Various - NOW – Yearbook Extra 1971 [CD]

CD1 opens with John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band’s Top 10 anthem ‘Power To The People’, before T. Rex bring early glam-rock with the Top 3 ‘Jeepster’. Sweet and Hot Chocolate follow with ‘Alexander Graham Bell’ and ‘You Could’ve Been A Lady’, ahead of tracks from Marmalade, The Byrds and Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, who feature with the first of two tracks on this ‘Extra’… ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ topped the U.S. chart in 1971, while Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens and Gordon Lightfoot add more singer-songwriter favourites along with Neil Diamond featuring with his Top 5 classic ‘I Am...I Said’. Elvis Presley, Gilbert O’Sullivan and The Fantastics lead into a run of huge soul essentials from The Four Tops & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Delfonics, the Jackson 5 and Diana Ross with ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’. Scott English and Dana complete the hugely varied opening disc. CD2 begins with Elton John’s early classic ‘Levon’, followed by Jethro Tull, Bob Dylan and the collaboration between Georgie Fame and Alan Price on ‘Rosetta’. More British pop and rock follows from McGuinness Flint, C.C.S., Atomic Rooster, Medicine Head with their chart debut ‘(And The) Pictures In The Sky’ plus Deep Purple with their Top 20 hit ‘Fireball’. East Of Eden’s ‘Jig-A-Jig’ leads into a trio of pop gems from Middle Of The Road with ‘Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum’, another big UK hit following the huge ‘Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep’, Melanie and Gerry Monroe. Next up a superb run of easy-pop favourites from Glen Campbell, Tony Orlando & Dawn and Tony Christie, along with Top 20 hits for Perry Como and Frank Sinatra plus a further Top 10 success for Elvis Presley with ‘There Goes My Everything (with The Imperials Quartet). The disc closes with a truly unique ’71 hit for Waldo de los Rios’ with his pop interpretation of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. CD3 opens with a celebration of soul & funk featuring some of ‘71s standout cuts: Curtis Mayfield’s timeless ‘Move On Up’, followed by Stevie Wonder’s cover of ‘We Can Work It Out’ and The Supremes’ ‘Nathan Jones’. The run continues with pop/soul crossover gold from Honey Cone, The Osmonds and the Jackson 5 before more superb soul from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and Chairmen Of The Board. Northern Soul favourites from Frankie Valli, The Elgins, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and The Velvelettes follow and lead to second appearances on the collection from Diana Ross with ‘Surrender’, and Marvin Gaye with the enduring ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’. Reggae hits take centre stage with Dave & Ansel Collins’ ‘Monkey Spanner’, Greyhound with ‘Black And White and The Pioneers with ‘Let Your Yeah Be Yeah’, before Mungo Jerry’s Top 5 ‘Lady Rose’ opens the trio of closing tracks, followed by Cat Stevens’ U.S. Top 10 ‘Peace Train’, which leads to the sign-off to 1971s ‘Extra’ from Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney with ‘The Back Seat Of My Car’.