Now That’s What I Call Music 25 (EMI / Virgin / Polygram, 1993)

Review
“I would like a place I could call my own,
Have a conversation on the telephone,
Wake up every day that would be a start,
I would not complain of my wounded heart”.

Now That’s What I Call Music 25 was released at the beginning of August 1993. Five of the tracks had already been included on Now Dance ’93 which had come out in June. More five jiving with Five Live, which included tracks performed by George Michael, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield. Somebody to Love and These Are the Days of Our Lives were recorded at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held on 20 April 1992 at Wembley Stadium. All proceeds from the sale of the EP benefited the Mercury Phoenix Trust. It debuted at #1 in the UK chart. Somebody To Love is the opening track here; an oddly decent version which showcases George Michael’s strong ability to cover other people’s material.

4 Non Blondes hailed from the streets of San Francisco. What’s Up? was heavily played on MTV and is still one of the decade’s most well-loved one hit wonders. It’s followed by Tina Turner’s resigned I Don’t Wanna Fight, the first single from the soundtrack of the What’s Love Got To Do With It. Then it’s a brace from Now Dance ’93: Ace Of Base’s All That She Wants is the second of four number ones on Now 25 and saw them take off internationally while Gabrielle’s unforgettable Dreams saw her move overground to lasting stardom. Lena Fiagbe’s You Come From Earth wasn’t so lucky and stalled at #69 despite all the hype and being on U2’s Mother Records label. And U2 were originally called The Hype. It’s an inoffensive tune with a nicely chilled vibe but lacks the bite to make it big.

Hang on: it’s those witty, enigmatic geniuses from Athens, Georgia. Everybody Hurts is universal now and was played at every hour of the day in the late spring / early summer months of 1993. Late night pool in Goodfella’s. A stroll down to Donnybrook Fair for the paper. Equally anthemic were New Order as the epic guitar and bass of the Stephen Hague-produced Regret ushered students out on the floor in their hundreds. Dazed in O’Connell Street. The ghosts of shoegazing past. And speaking of spirits, Freddie’s continued to thrive on the No More Brothers Remix of Living On My Own. Another #1 string to his bow; the original reached #50 in 1985. The power of the remixer continued as Phil Kelsey’s doctoring brought Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive back into the top five.

Inner Circle’s Sweat reggae fusion (A La La La La Long) is followed by Chaka Demus and Pliers’ unholy dancehall crossover Tease Me. Louchie Lou and Michie One mix up Shout and Peter Gunn before Shabba Ranks’ distinctly ordinary Housecall. There’s a switch in styles as Duran Duran follow up their unexpected comeback smash Ordinary World with the enchanting Come Undone. Equally great is Paul Weller’s soulful and melodic Sunflower, the lead single from Wild Wood, his pastoral sophomore LP. The closing track on the first disc is from Melody Maker favourites Kingmaker. Ten Years Asleep was a student disco favourite but lacked the charm of Eat Yourself Whole. Another planet.

“Ruined in a day,
You could be the lover of jade,
Forever on your own in the shade”.

Tribal Dance made it six of the best for 2 Unlimited. A Focus for the 1990s. Robin S followed up Show Me Love with the cryptic Luv 4 Luv while Sybil’s When I’m Good And Ready showed that the American diva was no flash in the plan. Meanwhile Dannii Minogue’s cover of Van McCoy and Melba Moore’s This Is It proved to be an infectious floor-filler. The Time Frequency build on the foundations of New Emotion and broke through to the top 20 with the euphoric Ultimate High. There’s always been a dance element to my music: Jon Secada’s mysterio-groove of Do You Really Want Me. The song that taste forgot: If I Can’t Have You, Kim Wilde’s unwise career move. And never forget East 17’s cover of West End Girls. Altogether now “Heart of glass, heart of stone”.

Joey Lawrence was the dude from US television series Blossom; Nothin’ My Love Can’t Fix is Jordan Knight-lite. It’s a London thing next: Efua Baker, familiar from Lil’ Louis, Soul II Soul and Maxi Priest videos. Somewhere is a wicked track; a humorous heartfelt spoken word treatise on love set to a jazzy beat. Sade follows with the simmering and bleak ballad No Ordinary Love. The 5:21 single mix is on Now 25 but it’s the shorter video edit that’s selected below. Remember Living In A Box? Lead singer Richard Darbyshire cuts loose with the pleasant soul of This Is Swear. That’s Lisa Stansfield you hear in the background. The romantic sequence continues with OMD’s Barry White / Love Unlimited Orchestra homage Dream Of Me. This sparkling pop bauble is a far cry from the likes of Stanlow but a beguiling departure nonetheless that only works its magic after repeated plays.

D:Ream continued to move on up with the earnest pop of U R The Best Thing while Juliet Roberts flounders in a sea of stodgy R&B as Caught In The Middle proves to be the dampest of squibs. Oui 3 turn up the heat on the Notting Hill rap of Break From The Old Routine, a track that makes more sense now than it did in ’93. Utah Saints’ fourth single from their debut LP was the bone-crushing I Want You which sampled Slayer’s War Ensemble. The crunch continues with the finale: Jesus Jones’ throbbing and twitching Zeroes and Ones. File under armageddon baggy mondobrutale.

“You turn and face the strange,
You turn and face yourself”.

Favourite tracks
Paul Weller – Sunflower

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Dream Of Me (Based On Love’s Theme)

Sade – No Ordinary Love

Duran Duran – Come Undone

Lest we forget
Efua – Somewhere

Missing tracks and other thoughts
By now the series was starting to tread water and was making fewer waves. Despite this one being better than Now That’s What I Call Music 24, it was proving to be a lacklustre run. However all would change with the next volume – a blinder from out of nowhere. The inlay mysteriously hinted towards the past – “Coming soon. . . The Now 10th anniversary”. I jumped the gun with Now That’s What I Call Music 1983 last week. More of these to follow from 22 April. Meanwhile here’s an overlooked trio to consider:

Jamiroquai – Blow Your Mind. Funk major.
Sting – Fields Of Gold. Hypnotic. Bali. Barley.
Roxette – Almost Unreal. Super with a surreal video.

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Promotional poster courtesy of the Now That’s What I Call Music Collectors Group UK.