As I said before, someone wanting to listen to Simply Red and Noel Gallagher's HFB's will not get through the Skrillex and Sub Focus tracks.

 

THIS is very true

 

The series is really DOOMED anyway, but if they are going to chase after a market, then it's really people who are behind on technology. The same people they're flogging endless 80s re-issues and "100 Number Ones" garbage to.

 

So as odd as it seems, I think the "album sellers" are actually far more critical now than the chart hits. Someone who is interested in Skrillex, KSI or Central Cee will be perfectly happy sourcing it themselves without needing to deal with the Radio 2 brigade. On the other hand, many of the people who still want to listen to Simply Red and Shania Twain likely still rely on CDs for car journeys, and will still see the value in an "all-encompassing" compilation that means they don't need to put too much thought into their own playlist.

 

So I'd actually BEEF UP that element, and perhaps devote ALL of CD1 to that demographic. Lead with the genuine crossover stuff (the Lewis Capaldis, Tom Grennans, Meghan Trainors) as they're already doing, but then go all in on the heritage acts.

 

Leave CD2 to the more edgy stuff and the breakthrough artists, and maybe market it specifically as some kind of "Introducing..." or "New Music" package for those who are still semi-interested in keeping up to date. Just keep it separate.

 

 

 

 

There's still MORE THAN ENOUGH music being brought out to justify three editions per year, so long as they accept representing the charts may not be the priority anymore.

 

Continuing to chase "younger audiences" would be a completely fruitless exercise.

Edited April 24, 20232 yr by Torple

I think it should focus more on the Pop element of it. If they threw in some pop-faves that don't really do anything sales wise in between Steps, Kylie, Jessie Ware, Elton, and Shania they'd have a killer Pop collection.

I usually always keep a tab on current hits or artists that have been heavily featured in the past on these compilations as a basis for a tracklisting for the next volume. So far, now Now 115 which will have an expected summer release, I have the following potentials highlighted;

 

1. Miley Cyrus – Flowers

2. Lewis Capaldi – Wish You The Best

3. Ed Sheeran – Eyes Closed

4. P!nk – TRUSTFALL

5. Zara Larsson – Can’t Tame Her

6. Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding – Miracle

7. Sigala, Mae Muller, Caity Baser & Stefflon Don – Feels This Good

8. David Guetta, Anne-Marie & Coi Leray – Baby Don’t Hurt Me

9. Oliver Heldens feat. Kylie Minogue – 10 Out Of 10

10. Meghan Trainor – Mother

11. Jesy Nelson – Bad Thing

12. FLO feat. Missy Elliott – Fly Girl

13. Ayra Starr – Rush

14. Post Malone – Chemical

15. David Kushner – Daylight

16. Hozier – Eat Your Young

17. Cian Ducrot – Part Of Me

18. McFly – Where Did All The Guitars Go?

19. Freya Ridings – Weekends

20. Florence + The Machine – Mermaids

21. ArrDee & Cat Burns – Home For My Heart

22. Labrinth – Never Felt So Alone

23. Regard & Ella Henderson – No Sleep

24. Luude & Issey Cross feat. Moby – Oh My

25. Jack Black – Peaches

 

We shall wait and see how many of these are relevant by the time of release.

With Luude, they’ll more likely skip that in favour of his next single TMO featuring Bru-C and Kevin Lyttle. I can also see Jonas Brothers being included as their previous single was included on Now 114 for no reason and their current single is nearing the top 40

Edited April 24, 20232 yr by Hadji

THIS is very true

 

The series is really DOOMED anyway, but if they are going to chase after a market, then it's really people who are behind on technology. The same people they're flogging endless 80s re-issues and "100 Number Ones" garbage to.

 

So as odd as it seems, I think the "album sellers" are actually far more critical now than the chart hits. Someone who is interested in Skrillex, KSI or Central Cee will be perfectly happy sourcing it themselves without needing to deal with the Radio 2 brigade. On the other hand, many of the people who still want to listen to Simply Red and Shania Twain likely still rely on CDs for car journeys, and will still see the value in an "all-encompassing" compilation that means they don't need to put too much thought into their own playlist.

