Kim Wilde 'Four Letter Word'

Chart Peak: 6
YouTube

It is now more than 8 years since Kim's first hit 'Kids In America'... 1988 was her most successful year for some time with the big Top 10 hit 'You Came' and 'Never Trust A Stranger'... 'Four Letter Word' made No. 6 in January 1989.

Some might argue that 1987, when she had a Number One single in the US (something she has, of course, never managed here) was bigger than 1988, but it was certainly a good year for her in her homeland, the successful single and album combined with a tour as support act to Michael Jackson at the peak of his popularity. It was a pivotal era for her as well, the last time she was recording mainly material co-written by her father Marty and brother Ricki, although Ricki continues to contribute.

'Four-Letter Word' is sometimes described as her first straight ballad single, although this seems debatable to me. It's certainly a good showcase for her breathy vocals and the slightly halting quality of her singing is a nice way to undercut the somewhat over-the-top lyric. Strangely, even though it sounds very of its time, it's still doesn't come over as dated, where some of her hits now do. It's that understated quality again that stands out. Just as well really, because that title would be a big temptation to a hostile reviewer.

Also appearing on: Now 4, 8, 13, 25
Available on: Close (Expanded Edition)

Yazz 'Fine Time'

Chart Peak: 9
YouTube

Her 3rd Top 10 hit following the success of 'The Only Way Is Up' and 'Stand Up For Your Love Rights'... 'Fine Time' made No. 9 for 2 weeks in February 1989.

It's strange that some acts are recorded by posterity as one-hit-wonders, however many hits they actually had. Yazz didn't have as many hits as Status Quo but she certainly had more than the one that seems to be remembered now - five solo Top 40s, plus collaborations with Coldcut and Aswad. 'Stand Up For Your Love Rights' got as high as 2, but it's always 'The Only Way Is Up' that gets put onto compilation albums and with the rest of her catalogue seemingly out of print (this is one of only two tracks missing from the official Now 14 Spotify playlist) the rest seem to have vanished from memory.

In fact the New Order song of the same title, which was replaced in the Top 75 by this, seems to get more of an airing these days, though I don't recall hearing it at all back then. This rather slinky number was a big fave at the time and whilst not earth-shattering, time has been kind. A track that deserves to be better remembered than it is.

Also appearing on: Now 11 [with Coldcut], 13 [Yazz and the Plastic Population]
Available on: At Her Very Best

Hue And Cry 'Looking For Linda'

Chart Peak: 15
YouTube

Following the mysterious failure of 'Ordinary Angel' which only reached No. 42, the Kane brothers finally achieved their second Top 20 single in Britain with 'Looking For Linda'... Had reached no. 16 by 19th February.

That reference to "mysterious failure" is of course because 'Ordinary Angel' found its way onto Now XIII, putting Hue And Cry among the acts with more Now appearances than Top 40 hits. 'Looking For Linda' is a definite hit; though not technically their biggest it's possibly the song most associated with them. I certainly remember it being a bit of a running gag at my school, although I can't really remember why.

At the time I couldn't really piece together the storyline, but listening back it sounds like Linda ran away from a possibly abusive partner, got drunk, got on a train at Leeds and then met Pat Kane (or at least the protagonist of this song) and snogged him, then got off at Paisley. When you actually think about it in those terms it's a bit awkward lyrically: can't quite decide whether it's social commentary or wistful male fantasy. Luckily, the music is strong enough to sweep you along and P. Kane, annoying though he can be as a media presence, is a genuinely good singer. All it really needed was a bit more grit in the production to be truly impressive. Best avoid the hammy video though.

Also appearing on: Now 10, 14, 15, 24
Available on: Top Of The Pops - Eighties

Bananarama/Lananeeneenoonoo 'Help!'

Chart Peak: 3
YouTube (Warning: contains shirtless Roland Rivron)

'Help!' was originally No.1 for the Beatles in Augst 1965 when Bananarama/Lananeeneenoonoo were only very little girls... This new version raced to No. 12 after only one week of release in mid-February 1989.

