Compilations of the past III - Challenges to Now That's What I Call Music

Having written two pieces on the road to the compilation series Now That's What I Call Music  you might of thought we'd finished this with the very first Now! in late 1983 but nothing stays still for long even though the popularity of Now did reduce the role of the likes of KTel and Ronco in making of the time chart compilations.

The success also lead to one entrant the Hit's team backed by CBS and WEA launching their own competing HITS series in late 1984 which run into the early 1990's but they were always the also run not that certain issues weren't welcomed when Now put out 12 mix volumes and we wanted a regular compilation.

Things hotted up in 1985 and three record companies, Chrysalis, MCA and Phonogram thought they could pull off a trick and undermine the big two and this was their first offering from March of that year.

What they had not counted on was just how litigious EMi/Virgin would be as they argued in court that to us Now in the title could confuse the public although the case was thrown out when the Now had to be in different type face.

This was a pretty decent compilation aided in a way by Now deciding in early 1985 to do a 12 mix compilation - Now Dance - so with only HITS offering Now 2 as a mainstream compilation there were plenty of spots of chart hits on Out Music although there's a good sides worth of minor hits.

It was moderately successful but the court case did muddy the waters and not every record store wanted to go full in on promotion not least when Now would go the whole hog with radio and tv advertising.

Now got back on the regular scene by June 1985 with Now 5 mopping up the hits of late spring and early summer although that was short on number ones.

Out Music had to respond and decided to go for November in time for the early christmas market but by that point the big two had started work on in order of release Hits 3 and Now 6 and had got first dibs on a good number of tracks.

They did find three discs worth of chart hits although few were top five and a disc of minor hits which musically were more interesting but an indication of the difficulties was licensing two Billy Idol songs, both reissues too.

This was to be the last issue in this challenger series with Phonogram throwing its lot in with Emi/Virgin from Now 7 but in truth what is scattered across these two albums are some fantastic records from 1985 such as Don't Mess with Dr. Dream the last chart entry for the Thompson Twins, Dire Straits Money For Nothing from their massively popular Brothers In Arms album, Go West, the break out group of 1985 with Call Me and the marvellous Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears.

Two's company, three's a crowd.

Previous post: https://thatuniformedschoolboytoo.blogspot.com/2023/04/compilations-of-past-ii-road-to-now.html

Meet The Beatles or why we're in 1964 all over again

The Beatles didn't quite change the World,single handledly but they were a major part of what catapulted the differential Britain of the early 1960's of doffing ones cap to our "betters" to the more open, more prepared to stand up for being yourself environment of the late 60's and into the 1970's when I came on the scene.

For a whole stack of reasons starting with Capitol U.S.A. deciding up to late 1963 it wanted nothing to do with The Beatles it was late issuing their records and other companies had limited agreements, the albums that American's got  from 1964 to 1967 were rather different than fans in Britain (and much of Europe) had.

They were however what in effect made The Beatles international superstars, expanding their fan base and record sales so while from 1987 and the deliberate standardization of their album catalogue on cd then tape and record to that they approved of, in recent years these American albums have from time to time emerged on cd in cd sets.

Today sees a bunch of seven albums reissued on vinyl in mono in a set and six available to be bought individually each unavailable in mono since 1968.

In 1963 The U.K. had had seen two albums and four singles before on January 20th 1964 America saw its first album (Although Vee Jay had an album in pipeline it came out later) and this album was compiled as the title Meet The Beatles suggested, an introduction featuring their latest single and mainly a selection of own compositions from their second U.K. album that had come out two months before.

Following a triumphant initial tour in the Winter of 1964 it was obvious there was a demand for another album with five, yes five, beatles singles holding down the top five singles chart and so Capitol issued The Beatles' Second Album in April on the back of the world-wide Can't Buy Me Love smash hit single.

This was compiled around restrictions on their earlier recordings already licensed to other labels so featured the cover versions first issued on their second U.K. album, single b sides and two tracks recorded for an forthcoming British extended play four song record.

