FEATURE:
Now THAT’S What I Call Music!
Why the Decades-Running Compilation Series Still Fascinates Me
___________
ALTHOUGH this is not the first time…
IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa appears three times on the latest NOW That's What I Call Music
I have talked about the NOW That's What I Call Music series, I love the fact that it has been nearly thirty-eight years since the original compilation arrived. For music lovers who were around then, seeing an advert for that first compilation must have been exciting:
“Now That's What I Call Music (also simply titled Now or Now 1) is the first album from the popular Now! series that was released in the United Kingdom on 28 November 1983. Initial pressings were released on vinyl and audio cassette. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album and series, the album was re-released on CD for the first time in 2009. Alternative longer mixes of "Only for Love", "Double Dutch" and "Candy Girl" were included in place of the original shorter single mixes from 1983.[1] A double vinyl re-release followed for Record Store Day on 18 April 2015. In July 2018, the album was newly remastered and re-released on CD, vinyl and cassette to commemorate the release of the 100th volume of the series.
In December 1983, the compilation debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and reached number one a week later, staying at the top for five non-consecutive weeks”.
I will come onto the latest incarnation in the long-running series in a minute. I think one of the beautiful things about a now NOW That's What I Call Music album is that there is a nice spread of music; some of the best tracks from that year can be heard. Whilst, perhaps, the series leans towards Pop, I don't think that is always the case.
I have been a little out of the loop regarding NOW That's What I Call Music over the past few years. I have got back into this in the past week because of a tweet I saw from Mark Savage. Dua Lipa appears on the latest NOW That's What I Call Music three times. Not only is she well represented but, in terms of the quality of music on it, I think it is very broad and interesting. Have a look at the great tracks on the latest album and go and buy it if you can. I am so interested in NOW That's What I Call Music because it a snapshot of a year, and it is curious to look at how the series has progressed through the years and how tastes have changed. Whilst the series might not be for everyone, I think we all have a number in the series that is particularly good. For me, number twenty-four of 1993 is the very best. I recall buying that album on cassette when it came out and marvelling at all the chart hits packed together! I feel that it can be hard to get in top of what is popular and all the great Pop around. There will always be detractors who dislike the mainstream sound of the compilation series and the fact that it rarely touches on genres like Rap, Hip-Hop, Rock and Indie.
Two albums in one day! 🌟
— NOW That's What I Call Music (@NOWMusic) March 26, 2021
NOW 108 and NOW 8 are both out now. Who’s already gotten hold of a copy? pic.twitter.com/HEJGYcYTMG
I do think that the series offers a lot to music fans, though I feel that there is opportunity, like there has been in the past, to do genre-specific NOW That's What I Call Music albums. At a time when music is so broad and inventive, maybe focusing on Pop is to restrictive. That being said, the names on the one-hundred-and-eighth NOW That's What I Call Music cover a wide spectrum - and there are plenty of tracks to get your teeth into! One important thing to note is that, alongside the current NOW That's What I Call Music is being offered with an older album in the series. This article explains more:
“Music has remained a constant in these rollercoaster times, continuing to be played loudly and proudly. The pandemic has seen growth in the recorded music industry and NOW That’s What I Call Music! 108 features the biggest chart-topping hits the nation just can’t get enough of.
As a bonus, NOW That’s What I Call Music! 8 is being re-released for the first-time since 1986, full of classic sing-along hits, still as popular today as they were 35 years ago.
Included in NOW 108, the first numbered compilation of the year, is Disney star Olivia Rodrigo with her chart-topping single drivers license, the longest running UK number 1 debut single in 15 years; Dua Lipa’s We’re Good and Harry Style’s Golden both 2021 Grammy winners for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance respectively. Joining them on this jam-packed compilation is Billie Eilish’s Therefore I Am, Miley Cyrus’ Midnight Sky along with Anne-Marie x KSI x Digital Farm Animals’ Don’t play.
Now That’s What I Call Music! 8, first released in 1986, is a time capsule of some of the finest eighties tracks to sing along to, it captures a time when the chart was a musical mix and legends were born. Taking us on a journey back to the eighties the compilation includes, Duran Duran’s Notorious, RUN DMC feat. Aerosmith’s Walk This Way and Grace Jones’ I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You), as well as; The Communards With Sarah Jane Morris’ Don't Leave Me This Way, Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush’s Don't Give Up and Cameo’s classic hit Word Up!
Whether your preference is for Miley Cyrus, the Pet Shop Boys, Kim Wilde or Harry Styles NOW That’s What I Call Music has the perfect soundtrack for spring days and Easter holidays!”.
The fact that people will be able to experience brand new hits and then travel back in time and match that against some classics is a good idea. I know one can buy most of the NOW That's What I Call Music on C.D., but I wonder whether many exist on tape. Many of the older compilations on that format must be worth a fortune now! I actually think that launching them all on cassette (and maybe vinyl) would spark a lot of interest. I could handpick a few in the series that I’d keep on cassette as a memento and then have a couple of vinyl I played regularly. You can listen to most of the series on streaming services – in most cases, someone has produced the playlist rather than it being an official release -, but I think that the listening experience one can only get with physical formats means the songs come alive more! Many wonder why a series like NOW That's What I Call Music is still popular when we stream so much…and the charts don’t have the same impact as they used to. I think people have an appetite for complications because it is broader than a normal album, plus you get all of these great tracks in one place. You could stream them all, sure. Having them on album means you can revisit and keep that album for years to come! I hope that those who produce NOW That's What I Call Music will think about releasing all of the series on cassette and vinyl. I think you can get most of the series via Amazon, though an official store with all of them available would be better. After all of these years, the phenomenal NOW That's What I Call Music series…
CONTINUES to burn bright!