Now Yearbook 1993

Now is proud to present the next instalment in their ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – and takes a look back 31 years ago – with 78 tracks on 4 CDs or 44 tracks on 3 LPs, to celebrate a stellar year of Pop singles… NOW – Yearbook 1993.

Opening with a posthumous #1 for Freddie Mercury with the remix of ‘Living On My Own’, before the first of two tracks included on this ‘Yearbook’ from Pet Shop Boys taken from their classic 1993 album ‘Very’, ‘Can You Forgive Her?’. New Order returned to the Top 5 with ‘Regret’, and R.E.M. had a string of hits including ‘The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite’. One of the highlights of 1993 was the Chart renaissance of Duran Duran – and ‘Come Undone’ features next (with another to come on Disc Four). Take That had their first #1 with ‘Pray’, Ace Of Base scored a global smash with ‘All That She Wants’, and a-ha were back in the Top 20, plus Whitney Houston and Lisa Stansfield had huge singles from the soundtrack of ‘The Bodyguard’ and the collaboration between West End feat. Sybil produced a massive floor-filler. Long established superstars enjoyed huge success in 1993 including Billy Joel, Annie Lennox, Sade and Sting, who closes the first disc with his timeless ‘Fields Of Gold’.

Disc Two opens with two of the year’s newer charting bands: Radiohead with ‘Creep’, and Suede with ‘So Young’ – both destined to become an essential part of the fabric of the decades’ Charts. Paul Weller returned with ‘Wild Wood’, and Paul McCartney was back in the Top 20 with ‘Hope Of Deliverance’. A popular tv-ad propelled The Bluebells to #1 with ‘Young At Heart’, 9 years after its first release. M People and Dina Carroll both had hugely successful Pop-Dance albums containing a number of big hit singles, and Pop-Trance crossover hits are featured from Cappella, Urban Cookie Collective, and Utah Saints along with big club tracks from D:Ream, Leftfield, The Beloved and Jamiroquai – who were celebrating their first (of many) Top 10 singles. The disc closes with 3 of the years’ Reggae smashes including #1s from Shaggy with ‘Oh Carolina’ and UB40 with their cover of ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’.

The big come-back star of the year was Meat Loaf: ‘I’d Do Anything For Love…’ spent 7 weeks at #1 and was 1993’s best-selling single, and is joined on Disc 3 by Rock royalty, Bon Jovi, and Lenny Kravitz. A great run of Alt-Rock/Pop follows from Manic Street Preachers, Spin Doctors, Crowded House, The Cranberries and the massive ‘What’s Up?’ from 4 Non Blondes. Soul and R&B smashes are featured next and include huge hits from Arrested Development, SWV, Shara Nelson and the #1 debut ‘Dreams’ from Gabrielle. The disc winds down with some of the years’ most soulful ballads including ‘Delicate’, ‘Now I Know What Made Otis Blue’ and finishing with ‘In Your Care’ from Tasmin Archer.

The final disc is all about anthemic Pop! – and kicks off with defining tracks from Duran Duran with the sublime ‘Ordinary World’, and Pet Shop Boys with their superb cover of ‘Go West’. The #1 collaboration between Take That and Lulu is followed by dance-floor gold from Robin S, SNAP! feat. Niki Harris, Haddaway, and RuPaul. Pop legends are lined up on Disc 4 including Bananarama, Kim Wilde, Deborah Harry and Gloria Estefan ahead of enduring artists Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Go West and Tears For Fears, and love songs from Lisa Stansfield and Dina Carroll lead to a sign-off from Elton John and Kiki Dee with their version of ‘True Love’, which was a Top 3 single through the Christmas period.

Now – Yearbook 1993 – A celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a truly magnificent year in Pop.

Tracklist 

CD1 

1.           Freddie Mercury - Living On My Own 

2.           Pet Shop Boys - Can You Forgive Her?     

3.           New Order - Regret        

4.           R.E.M. - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite 

5.           Duran Duran - Come Undone     

6.           Annie Lennox - Love Song For A Vampire (From Bram Stoker's "Dracula")

7.           a-ha - Dark Is The Night For All                

8.           Take That - Pray 

9.           East 17 - Deep  

10.         Ace Of Base - All That She Wants            

11.         West End feat. Sybil - The Love I Lost 

12.         Whitney Houston - I'm Every Woman 

13.         Lisa Stansfield - Someday (I'm Coming Back) 

14.         Billy Joel - The River Of Dreams 

15.         Belinda Carlisle - Big Scary Animal  

16.         Roxette - Almost Unreal                            

17.         Tina Turner - I Don't Wanna Fight 

18.         Sade - Cherish The Day 

19.         Sting - Fields Of Gold  

CD2 

1.           Radiohead - Creep  

2.           Suede - So Young 

3.           Paul Weller - Wild Wood 

4.           Paul McCartney - Hope Of Deliverance 

5.           The Bluebells - Young At Heart  

6.           Sonia - Better The Devil You Know  

7.           Dina Carroll - Express 

8.           M People - Moving On Up 

9.           Cappella - U Got 2 Let The Music 

10.         Urban Cookie Collective - The Key, The Secret

11.         U.S.U.R.A. - Open Your Mind 

12.         Utah Saints - Believe In Me  

13.         D:Ream – Unforgiven 

14.         Leftfield - Open Up 

15.         Stereo MC's - Step It Up 

16.         The Beloved – Sweet Harmony 

17.         Sunscreem - Broken English 

18.         Jamiroquai - Too Young To Die 

19.         Chaka Demus & Pliers - Tease Me 

20.         Shaggy - Oh Carolina 

21.         UB40 - (I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You

CD3

1.           Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

2.           Bon Jovi - In These Arms 

3.           Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way 

4.           Manic Street Preachers - From Despair To Where

5.           Spin Doctors - Two Princes 

6.           Soul Asylum - Runaway Train 

7.           Ugly Kid Joe - Cats In The Cradle 

8.           Crowded House - Distant Sun 

9.           The Cranberries - Linger 

10.         4 Non Blondes - What's Up? 

11.         Eternal - Stay     

12.         SWV - Right Here 

13.         Salt-N-Pepa - Shoop 

14.         Arrested Development - Mr. Wendal 

15.         Shara Nelson - Down That Road   

16.         Gabrielle - Dreams  

17.         Sananda Maitreya feat. Des'Ree - Delicate 

18.         Paul Young - Now I Know What Made Otis Blue 

19.         Tasmin Archer - In Your Care      

CD4

1.           Duran Duran - Ordinary World 

2.           Pet Shop Boys - Go West                            

3.           Take That feat. Lulu - Relight My Fire 

4.           M People - One Night In Heaven 

5.           Robin S - Show Me Love 

6.           RuPaul - Supermodel (You Better Work)  

7.           SNAP! feat. Niki Haris - Exterminate 

8.           Haddaway -What Is Love 

9.           Bananarama - More, More, More 

10.         Sister Sledge - Lost In Music (Sure Is Pure Remix Edit)                                               

11.         Kim Wilde - If I Can't Have You 

12.         Gloria Estefan - Go Away 

13.         Deborah Harry - I Can See Clearly 

14.         Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Stand Above Me

15.         Tears For Fears - Break It Down Again 

16.         Go West - What You Won't Do For Love 

17.         Lisa Stansfield - In All The Right Places 

18.         Dina Carroll - Don't Be A Stranger 

19.         Elton John & Kiki Dee - True Love