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DetailsReleased: 29th March 1999

Origin: United Kingdom

Label: Virgin / EMI / Polygram

Format: Double CD & Double Cassette

Duration: 2:34:57 (154 minutes 57 seconds)

Tracks: 40

#1’s: 8

Chart Peak: #1 (7 weeks)

Sales: 725,000 (3x Platinum)

Tracklisting1. Boyzone – When The Going Gets Tough 3:38 {1}

2. Steps – Better Best Forgotten 3:40 {2}

3. Cher – Believe 3:57 {1}

4. Starring: Steps, Tina Cousins, Cleopatra, B*Witched & Billie – Thank Abba For The Music 4:06 {4}

5. Spice Girls – Goodbye 4:20 {1}

6. Honeyz – End Of The Line 4:06 {5}

7. Billie – Honey To The Bee 3:41 {3}

8. The Corrs – What Can I Do 4:17 {3}

9. Emilia – Big Big World 3:22 {5}

10. Tina Cousins – Killin' Time '99 4:05 {15}

11. Vengaboys – We Like To Party! (The Vengabus) 3:41 {3}

12. Cartoons – Witchdoctor 3:04 {2}

13. Ace Of Base – Always Have, Always Will 3:47 {12}

14. Blockster – You Should Be... 3:36 {3}

15. A+ – Enjoy Yourself 3:41 {5}

16. Deetah – El Paraiso Rico 3:28 {39}

17. Emmie – More Than This 3:13 {5}

18. DJ Sakin & Friends – Protect Your Mind (For The Love Of A Princess) 3:13 {4}

19. Fool Boona – Popped 3:02 {52}

20. Sash! – Colour The World 3:35 {15}

21. Justin – Over You 3:22 {11}

22. Robbie Williams – Strong 4:41 {4}

23. Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away 3:41 {1}

24. Fatboy Slim – Praise You 3:12 {1}

25. Armand Van Helden feat. Duane Harden – You Don't Know Me 3:59 {1}

26. Mister Oizo – Flat Beat 3:54 {1}

27. Cardigans – Erase/Rewind 3:24 {7}

28. Stereophonics – Just Looking 4:02 {4}

29. The All Seeing I feat. Tony Christie – Walk Like A Panther 4:19 {10}

30. The Divine Comedy – National Express 3:31 {8}

31. Terrorvision – Tequilla (Mint Royale Shot) 4:10 {2}

32. The Beautiful South – How Long's A Tear Take To Dry? 3:19 {12}

33. Roxette – Wish I Could Fly 3:59 {11}

34. 911 – A Little Bit More 3:50 {1}

35. Dru Hill – These Are The Times 4:04 {4}

36. Kele Le Roc – My Love 3:52 {8}

37. All Saints – War Of Nerves 4:48 {7}

38. Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Imkanyezi Nezazi (The Star & The Wiseman) 4:49 {33}

39. Blur – Tender 7:41 {2}

40. Dusty Springfield – You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 2:48 {DNC}

 

Key

Tracks highlighted red were official UK #1’s.

Tracks with an asterisk (*) next to their title have also been included in special releases from the series.

The track duration has been highlighted cyan.

Bracketed numbers refer to highest chart position reached.

{DNC} = Did Not Chart

Miscellaneous FactsTrack Most Weeks At #1: Cher – Believe (7 weeks)

Lowest Charting Track: Dusty Springfield – You Don't Have To Say You Love Me {DNC}

Longest Song: Blur – Tender 7:41

Shortest Song: Dusty Springfield – You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 2:48

Edited Tracks: Unknown

Unedited Tracks: Unknown

Inlay Mistakes: None

Other Facts: N/A

On This Day In HistoryThe "David Bowie Internet Radio Network" broadcasted its first show for Rolling Stone Radio. The show was Bowie's favourite songs with Bowie introducing each track.

Other ResourcesOfficial Now Music Website

Wikipedia

Everyhit

Brandt Animation Archive

Now 42 Rate

Andrew's ReviewNow That's What I Call Music! 42 aka Now 42 takes us into 1999. It contained 40 tracks, and 8 UK #1's from that era were selected to make the cut. It was on this volume which we were introduced to Cartoons, Tina Cousins and Stereophonics.

