044. Now! That's What I Call Music 14

Now! compilations carry a bit of a reputation. If you want the stickiest, sweetest, lowest common denominator chart nonsense, then Now! is a good place to start. While they do contain some ear-wrenching pop howlers, there’s much more to this long running compilation series.

Everyone can remember their first (and last) Now! album. From a socio-cultural point of view, you can even make a good stab at guessing someone’s age from this information alone. My first was 20; a double cassette opening up with the thunderous Dizzy from Vic Reeves & The Wonderstuff. I also remember my parents possessing a copy of 17, featuring Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence. That’s probably where my Mode obsession started to develop!

Now!’s are also fantastically useful DJ tools. When I took my first tentative steps into the world of playing records to other people, a recent Now! was an essential purchase, guaranteeing that you had on hand all the latest pop tunes people may be likely to request.

Since I picked up the very first edition at a carboot sale many years ago I have sought to collect the entire series that was committed to vinyl. Shockingly they stopped pressing vinyl releases with Now! 35 in 1996! With my collection sitting at 14, I have some way to go.

Now! 14 isn’t the strongest in the collection, containing a few too many fillers. Record 1.2 is by far the best side on offer, featuring the simply stunning She Drives Me Crazy by the Fine Young Cannibals. However, as our token audible, I opted for Inner City’s Good Life, since I don’t already own this awesome house tune in any other medium.

Inner City - Good Life by dcp84

Now! That’s What I Call Music 14: Inner City – Good Life
[EMI, Virgin, Polygram : NOW 14]
(1989)

Aylesbury Market: £3.00