Aaliyah – Spirit of Dee

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #52

2 June 20182 June 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 52 equals Now! #52, which came out on 22nd July 2002.

Let’s see what dodgy trance and other chart hits we would have been dancing to in the clubs of Kardamena.

Now! That's What I Call Music #52
Track 1: Ronan Keating – If Tomorrow Never Comes

Super saccharine, irritating ballad. Not my kind of thing.

Track 2: Liberty X – Just A Little

I always quite liked this one. I’m not sure why, ’cause it’s not the kind of style I’d normally be into at all.

Track 3: George Michael – Freeek!

The song’s great, but the video‘s even better!

Track 4: Sugababes – Freak Like Me

Wonderful use of the Are Friends Electric? sample. Great track.

Track 5: Kylie Minogue – Love At First Sight

Good danceable tune, nodding along quite happily here.

Track 6: Enrique Iglesias – Escape

It’s a great tune, but the theme is super creepy!

Track 7: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Get Over You

Great pop tune, quite like this one.

Track 8: S Club Juniors – One Step Closer

Urgh, it’s S Club Juniors. Even more irritating than their adult counterparts. Two of them would grow up to be Rochelle Humes and Frankie Bridge from the Saturdays, fact fans.

The track is as cheesy and irritating as you might expect from eight singing twelve-year-olds.

Track 9: Nigel & Marvin – Follow Da Leader

Daft chant-along song. I actually quite like it.

Track 10: Scooter – The Logical Song

Hilariously random dance cover of the Supertramp classic. Always had a soft spot for this.

Track 11: Dee Dee – Forever

Uninspired, irritating dance track with super annoying vocals.

Incidentally, my friend Sarah calls me Dee Dee, but I’d rather not be associated with this lot (who are a Belgian group of dance producers, apparently).

Track 12: Flip & Fill – Shooting Star

More irritating vocals, and the tune’s very grating too. Not keen on this one.

Track 13: Paffendorf – Be Cool

The hook’s okay, but it’s pretty repetitive.

Track 14: Kelly Llorenna – Tell It To My Heart

Super irritating chorus – not a fan of this one.

Track 15: Shy FX, T-Power and Di – Shake Ur Body

Good upbeat track with interesting instrumentals – quite like it.

Track 16: Tim Deluxe and Sam Obernik – It Just Won’t Do

Highly irritating vocals, repetitive tune. Not my thing.

Track 17: Shakedown – At Night

Oh, it’s this one. Annoying tune, dull beat.

Track 18: Moony – Dove (I’ll Be Loving You)

Another boring tune.

Track 19: Intenso Project – Luv Da Sunshine

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Repetitive and dull. This is becoming a bit of a theme.

Track 20: 4 Strings – (Take Me Away) Into The Night

Can I have an interesting tune soon, please? And preferably not a dance track as well. The bassline’s okay, though.

Track 21: Mad’house – Like A Prayer

Pointless Madonna tribute act doing a pointless cover of Like A Prayer. I have no idea why bands like this were actually in the charts in the early ’00s. Why not just listen to the original?

Track 22: S Club 7 – You

Another awful cheesy track from S Club 7. Nothing redeeming about this at all.

Track 23: Atomic Kitten – It’s OK!

The vocal is at least interesting, but it’s still very cheesy and annoying.

Track 24: Britney Spears – I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman

Awful cheesy song released to tie in with Spears’ awful movie, Crossroads.

Track 25: Ashanti – Foolish

Some interesting lines on the backing track, but it’s otherwise pretty dull.

Track 26: Mary J Blige – No More Drama

The tune’s quite nice, but the atmosphere’s a little depressing.

Track 27: NSYNC – Girlfriend

I’ve always quite liked this tune – it’s got a good atmosphere too.

Track 28: Christina Milian – When You Look At Me

Another good tune – things are picking up!

Track 29: Nelly – Hot In Herre

Stupid theme, but the tune’s a classic! It was played at pretty much every nightclub in 2002.

Track 30: Ms Dynamite – It Takes More

Great tune, great atmosphere. Really good track.

Track 31: Omero Mumba – Lil’ Big Man

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 3: Can’t Find It Anywhere!

It looks like the Now! compilers have finally exhausted the stock of poorer-quality Samantha Mumba tunes, ’cause they’ve resorted to including this appalling offering from her little brother. This song is so awful that neither Spotify, YouTube or DailyMotion have it available for listening, so we’ll have to move on!

Track 32: Aaliyah – Rock The Boat

Boring tune, not keen on this one.

Track 33: The Reelists – Freak Mode

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Nice tune, but I don’t like the vocals.

Track 34: Robbie Williams and Maxi Jazz – My Culture

Great track, really like this one – there’s some awesome chant-along bits.

