Back to NOW!

Pop Rambler

Celebrating all things related to the variously compiled world of pop.

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71 episodes
Updated July 20

Episodes71

Newest first

Dec 19, 2022 · 17 min
Back to NOW Christmas Flexidisc 2022
Welcome to this bonus edition of Back to Now! A small but perfectly formed bite-size extra serving of Festive Pop! To compliment the end of year review of 2022, enjoy a collection of previous lovely guests as they revisit some memorable Christmas hits. Or should that be December hits? Or Christmas adjacent pop? You decide, wonderful listeners! Indeed, in the true sense of pop memorabilia, consider this a free gift flexidisc stuck to the front cover of your double edition festive Smash Hits, back in the day - without the need to remove the sellotape and damage the cover - isn't the 21st century brilliant? So for 20 minutes - less than the time taken to baste your turkey - enjoy some facts and memories on hits by the Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, The KLF (and Tammy!), The Housemartins, Culture Club, Girls Aloud, Sugababes, The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl and Band Aid. Merry Christmas Back to Now listeners, have a good one and we'll see you bright and early on the other side! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 6, 2022 · 1 hr 12 min
The Back to NOW Review - 2022
Festive greetings and welcome to what all of the Pop Kids are rightly calling the 2nd annual Back to Now review for 2022! Can it really be a whole 12 months since we last pulled up a cosy chair, poured ourselves a large creme de menthe and ruminated on the variously compiled world of pop? Well, yes indeed and so much has happened since! We don’t talk about politics here, no, no no - it’s all about the music. And whilst 2022 saw some genuinely big passings, we also saw some spectacular pop moments! Harry (Styles not the other one) and Kate (Bush, not the other one) ruled the charts over the spring, LF system begged the rather confusing question were we ‘afraid to feel’ for the whole summer and the autumn and quite probably the winter belongs to Taylor and her many clock face guises! But whilst volumes 111-113 expertly guided us expertly through the official singles chart, the story of NOW again has been much, much MORE! Electronic, Punk, 80s dance, 90s dance, Pride - compilation fans you have been spoilt! And of course, let’s bow in reverence for the ongoing blistering success story that is the NOW Yearbooks! Feel the Quality indeed! With so much to explore we implore you to put down the decorations, chase away the carol singers and enjoy a romp through the pop wonderland of 2022 with our very three wise special guests. Sounds of the 80s producer and chairperson for the ‘get all madonna remixes on Spotify Now’ campaign - Johnny Kalifornia. Pop journalist and chairperson for ‘The Human league are for life not just Christmas’ campaign - Ian Wade. And the man who can either be found lunching with xPropaganda, sipping cocktails with Bryan Ferry or entertaining the masses on a Saturday afternoon at the world famous Duckies nightclub, Mark Wood. And as it is that special time of the year, expect some fabulous extra guests too! So gather around, get festive and join us for a memorable twelve months in the world of pop and NOW. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 28, 2022 · 1 hr 23 min
NOW 9 - Spring '87: Will Harris
Jack, jack, jack….wait? What? Who is this Jack? It’s 1987, and the future has arrived in the shape of the first No1 of the year courtesy of Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley - House Music is here! Hold up, wait a minute! As the ninth edition of the famous Now, That’s What I Call Music testified from within it’s (so 80s!) Ring binder cover, the charts were much more varied. Whilst dance music was loading up its record box and turning up the BPMs for the coming 12 months, the 30 top chart hits across the four sides of the latest compilation was telling a whole different story. Those big jeans adverts (or was that River Phoenix?) were bringing a spritely 48 (!) Year old Ben E. King back to the top, Jackie Wilson was r-r-r-r-esplendent in plasticine all over again and even Freddie Mercury was camping up The Platters smash from 1956 with The Great Pretender. What decade are we in again? Fear not, as 1987 was definitely serving up its fair share of blistering singles from the likes of Robbie Nevil, The Blow Monkeys, a-Ha, Westworld and many others! Bright new things like Erasure, Curiosity Killed The Cat and Simply Red were rubbing shoulders with more experienced chart names like The Pretenders and Genesis whilst a swingorilliasnt smattering of one-off acts like Mental As Anything and Taffy were providing some shiny, memorable pop memories. And Hot Chocolate were back, Back, BACK and testing our knowledge of which Greatest Hits they were promoting this time (clue - not the Malteser one). So much to unpick, and who better to do it with than pop fan and Needle Mythology records’ Will Harris. Find out how Will passed his Elvis impersonator test (and which song he chose), how he championed the store racks (and West London's soul boys) of the 80s Our Price stores, and how the Finn Brother’s dad provided some much loved appreciation for his sons’ demo tracks. And discover Will’s big 1987 favourites from NOW9 and what was missing (spoiler - they were all on HITS6!) Let's fly high (like a rocket in the sky) back to a pop year like no other, and get ready for some great (BIG HAIR) memories! Altogether now, woooahh, we're half way there.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 16, 2022 · 1 hr 12 min