 

6 more #1 singles could have featured on this playlist to bump up the tally. These included B*Witched – To You I Belong, Chef – Chocolate Salty Balls, The Offspring – Pretty Fly (For A White Guy, Blondie – Maria, the debut single by Britney Spears – Baby One More Time (however this was included on a later album that year) and finally another #1 by the girls from B*Witched – Blame It On The Weatherman. It can also be said that a 7th #1, Tragedy from Steps, was also missing, but this was also included on a later album that year. Other missing hits from this era included Bryan Adams & Melanie C – When You're Gone which spent an impressive 10 weeks in the Top 10, Billie's #3 hit She Wants You, TQ – Westside, 2Pac – Changes, The Corrs – Runaway, N'Sync's breakthrough single I Want You Back, Whitney Houston – It's Not Right (But It's OK) and George Michael & Mary J. Bilge – As.

 

There are quite a few one hit wonders from this volume, and they were Emilia, Blockster, A+, Emmie, DJ Sakin & Friends, Fool Boona, Justin, Armand Van Helden (although does appear as a featured artist later in the series), Mister Oizo, Dru Hill, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Dusty Springfield.

 

Artwork Rating: 5/10 Poor

Not great if I'm honest. The choice of colours is ok, but the general design and star shapes surrounding the looks very messy and a little too similar to designs used for Now 39 and Now 40. It doesn't stand out to me in any way from the series.

 

Disc 1 Favourite: Cher – Believe

This dance anthem from 1998 was very big and became Cher's biggest hit. I recall as a 12 year old seeing her perform the song on Top Of The Pops and remembering how popular it was. I don't play it much these days but when I do, I love it.

 

Disc 2 Favourite: The Divine Comedy – National Express

A guilty pleasure that doesn't seem to fit any of my preferred music genres, but this old style song with it's catchy chorus and full brass instruments just makes me feel good every time. It's the only song from the band which I like.

 

Disc 3 Tracklist (NEW FEATURE!):

(A new concept of what a third disc might look like if other hits from the era were used)

 

1. B*Witched – Blame It On The Weatherman 3:33 {1}

2. Billie – She Wants You 3:16 {3}

3. Tatyana Ali feat. Will Smith – Boy You Knock Me Out 3:59 {3}

4. Whitney Houston – It's Not Right, But It's Ok 4:08 {3}

5. George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As 4:42 {4}

6. Andy Williams – Music To Watch Girls Go By 2:34 {9}

7. Blondie – Maria 3:57 {1}

8. Bryan Adams feat. Melanie C – When You're Gone 3:25 {3}

9. The Offspring – Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) 3:08 {1}

10. *Nsync – I Want You Back 3:21 {5}

11. 2Pac feat. Talent – Changes 4:29 {3}

12. TQ – Westside 3:52 {4}

13. Ginuwine – What's So Different? 3:56 {10}

14. Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life 3:58 {2}

15. Lauryn Hill – Ex-Factor 4:36 {4}

16. Prince – 1999 3:38 {10}

17. Soulsearcher – Can't Get Enough 3:23 {8}

18. Inner City – Good Life (Buena Vida) 3:38 {10}

19. The Corrs – Runaway 4:04 {2}

20. Boyzone – I Love The Way You Love Me 3:48 {2}

21. Denise & Johnny – Especially For You (BBC Children In Need Single) 2:38 {3}

----------

Total time: 1:18:03

 

Overall Rating: 4/10 Very Poor

My feeling is that there was still so much more work to be done on this volume. The quality isn't great, and there's lots of missing songs which should have been included instead of some of the one hit wonders that were selected. It's very messy and overall a disappointment from the preceding few volumes.

 

Andrew's Best 5 (as of May 2017)

1. The Divine Comedy – National Express

2. Cher – Believe

3. Emmie – More Than This

4. Armand Van Holden feat. Duane Harden – You Don't Know Me

5. Vengaboys – We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)

 

Andrew's Worst 5 (as of May 2017)

1. Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Inkanyezi Nezazi (The Star & The Wiseman)

2. The All Seeing I feat. Tony Christie – Walk Like A Panther

3. Dusty Springfield – You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

4. Fool Boona – Popped

5. Emilia – Big Big World

Artwork: VERY in your face! Like the colours but not so much the style. 7/10.

 

Disc 1: Vengabus - absolutely love this track despite its cheesiness. Same with Witchdoctor. Always Have, Always Will & Colour The World are both brilliant too.

 

Disc 2: You Don't Know Me - stunning 90s classic. Praise You & Flat Beat are both fab too what a run of songs!

 

Overall: Great selection of songs spread across the 2 sides. 7/10.

A great volume once again, just a couple away now from my all time favourite volume of the series! I went for Honeyz on Disc 1. "End of the Line" was such a beautiful ballad and Celena Cherry sang it perfectly. I believe they would've been even bigger had the whole Heavenli leaving / Mariama joining saga not happened. Close second for me on Disc 1 would be The Corrs and Billie.