Track 35: Amy Studt – Just A Little Girl

Highly irritating vocals from the off. Everything about this track is horrifically grating.

Track 36: Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun

Nice guitar line, but it’s a bit boring otherwise.

Track 37: Doves – Pounding

Good head-nodder if you ignore the drone-y vocals.

Track 38: Space Cowboy – I Would Die For You

It’s quite an interesting track, if a bit messy.

Track 39: Idlewild – American English

Nice tune from my fellow Edinburghers here. Good singalong chorus.

Track 40: Puddle Of Mudd – Blurry

The tune’s pretty uninspired, but it’s nice to hear some rock among a world of bad dance tracks.

Track 41: Moby – We Are All Made Of Stars

Good beat, interesting guitar line – it’s just the vocals that are a bit dull.

Track 42: Oasis – Stop Crying Your Heart Out

I know there was at least one track off Oasis’ Heathen Chemistry album that I actually liked, but this was not it. Dull and drone-y track, not keen.

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #51

1 June 20181 June 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 51 brings us to Now! #51, which was released on 25th March 2002.

Let’s see what was in the charts as I was finishing high school.

Now! That's What I Call Music #51
Track 1: Enrique Iglesias – Hero

Nice tune, but the vocals are far too saccharine for me.

Track 2: Blue – Fly By II

I can’t really remember how this differs from the original Fly By, but never mind. It’s a nice enough tune, with a good singalong chorus.

Track 3: Ali G and Shaggy – Me Julie

A novelty song by a comedy character shouldn’t have this good an atmosphere. Shaggy’s contribution helps as well.

Track 4: Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta Get Thru This

When I was in my final year of high school, pretty much every first year had this as their ringtone (this was the era when MIDI ringtones were a thing). They would all sit on the bus showing off their ringtones on their Nokias, which is probably why I mostly walked to school that year. (My MIDI ringtone on my Nokia 3310 was the Bergerac theme tune. I never claimed to be a normal teenager.)

Um, the track’s okay, actually, when it’s not being MIDI-beeped at you from several different phones at once.

Track 5: Aaliyah – More Than A Woman

Great instrumentals, great atmosphere. Not so keen on the vocals, but it’s an okay track in general.

Track 6: Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – Somethin’ Stupid

Fairly pointless cover of the Frank and Nancy Sinatra classic. Considered a Christmas song nowadays, as it was the Christmas number one for 2001.

Track 7: R Kelly – The World’s Greatest

Dull, cheesy, repetitive. Not my thing.

Track 8: S Club 7 – Have You Ever

Saccharine ballad, irritating tune. Next, please.

Track 9: Britney Spears – Overprotected

Annoying theme, but I quite like the tune.

Track 10: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Murder On The Dancefloor

I always quite liked this track, although it became a bit overplayed when Sophie Ellis-Bextor did Strictly many years later.

Track 11: Kylie Minogue – In Your Eyes

Great atmosphere, great pop tune. Really like this one.

Track 12: DB Boulevard – Point Of View

Quite a nice tune, until the annoying vocals kick in.

Track 13: Lasgo – Something

Great atmosphere, but the vocals are really generic.

Track 14: PPK – Resurection

Yes, they did spell ‘resurrection’ with a missing ‘r’, and yes, it is killing me to have to type it out like that.

It’s a dance track with a nice hook – quite like the tune.

Track 15: DJ Aligator Project – The Whistle Song

Yes, they did spell ‘alligator’ with a missing ‘l’. Musicians must have had it in for proofreaders in 2002.

Irritating, repetitive track with a lot of whistle blowing, as you might expect.

Track 16: Flip & Fill and Kelly Llorenna – True Love Never Dies

Lovely tune on the vocals – really quite like this one.

Track 17: Hear’Say – Everybody

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Nauseatingly cheesy theme, irritating tune. Just awful.

Track 18: Allstars – The Land Of Make Believe

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Very bad cover of the Bucks Fizz classic. Poor quality vocals, muddy backing track, generally pointless cover.

Track 19: Victoria Beckham – A Mind Of Its Own

Messy, jarring track. Not keen on this at all.

Track 20: Steps – Words Are Not Enough

Cheesy, boring track. Steps had really gone downhill at this point.

Track 21: Geri Halliwell – Calling

Nice atmosphere, classic sound. Quite like this one.

Track 22: Rik Waller – I Will Always Love You

Uninspired cover of the Dolly Parton track in Whitney Houston style. Unless you’ve got a better voice than Whitney – and who does? – you should leave this song well enough alone.

Track 23: Stereophonics – Handbags And Gladrags

It’s a little less depressing than most Stereophonics tracks, but that’s not saying much.

Track 24: Nickelback – How You Remind Me

When I get annoyed by this song, I just remember a show on afternoon TV at the time where kids were encouraged to phone in and sing along to their favourite songs. This song is a lot better when the lyric about having ‘been down into the bottom of every bottle‘ is being creepily sung by seven-year-olds.