 

So I'd actually BEEF UP that element, and perhaps devote ALL of CD1 to that demographic. Lead with the genuine crossover stuff (the Lewis Capaldis, Tom Grennans, Meghan Trainors) as they're already doing, but then go all in on the heritage acts.

 

Leave CD2 to the more edgy stuff and the breakthrough artists, and maybe market it specifically as some kind of "Introducing..." or "New Music" package for those who are still semi-interested in keeping up to date. Just keep it separate.

There's still MORE THAN ENOUGH music being brought out to justify three editions per year, so long as they accept representing the charts may not be the priority anymore.

 

Continuing to chase "younger audiences" would be a completely fruitless exercise.

I agree with all this!

 

I agree with all this!

 

Yeah that sounds reasonable, i love the addition of the heritage acts or "non-streaming acts"

Let's face it it's only because of streaming that many of them are pushed out the charts

and don't stand a chance.

I think streaming probably was another factor in their inclusion.

This site has a good price for the 5 record Now Eurovision vinyl:

 

https://www.rarewaves.com/products/01965878...on-song-contest

 

And if you put SPRING10 code in at the checkout this weekend it takes another 10% off. I wouldn't have paid £100 for it but they've got me at £68.63.

 

This turned up today, a day early.

 

Wow, great service from this site, well packaged, efficient and £30 off the RRP. I'll use them again.

 

The product itself is amazing, with lots of trivia about each song.

A quite surprising release for 2nd June here:

 

Now Millennium '00-'01

 

 

Standard CD: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOW-Millennium-200...QLJQ/ref=sr_1_7

Special edition CD: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOW-Millennium-200...YK91/ref=sr_1_8

Vinyl: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOW-Millennium-200...ZHM7/ref=sr_1_9

 

Same formats as the Yearbooks, but clearly they're not taking the 'Yearbook' concept into the 2000s, and instead we're getting two discs for each year across one release for the 00s. Makes me wonder what they'll do for the 90s - Yearbooks I hope.

 

Here's the CD tracklist:

 

CD 1 - 2000

 

1. U2 - Beautiful Day

2. Coldplay - Yellow

3. R.E.M. - The Great Beyond

4. Sting - Desert Rose

5. All Saints - Pure Shores

6. Andreas Johnson - Glorious

7. Bon Jovi - It's My Life

8. LeAnn Rimes - Can't Fight The Moonlight

9. Robbie Williams - Rock DJ

10. Craig David - 7 Days

11. Spice Girls - Holler

12. P!NK - There You Go

13. Mary Mary - Shackles (Praise You)

14. Kelis - Caught Out There

15. Anastacia - I'm Outta Love

16. Toploader - Dancing In The Moonlight

17. Bloodhound Gang - The Bad Touch

18. blink-182 - All The Small Things

19. Manic Street Preachers - The Masses Against The Classes

20. Oasis - Go Let It Out

 

CD 2 - 2000

 

1. Britney Spears - Oops!...I Did It Again

2. S Club 7 - Reach

3. *NSYNC - Bye Bye Bye

4. A1 - Take On Me

5. Aqua - Cartoon Heroes

6. The Corrs - Breathless

7. Melanie C & Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes - Never Be The Same Again

8. LEN - Steal My Sunshine

9. Bomfunk MC's - Freestyler

10. William Orbit - Barber's Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix)

11. Delerium, Sarah McLachlan - Silence

12. Aurora, Naimee Coleman - Ordinary World

13. Ricky Martin - She Bangs

14. Kylie Minogue - Spinning Around

15. Steps - Stomp

16. Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby

17. Black Legend - You See The Trouble With Me (We'll Be In Trouble Vocal Video Edit)

18. Modjo - Lady (Hear Me Tonight)

19. Sonique - It Feels So Good

20. Gabrielle - Rise

21. Sade - By Your Side

 

