NOW – Yearbook 1985-1989: the Final Chapter

In 2025 NOW was proud to complete the Yearbooks for the individual years from the 1980’s… however, we haven’t finished quite yet with the superb pop years 1985-1989. As we did with the decades’ first half, we want to present some of the brilliant songs that we didn’t get to feature… yet… We proudly present ‘NOW - Yearbook 1985-1989: The Final Chapter’ – a 79-track 4CD set celebrating more pop magic from an exceptional time in the UK charts. Opening with Queen’s beautiful ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ ahead of Pet Shop Boys’ debut hit, the #1 ‘West End Girls’ – and Eurythmics with elegant synth-pop on ‘It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)’. A run of gems come next including from a-ha, Go West and Bananarama. Taylor Dayne and Gloria Estefan provide huge pop-dance anthems while remixes of ‘70s classics proved very popular for Chaka Khan, Bill Withers and Michael Jackson & Jackson 5. Hits from Bobby Brown, De La Soul, Five Star and Sananda Maitreya lead toward the first disc’s closing trio of sophisticated pop from Level 42, Bryan Ferry and Sade with 1985’s stunning ‘Is It A Crime’. The second disc opens with Freddie Mercury’s incredible cover of ‘The Great Pretender’, and is followed by one of the greatest power-ballads ever from Heart with ‘Alone’. More ballads from Chicago, T’Pau and Tina Turner’s cover of ‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’ lead to the 1989 debut hit from Texas ‘I Don’t Want A Lover’, along with more hits from The Stranglers, Deacon Blue, Big Country and Simple Minds. A run of some of the era’s best alternative pop is next including outstanding tracks from R.E.M., The Cure, New Order and The Sisters Of Mercy. Dead Or Alive, China Crisis, and King enjoyed continued hits in the mid-80s and Fuzzbox celebrated their Top 20 debut in 1989 – as Amazulu had done in 1985… The disc closes with a pair of pop-reggae smash hits from Aswad and UB40 who hit the Top 3 with ‘Don’t Break My Heart’. Bruce Springsteen made one of the era’s defining albums with ‘Born In The USA’, and its’ lead single ‘Dancing In The Dark’ opens Disc 3, ahead of rock from Bon Jovi and the collaboration ‘Out In The Fields’ from Gary Moore & Phil Lynott. Paul McCartney’s film theme ‘Spies Like Us’ is next along with Mike + The Mechanics, Belinda Carlisle and The Bangles. Huge hits from The Proclaimers, Status Quo and The Art Of Noise & Tom Jones’ version of ‘Kiss’ come ahead of massive dance-floor tracks from D-Mob, Bomb The Bass, Cameo, Midnight Star, Jaki Graham, plus soulful vocals from The Christians, Alexander O’Neal and Natalie Cole – with a powerful performance from Whitney Houston on the disc closer ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’. The final disc kicks off with a second appearance on this collection and with another #1 – Pet Shop Boys with the peerless ‘It’s A Sin’… Next up The Communards ‘So Cold The Night’ and Bronski Beat with ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’ leading into another synth driven club smash from Trans X. A huge run of pure-pop follows, opening with Stock-Aitken-Waterman produced hits for The Reynolds Girls, Samantha Fox, Sinitta and Sonia ahead of gems from Eighth Wonder, Wet Wet Wet and Johnny Hates Jazz… Swing Out Sister continued their hits in 1987 with ‘Twilight World’, whilst 1986 saw the debut for Hollywood Beyond, and Living In A Box enjoyed their second Top 10 success in 1989 – plus more pop hits from Bros and Tiffany… ‘Foolish Beat’ in 1988 made Debbie Gibson the youngest female artist to write, produce and perform a U.S. #1…whilst the final three tracks on the collection are all covers: Jimmy Nail took ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ to #3 in 1985, and at Christmas 1987 Rick Astley competed with the re-released original and made #2 with ‘When I Fall In Love’…but the final word goes to Cliff Richard, who with Hank Marvin and stars of the TV show ‘The Young Ones’ hit #1 in 1986 for Comic Relief with ‘Living Doll’ – twenty-seven years after it topped the chart in its’ original version. NOW – Yearbook 1985-1989: The Final Chapter – A continued celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of this magical era in pop.