For yuns of you just tabbing in, I'm currently going through each NOW album (both UK and US versions) from 1983 til now, but alternating years. That is, starting with 2013, moving to 1983. Then 2012, then 1984, and on and on. Have fun.
Phil Collins : You Can't Hurry Love
There's no understating how glorious this is, in virtually every way. Ok that's a lot, but it's cool. And originally a Supremes song! And it's interesting to me how this introduction (prominent bass riff + drums) becomes periodically famous now and again.
Duran Duran : Please Please Tell Me Now
1980s, yeah! This extreme emphasis on the off beat (2 and 4) that was so popular during this time always amuses me. Fluff and some more fluff with fluff on top, however.
UB40 : Red Red Wine
Iconic, purdy. I used to hate it, cheesed out by it, but it has improved for me considerably. Originally Neil Diamond? Pretty neat, and he eventually came to play it in UB40's style in his own performances, which I found interesting.
Limahl : Only For Love
Is this an 80s pop song? I don't have anything to say about it. The video, the hair. -_-
Heaven 17 : Temptation
Bad and good. This violin/string sample, the female vocalist's voice... but very 80s. The video is something wonderful as well.
KC and the Sunshine Band : Give it Up
.. for the 1970s? It reminds me of Britney Spears in 2013 Same idea I guess. It's kind of neat to hear that very low-mixed, bright synth chords in the background. Actually kind of tasteful in my opinion. Or is it just a dubstep breakdown?
Malcom Mclaren : Double Dutch
There's something I like about it, but difficult to elucidate. Seems intelligent, but maybe just contrived. The bassline rocks a lot, and is very catchy
Bonnie Tyler : Total Eclipse of the Heart
It's so good. Fuck you, it's so good. So so good.
Culture Club : Karma Chamelon
I absolutely love it. But proceed with caution: EXTREME earworm hazard.
Men Without Hats : Safety Dance
Oh it's just classic. Crystallized classic. Never seen the video before though! Great!
Kajagoogoo : Too Shy
A whole lot of no going on here. Spare yourself or punish yourself, the choice is yours.
Mike Oldfield : Moonlight Shadow
It's not new wave! It's not new wave! But I can still hear new wave -_- But very nice guitar solo )
Men At Work : Down Under
I'm biased, have always loved this song. I'd never seen the video before, though -- it's funny!
Rock Steady Crew : Hey You (Rock Steady Crew)
Why, hell yes. And I honestly did not realize hip-hop had developed this early; always assumed it was a late-80s thing.
Rod Stewart : Baby Jane
Well, it's him. I like his voice but his ... everything else.. difficult. And by difficult I mean... difficult.
Paul Young : Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
Originally a Marvin Gaye tune. It's warm, even for the otherwise cold stylization. I don't mind this one bit.
New Edition : Candy Girl
Black boy band, sounds like Jackson 5. Good energy, not very interesting.
Kajagoogoo : Big Apple
I don't think I like Kajagoogoo. They annoy me and what's worse, they have extremely uninteresting songs, from what I've heard so far. This brass riff isn't so bad, though.
Tina Turner : Let's Stay Together
It's great, I like this a lot. Tina's dancing in the video is an attractive mixture of epileptic and sexy, which is.. attractive.
Human League : Fascination
I'm biased. This was on Grand Theft Auto Vice City, so ironically it's a part of my own adolescence, though originally it was headache-inducing. Never saw the video before though, and wow: awesome/weird/disgusting.
Howard Jones : New Song
I would listen to it again. I like his appearance too; doesn't look like an asshole, but does sound like a one-hit oneder. Oh-need-er.
UB40 : Please Don't Make Me Cry
Pronounced bass guitar, minimal instrumentation = cool and calm vibe, almost sleepy. I like it, I do.. but it's a little weak.
Roberta Flack : Tonight I Celebrate My Love
It's sweet. Lush, but sweet, and feels honest, and I like it. She's the original singer of Killing Me Softly!
Tracey Ullman : They Don't Know
I don't really know what's ironic and what's painfully sincere. It's catchy and I don't absolutely hate it. Funny video. Paul cameo! And she slightly reminds me of a pre-Madonna. Prima Donna pre-madonna ok I'll stop..
Will Powers : Kissing With Confidence
It may qualify for worst song ever. Actually it was part of a self-help themed comedy album by real name Lynn Goldsmith.
Genesis : That's All
I always said I couldn't handle the sound of Phil Collins/Genesis music but it is growing on me. Or maybe I'm just getting lamer. Though the chorus hook sounds so much like Aerosmith's Same Old Song and Dance it's suspicious.
The Cure : The Love Cats
This is proof that the British have pretty much always had better taste in music than us. Charted at number 7 (nowhere at all in the US) and even so, it's amazing this was a popular song at all. Also proof that musical tastes in general have progressively homogenized; can you imagine hearing this on the radio now? It sounds like a sad kid's art project. Anyway, I'll be surprised if there's a cooler song on any Now album.
Simple Minds : Waterfront
Kind of rocks. In my mind I'm still trying to tie the stylistic threads together (check out the blog title..) but it sounds like some U2 and some 70s hard rock, along with a happy slathering of new wave gloss. But it has an aggressive, even sinister propulsiveness (single-note bass line, cool!) that is very attractive.
Madness : The Sun and the Rain
Sounds incredibly British but has an electric energy to it, great transition to chorus. The intermittent high-pitched strings are a nice touch.
Culture Club : Victims
I think I could very easily become a Culture Club/Boy George fan. This moves me inexplicably. Inexplicably because it's not the kind of music I typically seek or enjoy, and on some levels I don't even much care for it, and yet it goes somewhere deep and has power, inexplicably. Reminds me of genius!
