The front of our copy of Now! #10. Apologies for the blurry photo! I was clearly too excited about opening up the sleeve.
What I love about vinyl*, especially on pop compilations of this era, is that when you open up the sleeve, you get a big colourful display like this:
All the shiny, shiny pop stars!
As a kid, I spent hours poring over these pictures and captions while listening to this record. Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé looking all operatic! Fat Boys and their scary snake picture! Bananarama and their topless dude friends! Jan Hammer and that dusky Miami sky! Carole Decker’s hair (#goals several decades before #goals was a thing)! Pet Shop Boys and their moody black ‘n’ white road photo! Richard Coles long before he was a vicar! But best of all was Billy Idol and his black leather jacket, which basically set in stone what ‘cool’ looked like for me. I love this record sleeve. It’s one of my favourite things in Mum and Dad’s house.
*I’m not actually a vinyl person, really, although I do intend to get a proper record player at some point – Geth’s dad still has a bunch of Geth’s old vinyl (or did last time we checked) that Geth wants back (or did last time I checked), and obviously I intend to keep stuff like Now! #10 when my parents no longer want it. Because it was always Dad who put records on for me when I was little, it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I learnt to use a record player, and I always found lining up the needle a bit fiddly and was nervous about scratching the record. Nevertheless, I persisted, because it’s an important 20th century skill – even if I often ended up with the record starting a few seconds into track 1 because of overcompensating after that time I lined it up too far the other way and the needle went skidding off the edge of the record. I wasn’t a particularly competent teenager.
Day 68 takes us to Now! #68, which was released on 19th November 2007.
This is how the world looked in November 2007. Well, it did if you were in a smoky neon synthpop club with your boyfriend, which is frankly the best place to be when you’re twenty-two.
It’s the time of year for party tracks. Don’t disappoint me, Now! compilers!
Track 1: Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
Lovely tune, quite like this one.
Track 2: Take That – Rule The World
I’ve always found this one a bit jarring, because the verse and chorus are two beautiful tunes that don’t really work with each other. Just when you’re enjoying one, it breaks the mood by switching to the other. Should have been two separate songs.
Track 3: Kylie Minogue – 2 Hearts
I like the stripped-back instrumentals at the start – it gives the track lots of edge and atmosphere. The vocals are great too.
Track 4: Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse – Valerie
I mentioned this cover four days ago in my review of the Zutons original on Now! #64. It’s a great, bombastic big band version, and I really like it, but the classic-rock-tinged original still has the slight edge for me.
Track 5: Sugababes – About You Now
Quite like this tune – nice solid pop song.
Track 6: Kanye West – Stronger
Really like this atmospheric electro-infused track – it’s probably the best song Kanye West ever did.
Track 7: Craig David – Hot Stuff (Let’s Dance)
It’s based around a sample of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, which is obviously appreciated, but the rest of the track is very generic and just makes me want to go listen to Let’s Dance instead.
Track 8: Sean Kingston – Beautiful Girls
Pretty tune, quite like this one. At the time, because I wasn’t following chart music very closely, I kept getting it mixed up with Mika’s Big Girls (You Are Beautiful). The songs are very different, but that’s the power of a title.
Track 9: Shayne Ward – No U Hang Up
I like the electro-tinged instrumentals – it’s getting into that late ’00s era when that was in vogue, yay! – but the vocals are too cheesy for me.
Track 10: Timbaland, DOE and Keri Hilson – The Way I Are
Oh, it’s this one! That electro hook is absolutely classic. Great atmospheric track.
Track 11: Britney Spears – Gimme More
‘It’s Britney, bitch‘. I remember everyone found this comeback a bit laughable at the time, but it was sampled brilliantly a few years later when she did Scream And Shout with will.i.am. I really like the electro bassline on this one, too.
Track 12: Rihanna – Shut Up And Drive
Great guitar on this one – it’s an unusual style for Rihanna, but I really like it.
Track 13: Girls Aloud – Sexy! No No No…
Awesome epic atmosphere – it builds really nicely at the start and then launches into a brilliantly frenetic rock-tinged song. Big fan of this one.
Track 14: Robyn and Kleerup – With Every Heartbeat
Quite like the chilled-out backing track, but the vocals are too high-pitched for me.
Track 15: Enrique Iglesias – Tired Of Being Sorry
Nice Latin tinge, though it jars slightly with the electro instrumentals.
Track 16: Groove Armada and Mutya Buena – Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control)
Nice retro ’80s-sounding backing track, but I’m not hugely keen on the vocal style constantly veering between sung and spoken.
Track 17: Se:Sa and Sharon Phillips – Like This Like That
Nice upbeat track, with more retro instrumentals. Very danceable.
Track 18: Ida Corr and Fedde Le Grand – Let Me Think About It
There’s a bit too much going on in this dance track, and it doesn’t all work together.
Track 19: Axwell and Max C – I Found U
Bit of a throwback to early ’90s dance, with some added ’70s retro instrumentals for good measure. The tune’s boring though.
Track 20: Freaks – The Creeps (Get On The Dancefloor)
Another dull tune, with a very repetitive backing track.
