FEATURE: The Compilation That Seduced a Nation... Now That’s What I Call Music! at Thirty-Five: Twelve Essential Editions You Need to Own

FEATURE:

 

 

The Compilation That Seduced a Nation...

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Now That’s What I Call Music! at Thirty-Five: Twelve Essential Editions You Need to Own

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ONE might feel that this is a bit overkill…

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 IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for the latest Now That’s What I Call Music! (released last Friday)

to make such a fuss over a compilation series – not even including the offshoots from the ‘pure’ strand – but you cannot deny Now That’s What I Call Music! is a glorious thing! It is thirty-five on Wednesday and I am one of those people who grew up with the series. I was actually born the same year as Now That’s What I Call Music! and am a bit too young to remember the first edition the first time around. Looking back; I can only imagine the excitement and thrill of hearing this new album come out, in 1983, that collated all the biggest chart hits of the year and put them into one place. There was no Internet and Spotify back in 1983 so the only way people were listening to music was on vinyl and cassette. The C.D. had only been introduced to the world the year before so there was this preciousness and exclusivity owning the first Now That’s What I Call Music! If you have an original edition in your palms then one imagines it is worth quite a bob or two! The fact there was a second instalment meant the public were reacting to its unique and populist edge – songs from Culture Club and Duran Duran on the first edition meant people wanted more and a nice way of gathering the best hits of the day.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Ariana Grande (one of the artists included in the current Now That’s What I Call Music! compilation)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

The success of the series was instant and there were three further editions in 1984 – people could not get enough and that idea of having more than one Now That’s What I Call Music! in one year. Maybe the charts were more relevant in the 1980s but even now, thirty-five years after its birth; we cannot get enough of the eclectic and brilliant Now That’s What I Call Music! The latest edition, released last Friday, has everyone from George Ezra and Ariana Grande featured and it is amazing to think how far music has come since 1983. The fact we have that zeal and interest in a compilation album – given the fact we can make our own playlists – is amazing. As the Now That’s What I Call Music! series reaches its thirty-fifth birthday; a lot of folk will be looking through their old copies or going online and streaming memories of great days. I feel, like music in general, we all have specific memories ties to Now That’s What I Call Music! I first encountered the series in 1993, on the twenty-fourth edition, and call recall the songs and how it made me feel hearing everything flow. Listening to a favourite edition is not just about the songs but what you were doing at the time and how music made you feel.

Maybe the bosses and boffs behind the compilation will do some reissues on a bigger anniversary but it would be good to see the full series on cassette, C.D. or vinyl. Maybe that would be a big undertaking but, perhaps, having the chance to order one of the series and choosing your format would be great. It is nice being able to access all the songs from all one-hundred-and-one compilations online; nothing beats the thrill of having a double-C.D./cassette and having the insert; a vinyl that you could spin from, say, 1985’s Now That’s What I Call Music! editions and casting your mind back to the music of the day and what we were listening to. As much as anything; the series acts as a documentation of tastes and music that dominated the charts. You can see how genres like Pop have evolved and how our tastes have altered in the ensuing years! Many claim the first Now That’s What I Call Music! is a bit light on quality but I feel it stands up well – the fact it is the very first means its importance cannot be understated. In honour of thirty-five years of Now That’s What I Call Music! excellence; I have selected the twelve finest, must-own editions that really hit the mark! Perhaps you will disagree but I think you’ll agree there is some true quality to be found. Have a look at these twelve select Now That’s What I Call Music! sets and maybe you’ll have your own...

THOUGHTS and arguments.

ALL IMAGES: Getty Images

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Now That’s What I Call Music!: The Big Bang

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Release Date (U.K.): 28th November, 1983

Number of Tracks: 30

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Billy Joel – Uptown Girl

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Culture Club – Colour by Numbers

Download/Stream: Heaven 17 – Temptation; Paul Young – Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home); The Cure – The Lovecats

Classic Track: Culture Club – Karma Chameleon

Now That’s What I Call Music! 8: Proving the 1980s Boasted Some True Quality

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Release Date (U.K.): 24th November, 1986

Number of Tracks: 32

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Housemartins – Caravan of Love

