FEATURE:
A Legendary Compilation Series
Looking Ahead to the Fortieth Anniversary of Now That's What I Call Music!
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IT is no exaggeration…
to say that the NOW That's What I Call Music! compilation series opened my eyes to Pop music. The first copy of the series I bought was in 1993. That was 24 in the U.K. Ten years after its inception, they were already putting out the twenty-fourth instalment! I am throwing fairly far ahead, but this year is the fortieth anniversary of the iconic series. Back in November, NOW That's What I Call Music! 113 was released. As you can see from the official website, the compilation series has broadened through the years. There are compilations relating to decades and genres. On 28th November, 1983, the first NOW That's What I Call Music! was released. I am not sure whether the makers have any plans to mark forty years. As the number forty is relevant to the charts (the top 40 etc.), then maybe something around that? A forty-track ‘best of’ from through the years? It will be tough to whittle down the series to the best forty. The volume that first introduced me to the series came out on 26th April, 1993. That was a couple of weeks before my tenth birthday. As I have said in previous features, I think I may have bought it not long after my birthday. The joy of having the double cassette in my hands might seem quaint now. The NOW That's What I Call Music! series compiles the best music from the charts from throughout the years. Even though it is broadly Pop-based, there is that diversity and range that takes in other genres.
Before I explore my memories of the series and why I think there should be something special done for the fortieth anniversary, here is some background and history regarding the magnificent and iconic NOW That's What I Call Music! compilation series. Something that has a very special place in so many music lovers’ hearts:
“The compilation series was conceived in the office of Virgin Records in London and took its name from a 1920s British advertising poster for Danish Bacon featuring a pig saying "Now. That's What I Call Music" as it listened to a chicken singing. Richard Branson, owner of Virgin, had bought the poster for his cousin, Simon Draper, to hang behind Draper's desk at the Virgin Records office. The pig became the mascot for the series, making its last regular appearance on Now That's What I Call Music 5, before reappearing in 2018, 2021 and 2022.
Original United Kingdom and Ireland series
The idea for the series was conceived in the office of Virgin Records in Vernon Yard, near Portobello Road in Notting Hill, London, by the head of Licensing and Business Affairs at Virgin Records (1979–1990) Stephen Navin, and General Manager (1983–1988) Jon Webster. The concept was taken to Simon Draper (managing director at Virgin Records) and then Peter Jamieson (managing director of EMI Records (1983–1986)). Jamieson had similar plans to launch such a compilation, and he agreed to the partnership. The deal was negotiated and finalised on Richard Branson's boat moored in Little Venice.
The series took its name from a 1920s British advertising poster for Danish Bacon featuring a pig saying "Now. That's What I Call Music" as it listened to a chicken singing. Richard Branson had bought the poster for his cousin, Simon Draper, to hang behind Draper's desk at the Virgin Records office. Branson wrote, "He was notoriously grumpy before breakfast and loved his eggs in the morning, so I bought him the poster, framed it and had it hung behind his desk." The pig became the mascot for the series, making its last regular appearance on Now That's What I Call Music 5, and made a reappearance on the cover of Now That's What I Call Music! 100 in 2018 and Now That's What I Call Music! 109 in 2021.
The first Now was released on 28 November 1983 and featured 30 UK hit singles from that year on a double vinyl LP or cassette. Although the compilation of recent hit songs into a single release was not a new concept (K-tel and Ronco, for example, had been issuing various-artist compilations for some years), this was the first time that two major record labels had collaborated on such a venture. Virgin agreed to a deal with EMI, which allowed a greater number of major hits to be included (the first album in the series included a total of "eleven number ones" on its sleeve). The album went to number one, and soon after, CBS/WEA's The Hits Album adopted a similar format to Now!. The two series co-existed for the rest of the 1980s, and when Universal (formerly PolyGram from Now 8 in 1986 through to Now 42 in 1999) joined the collaboration, the Now! series was more successful commercially. The Out Now series by MCA and Chrysalis was also established as a rival to the series, but was short-lived and lasted only two volumes”.
I was well aware of Pop music and the charts before I got a copy of NOW That's What I Call Music!, but there was something unbelievably exciting about having so many different chart tracks on the same album! Until then, I was listening to studio albums and stuff from my parents. Getting a compilation featuring so many great songs was this amazing selection box. I was a devoted purchaser of the NOW That's What I Call Music! albums right until high school. I think the last one I bought would have been around about 1999 when we were on number forty-four (there were three that year; 44 was the final one of 1999). The fact that the series is still going strong proves a couple of things. For one, there is this appetite for a physical compilation when, effectively, one can do the same on Spotify. Rather than do something digitally and listen in your ears, people are going to buy the album and are playing it in its true form. Whether people are investing in the series and keeping the collection going, buying it so they can revisit it years from now, or they are new to the magic and history of NOW That's What I Call Music!, it is so encouraging to see the series thrive and grow! To me, it is a journal and yearbook of the best music from the year. If the series is quite commercial in terms of the artists that it includes, I think that is the point. What I loved when I got NOW That's What I Call Music! 24 back in 1993 was that here were these chart hits from through the last year/few months that were all in one place! It is a sort of best of the best series, but you do get some surprises thrown in.
PHOTO CREDIT: @ztapesrecords
I think that there should be some anniversary plans. Not that it is available at the moment – at least I don’t think it is -, but it would be wonderful if the series so far was brought to vinyl and cassette. You can get some of the ‘Yearbook’ and others in the series on vinyl, but not the numbered ones I believe (unless you go through other websites). Maybe that would be an expensive and logistical nightmare, but there are so many who want their favourite NOW That's What I Call Music! album on these amazing formats. Definitely in terms of cassettes, I envisage this NOW That's What I Call Music! pop-up shop forming where you get a vending machine(s) where each album has its own slot/section. It would be numbered 1-113 (or whatever number we are up to later in the year), and you can pay by cash or card and then get the album on cassette from the vending machine. Maybe something old-skool in terms of it being a record shop where you could browse only NOW That's What I Call Music! albums. There is definitely demand for these albums on physical formats. One can buy C.D.s at the moment but, if you want cassettes or vinyl, then you need to hunt online…and it can be quite expensive. You are going to get second-hand copies, and this sort of takes something away! I feel there will be a special compilation to mark its fortieth, but maybe a documentary or podcast that looks back at its inception and legacy. I feel NOW That's What I Call Music! will continue for many more years. For almost forty years, we have bought this amazing series. Long may this wonderful compilation…
CONTINUE on strong!