Now That's what I call Music

NOW has become an institution in music but many of the younger generation will not know that the legacy started in the early 1980 which to many was deemed an impossible job to do.

The concept was the brainchild of Virgin records employees Stephen Navin and Jon Webster who lobbied there MD Simon Draper and Peter Jamieson MD at EMI records who in turn agreed a deal with the help of Richard Branson and the series was born.

Prior to this a mixed compilation album was exclusively done by K-Tel and Ronco who only issued one vinyl disc and such was the time constraints they could not always put the full song on the disc.

The NOW series was to be done on a double album so the tracks could be spread and not affect the quality and length of the song. The name was taken from a bacon advert in the 1920s showing a pig listening to a chicken song stating 'Now that's what I call music' and the pig became the symbol for the first 5 albums.

The first NOW album was released in late 1983 and featured 30 tracks which included 11 number ones. The first song on the album was Phil Collins with You Cant Hurry Love. Some of the artists featured were Duran Duran, Madness, Simple Minds, UB40 and Human League and some obscure ones like Will Powers and Men without Hats. The album was an instant success and went to number one and became a popular form of buying music as so many songs on a double album.

The album was originally released on Vinyl and Tape Cassette but the format has changed over the years. The first CD was NOW 10 in 1987 and of course with the advent of downloads the format has changed so much that Vinyl and Cassette are no longer the preferred format!

The original album was then re-released in 2009 to celebrate 25 years and was released in the CD format and again went to number one. When NOW started getting success other labels tried to compete, CBS and WEA introduced 'The Hits' and although a credible rival by the 1990s it could no longer compete and bowed out of the game.

During the 1980s NOW released 16 albums and NOW 1 to NOW 13 all featured as number ones in the UK album chart, only NOW 4 did not make number one. NOW 14-16 did not feature on the main charts as in 1989 the compilation charts were then created.

All the albums bar NOW 16 featured at least a number one from the UK singles charts. The success led to spin off such as NOW dance, NOW Christmas, NOW Disney as well as series such as music of that year or decades.

Although the concept was not original the idea to create a double album of top hits appealed to the public and became a success and even now in 2013 the album is still a success. I did buy the original vinyl in 1983 and remember the excitement of so many songs on one LP. The appeal also has not gone as the years progress to the wider public. There wont be many households that don't have at least one NOW album.

First song on NOW album
 
Second song on NOW album
Purchase the original album, click on the link