Updating the Now's - Now Yearbook 1990

Just before off if not frozen over by the Beast From Norway our favourite series makes a return.

We last touched base as the cool kids say with Now Yearbook last September with the 1973 issue as I missed off the 1992 issue on vinyl as by that point I'd stopped buying compilations like the Now's apart from the mid to late 90's Shine Indies ones.

1990 was a transitional year format wise was as I'd moved from lp with Early 1989 with Now 14 to cd by Summer's Now 15 and that was to run on 1991 and many of main trends of 1989 continued into 1990.

Although 1989 will need to be sorted out on vinyl at some point or other, this Now Yearbook does fit in well and makes for a good end chapter to those original numbered 1980's now's.

As with the other titles it is also available in deluxe 4 cd book form and cheaper fold round card cd versions with more tracks but sometimes less is more.

Starting the rewind back to 1990 are iconic legends George Michael with ‘Praying For Time’, and Elton John with his #1 single ‘Sacrifice’, followed by top 10 smashes from The B-52’s with ‘Love Shack, a personal favourite’ and Kylie Minogue’s ‘Better The Devil You Know’, plus timeless Pop from Belinda Carlisle, Kim Appleby and Roxette’s ‘It Must Have Been Love’ from the soundtrack to ‘Pretty Woman’. We then flip the first LP over for a stellar line-up featuring The KLF, New Order, Duran Duran, the theme from ‘Twin Peaks’, Julee Cruise’s ‘Falling’, Chris Isaak with ‘Wicked Game’ and Pet Shop Boys defining ‘Being Boring’.

Dance floor-fillers kick start record two from Deee-Lite with ‘Groove Is In The Heart’, and the #1 debut from SNAP! with ‘The Power’. Legendary names fill this side including Whitney Houston, Dusty Springfield, Paul Simon and the remixed version of ‘Englishman In New York’ from Sting.

Turning over the other side features club classics from Adamski & Seal and Bass-O-Matic, followed by a run of Indie-Alt legends including Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, and Candy Flip’s cover of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, before finishing with ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’ from They Might Be Giants, and the #1 ‘A Little Time’ from The Beautiful South.

The tenth consecutive Top 10 hit for Pet Shop Boys ‘So Hard’ opens the final LP, followed by the superb cover of the Disco classic ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’ from Jimmy Somerville, before a second appearance from Kylie Minogue with her Disco anthem ‘Step Back In Time’ and one of Stock, Aitken & Waterman’s greatest dancefloor tracks ‘Happenin’ All Over Again’ from Lonnie Gordon. More dancefloor smashes follow from Adventures Of Stevie V, Blue Pearl, and the unexpected collaboration between DNA & Suzanne Vega, before closing with one of the biggest debut #1s of the year, ‘Ice Ice Baby’ from Vanilla Ice that sampled Under Pressure by Queen.

The collection’s final side opens with the still-breathtaking interpretation of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ from the late Sinéad O'Connor. Also included are film related hits; Maria McKee’s ‘Show Me Heaven’, from the ‘Days Of Thunder’ soundtrack, and the ‘Young Guns II’ track ‘Blaze Of Glory’ from Jon Bon Jovi. The Grammy Award-winning US #1 for Alannah Myles ‘Black Velvet’ appears alongside the smash ‘Just Like Jesse James’ from Che before closing this collection is a brilliant interpretation of the classic ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ which gave Deacon Blue their highest singles chart position in a year filled with Pop highlights.

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1 George Michael - Praying For Time

2 Elton John - Sacrifice

3 The B-52's - Love Shack

4 Belinda Carlisle - (We Want) The Same Thing

5 Kylie Minogue - Better The Devil You Know

6 Kim Appleby - Don't Worry

7 Roxette - It Must Have Been Love

Disc: 1 Side 2

1 The KLF - What Time Is Love (Live At Trancentral)

2 New Order - World In Motion

3 Duran Duran - Violence Of Summer (Love's Taking Over)

4 Halo James - Could Have Told You So

5 Julee Cruise - Falling

6 Chris Isaak - Wicked Game

7 Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring

Disc: 2

1 Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

2 SNAP! - The Power

3 Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight

4 Dusty Springfield - Reputation

5 Go West - The King Of Wishful Thinking

6 Paul Simon - The Obvious Child

7 Sting - Englishman In New York (The Ben Liebrand Mix)

Disc: 2 Side 2

1 Adamski & Seal - Killer

2 Bass-O-Matic - Fascinating Rhythm

3 Happy Mondays - Step On

4 The Stone Roses - One Love

5 The Charlatans - The Only One I Know

6 Candy Flip - Strawberry Fields Forever

7 They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse In Your Soul

8 The Beautiful South - A Little Time

Disc: 3

1 Pet Shop Boys – So Hard

2 Jimmy Somerville - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)

3 Kylie Minogue - Step Back In Time

4 Lonnie Gordon - Happenin’ All Over Again (Hip House Radio Mix)

5 Adventures Of Stevie V - Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

6 Blue Pearl - Naked In The Rain

7 DNA & Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner

8 Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

Disc: 3 Side 2

1 Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

2 Jon Bon Jovi - Blaze Of Glory (From "Young Guns II" Soundtrack)

3 Tina Turner - Steamy Windows

4 Alannah Myles - Black Velvet

5 Cher - Just Like Jesse James

6 Maria McKee - Show Me Heaven (From "Days Of Thunder" Soundtrack)

7 Deacon Blue - I'll Never Fall In Love Again