So, apart from the dance acts, there's a fair helping of both sugary and spicy pop, of aristocratic and apprentice-shop rock, of "crunk & b" (Ciara) and "charidee" (Tony Christie). But no recycled Elvis. The aim, as always, is to round up what has been in the pop charts over the last three months, and this it does admirably, including seven tracks that made No 1 and, on the release date, nine tracks that were still in the Top 40, which is quite an achievement these days.

While it is probably true that most people will already own the albums which have spawned the best tracks, from the likes of U2, Gwen Stefani, Scissor Sisters and Chemical Brothers, I always think that the Now (and similar) series are useful as samplers of some lesser-known acts, which I might be tempted to investigate further (eg Athlete, Freefaller, Lucie Silvas). For that purpose, and the undeniable cost and room savings having 40 odd singles on one CD, this is ideal.


It sounds just like the last one!   April 13, 2005
 14 out of 46 found this review helpful

The NOW series is like toothpaste - once the current tube is spent up and redundant, people will just go out and buy another to replace it.

Even the "indie" tripe sucks - all three members of Keane in particular need to shake hands on a no-more-records pact before exhaling copious amounts of oxygen.

Back on my very first day of life, the Inspiral Carpets and KLF were still riding high in UK chart rankings. Nearly fifteen years later, acts such as Scissor Sisters and Elbow are taking their place. Has much really changed? Um...

Well, at least KLF were trying to dupe the machine.

"THEASE IS HOW IT FEELS TO BE LAOOOWWOAOWONLY"


60 volumes, and still going strong   April 9, 2005
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

It's hard to believe that the Now series has been going for 22 years, but here it is once again with the kind of quality compilation we've come to expect from Ashley Abram and co.

When I first saw the tracklist, I was impressed with the quality and variety of music on offer here. Having given it two weeks' listening time, I can confirm it sounds as good as it looks! I also love the way the music is split down the middle: disc 1 for party moods, disc 2 for those heavier times.

All in all, Now 60 manages to deliver something for everyone (or everything for someone). A few of my personal favourite tracks are Uniting Nations' "Out Of Touch", Sunset Strippers' "Falling Stars", Chemical Brothers' "Galvanise" and the brilliant "Somebody Told Me" from The Killers. This is really amazing stuff, managing to thoroughly squash the competition. If you haven't already, GO BUY IT!!!