NOW 19 - Spring ‘91: Niall McMurray
1991. It was the first palindromic year since 1881, and to be honest I’m not really up on the hits of that particular Victorian number. (Newsflash: Bruckner’s 6th Symphony was pretty hot that year) Fast forward to the 2nd year of the ‘nineties’ as we called it, and there are plenty of other newsflashes abound. War in the Gulf dominated the spring (news and charts, but more of that later), Eastern Europe was reshaping, and on TV it was either Springfield or a cup of damn fine coffee. So what was taking up the prime positions on the nation’s favourite compilation series in March 1991? Well, you actually may have been wondering what year it actually was. 1982? 1987? 1965? 1970? They were all here (you know which songs were which, don’t you? Of course you do.) Yes pop fans, TV, film, and TV films amongst other factors (chewing gum, jeans, Patrick Swayze) were all leaving quite a mark on the topper most region of the charts. However fear not! The story of NOW, That’s What I Call Music 19 is much, much more - resplendent in it’s purple and yellow (ahem!) gatefold cover. The biggest number of tracks to date (34!), encompassing the blossoming decade’s many exciting genres (and Stevie B). And so we throw open the doors and welcome (amongst others) The KLF broadcasting loud and proud on Radio Freedom, Massive (yes, no Attack during this war period) providing a bona fide Unfinished classic, Kylie being totally imperial, Seal being totally everything and Chris Rea being like a pub (we believe) and providing youngsters up and down the country with the perfect CD for Dad this Christmas. Elsewhere there were big ballads (Oleta and long haired ‘serious’ Rick), big dance (The Source and Nomad) big pop (Belinda, her wonderful hair and INXS) and a majestic (if not entirely singable) ending from Steve Howe (and Queen). And yes, alright, seeing as you ask the totally amazing Banderas. One hit wonder or not? You decide. And indeed our guest does! Into the PopVoid blogger (he says it’s coming BACK, possibly) and all round Scots pop super fan Niall McMurray steers us expertly and enthusiastically across the hits, headlines (and Stevie B) from volume 1991. He also provides some great stories about growing up and branching out as a student in Glasgow (I was there too!), suggests some amazing (and they are AMAZING) missing tracks and we both, quite frankly, gush justifiably about ABBA Voyage. All of this and much more (it says in my notes) - and find out why EMF, Hale and Pace and probably several others won’t be returning our calls anytime soon. 1991 - Awesome! (As a few other similar looking compilations told us.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 23, 2022 · 1 hr 7 min
NOW 18 - Autumn ‘90: Lucy Bright
1990. Well it certainly was time for the guru, but as the first year of the new decade was drawing to a close, it was time - a little time, if you will - for so much more. And as always, our favourite compilation series was there to capture it all. So volume 18 provided us with the NOW albums second numbered album of 1990 in the shape of big ballads, bigger ballads, pop, rock, dance, indie and even Timmy Mallet. Yes, all life forms were present and correct! Elton was BACK and, with Bernie Taupin, scoring his biggest hit in years (and a first solo No1!). Sinead was rewriting the Prince songbook and music video like no one else could, William Orbit was quietly ushering in the rest of the decade with some fascinating rhythms and Kylie was not only sidling nicely alongside her then boyfriend Michael in INXS, she was riding on the love train somewhere back in time. There were remixes and reissues aplenty too; best of albums for PiL and Talk Talk alongside (are we allowed to say indie dance?) excursions from The Cure, Sting and Suzanne vega were reminding us that the 80s were still a force to be remixed with. And so to step back in time to NOW18 in this episode we are joined by film and TV music supervisor Lucy Bright. Lucy started out at Mute Records working with artists such as Nick Cave and Depeche Mode, she then moved to Warner Classics for six years before leaving to manage composer Michael Nyman. In 2020 Lucy launched her own music publishing company, Bright Notion Music, which currently represents and nurtures some of the world’s most influential artists and composers working today. And Lucy has music supervised some of the most critically-acclaimed British films and TV series of recent years: Samantha Morton’s directorial debut The Unloved, Charlotte Wells’ Cannes winning After Sun and both Shane Meadows’s This is England ‘90 and The Virtues. So we can think of no one better to navigate us through an album chock filled with film and TV related tracks! Jeans! Pottery Wheels! Julia Roberts! Bridesmaids! Julian Temple in the desert! Tim Pope in a wardrobe! As well as deciphering these conundrums, Lucy also joyfully revisits her first (and only?) NOW album whilst delighting us with some wonderful and personal stories including guest appearances from Youth, James Mason, Prince (and a chocolate milkshake), Michael Hutchence, Shane Meadows and Holly Knight (she wrote some big songs, oh yes) to name but a few! 1990 - who has time for the guru with all of this going on? Jump straight back in to the wonderfully eclectic and memory packed NOW18! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 30, 2022 · 55 min
