Various Artists - Billboard Top Hits: 1979

The product was delivered on time and worked just fine. My family and I really enjoy the songs on the CD

I bought the cd just for that one song you cannot find anywhere else. Randy VanWarmer, Just When I Needed You Most. You cannot find this one anywhere, unless you have it on an old record.

For all of you late 30s/early 40s-somethings out there, this CD collection is a must-have! Tell me, who doesn't like "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"? You also have wedding dance classics such as "YMCA" and "I Will Survive," plus some real rock tunes in "Heart of Glass" and "My Sharona." Several songs on this album remain on my all-time favorites list, including "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Although the year is 1979, fans of both late 70s and early 80s music are likely to enjoy this CD--definitely recommended!

I always will call 1979 the year that music got close to the light, as it was the one year when the walls came down, and genres crossed into one another.

This 10 track retrospective is a good example of the diversity that topped the charts in '79. From Disco Classics (I Will Survive, Ring My Bell), to the camp from the openly gay Village People (Y.M.C.A.), to country (The Devil Went Down to Georgia), to a reworked track from Bruce Springsteen via the Pointer Sisters (Fire).
You have here a taste of what went on back in '79.

The dramatic ballad, another 70's staple is also featured here with Sad Eyes, and Just When I Needed You Most, and another 70's icon the "songs that defy description" is featured here with Escape (The Pina Colada Song).

There was much more to 1979, but this collection is a good primer.

Ken

Ah, 1979. It was the last year that disco ruled the pop charts, new wave began its rise, rap had its first Top 40 hit ("Rapper's Delight"), and every newscast began with a countdown of the number of days hostages had been held in Iran. As a 9 year old, I heard these songs everywhere, from "My Sharona" played round the clock on the radio, to "Sad Eyes" and "Just When I Needed You Most" played during slow skate at the local roller rink. I saw most of these songs lip synced to on "Solid Gold" (remember that show?), where Dionne Warwick's hair got shorter every week. I thought Charlie Daniels was one bad dude when he was talking about the Devil coming down south, where I lived at the time! Who knew then that "Y.M.C.A." would become the most played song in the history of the universe? And though I've listened to it for 25 years without tiring of it, I still don't have the foggiest clue what Debbie Harry is singing on "Heart of Glass?!" Needless to say, this CD sums up one year better than just about any other Billboard collection to date. Memories usually don't come this cheap!!! As we said in 1979, "Na Noo, Na Noo."

This excellent compilation contains four massive disco smashes, one stunning piece of power pop, three soulful ballads and one great country story song. The heavy presence of disco is to be expected since this dance style still rules the charts in 1979. I Will Survive and Y.M.C.A. became ageless club anthems, Ring My Bell is famous for its atmospheric syndrum effects and Heart Of Glass crossed the boundaries between new wave and disco in a big way. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) was a novelty hit and it still irritates me, but Just When I Needed You Most, Sad Eyes and Fire are great emotional ballads that have stood the test of time very well. The Devil Went Down To Georgia is still an amusing country song with some superb instrumental breaks. Nine great songs out of ten tracks make this one of the better Billboard compilations, reflecting all of the relevant styles that made 1979 such a great year for music.

I was 10 years old in 1979, and I remember listening to a lot of these songs on the radio, especially "Escape"(Pina Colada Song). It was one of my favorite songs back then.
This greatly eclectic mix of genres will bring back some great memories of a year that spurned some great music.
Disco was fading, but Blondie got her hooks into it with "Heart of Glass", which starts this disc off right.
"My Sharona", the one hit wonder of The Knack is on here, along with a few 70's party standards for fast dances, "I will survive", "YMCA", and "Ring my bell".
The slower songs are sad love songs: "Just when I needed you most" and "Sad Eyes".
This is fun album to have on and sing along with(karoake here i come...)in the car, or at home in the background at a party.
I've actually recognized it being played at clubs, between bands.
I am highly recommending this for 70's music fans! It's one of the greatest if not the best compliation album I've heard for that decade.

Eileen Famiglietti

Wow, Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" must have been the best song of 1979 because it appears on both "Billboard Top Hits: 1979" and "1979: Billboard Top Dance Hits." This is one of those Billboard hit collections that really covers the music spectrum for the year in question. Not only do you have Disco with Gaynor and the Village People, you have Punk/New Wave represented by by Blondie and The Knack, whatever "Escape (The Pina Colada Song" happens to be, and Country Western with the Charlie Daniels Band. I think this album will make the cut for most people when it comes to checking out the play list to see if there are five or more songs you would like to add to your music collection. The downside is that there are half as many songs here that you will probably just pass over when you play the album. However, I cannot begin to count the number of times that the driving beat of "My Sharona" has gotten me through a late afternoon. That has to count for something, boys and girls.

For people that love the 70s - this is by far the best cd ever!!!! Every song is great, catchy, and wonderful to listen to. You have to buy it; its completely worth it. You won't regret it.