VA - Now Yearbook '91 (2025)

Step back to the early ’90s – an unforgettable era of pure pop, euphoric dancefloor anthems, soaring ballads and alternative classics with NOW Yearbook 1991, featuring 78 massive tracks across 4 CDs.

CD1 opens with a superstar double and a trio of #1s: George Michael and Elton John’s monumental live duet ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’. Chesney Hawkes’ defining debut ‘The One And Only’ and ‘The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)’ from Cher. Roxette’s worldwide smash ‘Joyride’ is up next along with R.E.M.’s alt-pop classic ‘Shiny Happy People’. Seal makes his solo debut with the unforgettable ‘Crazy’, Simply Red shine with ‘Stars’ – the title track from the years’ biggest selling album - and Martika delivers the Prince-penned ‘Love… Thy Will Be Done’. Contemporary pop ballads from Paula Abdul, Beverley Craven and the timeless ‘Get Here’ from Oleta Adams feature, before sophisticated pop from Pet Shop Boys with ‘Jealousy’ and Marc Almond’s fabulous cover of ‘Jacky’. Kylie Minogue (‘What Do I Have To Do?’), Bananarama (‘Preacher Man’), Cathy Dennis (‘Touch Me (All Night Long’) were all dance-pop smashes and Belinda Carlisle, Voice Of The Beehive and Divinyls all deliver great US power pop brilliance, before The Clash’s enduring ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ closes the disc…as we celebrate it becoming a #1 nearly 9 years after its’ original chart run.

CD2 showcases the amazing new talent enjoying chart smashes in the early ‘90s... One of The KLF’s run of superb single gems ‘3AM Eternal’ kicks things off, followed by Seal’s solo version of ‘Killer’. Saint Etienne reimagine Neil Young’s ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ and kick off a run of incredible peerless pop hits, while Moby’s ‘Go’ and The Prodigy’s ‘Charly’ showcase groundbreaking electronica for the new decades’ club culture….which leads to massive crossover club hits from C+C Music Factory, Rozalla, K-Klass, Utah Saints and Oceanic, alongside Brothers In Rhythm’s euphoric ‘Such A Good Feeling’. Cola Boy and Zoë bring sun-drenched pop-dance, Crystal Waters’ iconic ‘Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da)’ became a massive hit melding house and pop, and Dina Carroll made her debut with Quartz on their cover of ‘It’s Too Late’. Bomb The Bass’ ‘Winter In July’ blends electronic and ambient textures, before hip hop and new jack swing take over with A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Can I Kick It?’, Heavy D & The Boyz’ ‘Now That We Found Love’, and Color Me Badd’s global hit and UK #1 ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’.

CD3 opens with a truly timeless anthem - The Waterboys’ ‘The Whole Of The Moon’ – re-released six years after its’ original release to become a huge hit. Deacon Blue with ‘Twist And Shout’ leads into The Railway Children’s biggest hit ‘Every Beat Of The Heart’. Simple Minds return with ‘Let There Be Love’, the lead single from the album ‘Real Life’ while The Stone Roses’ ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ got a belated single release, and James’ ‘Sit Down’ captured the era’s wave of infectious indie-pop hitting #2. Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff scored a chart-topper with their cover of ‘60s hit ‘Dizzy’, and is featured along with the funk-rock of Living Colour’s ‘Love Rears Its Ugly Head’. Lenny Kravitz hit with the soulful ‘It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over’ and Robert Palmer reworks two Marvin Gaye classics on ‘Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You’. Next up some power-pop from T’Pau ahead of transatlantic hits including Michael Bolton’s ‘Time, Love And Tenderness’, Cher’s ‘Love And Understanding’, and Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Summer Rain’. At the start of ’91 Sting hit #1 in the albums chart with ‘The Soul Cages’ and its’ first single ‘All This Time’ is next and before Marc Cohn’s much covered ‘Walking In Memphis’. Crowded House with ‘Fall At Your Feet’, Extreme’s acoustic US #1 ‘More Than Words’, and Scorpions’ ‘Wind Of Change’ close the disc in anthemic style.

CD4 opens with a stellar run of pure pop gold:- Pet Shop Boys open with their ingenious mash-up ‘Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You)’ - making their second appearance on this Yearbook – as are The KLF joined this time by Tammy Wynette on the fantastic ‘Justified And Ancient’. Boy George’s band Jesus Loves You enjoyed a hit with ‘Bow Down Mister’, and OMD celebrated a chart renaissance matching their previous #3 peak with ‘Sailing On The Seven Seas’. Amy Grant’s ‘Baby Baby’ and Gloria Estefan’s inspirational ‘Coming Out Of The Dark’ were big singles in both the UK and US and come ahead of Andrew Lloyd Webber & Jason Donovan’s chart-topping ‘Any Dream Will Do’. Zucchero & Paul Young combine on ‘Senza Una Donna’, and Roxette return with ‘Spending My Time’. Kylie Minogue (‘Shocked’) and Cathy Dennis (‘Just Another Dream’) had a hit-packed ’91 and both make a second appearance here while Dannii Minogue (‘Jump To The Beat’), and Sonia feature with feel-good pop, alongside the ‘Grease Megamix’ – destined to become a perennial party classic. The disc starts its’ closing run with soulful vocals from Kenny Thomas and Lisa Stansfield plus Tina Turner’s ‘Way Of The World’, taken from her best-selling compilation ‘Simply The Best’… Finally, to sign off this incredible year of brilliant singles a trio of amazing ballads:- Whitney Houston’s stunning ‘All The Man That I Need’ and Stevie B’s heartfelt ‘Because I Love You (The Postman Song)’ - both contemporary love songs - and a timeless classic becoming a hit after 30 years – Patsy Cline with the enduringly popular ‘Crazy’.

NOW Yearbook 1991 – a celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a magical year in pop.