NOW 6 - Autumn ‘85: Polly Birkbeck
‘One goal, one mission…one vision!’. November 1985, and the latest poptastic edition of NOW kicks off with the unifying cry from Freddie and the boys, after an unforgettable summer when music really did seem to change the world from London to Philadelphia and beyond. But how representative of those wonderful UK charts is Now, That’s What I Call Music 6? Well, the events of Live Aid had certainly worked some magic for the chart placings for some with such luminaries as Queen, Elton, Phil and Tina all checking in across this double album. Elsewhere, some of the decades greatest pop stars where reinventing their sound as the second half of the 80s required some image and sound makeovers. Level 42, Eurythmics and Simple Minds were powering on, whilst new acts such as Fine Young Cannibals and The Communards were emerging and looking forwards to their own future decade success. Dance music was certainly evolving and while the DJs in Chicago were beginning to plug in their 808s, the dancefloor hits of NOW6 had a distinctive Europop feel, thanks to the Tarzan inspired Baltimora, Mai Tai and Maria Vidal’s evergreen body rocking workout. Elsewhere, three fifths of Duran Duran were looking for your votes (mark x next to Arcadia for that particular side project), some 80s alternative greats were still providing memorable hits and Paul Hardcastle was switching his focus from Vietnam to The Great Train Robbery with the help of Bob Hoskins and Laurence Olivier. Yes, it was indeed the 80s! And of course, we can’t revisit this compilation without mentioning THAT first Deal with God. Stranger Things indeed! Join Complete Control PR Madam and Popmaster champion Polly Birkbeck as we head back to Now, That’s What I Call Music 6 and the rest of autumn 1985. And if all of this wasn’t enough, discover Polly’s first musical glam and punk loves, which bands she followed around the country in ‘85 (do fans still even do this outwith TikTok?), what was the best year for pop and why she doesn’t really want to talk about Live Aid. As the tagline on the album instructed us, Feel The Quality indeed! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 5, 2022 · 1 hr 11 min
NOW 14 - Spring ‘89: Andrew Harrison
Welcome to the end of the eighties! Pop’s greatest (it was, wasn’t it?) decade was getting ready to pack away it’s shoulder pads, leg warmers and Rubik’s cubes (not being too stereotypical are we?) and was heading at breakneck speed towards the nineties, and the latest edition of the Now series absolutely represented the change ahead! Well, sort of. As ever the democratic forces behind the UK charts (e.g. the record buying public and more likely the producers of wonderful ‘One’ FM) had different ideas of how Spring 1989 was going to be remembered by pop pundits 33 years in the future, on something called a ‘podcast’. Behold, Back to Now listeners, it’s NOW 14! So, yes the ‘future’ was represented thanks to Detroit’s pop dancefloor duo Inner City, Mark Moore’s fun packed technicolor beats with S-Xpress (we’ve dropped the ‘E’, of course!) and the awesome arrival of Neneh Cherry heralding a new stance for the 90s, right now! However, as always, this was only part of the story (would we have it any other way?) In this volume we find the Fine Young Cannibals and INXS swallowing up the global charts only slightly disguised as Prince, Sam Brown and Erasure both commanding us to STOP (only one with an exclamation mark though!), Ver Quo and Ver Minds being, er, Ver Quo and Ver Minds and a smattering of 80s stars dangerously teetering on the edge of ‘the dumper’. And our guest for this end of decade excursion back to volume 14? Well, it's only editor of Q (twice!), Mixmag (twice!), Select and Word (associate!) and now podmaster supremo Andrew Harrison! Huzzah! Andrew has also interviewed Madonna, Morrissey (went to his house in LA), Bono (in a fountain) and Stephen Fry (in a bad mood) as well as inventing the phrase "landfill indie". Congratulations, Mr Harrison, you’ve passed the audition! Join Andrew as we learn about his first music passions (it’s a bit glam and involves jumping off a table), being a student in Leeds (quite a lot of nights out, sometimes with footballers) and of course explore the delights of this wonderful (sometimes) compilation. Along the way, discover which acts would have been in the 3” CD single cheap box (well we all liked a rummage, didn’t we?), what was (possibly) written on a stickie note on Pete Waterman’s shaving mirror, how Q picked their album review adjectives (‘lacklustre!’) and which 1989 acts Andrew will go back and manage when he perfects his time machine. And also discover why Living in a Box, Hue and Cry (again) and Michael Ball will probably not be returning our calls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 9, 2022 · 1 hr 6 min