Track 21: Peter Gelderblom – Waiting 4
House remix of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ By The Way. It’s okay, but it’s one of those ones where I just want to listen to the original instead.
Track 22: David Guetta and Chris Willis – Love Is Gone
Some very irritating siren-sounding instrumentals in the middle of this one, but otherwise it’s quite a good upbeat electro track.
Track 23: Plain White Ts – Hey There Delilah
Pretty tune, but it’s a bit too acoustic-y and twee for my liking.
Track 24: James Blunt – 1973
Always love a 20th-century-inspired title! Unfortunately the tune is not 20th-century-inspired – I was hoping it would be four-on-the-floor glam rock. Instead, it’s a fairly standard melancholy one from James Blunt – pretty tune, but not really my style.
Track 25: Newton Faulkner – Dream Catch Me
Boring tune, irritating twangy guitar. Not keen.
Track 26: The Hoosiers – Worried About Ray
Interesting instrumentals, good atmosphere, but the vocals irritate me.
Track 27: Scouting For Girls – She’s So Lovely
This one has always annoyed me – I find the tune and theme very twee.
Track 28: Feist – 1234
Too acoustic-y for me, and again I find the vocals irritating.
Lovely piano at the start, but the vocals are too high-pitched and hurt my head.
Track 31: McFly – The Heart Never Lies
Horribly saccharine and repetitive. Not my kind of thing at all.
Track 32: Amy MacDonald – Mr Rock And Roll
Nice tune – if I were in a folk-rock mood I would absolutely love it, but I’ve not been that way inclined lately.
Track 33: KT Tunstall – Hold On
Not keen on the jarring guitar lines at the start, but it’s got quite a good atmosphere.
Track 34: The Killers and Lou Reed – Tranquilise
I shouldn’t like this, as the lines are sort of messy and jarring, but it actually works really well to create an awesome epic atmosphere.
Track 35: Stereophonics – It Means Nothing
Dull and drone-y, not a fan of this one.
Track 36: Peter, Björn & John and Victoria Bergsman – Young Folks
Oh, it’s this one. I’ve always found that whistling really annoying, especially due to its use in the Homebase adverts!
Track 37: Freemasons and Bailey Tzuke – Uninvited
Great atmosphere, but the vocals are irritatingly generic.
Track 38: Mika – Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)
Daft theme, but it’s quite nice and feelgood. At the time, because I wasn’t following chart music very closely, I kept getting it mixed up with Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls…oh, wait, I’ve done that anecdote. Great bassline and retro feel, anyway.
Track 39: Amy Winehouse – Tears Dry On Their Own
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Amy Winehouse on track 4.
Great tune though, quite like this one.
Track 40: Jennifer Lopez – Do It Well
Some great, epic instrumentals going on here – good stuff.
Track 41: Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry
Slow and cheesy – not keen on this track.
Track 42: Akon – Don’t Matter
Nice tune, but the vocals are a bit too saccharine for me. Also, it kind of rips off R Kelly’s Ignition.
Track 43: Nicole Scherzinger and will.i.am – Baby Love
Super irritating tune on the vocals! Don’t like this at all.
Track 44: Westlife – Home
The usual nauseatingly saccharine guff from Westlife. Time to line up that original version of Let’s Dance.
Three days in a row without a ‘Not on Spotify’ incident! It would be nice if we’d seen the last of them, but I suspect there will still be a few lurking about.
One of the things on my (very long) list of stuff I wanted to buy when I reached my Slimming World target was a good, well-fitting pair of jeans. In the last two weeks, I have bought four pairs, and have my eye on a few more. I had forgotten how comfortable they are when they fit properly.
My growing jeans collection.
I did have a couple of pairs of jeans when I was bigger, but they were always uncomfortable. Because of my endless yo-yo dieting they were rarely the right side for me, and even when they were, they would still dig uncomfortably into my middle whenever I was sitting down, which was most of the time. I think this was largely because up until a couple of years ago, jeans were still uniformly low-rise, and so they hit at a really uncomfortable place for me.
That burgundy pair were cute but super uncomfortable. Yes, I am sitting on a beach ball, and no, I’m not going to explain why. The legs belong to my Thrills-loving mate Gemma.
The return of high-rise waists suits me a lot better, in terms of both comfort and style (they look more ’80s. Everything is better when it looks more ’80s).
Wearing blue jeans for the first time in about fifteen years. I only had black and burgundy ones when I was bigger. You can see the previous pair of blue jeans I owned, a ridiculous pair of ’00s baggies, in the picture for my review of Now! #56 from 2003.
I am now learning about all the different styles you can buy at the moment – skinny, super skinny, slim leg, straight leg, mom jeans, boyfriend jeans, the list goes on. This is an exciting new world! I am not about to let it get to the levels of my shoe obsession, but I am really glad to be done with the phase of my life that involved wearing leggings every single day.
Day 67 means Now! #67, which was released on 23rd July 2007.