Phil Collins : You Can't Hurry Love
There's no understating how glorious this is, in virtually every way. Ok that's a lot, but it's cool. And originally a Supremes song! And it's interesting to me how this introduction (prominent bass riff + drums) becomes periodically famous now and again.
Duran Duran : Please Please Tell Me Now
1980s, yeah! This extreme emphasis on the off beat (2 and 4) that was so popular during this time always amuses me. Fluff and some more fluff with fluff on top, however.
UB40 : Red Red Wine
Iconic, purdy. I used to hate it, cheesed out by it, but it has improved for me considerably. Originally Neil Diamond? Pretty neat, and he eventually came to play it in UB40's style in his own performances, which I found interesting.
Limahl : Only For Love
Is this an 80s pop song? I don't have anything to say about it. The video, the hair. -_-
Heaven 17 : Temptation
Bad and good. This violin/string sample, the female vocalist's voice... but very 80s. The video is something wonderful as well.
KC and the Sunshine Band : Give it Up
.. for the 1970s? It reminds me of Britney Spears in 2013 Same idea I guess. It's kind of neat to hear that very low-mixed, bright synth chords in the background. Actually kind of tasteful in my opinion. Or is it just a dubstep breakdown?
Malcom Mclaren : Double Dutch
There's something I like about it, but difficult to elucidate. Seems intelligent, but maybe just contrived. The bassline rocks a lot, and is very catchy
Bonnie Tyler : Total Eclipse of the Heart
It's so good. Fuck you, it's so good. So so good.
Culture Club : Karma Chamelon
I absolutely love it. But proceed with caution: EXTREME earworm hazard.
Men Without Hats : Safety Dance
Oh it's just classic. Crystallized classic. Never seen the video before though! Great!
Kajagoogoo : Too Shy
A whole lot of no going on here. Spare yourself or punish yourself, the choice is yours.
Mike Oldfield : Moonlight Shadow
It's not new wave! It's not new wave! But I can still hear new wave -_- But very nice guitar solo )
Men At Work : Down Under
I'm biased, have always loved this song. I'd never seen the video before, though -- it's funny!
Rock Steady Crew : Hey You (Rock Steady Crew)
Why, hell yes. And I honestly did not realize hip-hop had developed this early; always assumed it was a late-80s thing.
Rod Stewart : Baby Jane
Well, it's him. I like his voice but his ... everything else.. difficult. And by difficult I mean... difficult.
Paul Young : Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
Originally a Marvin Gaye tune. It's warm, even for the otherwise cold stylization. I don't mind this one bit.
New Edition : Candy Girl
Black boy band, sounds like Jackson 5. Good energy, not very interesting.
Kajagoogoo : Big Apple
I don't think I like Kajagoogoo. They annoy me and what's worse, they have extremely uninteresting songs, from what I've heard so far. This brass riff isn't so bad, though.
Tina Turner : Let's Stay Together
It's great, I like this a lot. Tina's dancing in the video is an attractive mixture of epileptic and sexy, which is.. attractive.
Human League : Fascination
I'm biased. This was on Grand Theft Auto Vice City, so ironically it's a part of my own adolescence, though originally it was headache-inducing. Never saw the video before though, and wow: awesome/weird/disgusting.
Howard Jones : New Song
I would listen to it again. I like his appearance too; doesn't look like an asshole, but does sound like a one-hit oneder. Oh-need-er.
UB40 : Please Don't Make Me Cry
Pronounced bass guitar, minimal instrumentation = cool and calm vibe, almost sleepy. I like it, I do.. but it's a little weak.
Roberta Flack : Tonight I Celebrate My Love
It's sweet. Lush, but sweet, and feels honest, and I like it. She's the original singer of Killing Me Softly!
Tracey Ullman : They Don't Know
I don't really know what's ironic and what's painfully sincere. It's catchy and I don't absolutely hate it. Funny video. Paul cameo! And she slightly reminds me of a pre-Madonna. Prima Donna pre-madonna ok I'll stop..
Will Powers : Kissing With Confidence
It may qualify for worst song ever. Actually it was part of a self-help themed comedy album by real name Lynn Goldsmith.
Genesis : That's All
I always said I couldn't handle the sound of Phil Collins/Genesis music but it is growing on me. Or maybe I'm just getting lamer. Though the chorus hook sounds so much like Aerosmith's Same Old Song and Dance it's suspicious.
The Cure : The Love Cats
This is proof that the British have pretty much always had better taste in music than us. Charted at number 7 (nowhere at all in the US) and even so, it's amazing this was a popular song at all. Also proof that musical tastes in general have progressively homogenized; can you imagine hearing this on the radio now? It sounds like a sad kid's art project. Anyway, I'll be surprised if there's a cooler song on any Now album.
Simple Minds : Waterfront
Kind of rocks. In my mind I'm still trying to tie the stylistic threads together (check out the blog title..) but it sounds like some U2 and some 70s hard rock, along with a happy slathering of new wave gloss. But it has an aggressive, even sinister propulsiveness (single-note bass line, cool!) that is very attractive.
Madness : The Sun and the Rain
Sounds incredibly British but has an electric energy to it, great transition to chorus. The intermittent high-pitched strings are a nice touch.
Culture Club : Victims
I think I could very easily become a Culture Club/Boy George fan. This moves me inexplicably. Inexplicably because it's not the kind of music I typically seek or enjoy, and on some levels I don't even much care for it, and yet it goes somewhere deep and has power, inexplicably. Reminds me of genius!
