sometimes i would wish that oh how it doesn't have to be this way, look you see. that i would feel not obliged or compelled to "complete" collections, to be down to earth and only buy some vibes when they clearly offered either the right thing or big fun. and yet here we are, the final countdown is on for the end of the promised re-issue of the first ten (10) Now That's What I Call Music sets, with the heartache that is number 9 (nine) coming out recently. rather than use money wisely (to live it up, say), temptation brought be down to earth and i bought it. no, i didn't have to give everything i own to get it, but yet i roam in some sort of land of confusion wondering why i insisted on doing so.
moving on then, and Now 9 appears (or seems) to cover what one would consider, or call, the (northern hemisphere) winter of 1986, moving as it does into the early aspects of 1987, in terms of the UK singles charts. or rather, what bits Now could licence. the market was awash with compilations cash ins by this time, so with different labels scrambling to sign up exclusive use of tunes, well, it seems them what were responsible for bagging some for this release left it all a little late.
in fairness, honesty and vanity, though, i would have to say i paid little attention to the charts at this time. no, for these three or four months covered, it was all very much Frankie Goes To Hollywood for me. looking at what was on offer here, i do not believe i bought one single 7" of these. oh, not true, yes of course i purchased Live It Up off of Mental As Anything. beyond that, though, i would have described myself as quite cross with the singles chart, as they were unkind to Frankie's singles. but that i probably ranted about a little, around Now 8.
quite an auto-pilot purchase, this, then, on day of release. my feelings, when looking at the track listing after purchase, were a little like when i got the CD issue of Now That's What I Call Music 5. which would be "this looks like sh!t", and a suspicion it would not get played so much. but still, as with 5, there looked to be at least a couple of decent tunes on here. and, as it happens, it is much better than i feared it would be, but still not going to get played much.
this all starts off with that oddity of a Christmas Number One (1) single from 1986 (when that chart position meant something), with Reet Petite off of Jackie Wilson. a great song indeed, and one of two 60s re-releases to feature on the set (the other, Stand By Me off of Ben E King) out of the many that were charting at the time. a couple of covers too, by big name artists. perhaps there was a little bit of a creativity doldrums at the time.
certainly, to refer to it once more, i was thrilled when Mental As Anything made it big in the UK with the song off of Crocodile Dundee. this was their first hit in the UK, despite an extensive and lengthy career of success in their native Australia. as i had been in Australia where their finest hour was, the Cats & Dogs album, this was just excellent. also, another (at least one more) film based tune features, in the form of Take My Breath Away by Berlin. wrongly sub-titled as Love Theme From Top Gun, for as we all know the actual love song off of the film was Playing With The Boys off of Kenny Loggins. and still, though, i have a soft spot for Berlin, since they were support for Frankie. who i saw live, in January 1987, hence me being not all that arsed about the charts at the time.
far too much, i would think, is the correct response to "how are Scandinavian (or whatever) nations represented here", if asked. perhaps British music was on a bit of a low, then. sure, it's lovely to get Manhattan Skyline off of a-Ha (even if it is a 2004 remaster rather than the original 80s single), but it has to be said The Final Countdown off of Europe has been played to death ever since release, particularly at times such as New Year and what have you. well, no, New Year. great, now i have yet one more copy of this song on CD.
a few highs pepper the set. many would consider Sometimes to be the best thing what Erasure did. i would suggest no, A Little Respect or maybe Stop!, but this is a great pop single. the Boy George debut solo single, a cover of Everything I Own which is brilliant, brings back memories. for some reason it was so that The Sun, known to crucify anyone who didn't fit in with their definition of a "proper bloke", and he certainly did not, went all sympathetic with his plight with heroin. rather fitting with the blessed life the erstwhile Culture Club frontman appears to live, really. any other pop star who went to prison for hiring someone on possibly (or ostensibly) sexual reasons but then went on to assault and hold them captive would be exiled, yet Radio 2, in particular, are on a crusade to play him as often as they can. go figure. same, a bit with the Simply Red song on here. it is easy to forget there was a time when Mick Hucknall was generally liked and celebrated, now not so much, with all considering him to be a massive bellend and a bit of a d!ck with his bragging about how many thousands of women he has slept with, etc. yet still Radio 2 have a candle on the go for him, also.
one big word of warning here is that the song Big Fun which features is not what you think. what you have in mind is the (quite) class dance anthem off of Inner City, not this tripe. i had forgotten that Heartache by Pepsi & Shirlie was not at all bad, but a little dated. also, It Doesn't Have To Be This Way off of Blow Monkeys and Down To Earth off of him with the beret and his band (that felt shorter to type that Curiosity Killed The Cat) are not quite so polished or perfect as i remembered, but still quite good. worst, other than the mentioned Big Fun, is probably the horrendous remixed version of You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate here. what a bad idea that mix was, burying Errol's voice below some synths and trying to drown out the famous hook.
nothing but fond memories came back on hearing Jack Your Body by Steve 'Silk' Hurley, too. banging tune, to be sure, but mostly i remember it off of a lad at school who's older brother had loads of this, and course at the time i mean, "new" Chicago House music, and he'd tape it for us. speaking of memories, i think my main issue with this set is it is missing the things i would have bought at the time, if i remember it all correctly. on Now 9 there is no Frankie, no Male Stripper and no Sigue Sigue Sputnik. but, that said, what is here is (mostly) agreeable.
if, or should, they stick to their announced plans, only one more reissue to come, then, in the shape or if you like form of Now That's What I Call Music 10. yes, i am aware they recently did a "1983 Yearbook" but i avoided it, as it was just Now 1 with two extra discs not good enough to be on that set. should they do a 1984 yearbook, mind, i suspect i shall not be able to resist. and, after all that, i have every confidence they will find other ways to milk coins off of me. just not with "new" stuff, which is sh!t.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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