Customer Reviews

Now That's What I Call Music, Vol. 1

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Out of all the NOW CDs, this one is the best. Sure, the songs are "old" by now, but they were all big pop hits at the time of this CDs release, while, with the newer NOWs, only about half of the songs could really be considered big hits. Here's a quick overview.

1. "Together Again" - Janet: I never really liked Janet Jackson, but I did like this song. It has a really nice message, and it definitely deserved to be a hit

2. "As Long As You Love Me" - Backstreet Boys: OK, as a huge BSB fan, I'm biased toward this song. BUT, it really is a great pop song, with it's simple, nice melody, and cute lyrics.

3. "The Way" - Fastball: This was another huge hit way bakc in 1997. It's the type of song that you either a)Like it a lot at first, then get sick of it... or b)Hate it at first, but grow to love it.

4. "Flagpole Sitta" - Harvey Danger: One of THE best tracks on the album! I usually don't like this type of music (alternative/punk/pop mix), but this one is catchy as hell.

5. "Say You'll Be There" - Spice Girls: How could you have a compilation of the hits of the late '90s without including the Spice Girls? And whether you like the girls or not, this IS a catchy song!

6. "All My Life" - K-Ci & JoJo: A very pretty R&B ballad, and a big hit in 1997. Ballad fans just have to have this in their collection! Don't like ballads? Then this is filler for you.

7. "Never Ever" - All Saints: The only song by the psuedo-Spice Girls I ever liked. It has a really nice beat (it samples "Amazing Grace.") and the vocals are pretty good.

8. "If You Could Only See" - Tonic: This reminds me of all the hits that I hear today, by bands like Staind, Creed, and the like.

9. "Mmmm Bop" - Hanson: This song was essential for this CD. Like the Spice Girls, you couldn't have a compliatin of the hits of 1997 without Hanson's "Mmm Bop!" These boys brang back pop music!

10. "Zoot Suit Riot" - Cherry Poppin' Daddies: OK, I hate this song. Simple as that. Send this(...) back to the big-band era where it belongs!

11. "Shorty (You Keep Playing With My Mind" - Imajin: OK, I was wrong before. This was never a hit. I doubt most people have even heard of it. I wonder how much Jive payed to get this song put on the CD for publicity? Anyway, it's not bad once you listen to it. It's really catchy R&B/pop.

12. "Anytime" - Brian McKnight: Another soulful R&B ballad. Interestingly, this song was also on the "Grammy Nominees 1999" CD, so it spanned a good two years as a hit song!

13. "Barbie Girl" - Aqua: Remember this song? It really is a pop classic, and very original.

14. "Karma Police" - Radiohead: Another favorite track. This song is just haunting. A musical masterpiece.

15. "I Will Buy You a New Life" - Everclear: Another alternative pop hit that is very catchy.

16. "Fly Away" - Lenny Kravitz: Interestingly, this song didn't become a hit until AFTER appearing on this CD. Anyway, it's a great, catchy song. In my opinion, better than Lenny's new stuff.

17. "Sex & Candy" - Marcy Playground: A great end to a hit-filled package. This one is actually reminiscent of "Karma Police," only more poppy.

BOTTOM LINE: An album full of hits... from 1997. New pop fans may not be into it.

The first is the best of the series with the exception of Now 4. With names like Backstreet Boys,Janet Jackson,Hanson,Spice Girls,and Lenny Kravitz,you can't go wrong. Songs include the booming Janet hit "Together Again",the soft-rock station favorite "As Long As You Love Me",and the #1 air-wave dominator Mmm-Bop. Kick back,relax,and enjoy!

I bought this album only knowing a few of the songs, but when I heard the other songs, I knew this was a great album! With great songs like Fastball's "The Way" and Backstreet Boys' "As Long As You Love Me", you can't go wrong! Janet's "Together Again" has a fun beat to it! I also liked Lenny Kravitz's song "Fly Away" because it had cool music and lyrics. I had never heard Everclear's "I Will Buy You A New Life" or Tonic's "If You Could Only See" some of the rock songs featured on the album, but they were good once I listened to them! Aqua's "Barbie Girl" has the coolest music, and I liked the album's swing track, Cherry Poppin' Daddies' "Zoot Suit Riot" because it had neat background music. This album has teen-pop, rock, swing, and R&B! It is great for the Top-40 listener who wants a pop compilation CD with variety! I liked it, and I know you will!