CD 3 - 2001

 

1. Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head

2. S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'

3. Britney Spears - I'm A Slave 4 U

4. Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On

5. Eve & Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind

6. Mary J. Blige - Family Affair

7. Usher - U Remind Me

8. Shaggy & Ricardo Ducent - It Wasn't Me

9. Wyclef Jean - Perfect Gentleman

10. Mya - Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do)

11. So Solid Crew - 21 Seconds

12. Faithless - We Come 1

13. Rui Da Silva feat. Cassandra - Touch Me

14. Roger Sanchez - Another Chance

15. Alcazar - Crying At The Discoteque

16. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me)

17. Cher - The Music's No Good Without You

18. Jamiroquai - Little L

19. Texas - Inner Smile

20. Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird

21. Train - Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)

 

CD 4 - 2001

 

1. Elton John - I Want Love

2. Robbie Williams - Eternity

3. Dido - Thank You

4. Stereophonics - Handbags And Gladrags

5. Radiohead - Pyramid Song

6. Travis - Sing

7. The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You

8. Feeder - Buck Rogers

9. Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

10. Crazy Town - Butterfly

11. New Order - Crystal

12. Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Thru This

13. Five - Let's Dance

14. Blue - All Rise

15. O-Town - Liquid Dreams

16. Samantha Mumba - Always Come Back To Your Love (With Rap)

17. Steps - Chain Reaction

18. Westlife - Uptown Girl

19. Ronan Keating - Lovin' Each Day

20. Hear'Say - Pure & Simple

21. Atomic Kitten - Whole Again

 

A handful of tracks (just under a quarter) that didn't make the original numbered series.

Edited April 27, 20232 yr by gooddelta

Nice to see them focusing on the 00s although it would’ve been better to have each year as a separate release instead of together. Just in time for my birthday too. Just seen a comment on Facebook saying that it’s a continuation of the millennium series from 1999 hence why it’s the equivalent of double cd editions of 2000 and 2001. With Five, I’d have preferred they included We Will Rock You on disc 1 or 2 instead as well as Let’s Dance on disc 4

Edited April 27, 20232 yr by Hadji

The choice of tracks for the vinyl isn’t quite doing it for me unfortunately!

I hope Now Millennium Extra 2000-2001 follows on 14th July

I have honestly never heard of that Sting track, and I don't recall that Elton track either. But it isn't a bad selection and thankfully not as watered down as I feared. Of course, I'd have sequenced it better.

Edited April 27, 20232 yr by Colm

It is quite odd sequencing for Sting and Elton there, and I agree the vinyl tracks are not the best selection from what was on offer. I’ll get the CD though.

And who puts Pure Shores among those guitar songs?!

My 1978 Yearbook arrived today. What a great collection. Hoping for 1977 and then back to 74.

I’m up for this! Shame it’s not the Yearbook format but I’m mainly buzzing just to see the Corrs return to Now.

I’m expecting Now Yearbook Extra 1978 to be announced next week with a release date of 9th June and then the next yearbook to be 1987 with a release date of 30th June. I’d rather they do it 1987, 1977, 1988, 1976, 1989 and 1975

I have honestly never heard of that Sting track

Really? It was a BIG hit worldwide.

Edited April 27, 20232 yr by Voodoo

Desert Rose is a good track. It didn't do much in the singles charts in the UK or Ireland so not the most well known track here, but I recall it did give the album a pretty decent boost.

 

I can see how sound-wise it works as a good bridge between the guitars and the chillout of Pure Shores.

 

The more baffling sequencing is The Corrs after Cartoon Heroes, or She Bangs cutting off the trance segment.

 

The vinyl choices are odd. If you needed to cut 50% of the CD tracklist, I'm not sure why Alcazar or Cher would be among the survivors.

Edited April 28, 20232 yr by Torple

Wow CD 3 is one extreme to the other genre wise.