NOW 35 - Autumn ‘96: Neil Kulkarni
In memory of a wonderful guest and outstanding writer, Neil Kulkarni. Welcome to Autumn 1996. Royal divorce, Mad Cow disease, Take That helplines, TFI Friday. But it wasn’t all bad news, oh no – the pop charts were continuing to dazzle and amaze the CD buying public! Indeed, if we weren’t snapping up those hits on £5 CD singles (both one and two, to complete the set) we were most definitely picking up a copy of the latest volume of everyone’s favourite compilation series, NOW35. And what delights across the forty tracks would you find? Girl Power taking over the world with that (not actually) difficult second single, George Michael looking for love in all sorts of place, Boybands (some on the way in, some heading further eastwards!) And enough dance anthems to fill any bedroom disco or sparkling nightclub. And a fair smattering of, what the music press were still most definitely describing, as the all conquering, crowd pleasing, flag waving, two-fingered swagger Britpop. But was a change on the horizon as the year of Euro 96, Knebworth and a plethora of Union Jacks moved towards its conclusion? Was the retrograde triumphalism sliding towards its own runout groove? And if so, were the clues to the Next Big Thing to be found on this album? As the team at NOW always successfully managed to do in their gloriously curated way, most definitely! Back to Now guest Neil Kulkarni has been writing about pop since 1994, starting out at the weekly Melody Maker before moving on to a host of magazines, newspapers and websites as well as lecturing in music journalism and releasing music with his band The Moonbears. Amongst hits and headlines from Spice Girls, Pulp, Neneh Cherry, Underworld and others, we also explore the huge influence that r’n’b was having on the popworld, find out how to wind-up indie fans (it involves 2 unlimited), discover the bands that music journalists can’t admit to not liking (doesn’t involve 2 unlimited) and be amazed at the connection between a solar eclipse, Lynx Africa and a James Bond baddie (yes really). And find out why pretty much every ‘indie’ guitar act on NOW35 won’t be returning our calls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 12, 2022 · 1 hr 6 min
NOW 23 - Autumn '92: Zoë Howe
It's Autumn 1992! Damn, Would I Lie To You? What an interesting time for the UK singles charts. Is it fair to say the decade was at some sort of apex point? Well, the tracklist for November’s NOW, That’s What I Call Music 23 album was certainly not giving us a clear a view of what the next big thing was going to be. Or was it? Whilst the start of the 90s had exploded with a colourful wave (or should that be rave?) of indie & dance, and very soon Britpop would take a steely and sneering guitar grip across the nation, 1992 almost seemed to be in a fascinating holding pattern. Not exactly the annus horribilus that some were calling it, and as always the NOW team were on hand to serve up a suitably compiled snapshot of musical delights (and Billy Ray Cyrus) for us to feast upon. Tasmin Archer, Sophie B Hawkins and Betty Boo led the way for some great female fronted pop moments, Arrested Development were providing an RnB laidback groove for the 90s, the Freddie Mercury tribute concert was still impacting across the charts and The Shamen were being, naughty, naughty, very naughty. But there was also a fair degree of retro feel to this edition of NOW. Was it the 80s (Simple Minds), 70s (ABBA) or 60s (Vanessa Paradis!)? TV advert songs - which brand of jeans were you buying? And don’t even mention waistcoats! Just too funky for me... But even when things don’t seem to be happening, there’s always something happening. And there’s no doubt that the 90s had plenty of excitement waiting around the corner! Joining me for this episode is author, visual artist and sometime musician Zoë Howe. Zoe has produced acclaimed biographies including The Slits, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Wilko Johnson, Stevie Nicks, Florence + The Machine, Lee Brilleaux and Poly Styrene and in 2021 was part of the team behind the award-winning documentary Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché. She has made radio programmes for Absolute Radio, Resonance FM and currently presents the Rock ’n’ Roll Witch show on Soho Radio. Zoë’s forthcoming book Witchful Thinking (a handbook for the modern Wise Woman) is to be published by Llewellyn in May 2022. And later this year will also see her revision of the book The Art of Punk released, and the launch of The Jam 1982, a collaboration with The Jam’s Rick Buckler. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 3, 2022 · 1 hr 13 min
NOW 12 - Summer '88: Jude Rogers
