Before the days of Limewire, MP3 players, iPods, iPhones, MySpace, YouTube, SoundCloud, Sirius and Twitter, the youth of the 90s had considerably less ways to get new music. FM radio provided most of the tunes; occasionally, I’d score a CD at f.y.e. or a movie soundtrack on a cassette tape. Remember when those things unraveled? Ugh. In 1998, Now That’s What I Call Music came along and the game was changed. All the hits you loved hearing (whether you’ll admit it now or not) were now available in one concise compact disc, portable for parties and without those pesky radio commercials.
Flash forward a few years and a few light years of technological advancement and Now is still churning out the compilations. The most recent release (Now 48)(Ed.: Jeez, there are 48 of these?? How did they last long enough to churn out 48?) proudly pairs electronic music from genre superstars with the latest Katy Perry and Miley hits. Somehow, in the age of music piracy, Now beats on as steadily as the bass in a Beatport Top 10 track, compiling radio hits into one release available for in-store purchase or download, albeit a few (or several) months behind the curve. Here’s a track list for those that are curious:
1. Roar- Katy Perry
2. Blurred Lines [feat. T.I., Pharrell]- Robin Thicke
3. Take Back The Night- Justin Timberlake
4. Summertime Sadness- [Lana Del Rey vs. Cedric Gervais] (Cedric Gervais Remix / Radio Edit)
5. Get Lucky [feat. Pharrell Williams]- Daft Punk
6. Treasure- Bruno Mars
7. Love Somebody- Maroon 5
8. Wake Me Up- Avicii
9. We Can’t Stop Miley- Cyrus
10. Applause- Lady Gaga
11. Slow Down- Selena Gomez
12. Everything Has Changed [feat. Ed Sheeran]- Taylor Swift
13. Brave- Sara Bareilles
14. Still Into You- Paramore
15. Sail- AWOLNATION
16. That’s My Kind Of Night- Luke Bryan
17. Harlem (NOW What’s Next!)- New Politics
18. I Believe (NOW What’s Next!)- Basic Vacation
19. Drunken Hearts (NOW What’s Next!)- Wallpaper.
20. On Our Way (NOW What’s Next!)- The Royal Concept