Back to NOW!

Nineteen Ninety Three.

It's a country we've visited on a number of occasions in this particular parish of variously compiled pop. And it's always one that welcomes us back warmly.

There's our strident, shiny boybands working up a sweat down at your local nightclub or hanging around the street corners looking menacing.
There's the noticeably older relatives who had hits back ion the 80s and are back, Back, BACK with familiar hits that now nestle comfortably on shiny new CD greatest hits tucked under their sensibly dressed arms. Is that a remix I hear?
And of course there's the Europop exchange students. Fearless, no pretence, no baggage and a selection of smiles, beats and bleeps that - let's face it - we loved then and love now.

And all of these guests - and much more - can be found on the twenty-fourth volume of the nation's favourite compilation album - the one we cleverly call NOW24!

And revisiting this fascinating (did we once describe Pop Hinterland, Mr Hodgkinson?) year is songwriter and performer Ray Harris.

Join us we head back far too many years to care for all of the above, and Ray cherry picks tracks that trigger those his pop memories including 2 Unlimited, The Bluebells, Lenny Kravitz, World Party, kd. Lang and Ultravox to name a few.

Ray shares his stories of growing up which surely involves a Back to NOW first - is that Frédéric Chopin waving at us?
We also hear about his adventures supporting (amongst others) Sister Sledge AND James Brown, which member of Genesis he shared a bus journey with (yes, really!) and why he believes (rightly, of course) Paul McCartney is our greatest living musician.

And we find out more about Ray's latest album, Prelude and what it means to be touring and performing after a seven year hiatus - from Glasgow to Vietnam!

NOW 24 - as Macca said, delivering hope. And let's be honest, we could all welcome that.
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1976. You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs.

Well, silly or not, the charts of this fascinating year were full of big, big hits. Crowdpleasers, I hear you cry? Well, whatever way you view 1976, and many so-called rock journos and hacks would do so rather disdainfully, the twelve months bookended by number ones by Queen and Johnny Mathis (!) were certainly colourful and (checks notes for suitable adjective) erm, eclectic.

Whilst certain history threads (I’m looking at you again Channel 5) will tell you that everyone was embracing bondage trousers, safety pins and other overused punk stereotypes, the truth was that the cash registers at Woolworths were ringing to the sounds of everything from the Greek smock admirer Demis Roussos, Dutch fairground dwelling country swingers Pussycat and those loveable Rock and Roll revivalists and brothel creeper wearing funsters Showaddywaddy.

And the biggest selling single of the year - well that would be the Brotherhood of Man’s lip smacking shoe shuffler and Eurovision winning rocket.
Yes, punk would no doubt influence the coming years of popular culture, but not whilst The Wurzels were ploughing the pop fields of ’76.

The world of compilations was shifting up a gear too as the album charts saw TV advertising become a major factor in changing the landscape of big sellers with huge number one sellers from the kids favourites Slim Whitman, Bert Weedon, Glen Campbell and The Beach Boys, who remained at number one for ten consecutive weeks through that Hot, Hot, Hot summer of 1976. Good vibrations indeed!

And in the jet-pack future of the 21st Century, how much fun does 1976 look? Well, pop kids, let the Guardian's head rock and pop critic Alexis Petridis and author Ian Wade guide you through it courtesy of the spanking NOW Yearbook 1976.

The emergence of the stadium rock, pop sound
10cc inventing Paranoid Android
Guilty Pleasures (or not!)
The wonderfully weird world of Fox
Disco - hello!

And along the way, rediscover the shimmering sounds that kept us sane through the heatwave, explore how CB radio (and questionable radio 1 DJs, mate) became a real thing (but not by The Real Thing), consider what Cliff Richard and Lou Reed may have discussed in Studio 54, which single was Wadey’s first, which artist’s concert Alexis was joined by Johnny Trunk at, the story of Ruby Flipper and the Blue Peter garden, which acts not to get stuck in a lift with and why David Dundas is not struggling to find funds for his next pair of jeans.

Confused? Lost? Over-stimulated? You’re in great pop company then in 1976. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Whether you were there or are rediscovering this amazing pop year for the first time, grab a cool drink, and jump onboard.
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Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99:

So the year/decade/century/millennium was coming to a close but before the apocalypse didn’t actually arrive at midnight on 31st December 1999, there was the small matter of a quite poptastic summer to be had.

And did we party like it was 1999? Of course we did!

We even squeezed in a completely rubbish total eclipse - remember that? No, neither do we.

But, back, Back, BACK to the pop. The latest volume of NOW had arrived quicker than your very small download speed from AOL. And it was jam packed with hits - 7, that’s SEVEN No1s kicking off CD1. From Martine to Boyzone to S Club, this was a compilation for a shimmering summer of delights. Dance, pop, soul, more pop, a slither of guitars. And did we mention POP? Blimey, there was plenty other choose from.

And slipping out his CD (or is it minidisc?) copy of NOW 43 (and possibly a pile of ‘other’ compilations ) is the man behind PopMusicActivism - Rob Johnson.