 

And I went for Fatboy Slim on Disc 2. "Praise You" is such a classic, I was a huge fan of that single and its video. Close second on disc 2 are The Cardigans, All Saints and Divine Comedy.

This was the first Now album I ever bought, and I managed to snag it a day before official release, picking it up on a Sunday in a Little Chef restaurant of all places.

 

Most of the missing songs ended up on New Hits '99, the hits were very much split between the two series' back then due to record label politics. Offspring, 2Pac and George/Mary I don't recall appearing on any compilations though. Billie and Boyzone's I Love The Way You Love Me were the most strange omissions for me as they could have surely had the rights to both, and Boyzone probably deserved a double slot as this was very much their imperial phase.

 

My favourite on Disc 1 is Cher's Believe, though there is too much other good stuff to mention and on Disc 2 I opted for the excellent Erase/Rewind by The Cardigans (which I bought on CD single a few weeks prior to the release of this album, which raised eyebrows in Our Price, apparently 11 year olds weren't allowed to like that song) - both of these are in my all time top 100 still.

This was the first Now album I ever bought, and I managed to snag it a day before official release, picking it up on a Sunday in a Little Chef restaurant of all places.

 

Most of the missing songs ended up on New Hits '99, the hits were very much split between the two series' back then due to record label politics. Offspring, 2Pac and George/Mary I don't recall appearing on any compilations though. Billie and Boyzone's I Love The Way You Love Me were the most strange omissions for me as they could have surely had the rights to both, and Boyzone probably deserved a double slot as this was very much their imperial phase.

Motorway services charge extortionate rates for CD's! :o

 

Don't forget Bryan Adams classic with Melanie C, I feel that addition would have bumped up my rating alone.

Cher Believe was such a icon for late 90s dance song, and Now 42 have some of my childhood classics like Emilia Big Big World, Fatboy Slim Praise You, Lenny Kravitz Fly Away, Vengaboys We Like To Party, and The Corrs What Can I Do.

disc 1: Cher - Believe [proper classique! Vengabus is also a tune]

disc 2: Armand van Helden - You Don't Know Me [also love Praise You and Flat Beat]

Motorway services charge extortionate rates for CD's! :o

 

Don't forget Bryan Adams classic with Melanie C, I feel that addition would have bumped up my rating alone.

 

I think it was maybe £15.99, which was only £1 more than the shops would charge the next day.

 

I love When You're Gone but I don't think I've ever come across it on any compilation strangely. Must have been some licensing issue.

Favourites:

 

When The Going Gets Tough (not nearly as good as the Billy Ocean version though)

Believe (Probably my favourite Cher song)

Killin Time '99

We Like To Party (a.k.a. The Six Flags advert song)

Witch Doctor (guilty pleasure - ooh ee oh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang)

You Should Be (their follow up Grooveline was also a pretty great club classic)

Enjoy Yourself (this sampled the Fate part of Beethoven's 5th Symphony)

El Paradiso Rico

More Than This

Protect Your Mind (For The Love Of A Princess)

Popped (a.k.a. Iggy Pop - The Passenger [1999 Club Remix])

Colour The World

Strong

Fly Away ( :heart:)

Praise You (My favourite Fatboy Slim song along with The Rockafeller Skank, Right Here Right Now, Weapon Of Choice, Wonderful Night and Gangster Trippin')

You Don't Know Me (club classic)

Flat Beat (:heart:)

Erase/Rewind

Just Looking

Walk Like A Panther

National Express

Tequila (I think my faves from Terrorvision would have to be Perserverance and Middleman)

Inkanyezi Nezazi (Really nice, spiritual song. This group also made a guest appearance on Paul Simon's critically acclaimed 1986 album Graceland. I also remember hearing this song when I were practising for my Music GCSE.)

Tender

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

Edited June 8, 20178 yr by DalekTurret32

Disc 1 faves :

 

1. Cher – Believe :yahoo:

2. Ace Of Base – Always Have, Always Will

3. Emilia – Big Big World

4. A+ – Enjoy Yourself

5. Vengaboys – We Like To Party! (The Vengabus) :dance:

 

 

Disc 2 could only manage 1 fave :( :

1. Kele Le Roc – My Love (there's a remix to this that makes me go :w00t:

 

 

Fantasy Disc 3 faves :

 

1. B*Witched – Blame It On The Weatherman :cheer:

2. George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As

3. The Corrs - Runaway

4. Inner City – Good Life (Buena Vida)

5. Tatyana Ali feat. Will Smith – Boy You Knock Me Out (this would be ranked higher if Will Smith wasn't on it :puke2: )