This was the start of an onslaught of yearly 'greatest hits' albums, comp. of every track that's already been overplayed enough on the radio just for the consumer to overplay it even more on their stereo. This is the culprit for starting the revolution. Anyways...the idea wasn't a terrible one. Take the ost popular songs of the 'Top 40' year and throw them on one album, giving the average consumer a chance to score their favorite songs without spending a fortune. There are a few misteps every year, so heres the breakdown of Vol. 1.

When this was released I was a pophead. I was young and loved this kind of music. I listen to much more music now, still listening to Top 40 on occasion because it's mindless and nice to just vibe to with no agenda. Talentwise, pop stars are at the bottom of the food chain mostly because they can't play and or write their own music, but they do serve some sort of entertainment factor as long as you don't have to watch them try to dance.

Janet starts us off with 'Together Again' and she does alright. 'As Long as you Love Me' was one of my favorite Backstreet songs. As I said, I was a huge pophead at the time and loved the Backstreet Boys. Personally, don't much care for them anymore...Nick is too whiney to even be considered a good vocalist, while at least Justin Timberlake (of the much better N'Sync) can sing and dance and thus delivers a well-rounded solo album.

Sorry about that...

Fastball, Harvey Danger, Tonic, Radiohead, Everclear, Lenny Kravitz, Marcy's Playground and Hanson (dear god) deliver our pop/rock tracks and I will admitt that I loved, and still love 'Flagpole Sitta' as well as anything Everclear. Marcy's Playground was probbaly the biggest one hit wonder ever, and 'Sex and Candy' was worth the wonder. Good song, not perfect, a little overrated but overall still memerable.

KC&JoJo, All Saints and even The Spice Girls pull off good tracks. The point of this album is not to be the best music of the year but the most popular and, probably, the funest songs of any given year. These are the songs that will make you bop your head and tap your feet...even if you hate to admitt it.

Probably my favorite track here (and total proof of what I just said) is Barbie Girl by Aqua...I loved that song when it came out because it was a perfect satire and just cracked me up...and I was 12...so now it's even funnier! Great parody. The album is not at the top of my replay list, but it helps me remember younger days, when I was a kid and I remember them with a smile of my face! Not great music but decent and it serves it's purpose. I may not be a pophead anymore, but I can appreciate a good trip down memory lane every once in a while!

As I listen to the just released Now 18 album, I still think about that very first Now album from 1998. I bought it back then, because I recognized a lot of my favorite songs. Many of those songs on there still hold up, especially Janet Jackson's Together Again, songs by the Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls, K-CI and JoJo, Lenny Kravitz (who's even on Now 18--still a hot staple), and Imajin's song. I still love the adventurous Tonic's If You Could Only See. Makes me feel like I'm in Florida in the Everglades area hearing it. There was more of an emphasis on pop back then. These days, the Now albums focus more on rap and rock, which are also exciting to hear. When it reached Volume 10 in 2002, I couldn't believe it. The only songs that still don't grab me are the silly Harvey Danger song and Marcy Playground's sounds-as-if-the-lead singer-was-drunk-in-the-studio-recording-it song, Sex and Candy. It has had a strong shelf life, as many of the Now albums have gone platinum or multi platinum. Some of them weren't well put together, but most of the 18 albums are top notch. They have inspired other similar music compilations like Totally Hits with the 18-, 19- or 20-song format, but they're really no contest. So the Now series that actually started overseas has been a success here. They have a unique way of balancing the songs on the albums and acknowledge many genres on it. This first album was the benchmark to a successful series of Now volumes that still continue 6 yrs. later! Getting the new Now 18 just makes things come full circle as I'm writing this review of the very first one!

Together Again- Janet Jackson- Not her greatest song. 3/5
As Long As You Love Me- Great song back then and still is. 4/5
Fastball- The Way- Only recently after watching VH1 did I actually learn what this song ment :P Great song, one of the best ones on this C.D. 5/5
Flagpole- Harvey Sitta- kind of annoying the first time you here it, gets WORSE afterwords :/ 2/5
Say You'll Be There- It's pretty hard to be listening to a NOW C.D. and deny this song. Spice Girls truely are the girl group of pop whether you like them or not. 4/5
All My Life- K-Ci&JoJo- Great soul song. Self-explanitory. 4.5/5
Never Ever- No Saints- Appearently, the 'radio edit' didn't help tone down the pure annoyance and longness of this song. 1/5
If you could only see- Tonic- I don't care what other people say, I like this song. I don't know the band to well though. 3.5/5
MMMBop- Hanson- This song WAS cool, but even then and still now, the headaches come quickly. 2,5/5
Zoot Suit Riot- Cherry Poppin' Daddies- This song is Ok the first couple of times, but then your start realising, 'Would you shut up??'- 2.5/5
Shorty- you keep playin' with my mind- uhh... lol. 0.5/5
Anytime- Brian Mcnight- Pretty good love song. 4.5/5
Barbie Girl- Aqua- This is just a fun, good song. Good then, good now. 4/5
Karma Police- Radiohead- Not the biggest Radiohead fan here, and having trouble figuring out what this song is about :/- 2.5/5
I will buy you a new life- Everclear- I like this song alot. While other people may say 'Father of Mine' is a better song, I would disagree mostly because this is more alternative rock and 'Father of mine' is very poppish and barely alternitive. 4.5/5.
Fly Away- Lenny Kravitz- This was an awsome song when it came out, and it's Ok when you listen to it a couple of times, but then you here this terrible voice come out of Lenny with an almost cracking edge to it. 3/5,
Sex& Candy- This is a pretty darn good song because it's a song that's harder to get sick of, mostly because it's hard to actually fit in a music catagory. Try it. :)- 4/5.

