More about: Now That's What I Call Music

Here’s an important question for you to mull over: which of the NOW That’s What I Call Music compilations are the best? If you grew up in the UK, it’s likely you've owned at least one of these double CD releases. In fact, I'd bet my Friday night quarantine pizza on you having one in particular in your head right now. Kept it in the door of your car, didn't you?

There have been 104 releases of the NOW series since its inception in 1983. Thirty-seven years of singing on the motorway and finding the wrong discs in the wrong boxes. But which of the canonical 104 contain the biggest bangers? Which, if you will, are the best?

We listened to them all, and these are our favourite eleven:

NOW 2

Featuring: ‘Hold Me Now’ by Thompson Twins; ’99 Red Balloons’ by Nena; ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ by Cindy Lauper; ‘What Difference Does It Make?’ By The Smiths; ‘Relax’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The series’ second ever release was a great representation of pop in the nineteen-eighties: subculture sat alongside mainstream as equally-popular propositions. That’s how you find Frankie’s extraordinary ‘Relax’ beside the silliness of ‘Michael Caine’ by Madness and anti-war mega-banger ’99 Red Balloons’. ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ has appeared twice more on subsequent compilations but this was its first outing - a year after its original release. Elsewhere, find the toy shop sounds of 1980’s synthesisers aplenty and Paul McCartney doing his best (worst) John Lennon impression on ‘Pipes Of Peace’.

NOW 18

Featuring: ‘It Must Have Been Love’ by Roxette; ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by Sinead O’Connor; ‘Unchained Melody’ by The Righteous Brothers; ‘It’s My Life’ by Talk Talk; ‘There She Goes’ by The La’s.

Not the strongest start with ‘A Little Time’ from The Beautiful South and ‘The Joker’ from Steve Miller Band, NOW 18 does at least immediately promise one thing we expect from a That’s What I Call Music compilation: sing-a-long-ability. Don’t know the words? Enough spins in the car and you will. Oh, but you will know the words to Wilson Phillips’ ‘Hold On’ and Roxette’s ‘It Must Have Been Love’. How about ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’? ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’? Number Eighteen charts because of it’s belt-factor.

NOW 29

Featuring: ‘True Faith’ by New Order; ‘The Rhythm Of The Night’ by Corona; ‘7 Seconds’ by Youssou N’Dour; ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries; ‘Parklife’ by Blur.

Yes, there’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ again. But 29 bears the fruit of 1994’s relentless release calendar too. ‘Parklife’ sits by rebel pop one-hit wonder ‘Trouble’ by Shampoo and Whigfield’s ubiquitous ‘Saturday Night’, The Cranberries mega-hit ‘Zombie’ and the full near-six minute version of New Order’s ‘True Faith’. That’s power.

NOW 34

Featuring: ‘Wannabe’ by The Spice Girls; ‘Mysterious Girl’ by Peter Andre; ‘Born Slippy’ by Underworld; ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis.

Remember the pop golden age? Let 34 remind you: we open with 'Wannabe', before slipping effortlessly into the dubby 'Freedom' from NOW's most-featured artist Robbie Williams and then getting genuinely slippy on Underworld's Trainspotting banger. 'Return of the Mack', 'Wonderwall' and the ambient 'Children' by Robert Miles complete the party.

NOW 42

Featuring: ‘Believe’ by Cher; ‘Fly Away’ by Lenny Kravitz; ‘Praise You’ by Fatboy Slim; ‘Tender’ by Blur.

Don’t let the mire of some of these filler tracks distract you from the fact that four of the nineties’ best tracks appear on this compilation. Big ones from Cher, Lenny Kravitz and Fatboy Slim join Blur’s best with ‘Tender’. Honorary mention for ‘Witch Doctor’ too.

NOW 43

Featuring: ‘I Want It That Way’ by The Backstreet Boys; ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom!!’ by Vengaboys; ‘9PM (’Til I Come)’ by ATB; ‘Bring It All Back’ by S Club 7; ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ by Chemical Brothers; ‘You Get What You Give’ by New Radicals.

1999 really brought the bangers. Mega followed by More Mega, this one features all those you can see above, plus ‘Coffee and TV’ from Blur’s 13.

NOW 44

Featuring: ‘…Baby One More Time’ by Britney Spears; ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ by Shania Twain; ‘Tragedy’ by Steps; ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None The Richer; ‘I See You Baby (Fatboy Slim Edit)' by Groove Armada.

The golden era of school discos.

NOW 49

Featuring: ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by Wheatus; ‘Ms. Jackson’ by Outkast; ‘Survivor’ by Destiny’s Child.

No one is more aware than I am that three out of these eleven compilations come in at just the time I was getting old enough to choreograph dance routines. Bias aside, I stand by the inclusion of 49 because of its wholly excellent early run of Stereophonics-Wheatus-OutKast-Destiny’s Child. Song that clinches it: ‘Do You Really Like It?’

NOW 65

Featuring: ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’’ by Scissor Sisters; ‘Chelsea Dagger’ by The Fratellis; ‘Rehab’ by Amy Winehouse; ‘SexyBack’ by Justin Timberlake.

Though Justin Timberlake’s eternal sweet spot lies in the near-perfect debut album Justified, he made good again on comeback song ‘SexyBack’. As you’ll see from the sizeable gap between this and the next entry, this was to be the last cry of half-decent charts for a very long time…

NOW 100

Featuring: ‘no tears left to cry’ by Ariana Grande; ‘One Kiss’ by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa; ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ by Bon Jovi; ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams; ‘Cry Me A River’ by Justin Timberlake.

Pop returned just in time to see NOW turn 100. For its hundredth edition on the thirty-fifth year of its existence, the compilation raised the stakes by mixing classics in with new’uns. Ariana Grande’s ‘no tears left to cry’ gets along happily with Cher’s ‘Believe’. ‘One Kiss’ doesn’t pale in comparison to ‘Hips Don’t Lie’. 2018: you brought great pop back.

NOW 102

Featuring: ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’ by The 1975; ‘thank u, next’ by Ariana Grande; ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart' by Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus; ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ by Mabel.

Yes: chart music is well and truly back. Thanks to Mabel, Charli XCX, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande and Sigrid for reviving the delight, the huge choruses and the art of singing in the car - even without the physical CD.

Due to coronavirus, the release of NOW That's What I Call Music 105 has been postponed.

Issue Two of the Gigwise Print magazine is on sale now! Buy it here.

More about: Now That's What I Call Music