Enjoy this trip. And it is a trip! What a poptastic year 1988 was turning out to be at NOW HQ! As the 80s were speeding their way towards a dayglo regeneration into the 90s, the charts were chock full of a glittering arrays of sensational delights and 7” wonders! The first instalment of NOW That’s What I Call Music – Volume 11 in April – had delivered a chart topping selection of skyscraping hits, and most importantly for many, had brought the unadulterated excitement of the UK dancefloor into our homes and headphones via ‘that’ Side 4 of blistering BPMs. And make no mistake, volume 12 picked up where this left off, in sizzling, swingorilliant (and quite frequently, 70s) summer style! Join my special guest culture journalist, author and broadcaster Jude Rogers, as we head back to that summer and swap floats with the likes of Wet, Wet Wet, Belinda Carlisle, Bananarama, Maxi Priest and many more. Jude shares a pool (no more swimming puns – Smash Hits Ed!) of fabulous anecdotes and memories from summer 1988; which pop stars were making the young Jude feel ‘confused’(warning, contains vests and stonewashed 501s), how pop and Smash Hits became a solace for a 10 year old girl and which songs would she take with her back to the beach in Menorca (clue, not you Marti) and which tracks were missing (yes, I’m looking at you HITS8!). Along the way we also revisit a certain Beatles related charity album (Frank Sidebottom anyone?), drop in on Eurovision 1988 (not yet, Celine!), stop off at the mall with Tiffany and invent a new genre – step aside Sophistipop, say hello to Sophistidance (yes, that’s you Jellybean!) And throughout our journey back 34(!) years, we recognise the importance that our pop soundtracks have in moving with us through our lives and how we celebrate the hits and headlines that have stayed with us ever since. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 3, 2022 · 46 min
Now Millennium 1996 - Grant McPhee
For this episode I am joined by award winning film director Grant McPhee. Amongst Grant’s films are Big Gold Dream, which tells the story of FAST Product and Postcard Records, two of Scotland’s most loved independent record labels and Teenage Superstars the story of what happened next in the uncompromising world of Scottish indie music, featuring music and interviews from the likes of The Vaselines, BMX Bandits, Primal Scream and Teenage Fanclub. Grant heads back to 1996 to consider his musical journey as a fan from collecting 60s pop singles growing up in Fife to discovering Indie as a student in Edinburgh. Along the way, Grant shares stories of summer Holiday viewing of The Monkees on TV, to the Chart Show defining what Indie was through to the heady days of student life and memories of some defining soundtrack moments including, of course 96’s iconic Trainspotting. We also explore the whole concept of retrospective curation, as viewed in the NOW Millennium series. How does the music of 1996 stand up 25 years later? Are these the hits we remember or does the shifting period of time and culture reshape our memories? And how would a NOW 1996 Yearbook look now? Which hits still make the cut, musically and culturally? All of this and much more, including memories of The Associates, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, BBE (!) Choose Life, Choose NOW, Choose 1996! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 1, 2022 · 1 hr 12 min
NOW 34 - Summer ‘96: Lee Thompson
Can 1996 really be over a quarter of a century ago? Yes it can, and this is where we find the hot hits of summer as sizzlingly delivered in NOW34! The charts as ever, were serving up a veritable feast of genres, hits and headlines. The feelgood factor was in full swing, in part due to the excitement of Euro96 but also a UK culture scene that was embracing a vibrant period of creativity across music, cinema and the arts. ‘Britpop’ was still very much the ‘thing’of 1996 and this edition of NOW fully embraced the guitar pop of its many ambassadors such as blur, Oasis and Suede. But this is only part of the story. Something else was happening in the pop world that would soon explosively ‘spice’ up and shape the rest of the decade. And as boy bands splintered, rising stars were seeking their Freedom (and much more of that to come!). As always, the fast pace of the UK music scene is captured here, and so we welcome huge crossover club anthems, hip hop and RnB royalty, euro(vision) pop and a clutch of familiar faces trying to evolve with the 90s – some more successfully than others. Join radio and TV music producer, writer and curator Lee Thompson as we explore the summer of 1996 through the tracks across NOW, that’s what I call music 34. Along the way, discover which act ‘would never be heard of again’ after their first visit to Viking FM (clue – they were heard of again, quite considerably!), the legendary soul singer who would swap the dancefloor for the glamour of the North East trainline and which track Lee joined Neil Finn on as a duet. This and much, much more! And also find out why Bon Jovi and Pato Banton probably won’t be returning our calls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 26, 2021 · 1 hr 3 min
2021 - The Back to NOW Review!
