Now That's What I Call [chat]!

Bogart

Soon to release its 100th collection, Now That's What I Call Music is a touchstone for people of a certain age. Several certain ages, actually. Take a bunch of stuff that charted over the last six months, whack it on a double album, get it out quickly and boom just the cover can call forth a multitude of teenage nostalgia many moons later. Where else can you find Run DMC sharing space with Steve Winwood?

I had two of these, 8 and 15, and boy howdy did they get played a lot. 8 was on a double cassette package, an antique I expect to be worth thousands in fifty years time. Sure, they were repackaging hits in a cynical, cash-grabbing way but for a snapshot of a period in time they are remarkably effective. Check these track listings, groovesters. Look at the subtle mix of absolute dross, forgettable mediocrity and a few stone cold classics that blend to form an indelible picture of a spotty but incredibly handsome youth in his bedroom, endlessly playing these songs and being introduced to Soul II Soul and Neneh Cherry while hurriedly fast forwarding through Jive Bunny And The Master Mixers and Boris Gardiner.



Now That’s What I Call Music! 8, released 24th November 1986 (bolded for excellence)

Notorious - Duran Duran
Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys
Walk This Way - Run DMC
Don't Leave Me This Way - The Communards
Breakout - Swing Out Sister
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
(Forever) Live And Die - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
In Too Deep - Genesis
Word Up - Cameo
I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You) - Grace Jones
Showing Out (Get Fresh At The Weekend) - Mel & Kim
We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off - Jermaine Stewart
Step Right Up - Jaki Graham
What Have You Done For Me Lately - Janet Jackson
Human - The Human League
I Wanna Wake Up With You - Boris Gardiner
Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush
Think For A Minute - The Housemartins
(Waiting For The) Ghost Train - Madness
In The Army Now - Status Quo
Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The News
One Great Thing - Big Country
Greetings To The New Brunette - Billy Bragg
(I Just) Died In Your Arms - Cutting Crew
You Keep Me Hanging On - Kim Wilde
Calling All The Heroes - It Bites
Waterloo - Doctor & The Medics
French Kissin' In The USA - Deborah Harry
I Didn't Mean To Turn You On - Robert Palmer
The Wizard - Paul Hardcastle
(They Long To Be) Close To You - Gwen Guthrie
Every Loser Wins - Nick Berry



Now That’s What I Call Music! 15, released 14th August 1989 (bolded for excellence)

I Want It All - Queen
Kick It In - Simple Minds
Good Thing - Fine Young Cannibals
Americanos - Holly Johnson
Baby I Don't Care - Transvision Vamp
Mystify - INXS
The Look - Roxette
Rooms On Fire - Stevie Nicks
My Brave Face - Paul McCartney
Ferry Cross The Mersey - Gerry Marsden & Paul McCartney & Holly Johnson
Song For Whoever - The Beautiful South
Days - Kirsty MacColl
The Second Summer Of Love - Danny Wilson
Cry - The Waterfront
Violently (7" Version) - Hue And Cry
The Best Of Me - Cliff Richard
Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) - Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler
Manchild - Neneh Cherry
Every Little Step - Bobby Brown
Do You Love What You Feel (Duane Bradley Remix) - Inner City
It's Time To Get Funky - D-Mob & LRS
Joy And Pain - Donna Allen
Licence To Kill - Gladys Knight
Miss You Like Crazy - Natalie Cole
It's Alright - Pet Shop Boys
Swing The Mood (Medley) - Jive Bunny & The Music Mixers
You On My Mind - Swing Out Sister
Cruel Summer '89 - Bananarama
Say No Go - De La Soul
Blame It On The Bassline - Norman Cook & MC Wildski
Just Keep Rockin' - Double Trouble & The Rebel MC
Lullaby - The Cure

Young folk today will roll their eyes at grandad and his albums of music curated by a human being rather than an unfeeling algorithm but I tells you this was the style at the time. I could still sing along to 80% of the songs on these albums, I think, even the terrible ones and the mediocre ones. An appalling use of brain cells or a direct and febrile connection to a couple of years in the eighties? I DON'T KNOW.

Why yes, I will abuse my position to make a [chat] thread about whatever I like even if it's a fleeting bit of nostalgia that sailed into my head because of a podcast and I've long since tossed the actual albums in the bin or lost them or had them chewed up by a tape player because that's what happens to all cassettes eventually.

Orphane

I think I had one of these

It had Hamsterdance on it

RedTide

Were these things marketed as sleep aids or was that just a common off label use?

Haphazard

Yes, I rember those. We had them as well, but I can't remember what they were called.

Bogart

Were? These things are still being produced every six months or so. Looking at the track listing for the latest one you will see presumably recognisable names that baffle me, like Ty Dolla $ign and Not3s.

Mojo_Jojo

Track - Artist!?

No no no

Bogart

Those albums were back in the days when you could call your group a collection of capital letters but using camelback capitalisation or inserting non-alphabet characters was but a distant dream.

Bogart

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Track - Artist!?

No no no

Look I cut and pasted from their site so blame them. Or my laziness, I guess.

P10

another chat, another mod abusing their power to usurp our sacred traditions
smh

Bogart

Anyway I posted this because I am listening to a podcast series about cultural touchstones and this came up and reminded me it exists so.

