Now That's What I Call Music! 82

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e. NOW 1) which makes this set rather interesting and while, of course, the material is full of big pop hits, it inevitably feels a bit ‘fresher’ than the perhaps over-compiled 84/85 era. NOW 82 does not include any Billboard Hot 100 number ones, but the closest entries on that chart were the first and ninth tracks, “abc (nicer)” and “Big Energy”, both peaking at number three. NOW Yearbook ’82 comes as a 4CD deluxe hardcover book edition and a 3LP set pressed on yellow vinyl. As with previous editions, there’s also a standard 4CD in a card sleeve, but the hardcover book deluxe comes with a 28-page booklet with a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz and original singles artwork. As a brief sidebar, I can tell you that the contest was held in Harrogate in the UK, in 1982, and 12-year-old me lived there and so I went down to the International Conference Centre and saw the acts arrive!

The full track listings are below, but in true 80s pop fashion there’s an eclectic mix of styles and genres with dance, disco, soul, pop, post-punk and even –deep breath –two entries from the year’s Eurovision Song Contest (including Nicole’s number one ‘A Little Peace’). But it’s more than just chart-toppers; there’s some great selections here such as both of ABBA’s last two singles (‘Under Attack’ and ‘The Day Before You Came’) neither of which appeared on their last studio album, The Visitors as well as early work from bands like Duran Duran (‘Hungry Like The Wolf’), Spandau Ballet (‘Instinction’), Tears For Fears (‘Mad World’) and Culture Club (‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me’).