NOW – Yearbook Extra 1985-1989: The Final Chapter (3CD)

NOW is proud to present 60 more essential hits from an unforgettable half-decade: ‘NOW – Yearbook Extra 1985–1989: The Final Chapter’ – the perfect companion to our recent ‘NOW – Yearbook 1985-1989: The Final Chapter’ collection.

We did mean it when we said ‘final’… but the late ’80s were simply overflowing with era-defining anthems, sophisticated pop, stadium rock and soulful ballads, and these gems demanded their own spotlight!

Disc One opens with George Michael’s timeless ‘Kissing A Fool’, before pure Pop brilliance from Pet Shop Boys with ‘Suburbia’, a-ha with ‘The Blood That Moves The Body’ and Eurythmics’ ‘Would I Lie To You’. Chart regulars next including superb singles from Alison Moyet, The Communards, Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones sitting alongside stylish cuts from Arcadia with ‘The Promise’ and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s ‘Secret’. Alt-pop from The Cure, The Darling Buds and The Colourfield lead into more hits from Simple Minds, Paul McCartney and Sting. The disc winds down with sophisticated jazz influenced pop from Swing Out Sister and Sade, plus Go West’s ‘Goodbye Girl’- with Suzanne Vega’s ‘Small Blue Thing’ to close.

Disc Two bursts into life with the truly iconic sound of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In The U.S.A.’, before pop-rock anthems from Electric Light Orchestra, Tina Turner, Heart, Europe and Bon Jovi. Feel-good ’80s Pop from Huey Lewis & The News and Katrina & The Waves come before Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners with ‘Because Of You;, whilst a great trio of pop-soul is up next from The Pasadenas, The Four Tops and Five Star. Bananarama, Hazell Dean and Laura Branigan bring dance-pop gold alongside Gloria Estefan (‘Get On Your Feet’) and The Beatmasters featuring MC Merlin with club classic ‘Who’s In The House’. The slick 80s groove of René & Angela’s ‘I’ll be Good’ and Ray Parker Jr.’s ‘I Don’t Think That Man Should Sleep Alone’ lead to the closing track for Disc Two from Mica Paris with her cover of ‘Where Is The Love’.

Disc Three opens with a stellar run of late-’80s gems…Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Rent’ and New Order’s ‘Sub-culture’, along with The Cure’s second appearance on the collection with ‘Just Like Heaven’ and The Mission’s ‘Wasteland’. The title track from Boy George’s fist solo album leads into more great pop from King and Transvision Vamp. Tiffany enjoyed another smash with a cover version (‘I Saw Him Standing There’) and Bros, Wet Wet Wet and Rick Astley continued their unbroken runs of hits. Level 42 and Kim Wilde come ahead of the debut from Waterfront plus Hue & Cry, Hothouse Flowers and The Christians…The collection concludes with a trio of ballads: - U.S. #1’s from Debbie Gibson with ‘Lost In Your Eyes’ and Whitney Houston with ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’, before closing with the powerful and uplifting ‘(Something Inside) So Strong’ from Labi Siffre.

NOW – Yearbook Extra 1985–1989: The Final Chapter – 60 further hits that are an essential part of the story of an extraordinary and magical era in Pop.