Now Millennium series revisted Pt.III

 

The last time we looked at this twenty-first century series in in late March when we rediscovered Crazy Frog but this last week the next instalment came out during the period I didn't get any Now discs but did get single artist titles instead.

As ever there are two years to this set, 2006 and 2007 and I elected to get the four cd book form for the extra notes on each track.

2006 kicks off on disc 1  with the lead single from Amy Winehouse's defining 'Back To Black' album, 'Rehab', followed by Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy' - the biggest selling single of 2006 and the first single to reach #1 on download only sales. I really like the vocal on that track.

Furtado collaborated with Timbaland with huge success and her #1 'Maneater' is up next. Christina Aguilera showcases powerhouse vocals on 'Ain't No Other Man', while Corinne Bailey Rae's 'Put Your Records On' relaxes the vibe. I loved her debut album that year.

Fergie turns up the temperature with her first solo hit 'London Bridge (Oh Shh)' before  collaborations from The Pussycat Dolls and Snoop Dogg with their sizzling smash 'Buttons', and LL COOL J and Jennifer Lopez on the beat-bumping 'Control Myself, whilst dancefloor smash 'Thunder In My Heart (Again)' by Meck feat. Leo Sayer is next. 

That helped to revive his career and spark interest in his back catalogue.

 The irresistible riff from Orson's #1'No Tomorrow' leads into hits from P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, James Morrison and The Feeling - before Pop ballads from Shayne Ward and Will Young, and hit cover versions from McFly, Emma Bunton, Ronan Keating and Westlife. 

The second disc opens with the huge track 'Patience' from Take That which returned them to #1 after a 10 year absence, and the contemporary classic 'Chasing Cars' from Snow Patrol, before big hits from Keane and Lily Allen with her debut and first #1 'Smile'. 

Scissor Sisters 'I Don't Feel Like Dancin'' was a massive hit, a personal fav too and leads to superstars Robbie Williams, Pet Shop Boys and The Killers. A great run of Indie-Pop is next, including hits from Fall Out Boy, The Zutons, The Fratellis, and the #1 'America' from Razorlight. Leona Lewis won the 'X-Factor' and features alongside crossover club smashes from Fedde Le Grand, Booty Luv, and Infernal. 

2007: Britney Spears announces her intention to be heard on disc 3 with 'Gimme More', followed by more huge giant Pop acts - Girls Aloud's with 'Call The Shots', Sugababes with 'About You Now', and MIKA dazzles with his infectious #1 'Grace Kelly'. 

He was much talked about that year.

The irresistible '2 Hearts' from Kylie Minogue gives way to two massive floor-fillers; 'Proper Education' from Eric Prydz vs. Floyd and Freemasons feat. Bailey Tzuke with 'Uninvited'. A stellar selection of some of the best R&B smashes of the decade follows, from Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Amerie, and Akon. Sean Kingston and Newton Faulkner both enjoyed debut success in 2007, while celebrated songwriters John Mayer, and Rufus Wainwright showcase their skills and lead into the closing tracks on the disc from legendary stars Céline Dion and Michael Bublé with their outstanding vocals. So good.

CD4 delivers hit after hit, starting with Leona Lewis's powerhouse ballad, 'Bleeding Love' - 2007's biggest selling single, before Fergie's global smash 'Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)'. OneRepublic's 'Apologize' and another timeless gem from Take That with 'Rule The World' and other brilliantly crafted tracks from singer-songwriters, lead by '1973' from James Blunt and 'Hey There Delilah' from The Plain White T's, alongside huge radio records from The Fray with 'How To Save A Life', and Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse on their version of 'Valerie'.

 Anthemic Alt-Rock hits from Kaiser Chiefs, The View and Scouting For Girls all feature, as do Top 40 debuts from Kate Nash, Just Jack, The Hoosiers and Peter, Bjorn and John, whilst the last word is given to Pop royalty the Spice Girls with 'Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)' - their first single to feature the original line-up in nearly ten years.

It was an interesting two years and it's been grear hearing  these tracks I recall from radio play again.

Updating the NOW'S: Now Yearbook 1980-1984 Vol. 2

The last time we mentioned The Now Yearbook Extra '80-84 was on January 9th last year in a group of post Christmas post that looked at that, the vinyl edition of the 80-84 The Final Chapter and after then we all thought that was it for this part of the New Yearbook series.

A couple of weeks back the reactivated with a Vaults sub series that looked at less compiled lower down in charts songs from 1983 coupled with hits in America rather than the U.K which I didn't bother with as 1983 is well represented on vinyl here.

Then this thing was announced for issue on Friday June 14.

 A volume 2 following the same form as the original set, one album per year in individual sleeves with a outer box with printed track details which rather like the original caused some soul searching as with the last set, having original Nows 1 to 4 and Hits 1 and 2  and a number of the better Ronco compilation the 1983 and 1984 volumes for me were a bit redundant.