This is the way the world looked in July 2007. We were in a hotel bar in Lerwick, Shetland, celebrating Mum and Dad’s silver wedding anniversary. Hotel bars don’t seem to have changed that much to my eye, but then I’ve never been very observant when it comes to trends in decor. Fashion is another matter – because it rained pretty much the entire week we were there, that was the exact point that I uneasily noticed Crocs were suddenly a huge thing.
Let’s get on with those summer hits. Not that it felt very summery in Shetland!
Track 1: Rihanna and Jay-Z – Umbrella
Classic pop song that was everywhere in 2007. I’ve always really liked this one.
Track 2: Gwen Stefani and Akon – The Sweet Escape
Great atmosphere, great vocal hook. Quite like this track.
Track 3: Gym Class Heroes and Patrick Stump – Cupid’s Chokehold
I really like the hints of ’70s rock inspiration – there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on here.
Track 4: Kate Nash – Foundations
Interesting instrumentals, but the vocals annoy me.
Track 5: Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend
Highly irritating high-pitched pop-pop-punk. Avril Lavigne’s stuff did get easier on the ear later on.
Track 6: Take That – Shine
Another great tune from ‘Fake That’ – generally when Mark Owen’s singing lead, you’re onto a winner.
Track 7: Enrique Iglesias – Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)
Great chorus and synth line, but the song’s not nearly as interesting as the title suggests.
Track 8: Mika – Love Today
Brilliant, danceable track, one of my favourites from this era. Great tune.
Track 9: Mutya Buena – Real Girl
I like the sample of Lenny Kravitz’s It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – it gives the track a nice retro tinge – but the vocals are pretty bland.
Track 10: Beyoncé and Shakira – Beautiful Liar
Love the Eastern-tinged instrumentals – this one’s got a great atmosphere.
Track 11: Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado – Give It To Me
Nice eerie instrumentals, making for another awesomely atmospheric song.
Track 12: Amerie – Take Control
This one’s pretty uninspired – nothing interesting here.
Track 13: Christina Aguilera – Candyman
Great classic big band feel – really like this one.
Track 14: Kelly Clarkson – Never Again
I find the lines on this very jarring and the vocals too high-pitched and headache-inducing, which is a shame ’cause there’s a good atmospheric tune in there somewhere.
Track 15: McFly – Baby’s Coming Back
Boring tune, cheesy vocals. Not keen on this.
Track 16: Natasha Bedingfield – I Wanna Have Your Babies
Terrible title, irritating vocals. The tune’s okay though.
Track 17: Fergie and Ludacris – Glamorous
Love the tune on the backing track, and the sung vocals are quite interesting, but I could do without the rap bits.
Track 18: Justin Timberlake – LoveStoned/I Think She Knows
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Justin Timberlake on track 11.
Some interesting instrumentals, but on the whole the tune’s not really doing it for me here.
Track 19: Ne-Yo – Because Of You
Saccharine and boring. Not my thing.
Track 20: Akon and Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Love You
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Akon on track 2.
Unfortunately I seem to have accidentally added the explicit version to my Spotify list, and everything about it is just offensive. Sometimes hilariously so, but mostly just offensive.
Track 21: Robin Thicke – Lost Without U
There’s a slight lounge-y retro tinge that is quite nice, but in general I’m not really feeling this tune.
Track 22: Snow Patrol – Signal Fire
All the versions on Spotify are very proud of the fact this song was used in Spiderman 3 and so have ‘FROM THE MOTION PICTURE SPIDERMAN 3’ and things like that stamped all over them. I don’t remember it for that – I remember it because it was used in a random Doctor Who fanvid, which gives you a good indication of where my head was at the time. The track itself is pretty dull and depressing.
Track 23: Maroon 5 – Makes Me Wonder
Interesting ’80s-tinged instrumentals, which is always a good thing. The tune’s pretty forgettable though.
Track 24: Mark Ronson and Daniel Merriweather – Stop Me
Cover of the Smiths track Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before, with added bits from the Supremes’ You Keep Me Hangin’ On. A double cover! As it’s Mark Ronson, though, there’s nothing pointless about it – the track is quite innovative.
Track 25: Hellogoodbye – Here (In Your Arms)
Irritating vocals, twee lyrics. The backing track’s nice and ’80s-tinged once it gets going, but unfortunately it’s mostly drowned out by the boring tune.
Track 26: Alex Gaudino and Crystal Waters – Destination Calabria
Mash-up of the saxophone hook from Rune’s Calabria and Alex Gaudino’s earlier track Destination Unknown. Of the two tracks, I think it’s Calabria I want to go listen to after this, ’cause I love a good bit of saxophone.
Track 27: Booty Luv – Shine
Fairly generic dance track, but it does have a good retro ’70s disco tinge to it.
Track 28: Calvin Harris – The Girls
Awkward theme to the lyrics, but the synth line’s good. I think I’m going to have to hunt for an instrumental version.
Track 29: Reverend & The Makers – Heavyweight Champion Of The World
Good upbeat tune, quite like this one.
Track 30: Paolo Nutini – New Shoes
Daft but highly appreciated theme, good atmosphere, nice tune. Good stuff.
Track 31: Paul McCartney – Dance Tonight
Good tune, interesting guitar.
