Remember 1979?

The first commercial e-mail software arrived, and the first snowboard and rollerblades appeared. The Iran Hostage Crisis began, and the upheaval in caused a severe US energy crisis leading to gasoline shortages and rationing. NASA launched Voyager 1, which sent back images of Jupiter. At Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, a partial meltdown caused global panic. Sony introduced the Walkman, and McDonald’s debuted the Happy Meal.

And through it all, there was the unforgettable music that defined the moment and became the soundtrack to our lives.

The year marked disco’s peak (Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls,” Chic’s “Good Times” and Gloria Gaynor’s anthemic “I Will Survive” dominated the charts) and backlash (the infamous “Disco Sucks” movement). New wave and punk moved from the underground to mainstream success. The Sugarhill Gang released “Rapper’s Delight,” the first top 40 hit in the hip-hop genre. Stevie Wonder used digital audio technology on Journey through the Secret Life of Plants.

In On Record “Vol. 7: 1979”—the seventh title in his award-winning series—acclaimed music journalist G. Brown transports readers back to one of the most vibrant years in music history. Through vivid storytelling and striking imagery, Brown shares his decades of exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and an archive of nearly 15,000 rare editorial photographs. Through his incisive writing and historical perspective, On Record “Vol. 7: 1979” captures the energy, innovation and cultural shifts that defined the era.

Explore On Record “Vol. 7: 1979” for a comprehensive record of musical legacies:

• Critical masterpieces from the Clash (London Calling), Pink Floyd (The Wall) and Neil Young (Rust Never Sleeps)
• Defining records from Supertramp, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
• A massive surge in new wave music with artists such as Talking Heads, Blondie, the Police and Elvis Costello.
• Diverse musical trends from Michael Jackson’s breakthrough album Off the Wall to the Knack’s “My Sharona”
• The year’s top releases in hip-hop, classic rock, country, jazz and new age genres

On Record “Vol. 7: 1979” brims with visual narratives that inspire, educate and entertain—an essential guide to the extraordinary music of that year.

Meticulously edited and beautifully designed, this oversized edition is printed to the highest standards, making it a stunning gift or centerpiece for your living room, music room, man cave or creative space—wherever the soundtrack to your life plays loudest.