Compared to the stereo version which was very echo laden, the mono version was not and so the reissue of this is most welcome.

This was six New Songs plus four from the film soundtrack and a German Language song wrapped around a picture from that Ed Sullivan show they appeared on earlier in the year.

Each record has a four page lp sized set of notes and comes with replica inner sleeves matching that the record on original issues came with advertising other Capitol albums.

As a couple of other lps are with Mr Claus late of the North Pole they will be added later.

Oh Brother!

 

Relationships within families can be strained sometimes around things set very much in the present and others go back to early childhood actually and they may cross over which when it comes to some of mine is definately the case.

My older brother was fine but my younger brother was something else from an inability to play any kind of a game without wanting to alter the rules so he'd win regardless to non stop pressuring from the minute we arrived on holiday for money for various things such as the amusement arcades, sweet shops not ever getting to grips with the notion your holiday money as for the whole week and if you saw anything special then you'd need to make a case to the Bank of Mum and Dad.

Gnerally I always managed mine to cover childhood essentials like a comic or two to read, sweets and the odd souvenirs before getting to things like the slot machines, leaving them to the last full day.

He just blow it in one and then started wanting to "borrow" but given there was nothing to say he's have it give back I'd dig my heels in.

The other thing was the number of times I caught him out telling outright lies about where he'd been, impersonating his mum on the phone even to "check" if a cheque mum had written for him had been cashed which he had no business doing.

Like Dad he suffers from dramatic statement syndrome which everything wrong with him is played up beyond where it really is expect you to drop everything for him.

So you might understand how things are with me.

Respinning the Compact Discs

We've occasionally commented around changes with my stereo system on this blog although they are infrequent as having got a system to the point I'm happy with its reliability and sound unlike some looking for the next step over the rainbow, I prefer to leave it be and enjoy the resulting music.

While at one point the compact disc looked as if it was going to be phased out, sales have started to rise, used discs can be had for peanuts and having a player around continues to make sense not least as few classical new titles get a vinyl release.

Starting first, this is the Cambridge Audio CXC100 v2 compact disc transport, which sinks its  not in considerable cost into advanced servo controls for clean tracking of discs and the unannounced incorporation of CD Text, which gives you album name and track details on discs encoded with it.

It was designed to work with their own streamers and amplifers with a digital input as of itself it just plays the disc so needs that to be literally heard.

I partnered it with a used bargain, the 2012 original Rega DAC-r, a extremely high quality digital to analogue converor that takes the naughts and ones from the transport, cleans up any "jitter" and converts it into analogue sound you connect to your stereo.

It has two optical inputs which generally I don't use, two co-axial ones all of which handle from 32 to 192 kilo bits per second at 16 to 24 bit resolution and a USB one which only goes as far as 48 kbs which might of been an issue if say playing "High Resolution" files from a computer via that input and was put right on the 2016 revised model.

What is a very nice touch is it does actually have digital outputs so that cleaned up digital signal can for instance be recorded without having to unplug sources.

Onlike a good number today rather than Upsample every source before decoding it, it plays each at its own native resolution which makes for simplier circuits and cleaner sound of which this has bags of detail and exceptional timing so it is very easy to follow the busiest parts of say a piano performance without everything starting to sound blurred while the softer passages retain their delicate feel.

It makes the most of regular cds while being able to bypass the inexpensive circuits of other digital products such as the DAB+ tuner.

I'm delighted with the sound of it.

Spooky weekend

 

We're kind of getting ready to be off later on today for a Halloween meet and party so between wen dealing with the unexpected this week I've been sorting out my costume, other clothing like proper traditional little boy shirt, tie and short trousers for a meal and things to bring for party food.

Having a good number ghoulish bats isn't a bad idea either to hide amongst the trees or in old garden sheds for treasure hunts and the odd giant spider.

There are lots of decorations up around here as I noticed going out across the week and I'm sure a ghoulish time will be had.