Day 36 brings us to Now! #36, which was released on 24th March 1997.
Let’s see what would have been in my headphones on the plane to Malta.
Track 1: Spice Girls – Mama
So I guess every Now! compilation is going to feature a Spice Girls track for a few albums? Okay then.
Mama wasn’t my favourite at the time – it was just a bit slow for me – and I’m not keen now either. I’ve always preferred their more upbeat stuff.
Track 2: Texas – Say What You Want
Liked it at the time, find the tune a bit annoying now.
Track 3: Bee Gees – Alone
Nice classic-sounding track from the Bee Gees – lovely tune.
Track 4: The Beautiful South – Don’t Marry Her
Nice guitar intro, but I’m not hugely keen on the rest of the track.
Track 5: No Doubt – Don’t Speak
Gorgeous song – beautiful tune, lovely theme. A classic.
Track 6: White Town – Your Woman
Great track – I absolutely love those spiky instrumental hooks.
Track 7: Blue Boy – Remember Me
Oh, it’s this one! Interesting lines, quite like the vocal.
Track 8: Jamiroquai – Virtual Insanity
Loved it then, still quite like it now. At the time I couldn’t stop watching the classic video, which isn’t quite as impressive nowadays as it was twenty-two years ago but is still pretty cool.
Track 9: Robert Miles and Maria Nayler – One And One
Nice tune, but the vocals are a bit annoying.
Track 10: George Michael – Spinning The Wheel
I’ve always liked this one – lovely tune, great beat.
Track 11: Mark Morrison – Horny
Messy, irritating song. Not a fan of this at all.
Track 12: Peter Andre – Natural
Generic tune, annoying vocals. Not keen.
Track 13: Damage – Love Guaranteed
More cheesy pop-by-numbers – there’s nothing original or interesting about this.
Track 14: Eternal – Don’t You Love Me
Nice intro, great atmosphere, good instrumentals. Quite like this one.
Track 15: Gabrielle – Walk On By
Awesome atmosphere, really interesting track. Good stuff.
Track 16: Kavana – I Can Make You Feel Good
Kavana was a bit of a Smash Hits darling at the time, but I was never much of a fan. This is okay though – nice solid pop song.
Track 17: East 17 – Hey Child
Nice harmony on the vocals, and the tune is pleasant, but it’s a bit slow for me.
Track 18: Boyzone – A Different Beat
One of the better Boyzone tracks – really like the tune on the chorus.
Track 19: Backstreet Boys – Anywhere For You
Saccharine and dull. Not a fan.
Track 20: 911 – The Day We Find Love
Slow dull ballad from 911. They definitely did better songs, from what I remember.
Track 21: U2 – Discothèque
It’s a bit messy, but it’s also quite refreshingly different at this point, what with the slightly harder rock guitars.
Track 22: The Prodigy – Breathe
Great danceable track, great vocals. Really like this one.
Track 23: The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin’ Beats
Liked it at the time, find the tune annoying and repetitive now.
Track 24: Placebo – Nancy Boy
Love this one! Great guitar intro, great tune, awesome lyrics. Another classic.
Track 25: Monaco – What Do You Want From Me?
Oh, it’s this one! Great tune, good atmosphere, really like this track.
Track 26: Sheryl Crow – Everyday Is A Winding Road
Another Sheryl Crow song where I can’t get past the annoying tune. Also, the word(s) in the title should be ‘every day‘, not ‘everyday‘.
Track 27: Blur – Beetlebum
It’s not the kind of song I’d typically like, but I’m quite fond of this one – happily nodding away here.
Track 28: James – She’s A Star
Nice tune, nice atmosphere. Quite like this one.
Track 29: Mansun – Wide Open Space
Interesting tune, good atmosphere, good stuff.
Track 30: Cast – Free Me
Dull, repetitive tune. Not keen on this one.
Track 31: Space – Dark Clouds
I quite like the instrumentals and atmosphere, but the tune’s pretty boring.
Track 32: Cathy Dennis – Waterloo Sunset
Guitar-driven cover of the Kinks classic. It’s quite a nice version, but it doesn’t change much from the original.
Track 33: The Divine Comedy – Everybody Knows (Except You)
Sweet upbeat tune, quite like this one.
Track 34: Alisha’s Attic – Indestructible
Interesting instrumentals (nice to hear a bit of synth!) but it’s a little slow for my liking.
Track 35: Ant & Dec – Shout
Bizarrely serious-sounding song for Ant & Dec, with dodgy ‘homage’ to Tears For Fears’ Shout during the chorus. The only saving grace is Erasure’s Andy Bell on backing vocals (though I’ve no idea what he was doing there).
Track 36: The Source and Candi Staton – You Got The Love
We’ve had this one already, on Now! #19! Do they think nobody was listening back then?
Grr. See the link for my review.
Track 37: Sash! – Encore Une Fois
I adored this one at the time, but I don’t think it’s aged that well, and I find it a bit so-so nowadays.
Track 38: DJ Quicksilver – Bellissima
Loved it then, still quite like it now – great tune.
Track 39: BBE – Flash
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Like the hooks, but it’s pretty repetitive.
Track 40: Amen! – Passion
Really like the instrumental hook, but I don’t like the vocals at all!