Oh, you're the nowthats.blogspot guy :D Love that site, have commented there a few times.

 

My favourite run of Now albums is about 42 to 48, it soundtracks my initial falling in love with music through to leaving primary school and starting secondary. Other than that, 76 and 79 are hugely evocative of two of the best summers I ever had (2010 & 2011) and in general the Now 30s are all pretty class.

 

Here are some reviews of Now albums I've made on my own blog over the years:

 

Now 28 (1994)

 

Now 42 (1999)

 

Now 58 (2004)

 

Now 63 (2006)

 

Now 72 (2009)

 

Now 79 (2011)

NOW! 31 is great - aside from a very curious starter - a totally forgettable Wet Wet Wet track followed by iconic classics from Edwyn Collins and Pulp? Maybe Ashley was drunk when he compiled it but anyway it was all about the second disc, a proper run of dancey pop choons - Livin Joy, Jinny and Whigfield (no really!).

Oh, you're the nowthats.blogspot guy :D Love that site, have commented there a few times.

 

My favourite run of Now albums is about 42 to 48, it soundtracks my initial falling in love with music through to leaving primary school and starting secondary. Other than that, 76 and 79 are hugely evocative of two of the best summers I ever had (2010 & 2011) and in general the Now 30s are all pretty class.

 

Here are some reviews of Now albums I've made on my own blog over the years:

 

Now 28 (1994)

 

Now 42 (1999)

 

Now 58 (2004)

 

Now 63 (2006)

 

Now 72 (2009)

 

Now 79 (2011)

 

Hi Billy - I've seen some of your reviews before and I love them! :D Don't get put off if you think that not many people are seeing them, because I am! ^_^

NOW! 31 is great - aside from a very curious starter - a totally forgettable Wet Wet Wet track followed by iconic classics from Edwyn Collins and Pulp? Maybe Ashley was drunk when he compiled it but anyway it was all about the second disc, a proper run of dancey pop choons - Livin Joy, Jinny and Whigfield (no really!).

 

I have that on double cassette and it seemed like the compiler was expecting 'Don't Want To Forgive Me Now' by Wet Wet Wet to be a #1 hit. 'Think Of You' is also a fine slice of Europop.

 

My first Now! album was Now! 17 from the summer of 1990. That takes me back completely. :lol:

Now 49 all the way for me - the best by far!

 

It is the only Now to feature Dido therefore slays all.

 

It's in my rotational favourites list but usually Now 39 or 41 come out top.

Another programme with poor researching.

 

The guy from Westlife said "we didn't go to #1 with our album because of Now compilation" Oh really? 1988 brought a separate compilation chart. I didn't know Westlife existed then??!! Liar! :rofl:

 

There were comments about Madonna not wanting a song on any of Now LPs. Maybe she was on a different label that didn't allow this to happen. :blush:

 

And more lies on Madonna: True Blue did go to #1, however when I watched the programme, everyone seemed to behave as if 'NOW' kept it from the top spot?!

 

Poor!

Edited May 29, 201312 yr by MTV79

Haven't watched this yet but all the comments on incorrect facts on this forum has put me off watching it.

My first NOW was 11, then I bought everyone one after that (except for about 10of them)all the way upto to NOW 71. I got the NOW bug lol :wub:

 

Surprised they never mentioned the fact that with the Now albums they give you little pieces of information about every hit featured on the album. No other compilations ever did/do this, not even their rivals at the the time the HITs series did it.

Edited May 29, 201312 yr by fiesta

NOW! 31 is great - aside from a very curious starter - a totally forgettable Wet Wet Wet track followed by iconic classics from Edwyn Collins and Pulp? Maybe Ashley was drunk when he compiled it but anyway it was all about the second disc, a proper run of dancey pop choons - Livin Joy, Jinny and Whigfield (no really!).

 

The 90s had quite a few other really strange 'disc 1, track 1's, a few from Queen. I get that they're huge megastars but they got the coveted position with even their most average singles. None come close to Now 59's opener Curtain Falls by Blue, did that song even sell 100k in total? Call On Me was surely the obvious opener for that album? Even She Will Be Loved would have been better. I absolutely LOVED the fact that DJ Sammy's Heaven opened Now 53 though, followed by Las Ketchup and Enrique - the compilers surely just did that for an all Spanish trio to start the album? The Enrique song wasn't exactly a huge smash.

The 90s had quite a few other really strange 'disc 1, track 1's, a few from Queen. I get that they're huge megastars but they got the coveted position with even their most average singles. None come close to Now 59's opener Curtain Falls by Blue, did that song even sell 100k in total? Call On Me was surely the obvious opener for that album? Even She Will Be Loved would have been better. I absolutely LOVED the fact that DJ Sammy's Heaven opened Now 53 though, followed by Las Ketchup and Enrique - the compilers surely just did that for an all Spanish trio to start the album? The Enrique song wasn't exactly a huge smash.

 

I will never know what the thought process behind Blue opening Now 59 was. It wasn't even like it was predicted to be a huge smash because it was such an average song. I remember my sister borrowing it off me around that new year and after a couple if days she was convinced Maroon 5 had the first track because she always skipped the Blue one!