Being from the UK and being pretty much spoon fed with the Now series for music it surprised me that the most advanced country in the world was only just starting out with this series but regardless of how long its been going this a really good cd.

Obviously when i bought the CD i had not heard all of the songs had not been hits in the UK so it may have been a bit of risky purchase despite knowing the biggest majority of them. Of the songs i had heard my favourite was the sweet soul harmonies of K-Ci & JoJo's All My Life.

To my surprise though my favourite songs turned out to be the ones that i didn't know. Flagpole Sitta and I Will Buy You A New Life in particular. This sort of rocky pop sound is pretty much non existent in the UK so hearing this was very refreshing.

My only criticism is that there is only one cd and 17 songs. In the UK we have always had two cd's and now have at least 40 songs on every edition if not more. Maybe as the series progresses in the future this could be achieved but overall it is a good start to the series if not as good as Britain's first Now back in 1983.

I rated this CD 6 years ago on here and thought I would update them all again since I stopped at NOW 14. These songs were popular in my junior year of high school and some I still listen too. I am surprised to say some of my ratings have changed.

1. Janet, Together Again: It was an ok song but not the best song on her Velvet Rope CD. B

2. Backstreet Boys, As Long As You Love Me: This was a popular song when I was in high school. I always liked it. A

3. Fastball, The Way: Fastball I have no clue who they are let alone who they were 12 years ago but at least I can listen to it now. C

4. Harvey Danger, Flagpole Sitta: This was a song I hated back in the day but I have grown to like it. B

5. Spice Girls, Say You'll Be There: I don't care what people say I liked the Spice Girls. A

6. K-Ci & JoJo, All My Life: It's was a good song at the prom but it got old really quick. B-

7. All Saints, Never Ever: Never ever again! F

8. Tonic, If You Could Only See: I loved this song 12 years ago and I can still listen to it today. A

9. Hanson, MMMBop: MMMBop? More like MMMEwww. The only thing going for Hanson was their hair not their singing talent! F-

10. Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Zoot Suit Riot: I actually learned how to swing from this song. Not only is it catchy but it helped bring back swing. A-

11. Imajin, Shorty: I have no comment on this one as I have no idea who they are. F

12. Brian McKnight, Anytime: This was a good song didn't like it when it was popular but I do like it now. B

13. Aqua, Barbie Girl: I love this song it is one of my favorite on this cd. A+

14. Radiohead, Karma Police: I didn't like it when I heard it on the radio but over the years it grew to the point of actually liking it. B-

15. Everclear, I Will Buy You A New Life: This is a good song on a great CD. A

16. Lenny Kravitz, Fly Away: I liked this song and I still do. Sometimes I wish I could fly away. A-

17. Marcy Playground, Sex & Candy: I think this was a fitting song to be on the end of this cd. A

Well Now its Then, but Back then it was Now. Its a collection of 17 popular songs from '98 Its selected some gr8 stuff like Imajin, Hanson, Fastball, Harvy Danger, K-ci&JoJo, Brian Mcknight, Lenny Kravitz, and Everclear. Good cd!

The first NOW doesn't really bite nor is it the bets one. I think it mixed a lot of hits in one collection, which is the first compilation I actually thought was good.
Highlights Include:
Janet Jackson "Together Again"- that catchy hit by Janet that got irritating every time I turned on the radio and it was on.
Spice Girls "Say You'll Be There"- the second hit off their multi-platinum album SPICE.
Backstreet Boys "As Long AS You Love Me"- the song that helped start their horrid career. DARN THAT SONG!