Welcome and indeed the most festive of greetings, as the back to NOW podcast brings 2021 to a close. And from a variously compiled world of pop viewpoint, what a fabulous year it has been! For this special end of year episode, like the most treasured of Christmas present annuals nestling under the Christmas tree, we unwrap the last twelve months of NOW – and indeed pop culture as a whole – to see what has tickled our fancy and sparked our collective curiosities! Consumers of fine compilations have been spoiled for their chosen tunes with a smorgasbord of selections including everything from glam to 60s girls, from boogie nights disco to Disney, Eurovision to two volumes of 12 inches of extended stimulation! Oh, and did we mention the wonder that has been the 83 and 84 Yearbooks? And as it is indeed the season to be jolly, we shall take a sleigh ride stop and carefully unwrap the newest NOW Christmas album and decide if it’s worth stuffing into your stocking! Expect starring appearances for Duran Duran, ABBA, Lieutenant Pigeon (!), Sister Sledge, Amanda Lear, Jona Lewie and many more! Discover the link between brown beer and Shazam (really?), how Channel 5 has saved music TV, why the Pig is still so important and who really were the ‘Gibson Brothers of Breakdance’ (you need to know!)? Join Radio 2’s Sounds of the 80s producer and masterful mastermixer Johnny Kalifornia Music Journalist and all-round social media pop mogul Ian Wade and the man that has brought the Duckie club night back to life and continues to sprinkle pop joy wherever he goes – Mark Wood as we collectively bring the curtain down on an amazing pop year and look forward to what is on the horizon for 2022! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 4, 2021 · 1 hr 8 min
NOW 64 - Summer '06: John Earls
Welcome to summer 2006! And things were, indeed, Crazy. That top selling nine-week run at No1 was significant for not just featuring (the not crime fighting rodent) Dangermouse but for being the first UK chart topper to make it there purely on downloads (remember them?) alone. But of course, you knew that chart fact already, didn’t you, pop pickers? But there is so much more to rediscover on NOW 64, as we dive back amongst those shiny cover surf boards to ride the crest of this noughties pop wave. Classic Pop writer, journalist and all-round (indie) pop kid John Earls guides us through the hits and otherwise across these two CDs. Where to begin? There’s the solid gold pop classics thanks to Nelly Furtardo, Lily Allen, Sugababes and Rihanna; those young cavalier guitar heroes (can we say indie?) The Kooks, Razorlight and The Zutons, and a plethora (the correct collective noun) of outrageous dance covers that certainly signalled that the eighties were back! What was going on? Ask James Morrison – whilst stuck at the end of CD2, he was quietly inventing the next decade! As Top of The Pops turned off the lights for the final time, the singles charts were undergoing some strange times for sure. Could those CD singles (and B-sides!) really be on their way out too? And don’t forget the all-conquering celebrity Big Brother winner Preston and the Ordinary Boys (and Lady Sovereign!) Could there BE a more 2006 sentence? Also starring P!nk, Keane, (Sir) Tom Jones, the ‘efficient’ Will.I.Am, Izzy from Neighbours (thanks to Elvis Costello!) and (very briefly, thankfully) Matt Willis and Fall Out Boy. We even find time to chat Blossoms/Rick Astley! How on earth did we get there, I hear you (possibly) ask? Tune in to find out! And finally, discover why Shapeshifters (but not Nile Rodgers) won’t be returning our Christmas cards. Phew! Trust us, there is a lot more to summer 2006 and NOW 64 than you may think. Dive back in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 11, 2021 · 59 min
NOW 57 - Spring ‘04: David Manero
So, where were you in 2004? The pop charts were as fast moving as Dame Kelly Holmes in Athens and every week brought another selection of shiny pop hits. 29 tracks topped the charts across the twelve months as pop buyers rushed to purchase the newest CD singles from their latest favourites. And unless you were the sparring, fall-out potty mouthed pair Eamon or Frankee , it was generally a one week reign at No.1! Phew! The airwaves and TV reigned supreme in making and breaking the big hits of the year. Reality was biting all over the place; Chris Moyles and Terry Wogan were having breakfast with us daily whilst championing their own brands of hit makers such as Jungle champion Peter Andre (again!) and Katie Melua on the Beeb, whilst ITV was delivering a second slice of star making with Pop Idol. Michelle? Sam and Mark? And let’s not forget Fame Academy’s Alex and Alistair (you may already have)! The Svengali spotlight was shining brightly - if briefly - on plenty of 15 minute pop stars in 2004. Britney was back with Toxic (and lots of left over