Track 32: Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
Gorgeous tune with a beautiful melancholy atmosphere, probably the best track Amy Winehouse ever did.
Track 33: The Fray – Over My Head (Cable Car)
Cheesy and boring, not to my liking at all.
Track 34: The Twang – Either Way
Pleasant if repetitive tune, but the spoken word verses are very irritating.
Track 35: Editors – Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors
Great title! Very topical at the time given the recently-introduced smoking ban. The track itself is a bit slow, but it’s got a good anthemic feel.
Track 36: Manic Street Preachers and Nina Persson – Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
Oh, it’s this one! Great tune, really like this track.
Track 37: Fall Out Boy – Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
That should be ‘Thanks For The Memories‘, if you’re struggling with the silly ‘wacky’ vowel-less title.
Great eerie atmosphere, excellent upbeat rock track. Really like this one.
Track 38: Klaxons – It’s Not Over Yet
Great backing track, and the chorus is nice and epic.
Track 39: Super Mal and Luciana – Bigger Than Big
Upbeat but slightly messy dance track – there are some good lines but they get lost in the mishmash of stuff that’s going on.
Track 40: Groove Armada, Stush and Red Rat – Get Down
Tuneless and messy with bad rapping over the top – not a fan of this at all.
Track 41: Unklejam – What Am I Fighting For?
Great atmosphere, great synth, and a wonderful ’80s feel – loving this one!
Track 42: The Chemical Brothers – Do It Again
Great beat, really interesting vocals. Very danceable.
Track 43: Jamie T – Sheila
Awful vocals, messy instrumentals, not enough melody. Poor track to end the compilation on.
I picked this one up in Sainsbury’s the other week, and had forgotten I’d left it in the fridge until this weekend.
Savanna Premium Cider.
It kind of does exactly what it says on the tin bottle – it is indeed very dry. I don’t normally like ciders to be too dry, but last night, that was what I was in the mood for, and it tasted very nice. I probably wouldn’t have it regularly though.
Day 66 brings us to Now! #66, which came out on 2nd April 2007.
This is how the world looked in April 2007, or at least it did if you were drinking with me, Sharpy and Kieran in the pub. I like to think that none of us look any older eleven years later, though I have thankfully stopped dyeing my hair and doing the lazy roots thing.
I seem to remember that 2007 was not a bad year for chart music. Let’s see if my memory is correct.
Track 1: Mika – Grace Kelly
Great tune, very danceable, interesting vocals. I’ve always really liked this one, especially the classic-sounding epic atmosphere.
Track 2: Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby
Great rock track – another one that I loved playing on Lego Rock Band. The Wurzels’ live cover, which I saw at Beautiful Days 2010, is also something to behold.
Track 3: Sugababes and Girls Aloud – Walk This Way
Weak cover of the classic Aerosmith vs. Run DMC version. It doesn’t really work when you have two artists from the same genre, i.e. girl groups who sing pop. It was released as the official Comic Relief single for 2007, so hopefully it kept the charity money rolling in.
Track 4: Take That – Patience
This one marks the arrival of what I always considered ‘Fake That’ (the Robbie Williams-less lineup). Gorgeous song though.
Track 5: Justin Timberlake – What Goes Around…Comes Around
Great instrumentals, good atmosphere, but the vocals are a bit dull in my book.
Track 6: Nelly Furtado – Say It Right
Another great atmosphere and a nice tune. Quite like this one.
Track 7: Beyoncé – Irreplaceable
Nice, powerful song – you can really hear the disdain coming through the vocals. Good tune too.
Track 8: Kelis and Cee Lo Green – Lil’ Star
Repetitive intro, takes ages to get going. Once it does, the tune is okay but the vocals are a bit twee for my liking.
Track 9: Akon and Eminem – Smack That
Great brooding atmosphere – quite like this one.
Track 10: Just Jack – Starz In Their Eyes
Nice retro-tinged guitar and bassline, interesting vocals. Good stuff.
Track 11: Calvin Harris – Acceptable In The ’80s
One of my favourites, obviously, and something I will always dance to no matter my mood. The whole ‘I got love for you if you were born in the ’80s, the ’80s‘ section is just a classic dance hook and a great lyric. Love it to bits.
Track 12: Mason and Princess Superstar – Perfect (Exceeder)
Great beat, great rhythmic vocals, very danceable track.
Track 13: Booty Luv – Boogie 2Nite
Another good beat, and the ’70s disco tinge is also much appreciated. It’s actually a cover of a song by Tweet, but I’m not familiar with the original.
Track 14: Eric Prydz and Pink Floyd – Proper Education
Dance remix of Another Brick In The Wall. The samples from the original provide a great atmosphere, but it’s one of those examples where I just want to go and listen to the original song afterwards.
Track 15: Sharam – Party All The Time
Dance cover of Eddie Murphy’s 1985 hit. Other than the dance beat, not much is added here. They’ve just sampled the chorus over and over and made it really repetitive.
Track 16: Cascada – Truly Madly Deeply
Eurodance cover of the Savage Garden song. The original is gorgeous and didn’t deserve to be ruined like this. Awful.
