Day 39, and Now! #39 was released on 6th April 1998.
Let’s see what was on the radio twenty years ago this spring.
Track 1: All Saints – Never Ever
Classic track, great theme, great lyrics, great video. All Saints never bettered this.
Track 2: Lighthouse Family – High
My favourite Lighthouse Family track – lovely tune.
Track 3: Janet Jackson – Together Again
Oh, it’s this one. The tune’s okay, but I’ve always found this track a bit so-so.
Track 4: Spice Girls – Stop
This was never my favourite Spice Girls song – I find the tune pretty irritating.
Fun fact: this was the first of their songs not to go straight in at number one – it only reached number two.
Track 5: Natalie Imbruglia – Torn
I still consider this a classic – it’s a gorgeous tune, but it is a bit overplayed nowadays.
Fun fact: this was actually the fourth version of the song, but it’s the one most people know.
Track 6: Billie Myers – Kiss The Rain
Gorgeous tune, really interesting vocals. Great stuff.
Track 7: Robbie Williams – Angels
Probably Robbie Williams’ most classic track. It’s a gorgeous ballad, but again it suffers a bit from being overplayed.
Track 8: Various Artists – Perfect Day
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause.
This was everywhere at the time – first as the BBC Music advert and then as the official Children In Need track for 1997. Gorgeous, epic semi-cover (because Lou Reed was involved, alongside pretty much everybody else!) of the 1972 classic.
Track 9: Boyzone – Baby Can I Hold You
Pointless ’90s cover of the Tracy Chapman song.
Obligatory ‘I hate pointless ’90s covers’ rant: I’m still really annoyed that it took me nearly two decades to realise that it WAS originally a Tracy Chapman song.
Track 10: Tin Tin Out and Shelley Nelson – Here’s Where The Story Ends
Electronic cover of the Sundays song. It’s fairly uninspired.
Track 11: Space and Cerys Matthews – The Ballad Of Tom Jones
Loved it then, love it now! Hilarious theme, great track.
Track 12: Texas – Insane
Great atmosphere – really like this one.
Track 13: Hanson – Weird
Loved it at the time, but only because I was a huge Hanson fan. Because I was the only one of my mates with cable TV at this point, I remember having to sit in front of The Box channel (‘music television YOU control!’ – I’ve discussed this before) for hours, waiting for the video to come on so I could tape it off the TV and give the VHS to my friend who was an even bigger Hanson fan. Ah, 20th century technology.
But yeah, anyway, I find the song pretty irritating now.
Track 14: LeAnn Rimes – How Do I Live
Hated it then, still hate it now. Can’t stand the tune, don’t like the style, just not my cup of tea in the slightest.
Track 15: Shania Twain – You’re Still The One
Again, not my thing. I don’t like country music, especially not country music ballads.
Track 16: Sheryl Crow – Tomorrow Never Dies
I do love a James Bond theme, and this is no exception. Great, epic track.
Track 17: Radiohead – No Surprises
Another lovely, melancholy tune from Radiohead. Great stuff.
Track 18: The Verve – Lucky Man
I’ve never been hugely keen on the droning style of Britpop vocals, and it takes a good song to mitigate them. This is not quite a good enough song in that respect, although the tune’s okay.
Track 19: Pulp – This Is Hardcore
Great epic atmosphere, lovely instrumentals. Good stuff.
Track 20: Robbie Williams – Let Me Entertain You
Repeated artist alert! I’m shaking my head in disapproval, Now! compilers.
However, given that this is the best, most epic, most anthemic track that Robbie Williams ever did, I suppose I can forgive them just this once.
Track 21: Catatonia – Mulder And Scully
Great track – love the theme, love the tune.
Track 22: Cornershop – Brimful Of Asha [Norman Cook Remix]
A classic! Endlessly danceable, great singalong track. I’m going to make this one today’s top ‘wedding disco’ song.
Track 23: Run DMC and Jason Nevins – It’s Like That
House style re-working of the 1983 track. This was everywhere at the time, and the video was great.
Track 24: Wildchild – Renegade Master ’98
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
We already had the original on Now! #32, and this version’s really not that different (other than some additional messy sampling), so I am side-eyeing a bit at its inclusion.
Track 25: Bamboo – Bamboogie
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Oh, it’s this one. Not the biggest fan of this one, as the lines are pretty messy, but I do like that KC & The Sunshine Band sample.
Track 26: Ultra Naté – Found A Cure
Quite like the guitar riff on the intro of this one, and the vocals are great too. Good track.
Track 27: Sash! – La Primavera
Great feelgood dance tune, always liked this one.
Track 28: Aqua – Barbie Girl
Great track! Brilliant theme, brilliant pop tune. I bought the single of this while on a school trip to France, just because we heard it absolutely everywhere we went.
Track 29: Steps – 5, 6, 7, 8
See, this is the kind of corny faux-line-dance track I can get behind. Steps were just at the right level of ‘not taking themselves too seriously’ that was perfect for late ’90s pop.
Track 30: Louise – Let’s Go Round Again
Cover of the Average White Band track. I should find the tune annoying, but I actually quite like it.
Track 31: Chumbawamba – Amnesia
I’ve always loved this follow-up to Tubthumping – it’s another great, danceable track.
Track 32: Camisra – Let Me Show You
Highly irritating vocals, headache-inducing intro, but the main hook is quite pleasant.
Track 33: DJ Quicksilver – Planet Love
The tune’s okay, but the vocal samples are pretty generic.
Track 34: Rest Assured – Treat Infamy
There’s a bit too much going on in this track, but there is quite a soothing atmosphere – right up until the Bitter Sweet Symphony sample kicks in. Just why?
Track 35: Warren G and Sissel – Prince Igor
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Really like the instrumentals and the atmosphere, and the rap’s okay as well, but nothing compared to that lovely operatic chorus! Quite like this one, but it is a bit of an odd mix.
Track 36: Lutricia McNeal – Ain’t That Just The Way
The tune is a little annoying, but otherwise there’s something quite pleasant and feelgood about this track.
Track 37: Prince Buster – Whine And Grine
Reggae track with a bit of a dull tune and an annoying theme. Not hugely keen on this one.
Track 38: The All Seeing I – The Beat Goes On
Liked it at the time, find it a bit repetitive now.
Track 39: Goldie – Believe
Irritating, messy track – there’s just far too much going on.
Track 40: Backstreet Boys – All I Have To Give
It’s another painfully saccharine track from the Backstreet Boys. I know they did do ones that were actually quite good, but we’ve not had any on these Now! compilations so far.
Track 41: Vanilla – No Way No Way
Loved it at the time (especially the Muppets-esque ‘mahna mahna’ bit), find the vocals pretty annoying nowadays.