Track 25: Alien Ant Farm – Movies

Good pop-punk head-nodder – quite like this one.

Track 26: Sum 41 – In Too Deep

Another pleasant pop-punk tune – it reminds me of all the house parties I went to at the time.

Track 27: Puretone – Addicted To Bass

I always really liked this one – great vocals, great bassline (as you might expect).

Track 28: Christina Milian – AM To PM

Great tune, good singalong chorus. A favourite from that time.

Track 29: Ja Rule and Ashanti – Always On Time

Quite like the chorus on this one – I was really annoyed when it was covered by Raye and Mr Easi as Decline a few months ago.

Track 30: City High and Eve – Caramel

Irritating vocals, dull tune, not keen.

Track 31: Beverley Knight – Shoulda Woulda Coulda

Boring track, nothing interesting here at all.

Track 32: Samantha Mumba – Lately

Another bland tune, very forgettable.

Track 33: Backstreet Boys – Drowning

Dull, saccharine ballad – not keen.

Track 34: Mary J Blige – Dance For Me

It’s nice to have an upbeat track after some very dull ones, but the tune’s pretty uninspired.

Track 35: Afroman – Crazy Rap

The guitar’s nice, but the endless incoherent shouting at the start is really irritating. Once it gets into the track, it’s pretty dull and tuneless. Also, I’m listening to the explicit version, and I can’t imagine any of these lyrics would have been allowed on the radio or on a Now! compilation – maybe they just played an instrumental version or something.

Track 36: Princess Superstar and High & Mighty – Bad Babysitter

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Loved this one at the time! It was often played at Uluru, which was the pub that my mates and I frequented during my final year of high school.

Track 37: Platinum 45 and More Fire Crew – Oi!

Tuneless and repetitive. Not a fan of this at all.

Track 38: Goldtrix and Andrea Brown – It’s Love (Trippin’)

More repetitive beats, and the tune’s very forgettable.

Track 39: X-Press 2 and David Byrne – Lazy

I like the piano instrumentals, but I’ve always found the vocals really annoying.

Track 40: Jakatta – So Lonely

Fairly pointless cover/remix of the ’80s hit Ever So Lonely, using the original vocals.

Track 41: The Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar

Tuneless and messy. Not for me.

Track 42: Lange and Skye – Drifting Away

Beat-driven track that is so dull I can’t concentrate on it.

Track 43: Dreamcatcher – I Don’t Wanna Lose My Way

The tune’s nice, but it’s pretty generic and forgettable trance.

Music Review: Now! That’s What I Call Music #46

27 May 201827 May 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Day 46 means Now! #46, which takes us to 24th July 2000.

Let’s see what the hits were that summer.

Now! That's What I Call Music #46
Track 1: Britney Spears – Oops! I Did It Again

I thought it was okay at the time, but find it insanely annoying now after hearing it intermittently for eighteen years.

Track 2: S Club 7 – Reach

Thought it was insufferably awful then, still think that now. Cheesy and twee.

Track 3: Sonique – It Feels So Good

Nice tune – quite like this one.

Track 4: Mary Mary – Shackles (Praise You)

Great atmosphere, good tune. Happily nodding along.

Track 5: Samantha Mumba – Gotta Tell You

Loved this at the time and bought the single. I still quite like the tune.

Track 6: Gabrielle – When A Woman

Upbeat, head-noddable track, but the feelgood vocals are a bit irritating for me.

Track 7: Kylie Minogue – Spinning Around

Classic tune, classic video. Always really liked this track – it’s very danceable.

Track 8: Tom Jones and Mousse T – Sex Bomb

Another great danceable track that was everywhere at the time. Good stuff.

Track 9: Bloodhound Gang – The Bad Touch

Generally known as ‘the Discovery Channel song’, this one is an absolute classic – I’ve always loved that instrumental, and the theme is hilarious.

Track 10: Shania Twain – Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)

Quite like the folky instrumentals, but the vocals on this one annoy me.

Track 11: Billie Piper – Day And Night

Billie Piper going for a more grown-up sound on her second album meant that her stuff was no longer squeaky and irritating but was instead nice solid pop. This one is a great tune with a good atmosphere.

Track 12: Louise – 2 Faced

Generic, dull tune – not keen on this one.

Track 13: Aaliyah – Try Again

Great atmosphere, interesting lines. Really like this one.

Track 14: NSYNC – Bye Bye Bye

I don’t remember NSYNC being that huge generally in the UK, but this track was a fairly big hit. It’s got a good atmosphere – solid piece of pop.

Track 15: Damage – Ghetto Romance

You know it’s the noughties when lyrics like ‘body like a racecar‘ start to show up in the charts. Generic, irritating track.