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Various Artists – Hits 5

Download/Stream: Steve Winwood – Higher Love; Janet Jackson – What Have You Done for Me Lately; Peter Gabriel (feat. Kate Bush) – Don’t Give Up

Classic Track: Run–D.M.C. – Walk This Way

Now That’s What I Call Music! 19: Trip-Hop Alongside the Pop

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Release Date (U.K.): 25th March, 1991

Number of Tracks: 34

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Chesney Hawkes – The One and Only

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): R.E.M. – Out of Time

Download/Stream: The KLF feat. The Children of the Revolution – 3 a.m. Eternal; Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy; Free – All Right Now

Classic Track: Seal – Crazy

Now That’s What I Call Music! 24: My Personal Favourite

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Release Date (U.K.): 16th April, 1993

Number of Tracks: 37

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Bluebells – Young at Heart

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Suede - Suede

Download/Stream: Snow – Informer; The Stereo MC’s – Step It Up; Duran Duran – Ordinary World

Classic Track: Take That – Could It Be Magic

Now That’s What I Call Music! 26: Pure Genius (and Julia Roberts Is on There!)

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Release Date (U.K.): 15th November, 1993  

Number of Tracks: Forty

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell

Download/Stream: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Boom! Shake the Room; The Cardigans – My Favourite Game; The Spin Doctors – Two Princes

Classic Track: Radiohead – Creep

Now That’s What I Call Music! 31: The Underrated Giant of the Series

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Release Date (U.K.): 31st July, 1995   

Number of Tracks: 40

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Outhere Brothers – Boom Boom Boom

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Supergrass – I Should Coco

Download/Stream: Pulp – Common People; Supergrass – Alright; Weezer – Buddy Holly

Classic Track: Portishead – Sour Times

Now That’s What I Call Music! 37: A Perfect Cocktail of Genres and Tastes

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Release Date (U.K.): 14th July, 1997 

Number of Tracks: 41

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Puff Daddy (feat. Faith Evans & 112) – I’ll Be Missing You

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land

Download/Stream: The Cardigans – Lovefool; En Vogue – Don’t Let Go (Love); Blur – On Your Own

Classic Track: Supergrass – Sun Hits the Sky

Now That’s What I Call Music! 41: Another Titanic Year from a Stellar Decade

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Release Date (U.K.): 23rd November, 1998  

Number of Tracks: 42

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Cher – Believe

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): George Michael - Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael

Download/Stream: Jennifer Paige – Crush; The Cardigans – My Favourite Game; Sheryl Crow – My Favourite Mistake

Classic Track: Stardust – Music Sounds Better with You

Now That’s What I Call Music! 44: It Is the Best-Selling of the Lot for a Reason…

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Release Date (U.K.): 22nd November, 1999   

Number of Tracks: 42

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Robbie Williams – She’s the One/It’s Only Us

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Steps – Steptacular

Download/Stream: Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...); Sixpence None the Richer – Kiss Me; Supergrass – Moving

Classic Track: Britney Spears – ...Baby One More Time

Now That’s What I Call Music! 45: Beginning the New Millennium in Style

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Release Date (U.K.): 17th April, 2000

Number of Tracks: 45

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Fragma – Toca’s Miracle

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Moby – Play

Download/Stream: Honeyz – Won’t Take It Lying Down; Fragma – Toca’s Miracle; Basement Jaxx – Bingo Bango

Classic Track: Moloko – The Time Is Now

Now That’s What I Call Music! 50: One of the Few Genuine Standout Collections from the 2000s

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Release Date (U.K.): 19th November, 2001

Number of Tracks: 44

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): Blue – If You Come Back

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Steps – Gold

Download/Stream: Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head; Nelly Furtado – Turn Off the Light; Groove Armada – Superstylin

Classic Track: Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious

Now That’s What I Call Music! 100: The Milestone

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Release Date (U.K.): 20th July, 2018 

Number of Tracks: 44

Number-One Single on the Day of Release (U.K.): The Lightning Seeds, David Baddiel & Frank Skinner – Three Lions

Number-One Album on the Day of Release (U.K.): Drake – Scorpion

Download/Stream: Years & Years – If You’re Over Me; Oasis – Wonderwall; Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head

Classic Track: Spice Girls – Wannabe

Sam Liddicott