NOW – Yearbook 1994 (Special Edition 4CD)

Step back to the mid ‘90s – an unforgettable time in the singles charts featuring pure pop, rock, soul, dance, indie and film soundtrack classics with NOW Yearbook 1994, featuring 79 amazing tracks across 4 CDs. Available as a deluxe 4CD set housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year and a track-by-track guide.

Opening with the multiple award-winning film theme ‘Streets Of Philadelphia’ from Bruce Springsteen and followed by The Pretenders with their massive hit ‘I’ll Stand By You’. Bon Jovi enjoyed the year’s best-selling album with their compilation ‘Cross Road’, and from it a #2 single with ‘Always’, and Elton John features with the first of two tracks on this collection taken from the massive ‘The Lion King’ soundtrack, ‘Circle Of Life’. Kylie Minogue returned with ‘Confide In Me’, and D:Ream hit the #1 spot with the anthemic ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. Next up, Pet Shop Boys with ‘Yesterday When I Was Mad’, and 1994 saw Alison Moyet back in the Top 40 with ‘Whispering Your Name’. Roxette’s ‘Sleeping In My Car’ opens a run of pure-pop including East 17, Let Loose, Take That’s #1 ‘Everything Changes’ and the chart debut for Boyzone with ‘Love Me For A Reason’. Beautiful soulful vocals from Boyz II Men and All-4-One are followed by ‘All I Wanna Do’ the timeless smash for Sheryl Crow and huge airplay hits for Sophie B Hawkins and the collaboration between Youssou N’Dour and Neneh Cherry on ‘7 Seconds’… and the first disc closes with the stunning ‘When We Dance’, the first single from Sting’s ’94 ‘Best Of’, ‘Fields Of Gold’.

CD2 kicks off with a stellar run of ’94 alt-pop, opening with ‘My Iron Lung’ the first single from Radiohead’s ‘The Bends’ album, and followed by R.E.M. (‘What’s The Frequency Kenneth’), Oasis with their first Top 20 hit ‘Shakermaker’, and ‘Love Spreads’ the long-awaited single from The Stone Roses. Suede are up next with ‘Stay Together’ ahead of ’94 anthems from Elastica and Primal Scream… Pop-Reggae had a huge year and is celebrated next with massive hits soundtracking the year from Dawn Penn, Brian & Tony Gold & Red Dragon, Chaka Demus & Pliers, C.J. Lewis and Pato Banton who, alongside The Reggae Revolution and Ali & Robin Campbell of UB40 took ‘Baby Come Back’ to #1. Big hits from China Black and Big Mountain come ahead of Jimmy Nail with the theme to his hit TV show ‘Crocodile Shoes’, The Beautiful South with their cover of ‘Everybody’s Talkin’’ and The Rolling Stones who scored a hit with ‘Love Is Strong’ from their album ‘Voodoo Lounge’. Crowded House were back in the Top 20 with ‘Locked Out’ and Crash Test Dummies reached #2 with ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’, whilst Stiltskin (Peter Lawlor) took ‘Inside’ a huge song originally used soundtracking a jeans commercial all the way to the top and completes the disc.

Pet Shop Boys are back to open the third disc with ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ celebrating the huge TV show and opens an amazing collection of 1994’s dance-pop gems: Whigfield enjoyed a massive chart-topper with ‘Saturday Night’ and equally huge tracks from Corona and Real McCoy feature alongside Ace Of Base with ‘The Sign’, the years’ biggest seller in the U.S. Baby D hit #1 with ‘Let Me Be Your Fantasy’ and D:Ream re-released ‘U R The Best Thing’ to become another huge hit. Tony Di Bart topped the chart with ‘The Real Thing’ and Reel 2 Real created an undeniable earworm with ‘I Like To Move It’. DJ Miko hit with a dance version of ‘What’s Up’ and Doop with ‘Doop’ became another of ‘94’s rollcall of #1s. SNAP! returned with ‘Welcome To Tomorrow (Are You Ready)’ and Clubhouse feat. Carl’s ‘Light My Fire’ lit up the dancefloor. Huge tracks from JX, The Prodigy and The Grid follow ahead of more floor-fillers from Cappella and Maxx before the disc closes with ‘Renaissance’ from M People from their award-winning ‘Elegant Slumming’ album, Haddaway, and PJ & Duncan with the first of two chart visits for ‘Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble’ a ’94 #9, that would become a #1 19 years later on re-release in 2013. 

The final disc opens with two timeless ballads from Elton John with ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ and Wet Wet Wet with ‘Love Is All Around’ which spent 15 weeks at #1! More beautiful ballads from Richard Marx and Roxette are next before the debut solo hit ‘I Believe’ for Marcella Detroit and another #1 ‘Sure’ for Take That. Pop-R&B from newer hitmakers Michelle Gayle, Eternal and The Brand New Heavies leads to a pair of the greatest vocalists of all time, Donna Summer and Aretha Franklin with new hits for ’94 ‘Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved)’ and ‘A Deeper Love’. Salt-N-Pepa duetting with En Vogue and Warren G with Nate Dogg both hit with rap/pop crossover tracks and Seal returned to the chart with ‘Prayer For The Dying’ the first single from his second self-titled album. A trio of powerful vocal ballads are next from Toni Braxton, Gloria Estefan and Wendy Moten and lead to the final two tracks on our celebration of 1994. Dina Carroll began the year with the new-year themed ‘The Perfect Year’, and East 17 complete the collection with the Christmas #1 ‘Stay Another Day’ a perennial festive favourite.

NOW Yearbook 1994 – a celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a magical year in pop.