Track 17: Girls Aloud – I Think We’re Alone Now
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Girls Aloud on track 3.
Interesting cover of the Tiffany classic – there’s some edgy instrumentals added and a really good beat. It’s quite refreshing to have a cover that’s not entirely pointless, but the vocals are still pretty much identical to the original version.
Track 18: Seamus Haji and KayJay – Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Dance cover of the Indeep song from 1982. Is it karaoke night or something? That’s six covers in a row. Let’s have some original songs, please.
Track 19: Camille Jones and Fedde Le Grand – The Creeps
Great beat, nice eerie instrumentals. Really like this one.
Track 20: Jamelia – Beware Of The Dog
I love the Personal Jesus sample, and there’s a nice rhythm to the vocals. Good track.
Track 21: Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up
That yodeling at the start is just awful! Once the song gets going, though, it’s quite interesting.
Track 22: JoJo – Too Little, Too Late
Slow, bland ballad, with a depressing tune. Not my thing.
Track 23: Leona Lewis – A Moment Like This
Pointless cover of the Kelly Clarkson song. This was the X Factor winner’s single for 2006 and also the Christmas number one, so it still shows up on all the music channels every Christmas time.
Track 24: The Fray – How To Save A Life
The tune’s very depressing-sounding, but at least it builds nicely.
Track 25: The View – Same Jeans
Twee theme, but the tune’s okay, and I quite like the chorus.
Track 26: Gossip – Standing In The Way Of Control
Great bassline, great beat, great vocals. Really like this track.
Track 27: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Catch You
Nice edgy instrumentals, more great bass, interesting vocals. Another great song.
Track 28: Klaxons – Golden Skans
Interesting track, nice vocals. Quite like this one.
Track 29: Fall Out Boy – This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race
Great beat, good epic atmosphere, interesting vocals, brilliant rock chorus. Another awesome song.
Track 30: The Killers – Read My Mind
Like the atmosphere, and the tune is nice. Disc two of this Now! compilation is really delivering so far!
Track 31: U2 – Window In The Skies
I like the way this one builds, and the chorus is really interesting.
Track 32: Robbie Williams and Pet Shop Boys – She’s Madonna
Great synth line, great tune – really like this collaboration.
Track 33: The Fratellis – Whistle For The Choir
Too acoustic-y for me, and I find the tune pretty generic.
Track 34: The Ordinary Boys – I Luv U
This one’s a little too cheesy and slow for my liking.
Track 35: Snow Patrol – Open Your Eyes
Slow, bland vocals, and those repetitive one-note guitar chords really irritate me.
Track 36: Razorlight – Before I Fall To Pieces
Nice upbeat tempo and feelgood guitar lines. Quite like this one.
Track 37: Scissor Sisters – She’s My Man
Great guitar riff, great bassline. Highly danceable track.
Track 38: The Feeling – Love It When You Call
I like the beepy instrumental at the start, and the guitar riff’s quite nice, but the vocals are not edgy enough for my liking.
Track 39: McFly – Sorry’s Not Good Enough
The theme is a bit cheesy, but the instrumentals are interesting.
Track 40: Lily Allen – Alfie
Love the old-timey carnival/big band sound of this one. Great song, really different to everything else that was going on at the time.
Track 41: Jamie T – Calm Down Dearest
Irritating theme and faux ‘drunk’ vocals. Not a big fan of this.
Track 42: Sugababes – Easy
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Sugababes on track 3. This and the Girls Aloud repetition would have been best avoided by leaving off Walk This Way so that we could all have happily forgotten about that one.
This track’s got some very repetitive vocals, but the retro-tinged atmosphere and bassline are great.
Track 43: Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good
Lovely, melancholy track. Really nice tune.
Track 44: The Proclaimers, Brian Potter and Andy Pipkin – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Daft semi-cover featuring the comedy characters Brian Potter (Peter Kay) from Phoenix Nights and Andy Pipkin (Matt Lucas) from Little Britain. We’ve already had the original on Now! #13, so see the link for my review of that utter classic.
This recording, which was another song released for Comic Relief 2007, got to number one and outsold the original. Go figure.
We’ve avoided any ‘Not on Spotify’ moments for a fourth time!
I’ve been at Slimming World target for a couple of weeks now, and after sixteen months it’s been very hard to make the mental transition to the notion that I don’t have to lose weight anymore – that I’m actually at my ideal weight. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.
Actually, I say sixteen months – but really, before that I had been on a miserable usually-failing diet since my mid-teens. I’d never been happy with my weight, even when I managed to starve myself down to a stone lighter than what I am now at age twenty-two – I wasn’t very well at the time and still thought I needed to lose more. As such, I have actually never been happy with my weight until now. It’s a very strange feeling.
The first week after getting to target, I maintained (and was utterly shocked to do so, given that I’d spent the weekend at UKGE eating all the things I’d been avoiding in my last few weeks of trying to get to target!). The second week, I put on a pound and a half (which is perfectly within my target range – Slimming World allow you to be up to three pounds either side of your target weight once you’re a target member), and I’m finding it quite difficult to get it into my head that that is okay and that I’m meant to be going up and down now and not really losing any more.