wedding cake), Pharrell was producing just about everyone. Cover versions (and the instruction manual Cha Cha Slide!) were filling the dancefloor, Love Actually was delivering hits for Girls Aloud and Sugababes and both Keane and Snow Patrol opened their accounts with some mobile phone waving anthems that we’d hear again in different forms over the years! Franz Ferdinand and Scissor Sisters too! Huge hits and even huger (is that even a word?) albums indicated that 2004 was a year of contrasts, contradictions, pace and change. Music was bristling but it was never boring! Oh, and don't forget your NOW ringtones people! Join Radio 2 producer David Manero and I as we head back to the noughties to explore NOW57; the hits, the misses and everything else in between. And find out why Kelly, Ozzy and DJ Casper probably won't be returning our (Nokia 3310) phone calls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 13, 2021 · 1 hr 3 min
NOW 43 - Summer '99: Daryl Easlea
Summer 1999. The End of the Century beckons. As we prepared to send the clocks back to zero, millennium bugs threatened our very existence. David Bowie foretold us (well Jeremy Paxman, at least) that we were on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying and what this new Internet was going to do was unimaginable. Party over, oops out of time..? Not a bit of it, as the team at NOW That’s What I Call Music activate their latest release and it’s a hot one! The Popworld was in overdrive and the key word everywhere was Positivity. The kaleidoscope that was the ‘fin de siecle’ UK charts was encompassing something for everyone - Boybands!, Girlgroups! Solo stars from Girl groups! Superstar DJs! Even Hollywood film directors providing us with lifestyle coaching! NOW43 had it all! Whilst the future pop masterminds such as Max Martin and Gregg Alexander plotted world domination for the next decade, pop fans revelled in this millennial musical feast! We were definitely at the end of something and whatever was coming next, NOW! was going to take us all the way! Join writer, DJ, music consultant and millennial pop generalist Daryl Easlea as we relive the hits, misses and memories of this unforgettable last summer of the 20th century. As we unashamedly wallow in the ‘optimistic daftness of pop’, find out which track always saves a middle-age spread dance floor, who were 'the choppy haired trip hop darlings of ’99’, which act on the LP we are now calling the ‘Fisher Price Beta Band’ and why Cilla Black and Petula Clark have more to do with the pop stars on this LP than you may think! And discover why Mel B (G?) and Cartoons probably won’t be returning our calls. As The Chemical Brothers (euphorically said) HERE WE GO! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 29, 2021 · 34 min
Back to NOW - We Are One!
The podcast that celebrates the variously compiled world of pop is one year old.Over the past twelve months, thirteen wonderful guests have joined me to open up gatefold sleeves, slip out cassette inlays and flick through CD booklets of their chosen compilation albums.And in doing so, we’ve not only shared some great musical memories, we’ve also explored the shifting pop cultures of the past four decades and have recognised how these various artists collections do indeed stand as fond time capsules for our journeys through life.So for this episode, here are some memorable moments - a compilation, if you will - from the first year of Back to NOW - including some previously unheard and extended clips.In this anniversary episode, find out which NOW album Bob Stanley thinks was his first, the line up for Band Aid 1974(!), the Rebel MC's 'must have' items on tour and (in all its glory) the full horror Womble Hysteria!Don’t forget you can hear the full episodes now at your favourite podcast sites and join in the conversations with myself Iain at the Poprambler Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.I would like to say a massive thank you to all of my guests who’ve taken time to join me this year. It’s been privilege and a joy sharing in your musical journeys and as they say, we couldn’t have done it without you.And to everyone that has listened and engaged in the podcast - thanks for all of your support and choosing Back to NOW!The series now continues and I look forward to more guests, memories and stories coming very soon. Thank you everyone and stay tuned for more variously compiled pop! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 8, 2021 · 1 hr 9 min
NOW 16 - Autumn ‘89: Siân Pattenden
