Day 31 takes us to 31st July 1995 with the Now! compilations.
Let’s have a listen to the summer hits of that year.
Track 1: Wet Wet Wet – Don’t Want To Forgive Me Now
Quite like this tune, until it gets to the annoying chorus.
Track 2: Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You
Loved it at the time, love it now. Absolutely classic track with a great atmosphere.
Track 3: Pulp – Common People
The other kids in my primary school class considered this to be ‘my’ song ’cause I was always singing along to it. Great tune, brilliant lyrics, still love it after all these years.
Track 4: Supergrass – Alright
I’ve always found this one pretty annoying – annoying tune, annoying lyrics, annoying theme, annoying video. Not a fan.
Track 5: Shaggy – In The Summertime
Reggae-tinged cover of the Mungo Jerry classic with Shaggy rapping over the top. It’s an interesting cover, and I quite like it.
Track 6: Ini Kamoze – Here Comes The Hotstepper
Oh, it’s this one! Bit of a sample mishmash, but it’s a classic track – happily nodding along here.
Track 7: Dana Dawson – 3 Is Family
Fairly generic pop track – nothing special here.
Track 8: Jam & Spoon and Plavka – Right In The Night (Fall In Love With Music)
Fantastic Russian-tinged atmospheric dance track. Really like this one.
Track 9: East 17 – Hold My Body Tight
Irritating chorus – wasn’t keen then, not keen now. I remember I had a tween girl magazine at the time that showed you how to play this on recorder, which must have been wonderful for parents everywhere.
Track 10: Boyzone – Key To My Life
Loved it then, find it nauseatingly saccharine now. Strange how that happens!
Track 11: Seal – Kiss From A Rose
This one, on the other hand, I’ve not lost any love for – it’s an absolutely beautiful track. Gorgeous tune, lovely vocals, just stunning.
Track 12: Kirsty MacColl – Days
We’ve had this already, on Now! 15! I’m still irritated about this kind of track repetition.
See the link for my review.
Track 13: The Human League – One Man In My Heart
The synth is nice, but the vocals are a little irritating (I’ve never found Susan Sulley and Joanne Catherall to be particularly great singers, and so this female-vocal-led track is a little weak because of it).
Track 14: Portishead – Sour Times
Great atmosphere on this track – really like this one.
Track 15: Oasis – Some Might Say
Great lyrics, though I don’t love the tune as much as I did at the time.
Track 16: Weezer – Buddy Holly
Great track! This was a favourite in rock clubs a few years later in the early ’00s.
Track 17: Del Amitri – Roll To Me
I find the vocals a bit irritating and cheesy – not a fan of this one.
Track 18: EMF and Reeves & Mortimer – I’m A Believer
Fun, raucous cover of the Monkees song. Great track.
Track 19: Duran Duran, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five – White Lines (Don’t Do It)
Semi-cover of the ’80s original (see Now! #3 post for review of original), featuring the original artists. Slightly sacreligiously, I prefer it to the original, but then I do love Duran Duran. Great tune.
Track 20: Jimmy Somerville – Hurt So Good
Reggae-tinged cover of the ’70s song. Nice feelgood track, quite like this one.
Track 21: Outhere Brothers – Boom Boom Boom
Classic song, great danceable track. Good stuff.
Track 22: MN8 – I’ve Got A Little Something For You
Oh, it’s this one! I’ve not heard or thought about this track in a long time. I do like that vocal hook.
Track 23: Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It
I’m getting a bit of déja vu here, ’cause the ‘this is how we do it‘ vocal hook is actually really similar to the ‘I’ve got a little something for you‘ hook from the previous song. I never noticed that at the time, but maybe I would have done if I’d owned Now! #31.
Track 24: D:Ream – Shoot Me With Your Love
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
This one’s a bit too repetitive for me.
Track 25: Baby D – (Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime) I Need Your Loving
Chillout dance cover of the Korgis classic. I’m not hugely keen on this.
Track 26: Jinny – Keep Warm
Generic dance track – nothing exciting about this one.
Track 27: Livin’ Joy – Dreamer
Another one I’ve not thought about in a long time. Good tune.
Track 28: Whigfield – Think Of You
The tune is a bit repetitive, but it’s got a good beat.
Track 29: Clock – Whoomph! (There It Is)
Liked it at the time, find the vocals pretty irritating now, though that synth line is great.
Track 30: Bobby Brown – Humpin’ Around
Nice intro, but the rest of the track is pretty generic.
Track 31: PJ & Duncan – Stuck On U
Around this time I had a mate who was utterly obsessed with PJ & Duncan (or Ant & Dec, as they became when the Byker Grove producers threatened to sue or whatever it was), so we constantly ended up watching their afternoon TV show (imaginatively titled The Ant & Dec Show) and listening to their album. Amazingly, I’ve still got a soft spot for their daft songs. This one actually has quite a good atmosphere.
Track 32: Love City Groove – Love City Groove
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
It always annoyed me at the time that the artist title was the same as the song. I mean, that’s just asking to end up as a one-hit wonder.
Appropriately for today, this was the UK’s Eurovision entry for 1995. The track itself is not my thing at all – the rap verses are super irritating, and the chorus annoys me just as much as it did at the time.
Track 33: Ladysmith Black Mambazo and China Black – Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Irritatingly, there is what sounds like a sports stadium crowd in the background throughout the track, so I’m guessing this was recorded as the England rugby team song for the Rugby World Cup ’95. Not keen at all.
Track 34: Soul II Soul – Love Enuff
Pleasant tune, but it’s a bit dull.
Track 35: Junior Vasquez – Get Your Hands Off My Man
Not enough melody for me, but it’s got a good beat.
Track 36: Shiva – Freedom
Overblown vocals, boring tune. Not keen.
Track 37: Billie Ray Martin – Your Loving Arms
Great electro instrumentals, annoying vocals. Might try and track down an instrumental version.
Track 38: Deuce – I Need You
Great dance beat, but the tune is a bit dull.
Track 39: JX – Son Of A Gun
Oh, it’s this one! I like the vocal hook, but it’s a bit repetitive.
Track 40: Hyperlogic – Only Me
That sample of U2’s New Year’s Day is great, and as a dance tune it’s fab, but I could do without those vocals, and the track does get a bit messy in the middle.