Last week, I was experimenting with having one extra Healthy Extra B choice per day, which is a recommended way to maintain once you’re at target. This week, I’m not doing that, ’cause I’d like to lose the pound and a half and be perfectly at target again. I suppose I’m going to be playing this game forever now (I’ll be at Slimming World for life – I’m never putting the weight on again!). It’s just going to take some getting used to.
Day 65 equals Now! #65, which was released on 20th November 2006.
This is what the world looked like in November 2006. This is embarrassing levels of hoarding, but I still have that pack of sparklers – I’ve just not finished the packet yet (mainly because I can rarely be bothered to drag Geth outside to light sparklers on Bonfire Night these days). Maybe now we have a proper garden, I’ll make an effort to finish them off this November. Apart from anything else, if the incense sticks I’ve been burning this week are anything to go by, the sparklers are probably well past their best-before-end date by now.
As it’s still the mid-’00s, let’s hope for more rock and less pop, as the former was definitely better at the time.
Track 1: Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
Despite the name, this is a highly danceable track. Great tune.
Track 2: Shakira and Wyclef Jean – Hips Don’t Lie
A classic – love that trumpet intro.
Track 3: Girls Aloud – Something Kinda Ooooh
The tune’s a little generic, but it’s a good solid upbeat pop song.
Track 4: The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger
Oh, it’s this one! Classic chant-along hook, but it can get super irritating.
Track 5: Amy Winehouse – Rehab
I always found the theme of this one really annoying, but it is a good tune.
Track 6: James Morrison – Wonderful World
Nothing special about this tune – it’s very forgettable.
Track 7: Robbie Williams – Lovelight
Good beat, but I could do with a bit more melody on this one.
Track 8: Christina Aguilera – Ain’t No Other Man
Nice soul tinge, but I find the tune dull.
Track 9: Justin Timberlake – SexyBack
Great beat, great atmosphere. Really like this one.
Track 10: Nelly Furtado and Timbaland – Promiscuous
Repetitive verse, not enough melody. The chorus is nice and atmospheric though – they should have just had that bit.
Track 11: Beyoncé – Déjà Vu
Very generic-sounding – not keen on this one.
Track 12: Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone – Ridin’
Great atmosphere, quite like this track..
Track 13: Bob Sinclar, Cutee B, Dollarman, Big Ali and Makedah – Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Basically a cover of C&C Music Factory’s Gonna Make You Sweat with added rapping over the top. It’s okay, actually.
Track 14: Fedde Le Grand – Put Your Hands Up For Detroit
I couldn’t find a radio edit of this, so I’m having to listen to the whole six minutes. Repetitive hi-hat intro, annoying repetitive videogame-music hooks, very boring. It’s probably very danceable if you’ve consumed the right substances.
Track 15: Fergie – London Bridge
Way too messy at the start, and there’s not enough melody for my liking. Also, the theme is terrible.
Track 16: The Pussycat Dolls – I Don’t Need A Man
Nice tune on the vocals, but in general the track’s not really that interesting.
Track 17: Ne-Yo – Sexy Love
Boring, saccharine, with jarring lines. Not keen on this at all.
Track 18: Cassie – Me & U
Great atmosphere on the intro, but it’s very generic once it launches into the vocals.
Track 19: Lemar – It’s Not That Easy
I like the mid-century retro tinge, but the tune’s a bit bland.
Track 20: Rihanna – Unfaithful
Love the piano at the beginning – this one’s got a great atmosphere.
Track 21: Westlife – The Rose
Cover of the Bette Midler song. It’s very typically Westlife, i.e. far too slow and saccharine for me.
Track 22: High School Musical Cast – Breaking Free
It’s a boring tune, and the female vocals are horribly grating and high-pitched! I’ve had a headache since about thirty seconds in.
Track 23: Razorlight – America
Lovely tune, great chorus – really like this one.
Track 24: Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
Another great festival anthem from Snow Patrol, though it’s kind of slow so I have to be in the right mood for it.
Track 25: Paolo Nutini – Last Request
Boring tune, too slow, cheesy lyrics. Not my thing.
Track 26: Keane – Nothing In My Way
I quite like the atmosphere, but again it’s too slow for me.
Track 27: The Feeling – Never Be Lonely
The tune’s okay, but it’s too cheesy – there’s not enough edge for me.
Track 28: Kasabian – Empire
Finally, something a bit more upbeat! Great track, really like this one.
Track 29: The Killers – When You Were Young
Really like the riff and the atmosphere – good stuff.
Track 30: Pink – U + Ur Hand
It’s a bit repetitive, until it gets to the singalong chorus, which is great.
Track 31: Lily Allen – LDN
Great feelgood track – I’ve always really liked this one.
Track 32: All Saints – Rock Steady
All Saints making a comeback. It feels like that came around fast. This song’s actually better than most of their old stuff – I really like the beat and the atmosphere.
Track 33: Simon Webbe – Coming Around Again
Good beat, but the tune’s pretty bland.
Track 34: Jamelia – Something About You
Great atmosphere, but again the tune on the vocals is just not interesting enough for me.