Join Rob as he shares his memories of the album and this unforgettable summer.

His time working in WH Smiths!
His obsession with Dina Carroll!
His other obsession with ATB!
And his, ahem, other other obsession (and dance routines!) with Alice Deejay!

Along the way we also drop in on the V(B)engaboys, a very underdressed Adam Rickitt, a 'blink-and-you-miss-her' Lolly.

And, AND, discover the pop scandal of 99 that you didn’t know that you needed to know!
A travesty of disastrous data drops and chart catastrophes starring Tina Cousins, blur and others - but I’ve already said TOO MUCH! Tune in to find out more pop kids!

All of this and tons more as we - at a breathtaking, breakneck speed - revisit the summer of 1999. Whatever you think you know, or don’t, or think you may have forgotten(!), hold tight - this is quite a ride!
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The Big Pig is back!

As July, turned into August in 1985, the world was still basking in the afterglow of, what was already being called the event of the decade. No, not the ceasing production of the Sinclair C5, or even the latest episode of Blind Date with our Cilla. Live Aid had defined the coming together of all things pop for a generation, in the name of raising money for African famine. And those bands and artists who graced the stages in London and Philadelphia (well, perhaps not Adam Ant, as we say) were feeling the seismic effect of not only the public’s affection - but also their pocket money.

Duran Duran, Paul Young, Simple Minds, U2 and others (still, sorry , not you Adam) were enjoying plenty of success. And the loudest and most exciting shirt of the summer did not belong to BBC’s Mark Ellen or David Hepworth, it was the iconic NOW pig. Yes, NOW That’s What I Call Music 5 not only provided THE soundtrack to our summer in 1985, it also gave us the most gloriously techicoloured album cover. How exciting was that list of stars?

And joining me for this episode to share his memories of this classic summer of music is journalist and author Graeme Thomson.

And what can you expect? Duran Duran climb the Eiffel Tower. UK funk and soul makes a move for the charts through the fantastic sounds of Fine Young Cannibals, Simply Red and Jaki Graham. Graeme shares why 80s Bowie deserves attention, how Marillion (and a band T-Shirt!) made an early impact on his listening, what Jim Kerr told him about Don’t You Forget About Me and why U2 needed to evolve to survive.

But significantly, join us as we discuss how compilation albums take us back, tell real stories of a period and revel in how important pop music for all of us in our formative years and has the ability to stay with us as we move through our lives.

And enjoy Graeme’s reflections on his latest book, In Another World: The Four Seasons of Talk Talk, and the iconic sounds of a quite unique band.

Step aside from life in 2026 for an hour or so, and join us back in a time when it really was great to be alive.
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Oh, that’s bad!
No, that’s good!

If you know your 80s dancefloor bangers, you’ll recognise that S-Express vocal insert and will already be donning your sparkly bellbottoms, possibly even getting right-on one (matey) because it’s Summer 1988!

What was making the headlines? (shuffles papers, looks directly into camera in a serious way):

Poll tax announced!
Gay rights activists invade the six o'clock news and mildly fluster Sue Lawley!
Glasgow Garden festival takes place! Every school in Scotland goes on a trip (not like that!)
England finish bottom of their Euro88 group having lost all three games! (Sports presenter wink to camera)

But, BUT, amidst all of this and many other exciting things, POP was still very important indeed and - hurrah - NOW That’s What I Call Music 12 was here to make a splash! (Yes, the one with the pool on the cover, ahem).

And a young, impressionable starry-eyed journalist from Dundee was starting his glittering career at Smash Hits, in London Town! With the BIG names! Yes, even Tiffany and Glenn Medeiros!
Yes, head back to a very eventful summer for acclaimed music journalist, author and Smash Hits alumnus Tom Doyle!

Join us as we dive into the swimming pool of pop (enough already!) and meet amongst others Climie Fisher having a picnic, Carol Decker playing poker, Bananarama being a trio (just) and Jermaine Stewart not being in Shalamar.

And on top of this, get ready for some fantastic 1988 anecdotes from Tom’s giddy time at Ver Hits (and possibly Patches before that!).

Wet Wet Wet on an open-top bus in Glasgow with lots of rock n roll mouthwash!
Aswad’s recreational horticultural escapades!
Sitting next to Hollywood royalty (well, Richard Gere) at the Nelson Mandela concert!
Rubbing shoulders with U2 AND David Bowie in a factory! (Possibly, no actually!)
Tom’s first singles reviews - and what was his single of the fortnight?? (it’s not on NOW12)

And also stay around for lots of fabulous pop reminiscing about the truly wonderful Danny Wilson, the truly bonkers Bill Drummond and the truly hairy (!) Glenn Medeiros.

All of this - delivered in Tom’s inimitable fashion - and so much more that we could just about fit it into Natalie’s Pink Cadillac (oo-er!)

Summer 1988 - what a lark eh pop kids?
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