Now That’s What I Call Music 9 – Taking your breath away
In 1987, for the first time since they had co-existed, NOW released its first compilation of the year in the Spring, leaving Hits 6 to take over for the summer, presumably because it gave NOW…
Year: 2013
The Curious Case of NOW ’86
End of year compilations were not NOW's style. They tried it once before, using NOW 4 as a way of hoodwinking the public into buying a compilation that had only a passing resemblance to the…
Now That’s What I Call Music 8 – Not perfect, but perfect for you
Welcome to the future! For Christmas 1986, NOW would deliver a lovely shiny package for its fans, because the future is always shiny, isn't it? NOW 8 is fit to burst with number ones, top…
Now That’s What I Call Music 7 – Let’s make lots of money
To talk about NOW 7, you have to have a copy to hand. And I don't mean a digital copy, or a playlist made from the track listing. You have to have an actual…
The Hits Albums 1-10 – Two tribes go to war
Batman needs the Joker. Tottenham Hotspur need Arsenal. Jerry needs Tom. But I suspect NOW could have done without the bother of the Hits Album. Having seen EMI and Virgin come together to dominate the…
Now That’s What I Call Music 6 – Re-election day
Christmas 1985 would see NOW reclaim its crown, in some style. Not only did NOW 6 indicate a return to form, but they also had the trump card of the Now Christmas Album. I’ll discuss…
Now That’s What I Call Music 5 – Harold Faltermeyer is 5 foot 11 inches tall
After losing Christmas 1984 to The Hits Album, NOW! took a short sabbatical in the new year. Clearly they were no longer the only game in town and things were going to have to change.…
Now That’s What I Call Music 4 – Hello, is it twee you’re looking for?
Whilst NOW 3 may have given us the wonderful NOW! balls logo, it also gave us another, less welcome taste of 80s design: wacky, wavy neon lines. So 80s, so Max Headroom, so The Roxy,…
Now! That’s What I Call Music 3 – Can U Pig It?
NOW! continued its first full year in the summer of 1984, with the release of NOW 3. And it's a porker! It's the pig one! Compilations don't get much pigger than this! It's so…
Now! That’s What I Call Music II – More, more, more
Almost four months to the day since it had crashed its way through the charts and teenage bedrooms of the UK, NOW! would launch a second onslaught on the nation. And whilst at first glance…