Track 35: Bodyrox and Luciana – Yeah Yeah
Irritating backing track, irritating vocals, no melody. Not to my liking at all.
Track 36: David Guetta and The Egg – Love Don’t Let Me Go (Walking Away)
Mash-up of The Egg’s Walking Away and David Guetta’s Love Don’t Let Me Go. It’s pretty messy, and the original tracks aren’t exciting enough in my book to provide any interest.
Track 37: Cascada – Everytime We Touch
Another reminder from your friendly local proofreader that ‘every time’ should be two words – there’s no such word as ‘everytime’.
Cheesy vocals, generic trance backing track. The chorus is a cover of the Maggie Reilly track of the same name (which was thus responsible for the grammatical error) from 1992, but thankfully I’m not familiar enough with the original to be as offended as I usually am by trance covers.
Track 38: Michael Gray and Shelly Poole – Borderline
The sample of ’70s hit Ready For Your Love gives this track a nice retro tinge, but it’s otherwise pretty bland.
Track 39: Beatfreakz – Superfreak
Pointless cover of the Rick James classic, Super Freak (not sure why Beatfreakz made it all one word). This sounds more like a remix than a cover, but I can’t find enough information on it to be sure.
Track 40: El Chombo – Chacarrón
Daft novelty song made famous through internet memes and such. Nothing redeeming here.
Track 41: Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces
Great atmosphere, but the tune’s a bit dull in my book.
Track 42: McFly – Star Girl
Extremely bland tune, very forgettable.
Track 43: Matt Willis – Hey Kid
I like the instrumentals, but it’s too slow and I find the vocals boring.
Track 44: David Hasselhoff – Jump In My Car
Daft cover of the ’70s rock classic from the Hoff. I’m not familiar with the original, but I’m guessing this cover’s probably pointless. I actually quite like it, so I should definitely make sure to check out the original.
Track 45: Meat Loaf – It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
Super dramatic cover of the song made famous by Céline Dion (for all the drama about how Meat Loaf always saw it as his song, see the Wikipedia page). It’s the kind of epic, atmospheric power ballad that Meat Loaf does best, and this version is fantastic, although I do really like the Céline Dion one as well.
Day 64 takes us to Now! #64, which came out on 24th July 2006.
This is how the world looked in July 2006, or at least it did if you were at T in the Park, with me and my mate Gemma looking suitably terrified in front of the ‘Maze of Terror’. I already told you she loved the Thrills.
Let’s see what bands might have been playing the festival circuit that year.
Track 1: Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
Great vocals from Cee Lo Green, but there’s something about the tune I’ve always found a bit depressing.
Track 2: Nelly Furtado – Maneater
This one has always been said to be inspired by the Hall & Oates track of the same name. I’ve never been able to hear any similarities, but this is still a great song – it’s just not as good as Hall & Oates. But then, few things are.
Track 3: Infernal – From Paris To Berlin
Nice bassline, nice ’80s-sounding dance track. Really like this one.
Track 4: Rogue Traders – Voodoo Child
I’ve always loved this one, mainly ’cause it was used brilliantly in the Doctor Who episode ‘The Sound Of Drums’ when the Master wreaks havoc on the Earth. Great dance track.
Track 5: McFly – Don’t Stop Me Now
Terrible pointless cover of the Queen song. Actually, I shouldn’t say pointless, because the vocals are so poor compared to Freddie Mercury that it’s really obviously different. Another good ‘point’ of this song is that it illustrates that there is a very good reason why nobody ever covers Queen songs, and that is because nobody has a hope of getting close to the brilliance of the originals. I have no idea why McFly thought they could get away with this one.
Track 6: Pink – Who Knew
Dull tune that has none of the edge you usually get with Pink. It sounds more like the kind of cheesy soft-rock you’d get from Kelly Clarkson or somebody like that.
Track 7: Sandi Thom – I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)
ARGH. I almost don’t have the words to describe how awful I’ve always found this song. It was the first notable example of a teenage singer discovered on YouTube. The song, completely unironically, manages to conflate the late ’70s punk movement with the late ’60s hippy movement – hey, those alternative types are all the same, right? If she really meant what she was singing about, the whole ‘born too late into a world that doesn’t care‘, she would at least have done enough research to know the difference. ARGH. Also, when I was at T in the Park 2006, she was given a five-minute slot on the main stage, because SHE ONLY HAD ONE SONG.
Sandi Thom, you are a totally fake 20th century girl. Everything about this song is utterly cringeworthy.
ARGH.
And breathe.
Track 8: The Kooks – She Moves In Her Own Way
Too twee, acoustic-y, and cheesy for me.
Track 9: The Feeling – Fill My Little World
I’ve always found this one revoltingly twee, and worse, horrendously catchy. I’ve got a horrible feeling it’s going to be stuck in my head again now after years of blissfully forgetting about it.
Track 10: Keane – Is It Any Wonder?
Quite like the guitar riff – it’s a bit edgier than I’d usually expect from Keane. The vocals are still pretty bland though.
Track 11: Snow Patrol – You’re All I Have
Boring tune, very forgettable.
