Day 22, and we’ve arrived at 27th July 1992.
Let’s see what might have been on the car stereo while we were exploring!
Track 1: Erasure – Take A Chance On Me
Erasure get to their ‘Abba covers’ phase. I’m generally a fan of synth covers of classic songs, and I do like this one, apart from the random rap towards the end.
Track 2: CeCe Peniston – Finally
I’ve always found the chorus on this one annoying. Sorry!
Track 3: KWS – Please Don’t Go
Nice tune, but it’s a bit repetitive for me.
Track 4: Take That – It Only Takes A Minute
Take That make their first Now! appearance! I adored them so much as a little girl. Robbie was my favourite, and I was so gutted when he left the group. To this day, I don’t consider them proper Take That (‘Fake That’, I used to say derisively when they first reappeared in the ’00s) unless Robbie’s involved.
Ahem. Anyway.
This is a nice solid pop cover of the Tavares classic – good, danceable stuff.
Track 5: Nick Berry – Heartbeat
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Urgh, Nick Berry‘s back. I thought after Every Loser Wins, we had all suffered enough. This one is a pointless ’90s cover of the Buddy Holly classic, presumably to tie in with the TV show Heartbeat.
Track 6: Snap – Rhythm Is A Dancer
Absolute classic, epic dance track – I love this one! One of my favourites.
Track 7: Utah Saints – Something Good
Brilliant track with epic-level sampling of Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting. Now, THIS is how you sample appropriately. Wonderful stuff.
Track 8: The Cure – Friday I’m In Love
One of my favourite tracks from my favourite band – lovely feelgood song with beautiful instrumentals.
Track 9: Marc Almond – The Days Of Pearly Spencer
I’m going to see Marc Almond later this year! I’m very excited.
Sadly, it won’t be at the one-off Soft Cell reunion gig, which is one of my big gig disappointments this year – I really wanted to go, but due to a miscommunication I missed the ten-minute ticket window. However, I will be seeing him solo at the Electric Dreams festival, so that sort-of makes up for it.
This track has a lovely epic atmosphere and beautiful instrumentals – really like this one.
Track 10: The Beautiful South – Bell Bottomed Tear
Pretty tune and nice vocals, but it’s a bit slow for me.
Track 11: Prince – Thunder
I like the epic intro and chorus, and the instrumentals are interesting. Good track.
Track 12: U2 – Even Better Than The Real Thing
Repetitive instrumentals, dull tune. Not keen on this one.
Track 13: The Shamen – LSI (Love Sex Intelligence)
Good upbeat dance track – happily nodding along here.
Track 14: Electronic – Disappointed
Nice bit of synth electro from Electronic. Solid stuff.
Track 15: Shakespear’s Sister – I Don’t Care
Nice upbeat track with a rockier edge. Vocals not as impressive as usual for Shakespear’s Sister, but still solid.
Track 16: Carter USM – Do Re Me, So Far So Good
So, after me going on for weeks about various great Carter USM covers of various tracks, they finally show up on a Now! compilation with one of their original songs!
Great upbeat rock song, typically brilliant Carter lyrics and singalong chorus.
Track 17: Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You
Could do without the spoken word on the intro, but it’s a classic track and a good head-nodder.
Track 18: SL2 – On A Ragga Tip
The reggae bit’s good, but the track in general is a bit haphazard.
Track 19: The Orb – Blue Room
Nice bit of chillout, though I could do without the siren noises.
Track 20: Richard Marx – Hazard
Epic atmosphere, great solid track.
Track 21: Elton John – The One
Nice tune, but it’s fairly generic for Elton John. Not a favourite.
Track 22: Roy Orbison – I Drove All Night
This one was apparently written for Orbison, but I prefer the Cyndi Lauper version, which came out first (I’m not sure which one counts as the ‘cover’ in this case). Still a great song, though, whoever’s singing it.
Track 23: Jimmy Nail – Ain’t No Doubt
More upbeat than usual for Jimmy Nail – I quite like this one.
Track 24: Joe Cocker – Unchain My Heart
A bit overblown in the vocals at the start, but once the beat gets going it’s quite good – great funk bassline.
Track 25: Curtis Stigers – You’re All That Matters To Me
Another too-slow too-saccharine one from Curtis Stigers, and this time there’s no sax to save it. Not keen.
Track 26: Wilson Phillips – You Won’t See Me Cry
Nice feelgood tune, nice atmosphere, great sax solo. Still a little slow for me though.
Track 27: Crowded House – Four Seasons In One Day
Lovely tune, great lyrics – really like this one.
Track 28: Annie Lennox – Why
Nice introspective track from Annie Lennox – I really like her stuff from this period.
Track 29: George Michael and Elton John – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Classic duet, epic track – lovely song.
Track 30: Diana Ross – One Shining Moment
Lovely tune, but again it’s a bit of a slow ballad for me.
Track 31: Vanessa Williams – Save The Best For Last
This is another one of those feelgood ballads that I always heard on the radio on ferries during family holidays around this time. It was also used in an advert for Bisto or Oxo (I think? I’m sure it was stock cubes or soup or something ‘comforting’), so I kind of associate it with that vibe.
Track 32: En Vogue – My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)
Great upbeat head-nodder from En Vogue – really like this one, especially the a cappella bit towards the end.
Track 33: Soul II Soul – Joy
This one’s a bit dull in my view – nothing special going on here.
Track 34: Incognito – Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing
Great upbeat track to finish on today – love those instrumentals!