Now then, Now then

Now That’s What I Call Music, perennial ‘safe bet’ Christmas present from grannies everywhere, has just notched up outing number 70.

With the series homing in on 25 years, it has played host to 2,695 different tracks from 1,466 different artists, from Phil Collins to Grandmaster Flash, from Carter USM to Bob the Builder, and most points in between. Listening to the lot would take you precisely seven days and 31 minutes, roughly the same amount of time it would take to walk from London to Aberdeen.

My personal experience of the Now albums began in Christmas 1984, with the fourth volume. The theme from Ghostbusters, Heaven 17, The Style Council and a cartoon pig in sunglasses on the front – what more could a ten-year-old me ask for from an album?

From that point on, concentrated campaigns of cajoling were essential before birthdays and Christmases in order to keep the collection going. It didn’t matter that for every worthwhile track there’d be at least three from the likes of Chris De Burgh. I was building up a record collection.

The impressive concept artwork used for the series from Now 6 onward certainly spurred this new-found collecting instinct. Nows 6 through 16 saw the logo depicted via situations such as a neon-lit signwork, space exploration, or fireworks reflected on a lake. Sadly, this inventiveness didn’t last, and by Now 20 a modern CGI cover was adopted, a generic style still used today.

By then I could just buy any singles I liked on their own instead, and yet somehow the Now series muddled through without my endorsement, even attracting a healthy quota of NME-friendly artists. On Now 21 alone, The KLF, The Wonder Stuff, Jesus and Mary Chain, James and The Cure rubbed shoulders with Brian May and Curtis Stigers. This mix of genres made the series a first port of call when it came to pub jukeboxes, meaning there’d always be at least six tracks worth listening to amongst the mum-friendly ‘Best Of’s.

The recent rise of legitimate download services has increased the popularity of the series. The 43 tracks on last week’s edition (currently £10.99 on iTunes) would cost almost £34 if bought individually. Consequently, Now 70 recorded first week sales of 383,000, making it the fastest selling edition of the entire series.

So, here’s to the next 25 years of Now. I confidently predict Now 140 will be available in pill form.

Mark Jones edits the Broken TV blog