I just don't think it would have made any difference to sales whatever the tracklist. There's clearly a core of about 10k collectors, give or take a few hundred each time, who will buy this on the first week. And then they trickle sell after that.

 

It's only down about 250 sales on the last one which is hardly a complete disaster for them imo, and up by exactly 50 sales on last year's winter edition. If it was 6 or 7k I might have been in agreement.

 

I think it's a decent enough album too personally. The spring and summer editions will always be strongest now because in the current climate, the biggest hits tend to come out between January and June. And the winter editions will always mop up those few big late summer hits plus the other smaller stuff around. Not much takes off in late autumn and early winter these days.

 

To have improved on last year's sales is actually a major win for them I think.

You’d think the autumn Nows would sell more as it’s closer to Christmas and people buying them as presents for others. Seems unusual for spring and summer Nows selling more than autumn Nows

 

I think those days are gone. I can't remember the last time I bought someone a CD as a present. I still get bought them as people know I collect them, but most people don't anymore.

 

Album sales don't have a big Q4/Christmas hike anymore, and that's across the board.

Now 117 was full of deadwood that missed Now 116 so I can imagine Now 120 being filled with deadwood that missed Now 119 but it’s still better than being full of songs from radio 2’s playlist

Now 117 was full of deadwood that missed Now 116 so I can imagine Now 120 being filled with deadwood that missed Now 119 but it’s still better than being full of songs from radio 2’s playlist

 

So you wish Now 119 had more deadwood?

 

I honestly don’t think you’ll ever be happy with Now.

So you wish Now 119 had more deadwood?

 

I honestly don’t think you’ll ever be happy with Now.

No. I mean the songs that aren’t on Now 119, I hope they appear on Now 120 if they want any songs to fill up Now 120

I honestly don’t think you’ll ever be happy with Now.

You're only just figuring out this fact of life today?

 

Nothing meets Hadji's approval, just nothing, and if you asked him to name his favourite ever Now volume you would still have a complaint about it.

You're only just figuring out this fact of life today?

 

Nothing meets Hadji's approval, just nothing, and if you asked him to name his favourite ever Now volume you would still have a complaint about it.

You do realise that a lot of songs that don’t make the current Now end up appearing on the volume after. It’s happened loads of times and I have no problem with it

Edited November 22, 2024Nov 22 by Hadji

Then, how'll NOW 120 sell?

Then, how'll NOW 120 sell?

Probably the same as what Now 117 sold and it’s a good job that Now 119 got released a week earlier than usual as I can see Wicked doing as well as Barbie did

You do realise that a lot of songs that don’t make the current Now end up appearing on the volume after. It’s happened loads of times and I have no problem with it

 

Yeah it's been happening since the early days like Nothing Compares 2 U appearing on NOW 18 instead of 17.

 

Spice Girls were a prime example of that. Too Much was released in December 1997 and so in theory should've been on Now 39 but it was on Now 41, likely because of its 'Christmastime appeal' from being #1.

But wasn’t that because they were always rushing to the latest Spice Girls song? They went for Mama over 2 Become 1 for Now 36 and then went straight to Stop over Too Much for Now 39 and then ran out of Spice Girls songs for Now 41 but felt they needed to include them so included Too Much late?

 

Honestly, it’s doesn’t matter and it doesn’t ruin my enjoyment. Now 41 is one of my favourite ever Nows (it was the first one I personally owned) and it had a lot of tracks that could have been on the previous volume in addition to Top Much. Life Is A Flower, Turn Back Time and Dreams could all have been on Now 40, but they still sound fine on Now 41.

 

You know what I had typed that about them wanting to include a Spice Girls song on each edition and struggling to keep up but thought it was just my opinion and couldn't validate it so deleted it :P

Yeah it's been happening since the early days like Nothing Compares 2 U appearing on NOW 18 instead of 17.

Earlier than that. I Think We’re Alone Now should’ve been on Now 11 but appeared on Now 12 and as for Sinéad, that should technically have been 2 Nows later because they missed a volume in summer 1990

Edited November 23, 2024Nov 23 by Hadji

Spice Girls were a prime example of that. Too Much was released in December 1997 and so in theory should've been on Now 39 but it was on Now 41, likely because of its 'Christmastime appeal' from being #1.

I’m surprised at that one. They skipped Too Much off Now 39 in favour of Stop but they had nothing for Now 41 so they decided to go with Too Much. It should’ve been Too Much on Now 39, Stop on Now 40 and Viva Forever on Now 41

Did not the same happen with Steps who appeared on Now 41 with Heartbeat but the B-side of Tragedy wasn't included until Now 44 (when Now 42 had Better Best Forgotten and Now 43 ignored Love's Got A Hold Of My Heart which both came after).

There’s loads of instances where this has happened. If we were to go through every single one, we’d be here all day but in other news, deluxe editions of Now Millennium are £8.74 on https://www.rarewaves.com/pages/search-resu...=Now+millennium

Edited November 23, 2024Nov 23 by Hadji

It’s more interesting to go through each example than it is to hear your repeat the same complaints over and over.

I was listening to sounds of the 90s on r2 earlier and Fearne mentioned Now 44 being 25 years old. When I heard it mentioned, it reminded me that Baby One More Time which appears should’ve actually been on Now 42

It should’ve been Too Much on Now 39, Stop on Now 40 and Viva Forever on Now 41

 

If I was Ashley Abram I would have done the same thing. Viva Forever was a major coup for Now 40 as it was such a fresh huge No.1 and would have helped shift the summer album in a way that Stop wouldn’t have done. Presumably they were only allowed one Spice Girls track per album and eventually Too Much found its window to appear.

 

I think it’s a balance of compilers taking fresh new hits to sell an album where they have the luxury and taking what is available to license at the time - quite clearly songs like Baby One More Time, Rather Be, Flowers etc did eventually become available for inclusion, just later than the expected time.