Now That's What I Call Music

[purlieu]

How about The Best Beatles Album In The World... Ever!

[grainger]

Speaking of which, the "...ever!" in those album titles is completely redundant.

If you say someone is the best footballer in the world... ever!, then that makes sense, as you may be the current best footballer in the world, but someone 50 years ago may have been better. So the "...ever!" stipulates that you're not only better than anyone else playing today, but you're better than that player from 50 years ago.

But albums don't dissappear. So if you have the best album in the world, it's by definition the best one ever.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I have no interest in the reissues or new compilations, but do enjoy some of the features they have on their music channel, which seems to be on in a pub I drink in when there's no football to show.

[DrGreggles]

I can't find any evidence that this isn't real:
https://youtu.be/XMuElf1_OoM
But surely it can't be. SURELY!

[purlieu]

I can't find any evidence that this isn't real:
https://youtu.be/XMuElf1_OoM
But surely it can't be. SURELY!

This is the closest anyone's found to the Punk CD, but given the way labels often have a tendency to repackage compilations under new names it's possible that this is it rebranded.

[Pauline Walnuts]

I can't find any evidence that this isn't real:
https://youtu.be/XMuElf1_OoM
But surely it can't be. SURELY!

Or the advertising department thought that 'Punk' sounded snappier and more commercial than 'New Wave'.

[DrGreggles]

It's not New Wave either though. It's 80s pop.
Did New Wave even exist as New Wave in the States?

[purlieu]

New Wave is such a vague term though, isn't it? It was originally used to describe certain punk bands, but these days I mostly see it used in reference to Tears for Fears, Simple Minds and things.

[Sebastian Cobb]

In American it seems to mean any 80's band that had guitars and synthesisers.

[Pauline Walnuts]

It's not New Wave either though. It's 80s pop.
Did New Wave even exist as New Wave in the States?

"The Cars were an American rock band that emerged from the new wave scene in the late 1970s."
"The Fixx are a rock and new wave band formed in 1979."
"The Romantics are an American rock band, often put under the banner of power pop and new wave,"

The Knack, Toni Basil's pop career (no one mention Easy Rider), then there's Devo and a whole heap of British New Wave bands like Flock of Seagulls, Thompson Twins, Madness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_British_Invasion

It's a(n American) New Wave compilation. With Huey Lewis.

I didn't say it was a good New Wave compilation.

[DrGreggles]

Are you cool?
Do you like to rock?
Then you'll love COOL ROCK!
https://youtu.be/wSnZi0YTmuo


*warning: contains un-cool non-rock

[purlieu]

I've always found something very slightly liberating about the idea of only listening to music through these sorts of compilations. The kind of critical thinking that ends up with you intellectualising and hating lots of things just doesn't exist when it's "hey here's some tunes!" I'm envious of that.

[DrGreggles]

I've always found something very slightly liberating about the idea of only listening to music through these sorts of compilations. The kind of critical thinking that ends up with you intellectualising and hating lots of things just doesn't exist when it's "hey here's some tunes!" I'm envious of that.

"What music are you into?"
"Cool rock"/"Timeless classics"/"The best music in the world... Ever!"

[purlieu]

"What music are you into?"
"Cool rock"/"Timeless classics"/"The best music in the world... Ever!"

"Punk"

[DrGreggles]

I'm coming round to the idea. Possibly in all walks of life.

"What sort of clothes do you like?"
"Men's fashion"

[Captain Z]

"What kind of insects do you like?"

"I'd probably have to say The Best Of The Beetles."

[Pauline Walnuts]

This is an argument that music genres are shit for cunts anyway.

This is more of a coldwave take on darkwave with an obvious sythnwave influence on the vocals.

[Jockice]

Speaking of which, the "...ever!" in those album titles is completely redundant.

If you say someone is the best footballer in the world... ever!, then that makes sense, as you may be the current best footballer in the world, but someone 50 years ago may have been better. So the "...ever!" stipulates that you're not only better than anyone else playing today, but you're better than that player from 50 years ago.

But albums don't dissappear. So if you have the best album in the world, it's by definition the best one ever.

On that subject, not long ago I was talking to a woman in her 20s who asked me in all seriousness if David Beckham was the best footballer ever. Very few things in life truly shock me, but that did.

[Icehaven]

Keep seeing ads for Now 103 and it's like something out of a time-travel film trying to emphasise how in-the-future it is, like Jaws 19 in Back To The Future II.

[Toxteth OGrady]

Now 12 was my first, on double cassette. There's a Spotify playlist of it so my kids can get pissed off with it in my modern car which doesn't have a cassette player. What I forgot was the oldies that they threw in there cos they were in films at the time. Carwash on now 12, what's that all about?

[JesusAndYourBush]

Keep seeing ads for Now 103 and it's like something out of a time-travel film trying to emphasise how in-the-future it is, like Jaws 19 in Back To The Future II.

Really?  For me it sounds like something ancient.  I remember them churning out those albums with such nauseating regularity that I'd have expected them to be in the 300's by now.

[Better Midlands]

Carwash on now 12, what's that all about?

Remixed for '88 to cash in on the groovy 70's disco revival that was just beginning fashionable. In this case the record label was also piggy backing of the success of Theme From S Express from earlier in the year which extensively sampled Rose Royce - Is It Love You're After and is on the b- side of this re-release.

[holyzombiejesus]

My first one was the first one. I got my dad to get it for me but he just taped it for me then took it back. I also wanted a charity compilation that was a mix of stand up and people like Madness (I think) and he just taped that for me too.

[the]

Remixed for '88 to cash in on the groovy 70's disco revival that was just beginning fashionable. In this case the record label was also piggy backing of the success of Theme From S Express from earlier in the year which extensively sampled Rose Royce - Is It Love You're After and is on the b- side of this re-release.

Gwen Dickey from Rose Royce also released (terrible) new versions of Car Wash and Wishing On A Star in 1990.

I used to make a joke about how you can tell if the decade's about to end when Car Wash shows up again in the charts, though there is probably some truth to that.

[Better Midlands]

I used to make a joke about how you can tell if the decade's about to end when Car Wash shows up again in the charts, though there is probably some truth to that.

Good observation, see also cover versions of Lady Marmalade.

[mrfridge]

Now 25 was the first one I bought with my own money and even at the time I thought it was a bit shit.

They put out some compilations in the early 90s that combined a bunch of tracks from the preceding years (so Now 1987, Now 1988, Now 1989... I could go on). I recall those all being solid.