what is and what should never be. that's probably the best way to describe this post. or rather the subject of it, look you see.
my understanding of how it was going to go when they commenced re-issuing the first (or original) now that's what i call music compilations - often on compact disc for the first time - they were to cease at a round, roman and decimal ten (10). on this basis, as well as my natural attraction to shiny things, i made a tacit pact to purchase them all. this despite only really, really being interested in one particular volume, that being number four, and yeah the first for "historical" nostalgia, etc.
now, of course, it is so that them what do the now sets have since (or now) broken this pact, or agreement, and gone right ahead with a release of 11. oh. whilst, well, yes, sure there are one or two really smart tunes on it, it was somewhat annoying that they had extended beyond the ten (10) that i was led to believe was intended. making it all the stranger is that this one, and i think 10 (ten) before it, came out on compact disc (in full) at the time.
that last point is kind of important. ever since they commenced these releases, or re-releases, or release on cd for the first time, the main review or observation is how messy they all are. clumsy, even. in some instances songs are omitted, be it for issues of licensing or for issues of how appropriate a song is in this modern era. here there are two songs missing, which just feels farcical since the original compact disc set had them included.
of the two (2) songs missing, one is a real loss. it would have been boss to have Give Me Hope, Jo'anna off of Eddy Grant on disc, but not to be. the other was a song off of Whitesnake, but it wasn't the 87 reissue of Here I Go Again, so there you go. mind, no Whitesnake means that i cannot write too much of David Coverdale, the man who has gone to exceptional lengths - further than you would think necessary or required - to establish himself as "the most famous person ever to come from Saltburn". well, everyone has to be known for something.
going to what's here and when it is all from (should such be of interest) it looks like quite late 1987 into the early aspects of 1988. this i establish from the inclusion of, arguably, the two best (or most established, well known) tunes on here. for the record, they would be Always On My Mind, the Christmas number one (when such a title meant something other than sh!t about sausage rolls) from 1987, and Heaven Is A Place On Earth off of Belinda Carlisle. that last one was number one when my then immediate, or nuclear, or what have you, family were all together in our place of origin for the very last time.
beyond the two on the set mentioned (and the one missing tune), anything else of consequence on here? as it happens, yes. this is not a lesson in average, as was more or less the case with 5 (five). sticking with disc one, and there's Suedehead off of Morrissey. an all time classic, and of course his debut as a solo performer, but still i do prefer the two singles which came next. on the subject of debut hits, the first one off of Sinead O'Connor is here too. plus a smart song off of Billy Ocean, a very decent tune off of Billy Idol and Valentine by T'Pau, which is every bit as good as their massive other two singles, but for some reason doesn't get that much of a play on the radio.
over on disc two and well, you start with another debut. this one being I Should Be So Lucky off of Kylie. which is proper Kylie, as in Australian, Minogue, and not some hideous American sort. at the time yes, for i am that old, she was usually just called Charlene out of Neighbours. indeed many of us kind of assumed it was a novelty single off of a daytime soap star, but time has very much proven the hit was far from a one off.
also on disc two there's a song off of Jellybean, who seemed more famous for being Madonna's boyfriend briefly, and was presumably better at that than music. make no mistake, as we in our teenage years saw Jellybean as a role model - basically he was proof anyone could have a music career, or date Madonna. i did indeed wish to do both. from memory it feels like I Can't Help It was the last really big hit from Bananarama, except for a Comic Relief hit maybe. rounding off decent and Beat Dis off of Bomb The Bass remains boss, O'Lamour as covered by Dollar was ace and i am not certain if Stutter Rap by Morris Minor And The Majors remains funny, or just feels funny having heard it again for the first time in north of 30 years.
for the rest of the set, kind of average to mediocre covers it, alas. i mean, it's nice to get a reminder of the tune Tired Of Getting Pushed Around by (i think) two out of Fine Young Cannibals that were not Roland Gift, but i have no need to hear it again. don't recall why this "live" version of Elton's Candle In The Wind, in Marilyn not Diana form, was a single, but here it is. the song Say It Again by Jermaine Stewart is really, really sh!t. as is Joe Le Taxi off of Vanessa Paradis, but for some reason this one frequently comes up (in one form or another) as the answer to questions on Pop Master, so you may want to be familiar with it if you play on a regular basis.
regarding what would have been side four of the record or tape, the second half of disc two here is overloaded with songs what have the word "house" in the title. this really was a rough time. some of us were lucky enough to know someone who knew someone that had the proper Chicago House records. for me, i believe i owe thanks to Craster getting his brother to tape (on a tape) loads for me. alas, so as to cash in, various record labels in the UK just shoved the word "house" on and indeed in records to try and make money off of the scene. well, record labels are not charities.
sigh. is this it, i wonder, or shall they press on, re-issuing (with varying degrees of accuracy) the early editions of the now series. perhaps if people like me keep buying it (and i resisted for a few weeks) then sure they shall. no, i can't blame anyone but me, i suppose.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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