Tav

the show I did in Berlin last night was the goddamn best

holy shit

it’s kind of amazing how much of a difference someone curating a show and doing it right can make

Orphane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qN72LEQnaU

Snicketysnick

I was somewhat thrown by a big tooting of the horn of NOW 100! because the last NOW I remember buying was NOW 97 20 years ago. I get it but it was a little strange for a minute there.

Harry Dresden

This thread needs some Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCXGJQYZ9JA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgT_us6AsDg

Bogart

This thread is for music for which people feel nostalgia, not whatever you like now. In thirty years you can make a hey remember Tay Sway thread.

Haphazard

Wait, you're in Berlin, Tav? You're going to a footy match? Herta vs Nuremberg, I guess?

NEO|Phyte

Hmm. How did that meme go, a cultural touchstone is anything that happened to a Boomer twice? Two of those albums, how old was Bogart?

Bogart

The boss has, for no discernible reason, bought in some tasty samosas. Excellent work.

Bogart

NEO|Phyte wrote: »

Hmm. How did that meme go, a cultural touchstone is anything that happened to a Boomer twice? Two of those albums, how old was Bogart?

I'm Gen X baby. Can't pin nothing on me.

Mojo_Jojo

Occasionally I listen to a boardgame podcast called Heavy Cardboard.

Today the topic is that one of the host's mum just died and also she was married to the other host and they are going to divorce, so she's not presenting it again

Haphazard

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Occasionally I listen to a boardgame podcast called Heavy Cardboard.

Today the topic is that one of the host's mum just died and also she was married to the other host and they are going to divorce, so she's not presenting it again

so... generally upbeat in tone or

Mojo_Jojo

Haphazard wrote: »

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Occasionally I listen to a boardgame podcast called Heavy Cardboard.

Today the topic is that one of the host's mum just died and also she was married to the other host and they are going to divorce, so she's not presenting it again

so... generally upbeat in tone or

Previously my main complaint was that sometimes they use strange incorrect pronunciations from time to time

Chanus

Bogart wrote: »

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Track - Artist!?

No no no

Look I cut and pasted from their site so blame them. Or my laziness, I guess.

is this another US/UK divide?

track - artist is normal here

RonTheDM

In 30 years no one will remember pop thing du jour #47389498247, one hopes.

Bogart

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Occasionally I listen to a boardgame podcast called Heavy Cardboard.

Today the topic is that one of the host's mum just died and also she was married to the other host and they are going to divorce, so she's not presenting it again

Oof. Can't wait for the trail for next month's podcast. Tune in next week, as the survivors attempt to piece their shattered lives back together and find meaning in one player games.

Chanus

for nostalgia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQnELW-7yZw

Harry Dresden

Bogart wrote: »

This thread is for music for which people feel nostalgia, not whatever you like now. In thirty years you can make a hey remember Tay Sway thread.

Ok then, let get nostalgic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74&list=PLE6rhv8iI_vJ48CbdqZqnr-6LT4A_Lxtq

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPU8OAjjS4k&index=5&list=PLyjgHc47unfT3BIZo5uEt2a-2TWKy54sU&t=0s

Haphazard

Chanus wrote: »

Bogart wrote: »

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Track - Artist!?

No no no

Look I cut and pasted from their site so blame them. Or my laziness, I guess.

is this another US/UK divide?

track - artist is normal here

That's almost as nonsensical as you date format!

Chanus

RonaldoTheGypsy wrote: »

In 30 years no one will remember pop thing du jour #47389498247, one hopes.

that's what they said about Eric Carmen and

Chanus

Haphazard wrote: »

Chanus wrote: »

Bogart wrote: »

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Track - Artist!?

No no no

Look I cut and pasted from their site so blame them. Or my laziness, I guess.

is this another US/UK divide?

track - artist is normal here

That's almost as nonsensical as you date format!

we do kind of have a theme going

RonTheDM

Chanus wrote: »

RonaldoTheGypsy wrote: »

In 30 years no one will remember pop thing du jour #47389498247, one hopes.

that's what they said about Eric Carmen and

who?

Orphane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSvaHTCF2pk

dags

Elendil

shit grimes and elon broke up?

*pops a breath mint*
*slicks back hair*
hey elon what's up

Bogart

RonaldoTheGypsy wrote: »

In 30 years no one will remember pop thing du jour #47389498247, one hopes.

They definitely will and will scream abuse into a strangers face on the internet about it if anyone criticises it.

Tav

Haphazard wrote: »

Wait, you're in Berlin, Tav? You're going to a footy match? Herta vs Nuremberg, I guess?

Ayyyyye

Absolutely buzzing

Echo

We had the Absolute Music series. It's still around. Probably approaching a four-digit number.

RonTheDM

Here's some 30 year old music to get thoughtful about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w7OgIMMRc4

Orphane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRm-k6XpZC0

dags

Chanus

80s nostalgia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bNITQR4Uso

Haphazard

Tav wrote: »

Haphazard wrote: »

Wait, you're in Berlin, Tav? You're going to a footy match? Herta vs Nuremberg, I guess?

Ayyyyye

Absolutely buzzing

I guess you should eat a currywurst if you not have already done so!

Harry Dresden

Will Smith nostalgia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiBLgEx6svA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zXKtfKnfT8