NOW – Yearbook Extra 1989 (3CD)

NOW Music proudly presents 60 more essential singles from the magical year of Pop that was 1989.

CD1 kicks off with ‘Breakthru’, the second Top 10 hit from Queen’s 1989 album ‘The Miracle’, followed by Duran Duran with their stand-alone single ‘Burning The Ground’ released to promote their ‘Decade’ compilation. A-ha are next with their final hit of the ‘80s: ‘You Are The One’ before Eurythmics feature with ‘Don’t Ask Me Why’, alongside one of 1989’s standout collaborations between Tears For Fears and Oleta Adams on the stunning ‘Woman In Chains’. The Cure and Simple Minds follow along with alt-pop from Fuzzbox and Transvision Vamp. Fine Young Cannibals hit #1 in the US with ‘Good Thing’, with their album ‘The Raw & The Cooked’ also hitting the top spot here, as did Simply Red’s third album, ‘A New Flame’, with the title track included here. Holly Johnson enjoyed a third hit, ‘Atomic City’ from his #1 album ‘Blast’ while Lisa Stansfield had her debut solo hit with ‘This Is The Right Time’. The team of Stock, Aitken & Waterman enjoyed a particularly stellar year; Kylie Minogue achieved a seventh consecutive Top 2 single, ‘Wouldn’t Change A Thing’, written and produced by the team – while CD1 closes with the third #1 in 1989 for Jason Donovan – produced by the trio – with a cover of ‘Sealed With A Kiss’.

Tina Turner opens CD2 with the second hit from her album ‘Foreign Affair’: ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose You’, followed by a superb run of soul influenced R&B from Soul II Soul, Ten City, Jody Watley and Bobby Brown. Both Neneh Cherry and S’Express feature with their third hits ‘Hey Music Lover’ and ‘Kisses On The Wind’, and Double Trouble & Rebel MC had a #3 smash with ‘Street Tuff’. Elton John features with ‘Healing Hands’, the lead single from his album ‘Sleeping With The Past’, alongside Paul McCartney with ‘My Brave Face’ from his ‘Flowers In The Dirt’ album, and ‘Veronica’, a hit McCartney co-wrote with Elvis Costello from his acclaimed album ‘Spike’. Deacon Blue, The Beautiful South, Danny Wilson and The Lightning Seeds follow, before this disc’s final tracks, ballads from Spandau Ballet, Wet Wet Wet, Then Jerico and Poison with their U.S. #1 ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’.

The final disc begins with a stellar line-up of dance pop: Donna Summer opens with ‘Love’s About To Change My Heart’ – her third hit in 1989, ahead of second appearances from Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, along with Big Fun, Martika, London Boys, and Liza Minnelli with ‘Don’t Drop Bombs’, the second single from her Pet Shop Boys-produced album ‘Results’. ‘Run 2’ from New Order is next before the single version of ‘Fascination Street’ from The Cure, non-album single ‘Pop Song’ from David Sylvian and, ‘Do You Believe In Shame’, a second inclusion for Duran Duran. Superb pop hits from T’Pau, The Bangles, Belinda Carlisle, The Four Tops and Debbie Gibson lead into huge ballads from Yazz with ‘Fine Time’, and Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine with ‘Can’t Stay Away From You’. 1989 saw Cliff Richard release his 100th single ‘The Best Of Me’ which reached #2, as did our closing hit; taken from the musical ‘Aspects Of Love’; ‘Love Changes Everything’ by Michael Ball.

NOW – Yearbook Extra 1989 - a further celebration of the diversity and magic of the year in Pop.