Track 12: Razorlight – In The Morning
Some nice interesting lines going on here, quite like this one.
Track 13: Orson – Bright Idea
The beat’s interesting, but the tune is a bit depressing.
Track 14: The Zutons – Valerie
Great tune, love that chord progression. I know the Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse cover became more well-known, but I’ve got a real soft spot for the original.
Track 15: Dirty Pretty Things – Bang Bang You’re Dead
Good rock track, but the lines are a bit messy, and the tune on the vocals is kind of generic.
Track 16: The Automatic – Monster
Great track – it’s featured on Lego Rock Band, so I had a lot of fun drumming along to it back in the day.
Track 17: Paul Oakenfold and Brittany Murphy – Faster Kill Pussycat
Nice bassline, nice interesting vocals – good stuff.
Track 18: Chicane and Tom Jones – Stoned In Love
Good dance beat, but the tune’s pretty bland. Not even Tom Jones’ vocals can make this one interesting.
Track 19: Primal Scream – Country Girl
Unfortunately, due to the theme, this one’s a bit country-inspired, and country music is not my thing at all.
Track 20: Bon Jovi – Who Says You Can’t Go Home
Bon Jovi starting to sound a bit dad-rock. Not hugely keen on this one.
Track 21: Matt Willis – Up All Night
Matt Willis going solo from Busted and thankfully sounding a little more grown-up. It’s not a bad rock song.
Track 22: Fall Out Boy – Dance, Dance
Great beat, interesting vocals. Really like this one.
Track 23: Lily Allen – Smile
It’s a nice tune, but Lily Allen’s best stuff would appear later on.
Track 24: Rihanna – SOS
Good atmosphere, good solid pop track.
Track 25: The Black Eyed Peas – Pump It
The Latin tinge from the Misirlou sample (better known as the Pulp Fiction music) is great. Happily nodding along here.
Track 26: The Pussycat Dolls and Snoop Dogg – Buttons
Great atmosphere, nice Eastern-tinged instrumentals.
Track 27: Ne-Yo – So Sick
Pretty tune on the instrumentals at the beginning, but the vocal line’s pretty boring.
Track 28: Busta Rhymes – Touch It
Messy rap, no melody, not my thing.
Track 29: Christina Milian and Young Jeezy – Say I
I like the retro ’70s-sounding backing track, and the vocals are quite interesting.
Track 30: Sérgio Mendes and The Black Eyed Peas – Mas Que Nada
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had the Black Eyed Peas, just five tracks ago.
Great Latin track – still a favourite for warm-ups and cool-downs in Zumba classes everywhere.
Track 31: The Ordinary Boys and Lady Sovereign – Nine2Five
Great uptempo song with that Ordinary Boys ska tinge – and somehow Lady Sovereign’s rap style melds really well with it.
Track 32: Sugababes – Red Dress
Great bassline, good beat, good pop track.
Track 33: Beatfreakz – Somebody’s Watching Me
Pointless ‘cover’ (actually a remix that doesn’t give proper credit to the original artist) of the Rockwell classic that leaves out the verses and just samples the chorus. Definitely need to go listen to the original after this.
Track 34: Sunblock and Robin Beck – First Time
Another remix masquerading as a cover, this time of Robin Beck’s 1988 hit. Yet another ’80s classic where I will be listening to the original after this Now! compilation is done!
Track 35: Bob Sinclar and Steve Edwards – World, Hold On (Children Of The Sky)
Great atmosphere, great beat – quite like this track.
Track 36: Supermode – Tell Me Why
Cover of a nonexistent mash-up of the Bronski Beat songs Smalltown Boy and Why? When we used to run our Electrolicious Sundays night at Mr Modos, Geth would always mix the original Smalltown Boy into this, which really emphasised the shortcomings of this cover. More originals to listen to when I’m done here!
Track 37: Mousse T and The Dandy Warhols – Horny As A Dandy
Mash-up of Horny and Bohemian Like You. I’ve mentioned before how much I hate mash-ups. This just makes me want to go and listen to the two originals to scrub this mess from my brain. I think it’s going to be a long night on Spotify.
Track 38: The Shapeshifters and Chic – Sensitivity
Love that classic funk – great retro sound. Also, apparently it was only Nile Rodgers representing Chic on this track, but I suppose he basically is Chic now.
Track 39: Beverley Knight – Piece Of My Heart
Fairly pointless cover of the ’60s classic, but it’s a great song whoever does it.
Track 40: James Morrison – You Give Me Something
Oh, it’s this one. Boring tune, and it’s too slow for me.
Track 41: Will Young – Who Am I
Interesting backing track, but the vocal’s very repetitive.
Track 42: Ronan Keating and Kate Rusby – All Over Again
Bit of an odd pairing that I would never have guessed did a song together. It’s slow and sappy and not my kind of thing, but I suppose the vocals are quite nice.
Track 43: Girls Aloud – Whole Lotta History
Nice tune, nice atmosphere, but I find the vocal lines a bit messy and jarring.
We’ve avoided any ‘Not on Spotify’ moments again! Hopefully this will become more and more regular.