Track 16: Steps – When I Said Goodbye

This was released as a double A-side with Summer Of Love, which is a much, much better song, so I can’t help wishing the Now! compilers had chosen that one instead for this summer release. If previous patterns are anything to go by, though, it’ll probably show up on the November one.

This track is a slow, boring ballad, and I’m not keen on those.

Track 17: Stephen Gately – New Beginning

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Nice atmosphere on this one, nice epic chorus. Quite like this track.

Track 18: Backstreet Boys – The One

Good beat, interesting instrumentals, but the vocals are pretty generic and dull.

Track 19: Moby – Porcelain

Oh, it’s this one! Nice chillout track, like the tinkly piano.

Track 20: Coldplay – Yellow

Another indicator it’s now the noughties: Coldplay show up for the first time. Yellow has quite a good intro, but it all goes downhill when Chris Martin opens his mouth, which may become a bit of a theme, as I’ve got a feeling this is not the last time they’ll feature on these Now! compilations.

Track 21: Richard Ashcroft – A Song For The Lovers

The Verve frontman goes solo. Unfortunately this track’s just as depressing as the stuff he was doing with the Verve, although I do quite like the sax on the intro.

Track 22: Black Legend – You See The Trouble With Me

Irritating house cover of the Barry White classic that gets rid of most of the melody. Not keen at all.

Track 23: Spiller and Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)

Great tune, great atmosphere, great danceable beat – love this track.

Track 24: Darude – Sandstorm

Oh, it’s this one! Classic dance track, great hook.

Track 25: York – On The Beach

Another dance track with a memorable hook that I’m guessing most people would recognise but couldn’t name. Quite like this one.

Track 26: Marc et Claude – I Need Your Lovin’ (Like The Sunshine)

Good atmosphere on the intro, segueing into a great dance track. Really like this.

Track 27: Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love [Rob Searle Club Mix]

Remix of the 1984 classic, which is very definitely considered a Christmas song nowadays and hence feels out of place both in May 2018 as I write this and in July 2000 when this compilation was released. It is nice to see some love for old ’80s tracks, although this remix only really uses one instrumental line from the track to begin with, and as such the first four minutes are fairly unrecognisable before it launches into the well-known first verse. After that, it gets a bit messy and super trance-y.

Track 28: Different Gear and The Police – When The World Is Running Down (You Can’t Go Wrong)

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM)

Irritating sample on the intro, before it launches into the remix of the 1980 Police track. It’s pretty dull and repetitive.

Track 29: Southside Spinners – Luvstruck

Boring, generic dance track with irritating orgasm noises over the top.

Track 30: Alice Deejay – Will I Ever

Annoying tune, not keen. I’m starting to fear that the imaginary ’00s nightclub (the setting for these Now! disc 2s full of dance tracks that started to become the pattern in the mid-’90s) will be even worse than the ’90s one.

Track 31: Angelic – It’s My Turn

Quite like the instrumentals and the atmosphere, but the vocals annoy me.

Track 32: Rank 1 – Airwave

Generic dance tune, very dull. Not a fan.

Track 33: B-15 Project, Crissy D and Lady G – Girls Like Us

Quite like the chorus, but otherwise it’s a bit messy for my liking.

Track 34: Lonyo – Summer Of Love

Quite like the Latin-tinged backing vocals, but the main tune is a bit cheesy.

Track 35: MJ Cole – Crazy Love

Really like the tune on the intro…then it launches into the world’s most annoying vocals. Urgh.

Track 36: DJ Luck & MC Neat and JJ – Masterblaster 2000

Cover of the 1980 Stevie Wonder track, with ‘bonus’ No Diggity sample. It’s upbeat and danceable, but I’m not sure about the tune.

Track 37: Tru Faith and Dub Conspiracy – Freak Like Me

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

Great atmosphere on this cover of the Adina Howard track, later made more famous by the Sugababes. Love those instrumentals.

Track 38: Jamelia – Call Me

Nice tune, but it’s a bit slow for me.

Track 39: Vengaboys – Uncle John From Jamaica

More lively Eurodance from the Vengaboys. The tune on this one’s a little irritating.

Track 40: Fe-M@il – Flee Fly Flo

‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).

I’d forgotten about this daft call-and-response track. It’s at least different, but it’s pretty cheesy and annoying.

Track 41: Scooch – For Sure

Twee and irritating tune – not keen on this one.

Track 42: Atomic Kitten – I Want Your Love

I quite liked this retro-tinged atmospheric track at the time, but I find it a bit headache-inducing nowadays.

Track 43: Steps – Deeper Shade Of Blue

Repeated artist alert! Now I’m even more annoyed that they didn’t include Summer Of Love.

This dance-infused track’s got a good beat and atmosphere, but the tune on the vocals irritates me a bit nowadays.