That said the 1980 -1982 discs were useful so I bought that and much of the reason for getting this unexpected follow up is the same.

This package adds some 78 tracks not previously issued on the vinyl Now Yearbook editions on coloured vinyl, one colour per year.

1980: Queen’s classic ‘Flash’ opens the record before a track selection including Paul McCartney with ‘Waterfalls’ from McCartney II, The Clash with ‘Bankrobber’, The Cure, Grace Jones and Madness.

Disco hits from Diana Ross and The Gap Band, are joined by electronic pop from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, John Foxx, and Devo.

1981: The Police start a procession of  classic hits that includes on Side One, The Jam, The Teardrop Explodes, Siouxsie and The Banshees and pure pop from Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin and Aneka with their #1s

The second side celebrates the explosion of artists enjoying massive synth based hits in 1981, featuring The Human League, Soft Cell, Visage, Spandau Ballet and Heaven 17 – coupled soul ballads from Randy Crawford and Grover Washington featuring Bill Withers.

1982: Roxy Music, ABC, Dollar, Haircut 100, Japan, The Associates, Toyah, and Gary Numan all presented hits in a great year for classic pop, included here alongside huge soul-pop crossover hits from Shalamar, Dionne Warwick and Fat Larry’s Band classic Zoom.

1983: Flashdance (What A Feeling)’ one of ‘83’s biggest hits for Irene Cara, starts this record and it features the best of the year’s contemporary chart stars including New Order, Altered Images with Don't Talk To Me About Love, Echo And The Bunnymen and Aztec Camera… plus pop smashes from Duran Duran, Adam Ant with Puss And Boots, and Nick Heyward (Swoon!) – before Marillion’s debut hit ‘Garden Party’, Tom Robinson’s timeless ‘War Baby’ – and a perennial Christmas favourite, ‘2000 Miles’ from the Pretenders.

1984: A fantastic year for pop is celebrated here with a selection of hits from Eurythmics, Ultravox, Nik Kershaw, Culture Club, and Bananarama on the first side.

 Side two highlights the emergent  Hi-NRG and Electro-dance classics from Bronski Beat, Dead Or Alive, Evelyn Thomas, Divine, Shannon and signing off with the enduring feel-good anthem ‘It’s Raining Men’ from The Weather Girls’.

While I'd of preferred a set of double albums for each year other the clumsy feel of the two box sets , cherry picking the 80 to 82 volumes, there is plenty which is of value given pre 1983 we only had the twenty track edited and thin sounding K Tel compilations and these are better sounding.

For the £75 I was able to pay after looking around, it's worth it.

An update

 

Sometimes the influence some post you may of made over a decade or so and pretty much left alone for all these years comes back, often being cited.

My best friend at the time, Dani, an African-American, always cautioned me on the perils of been seen as a Guru from the days we spent time on Experience Project, being lauded, lionized and often misunderstood which both of us were imperfect girls just trying to find our way in this world both on and offline.

One thing tends to be you talk and write of the world you have encountered wherever and however that was but that may not of been the whole and as far as individual identities go - and they're front and centre in today's world - some of what you saw may of been wide of the mark as it applied to individual people.

We did talk way way back then around the differences between Little Girls, specifically those who came male background and Sissies at that gets to nub it.

Definitions is a notoriously difficult and some might say almost impossible game to play with as many exemptions to common traits and certainly the online image of sissies is one which is very much adult, sexual and with what is often called "humiliation play".

That as I think most us us accept tends to run away from where Little Girl tends to be, a world of girlish innocence and play, very much the child.

However, there can be some who see themselves as being more both Little and Sissy, less girl and more gurl but sharing much of the same interests, dress still rooted in being a child.

They may see themselves at some point being neither boys nor at least psychologically speaking girls but "something else" but in practical terms does it matter where we share spaces?

Can we all join in a dollies tea party?

Yes - and sadly some saw my previous words as saying that little sissies couldn't exist so they could never - and were unwelcome.

If that was anyone's feeling as the author of that post, I do apologize as that certainly was not my intention as Tammy knows.

Leave the little sissies alone to skip and play with anyone else who does love being little.

 

 

Four seasons in a day

 'Twas a topsy turvey week with four seasons in a day only really improving towards the very end so by the time you'd got ready to go out , sorting your clothes, brushing your hair and all that after finishing off any chores, it was raining hard!

Fortunately I do have a few things around that can help with that that don't feature small screens as I'm trying to reduce my screen time down such as the last Phoenix No Country cartoon strip about a group of children fleeing a civil war which is the end for now.

Apart from the Beano there's a number of books I can pick up to read too.

 

Although I have to be mindful of the impact of using pencils for long times given how damaged my hands are, I do enjoy colouring both traditional ones with illustrations of flowers animal and fashion and more sporty ones.

I like watching sports.