The 90s had quite a few other really strange 'disc 1, track 1's, a few from Queen. I get that they're huge megastars but they got the coveted position with even their most average singles. None come close to Now 59's opener Curtain Falls by Blue, did that song even sell 100k in total? Call On Me was surely the obvious opener for that album? Even She Will Be Loved would have been better. I absolutely LOVED the fact that DJ Sammy's Heaven opened Now 53 though, followed by Las Ketchup and Enrique - the compilers surely just did that for an all Spanish trio to start the album? The Enrique song wasn't exactly a huge smash.

 

I will never know what the thought process behind Blue opening Now 59 was. It wasn't even like it was predicted to be a huge smash because it was such an average song. I remember my sister borrowing it off me around that new year and after a couple if days she was convinced Maroon 5 had the first track because she always skipped the Blue one!

Which record label were Blue on? That might explain the decision.

Blue were on Innocent, Virgin's pop label on their first round of success together as a band if I'm not mistaken - hence why they often appeared as joint headliners at different events with Atomic Kitten who were also on that label. Much the same way The Saturdays and The Wanted are connected by the manager who was responsible for forming them both (Jayne Collins). That particular song was their lead off single from their greatest hits so that may be why they were put on track 1.

I think we can all agree that the most bizarre opening track on a Now album is the Grease Megamix (from 1990) opening Now 40 in 1998.

Another programme with poor researching.

 

The guy from Westlife said "we didn't go to #1 with our album because of Now compilation" Oh really? 1988 brought a separate compilation chart. I didn't know Westlife existed then??!! Liar! :rofl:

I'll give some benefit of the doubt on that one because he didn't say where that happened. Maybe it was in Ireland?

 

There were comments about Madonna not wanting a song on any of Now LPs. Maybe she was on a different label that didn't allow this to happen. :blush:

 

Up to a point, yeah, although there are appearances by acts from Warner labels on Now albums (particularly before and after the Hits series) so it's not only that. It might be that she was reluctant to have her music on compilations generally, she's only on a few Hits albums too.

 

And more lies on Madonna: True Blue did go to #1, however when I watched the programme, everyone seemed to behave as if 'NOW' kept it from the top spot?!

 

Poor!

 

Definitely, on that one. If you look closely, even the image of a chart printout with her behind the Now album shows that her Last Week position was 1! I presume most of the "celebrities" just followed what they were told though, they wouldn't know.

Gordon Smart, 'The Sun's 'Expert' on Pop etc., said this, in Saturday's TV Magazine. (From 'The Sun').

 

"Madonna famously never appeared on any of the Now...albums. Her True Blue album had rave reviews

in 1986 and huge sales - but Now 7 pushed her off the top spot and Now 8 kept her off it for months.

Needless to say, the Material Girl didn't like it at all."

 

So, he said that it did go to No.1, but says that Now 7 knocked her off No.1, & Now 8 carried on keeping

her off the No.1 spot.

 

In fact, 'Now 7' did not enter the Charts, (at No.1), until W/E 23rd August 1986, & whilst it did send

'True Blue' down to No.2, the Madonna Album had been at No.1 for 6 Weeks by then.

 

No.1 Albums can only stop No.2 Albums from being No.1. 'Now 7' only stopped 'True Blue' for 1 Week.

Madonna's Album was not at No.2 again until W/E 1st November 1986, & this time Paul Simon's 'Graceland',

held it at No.2. 'True Blue' had a 3rd No.2 Week, on W/E 3rd January 1987, & that was the first, and only

time, that 'Now 8' stopped it from being No.1. So much, for 'Now 8' stopping 'True Blue', from being No.1,

'For months'......

 

The Madonna Album that was most affected by a 'Now' Album, was 'Like A Virgin'. It was No.1, for 2 Weeks,

in 1985, but, before it got to No.1, it was held at No.2, for 5 Weeks, by 'Now 5'. On W/E 28th September

& W/E 5th October 1985, 'Hounds Of Love', by Kate Bush, replaced 'Like A Virgin' at No.1, & the Madonna

Album was No.2 for those 2 Weeks. On W/E 12th October, 'Like A Virgin' returned to No.1, for a 2nd, &

final Week, & Kate Bush was a No.2. On W/E 19th October, Kate retuned to No.1, & Madonna fell to No.3,

& 'Like A Virgin' never climbed higher than No.3, after that.

 

If the 'Now' Albums had, had their own Compilation Chart, in 1985, 'Like A Virgin' would have had 7 No.1

Weeks, & not 2. And, in 1986 & early 1987, 'True Blue', would have had 8 No.1 Weeks, & not 6. So 'Now'

Albums cost Madonna 7 Weeks at No.1.

Edited May 29, 201312 yr by zeus555

I think we can all agree that the most bizarre opening track on a Now album is the Grease Megamix (from 1990) opening Now 40 in 1998.

 

I didn't think it was bizarre (or at least 9 year old me didn't). That and virtually everything Steps put out around 1998 were guaranteed floorfillers at school discos and friends' birthday parties!

My first was Now 34 - because it was the year I got into music - at six - with 'Wannabe'.

 

I remember being ravo at Now 36 because 'Mama' was on there and not '2 Become 1'

At the time of the mid-period "Now" albums, I don't think too much thought was put into the running order, which track was 1st on CD1 etc.

Grease starting Now 40 didn't seem too weird at the time. Grease was celebrating it's 20th anniversary and You're The One That I Want had just re-entered the top 5. None of the really big hits from the time featured due to label issues (C'est La Vie probably being the ideal opening track). Now 40 is probably the weakest Now of 98 but I think it's still amazing. Now 39 and 41 are just perfection though.