscar-winning ‘Theme From "Shaft"’ from Isaac Hayes. Ike & Tina Turner’s electrifying ‘Proud Mary’ is followed by the sublime ‘Spanish Harlem’ from Aretha Franklin, while Diana Ross and Gladys Knight & The Pips deliver two of the year’s finest Motown ballads with ‘Remember Me’ and ‘If I Were Your Woman’. The second half of the disc turns up the volume with a superb run of rock classics, from Titanic’s international smash ‘Sultana’ and Deep Purple’s ‘Strange Kind Of Woman’ to Badfinger’s ‘No Matter What’, before one of the defining anthems of the era, The Who’s epic ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’. Three Dog Night’s U.S. #1 ‘Joy To The World’ leads into further highlights from Curved Air, Family, C.C.S. and Atomic Rooster, while Redbone’s ‘The Witch Queen Of New Orleans’ and Free’s ‘My Brother Jake’ showcase two more unforgettable rock-oriented chart hits. The collection closes with three timeless recordings: Buffy Sainte-Marie’s powerful ‘Soldier Blue’, Joan Baez’s interpretation of ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’, and finally Janis Joplin’s posthumous hit – the classic ‘Me And Bobby McGee’.
CD4 opens with another run of unforgettable chart smashes and #1s from Rod Stewart with ‘Reason To Believe’ and T. Rex with ‘Hot Love’, plus early glam-pop favourites from Sweet and Slade. Mungo Jerry keep the #1s coming before Dave & Ansel Collins' groundbreaking chart-topper ‘Double Barrel’ became the second ever reggae single to hit the UK #1 spot – and another #1 for The Tams with the re-released Northern Soul classic ‘Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me’. Legends, the Four Tops, The Temptations, Bill Withers, The Delfonics, Jackson 5 and The Supremes deliver a stunning run of timeless Soul classics, joined by the Northern Soul favourites ‘I'm Gonna Run Away From You’ from Tami Lynn, and ‘Heaven Must Have Sent You’ from The Elgins. Pop favourites from Middle Of The Road with their #1 ‘Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep’, Tony Orlando & Dawn and The New Seekers lead into two of the year's most memorable #1s – both tv-personality led - that book-ended the year as Clive Dunn's ‘Grandad’ is followed by Benny Hill's ‘Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)’ - the Xmas #1 for 1971- to bring this spectacular Yearbook collection to a smile-inducing close.
NOW Yearbook 1971 – a celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a magical year in pop.
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