It’s autumn 1989 and a decade where pop has transformed itself into an all encompassing mass culture is drawing to a spectacular close. Ten years have seen huge growth in music sales and an explosion of genres, with rock morphing through glam metal and beyond, disco had danced through electro towards a new house, and hip hop had grown from the streets of New York to become an emerging and exciting influence on global pop culture. The nineties are almost here, but first the Now That’s What I Call Music team are set upon closing this unforgettable decade with some fireworks. NOW 16 provided the narrative for this time and as you would expect contained the diverse snapshot of the UK Charts we had come to expect from the country’sfavourite compilation LPs. Tears for Fears were back, Back, BACK with a huge slice of psychedelic love power pop in tune with the chart’s positive vibe, alongside fellow returning performances from the likes of Tina Turner, Wet Wet Wet and the sensual Kate Bush. However, as always, the album also celebrated the diversity and excitement of the charts with the vibrance of the ever growing dance and hip hop scenes thanks to Technotronic, Neneh Cherry, De La Soul and Rebel MC. Throw in some glorious pop gems from the likes of Shakespear’s Sister, Deborah (not Debbie) Harry and Jimmy Somerville and you have the technicolour pop party that is NOW 16! And did we mention three bonus tracks on the CD as well? Phew! Join author, artist (www.raw-art.co.uk) and host of the Bigmouth podcast Siân Pattenden as I as we explore the pop culture landscape as the 80s turned into the 90s. Expect a swingorilliant serving of pop stories from Siân’s time at Smash Hits (who controlled the office stereo?) as well as shiny tales and musings including (amongst other vital things) how Erasure enlisted neighbouring indie rockers for some ‘drama’, being on tour with Big Fun (and Sonia!) and which NOW 16 star made ‘advances’ on the young Miss Pattenden! And does anyone know anything about the whereabouts of Fresh 4 and Lizz E? Parties have to end, history speeds on, and things always turn out to be much more complicated than they first appear. And, as 1989 teaches us, everything will sooner or later change again. John Harris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 1, 2021 · 1 hr 16 min
NOW 10 – Autumn ’87: Justin Quirk
Autumn 1987 and the pop world is at a crossroads. Some of music’s Big Names are in need of some inspiration, trends were fast moving and the decade that brought us a plethora of pop glitz and glamour was looking for some direction to the next chapter.As always, the NOW! team were on hand to gather up all that was happening across the charts and NOW 10 provides a fascinating snapshot of a very distinctive moment in time – both in the world of culture and beyond.From Freddie Mercury’s grandiose operatic Olympic opening to M/A/R/R/S cutting and pasting up the rulebook of dance through a variety of 80s ‘sophistipop’ and not forgetting a sizeable gathering of shiny Glam Metal stars, this volume certainly had it all!Join Justin Quirk, writer of ‘Nothin’ But A Good Time – The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Glam Metal’ and myself as we navigate the hits, misses and memories of NOW 10 and autumn 1987.Find out why metal and disco are more closely linked than you may think, what makes Bananarama a national treasure, what happened to a-ha’s video mannequins (yes, really!) and what really turns a Festive Fairtytale into a Christmas Classic.And , we’re still not expecting a callback from Hue and Cry… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 27, 2021 · 1 hr 15 min
NOW 13 - Autumn '88: Pete Paphides
It's November 1988, and the latest chapter in the successful NOW compilation series is launched - and looking at the cover, it really is heading out of this world! And what an interesting period Autumn 1988 was! Shiny pop classics from the likes of Yazz, Erasure and Brother Beyond rubbing shoulders with seasoned artists rediscovering the glories of the charts - that's you Bryan Ferry, The Hollies and Tom Jones! Meanwhile new and exciting dance acts were looking to the next decade with Inner City, Bomb the Bass and The Beatmasters flying the dancefloor flag. Oh, and did we mention ACIEED? Rap was (weirdly) looking back to the 60s and several experienced acts of the 1980s were having a slight 'identity crisis'. What do you do, when you're not really the Next Big Thing anymore? Join author, journalist and broadcaster Pete Paphides as we explore an LP packed with interesting tracks that tell an even more interesting story of pop as the eighties began to draw to a close. And having Pete onboard, we also discuss his exciting new record label Needle Mythology and his wonderful 2020 biography 'Broken Greek' - a story of chip shops and pop. Find out how the Isley Brothers infiltrated (at least) three tracks, what makes a classic Big Eighties Ballad, the band that were auctioned off to Stock, Aitken and Waterman, which artists on NOW 13 have 'the kindest faces' and what links Trevor and Simon and Wee Papa Girl Rappers. And find out why Hue and Cry probably won't be returning our calls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.