Search results: Culture Beat

Review: Everyone has their favourite time in pop music but many would argue that the 80s is unbeatable. The legendary NOW series charted that decade and many after with their regular compilation installments and now they look back with a bumper 81-track collection. There were over 1500 new entries in the UK top 40 singles chart between 1980 and 1984 and the best of them are here across six sides of vinyl. Wham!, Eurythmics, Kate Bush, The Smiths, Scritti Politti, Sade, Spandau Ballet, Roxy Music, The Police, Paul McCartney, Kim Wilde, Toyah and many others souls as good now as ever.

Review: 'Walk Like an Egyptian', 'Funkytown', 'Bette Davis Eyes', 'Physical' - a small selection of legendary songs from this titanic collection of American hits from the 80s that are featured in this compilation. Musicians that have had an international and timeless appeal, influencing modern charting acts to this day like Dua Lipa and even influencing manga artists like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure author Hirohiko Araki, who named characters after bands like R.E.M and AC/DC. There's not much that can be said here that the thousands of litres of ink spilt on icons like Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner - every name here has transcended the traditional pop cycle into household names, almost half a century later. This is a must-grab for the 80s collector, the nostalgic and the uninitiated alike. To call these tracks peak artistry is to put it lightly.

Review: Surely one of the most recognisable brands in all of British music, the NOW series is still going strong. Famed for their snapshot compilations which provided and overview of what was hot back in the 80s, 90s and 00s, they now offer up vast compendiums that capture the very best of entire decades. Enter this new and three part series which focusses on all 40 years of its existence across three volumes, each one a double album packed with pop hits. This one focusses on 1993-2003 and is a real time warp.