Possibly the most difficult-to-spell artist credit in the entire history of the Now albums, and the second track in a row with an exclamation mark in the title. It is of course also the second Sixties cover out of four tracks so far - as Mick Fleetwood mentioned at the Brits, that era was very prominent in the culture at the time.

This was the third official Comic Relief single, though the first released to coincide with an actual Red Nose Day event (a couple of weeks early in fact, but it was in the chart at the right time). Like the previous efforts by Cliff Richard and the Young Ones and Mel And Kim, it takes the form of a parody cover version that teams a game-for-a-laugh pop star and comedians; in this case French & Saunders and Kathy Burke reprise their parody of "The Bananas" which they debuted on their Christmas Special a few weeks earlier, bringing in the real group to play along. I presume it's only coincidence that Burke, a guest star rather than a regular member of the duo, gets to shadow the least-remembered Nana, Jacquie O'Sullivan.

Apart from a somewhat half-hearted Stock/Aitken/Waterman production, this track shares its main flaw with many of the early Comic Relief tracks - it's really more a soundtrack to a sketch than a record in its own right. It's quite funny to watch them lark about in the video, impersonating the original group and also impersonating the skiing scenes from the original Beatles movie (which are actually associated with 'Ticket To Ride' but close enough) - alas it loses too much in sound only. It's not got enough jokes to be consistently funny but there are too many for it to work as a straight cover version. Obviously, full credit to everyone for agreeing to do it, but it doesn't sound so good these days.

It does mean, though, that both Jennifer Saunders and Kathy Burke can claim to have appeared on more Now albums than Whitney Houston or the Manic Street Preachers. I don't know if they ever have claimed that, but I would.

Bananarama also appear on: Now 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15
Available on: 30 Years Of Bananarama (The Very Best Of) (Deluxe) [+video]

Erasure 'Stop!'

Chart Peak: 2
YouTube

Vincent "No Middle Names" Clarke and Andy Ivan Bell have had consistent chart success since 'Sometimes' in late 1986... 'Stop!', taken from the Crackers International EP, made No.2 in January 1989.

That middle names thing would have worked better the other way around, surely?
I must admit that even though I remember the EP charting at the time, it didn't occur to me until I looked it up yesterday that the title Crackers International was because it came out in time for Christmas. There was even a second 12" format which included a version of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen', though the release finally reached its peak at the turn of the year, when 'Mistletoe and Wine' dropped 1-5 after Boxing Day. It shares with 'Sometimes' the honour of being their highest-peaking original material.

Though the duo offered four brand new songs here, 'Stop!' was the undoubted lead track and one of their catchiest efforts despite some rather daft lyrics, including the "jump before you look/get hung up on a hook"  rhyme that I remember kids at my school making fun of. At less then three minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome either: for those taking notes at the back the version here is the fadeout edit from the original 7", not the slightly longer version that appears on some other formats.

Also appearing on: Now 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 54
Available on: Pub Jukebox: 120 Original Hits

Phil Collins 'Two Hearts'

Chart Peak: 6
YouTube

The Buster soundtrack album features this No. 6 hit, the No.1 'A Groovy Kind Of Love', one other previously unreleased Phil Collins track, the Four Tops 'Loco In Acapulco', a selection of Sixties classics and incidental music by Anne Dudley.

To follow on from yesterday's post, Buster was, like all multi-artist soundtracks, also banished from the main album chart after its sixteenth week (chart dated 7th January 1989), though it went on to enjoy a handy 36 weeks in the compilations Top 20. In retrospect it seems an interesting cultural artifact that only ten years after the Sex Pistols were trading on the shock value of the Great Train Robbery, Phil Collins - not a man known for his rebellious image - should star in a film where he effectively portrays one of the robbers as a hero. There was enough controversy to keep the Royals away from the film's premiere, but it didn't harm the profits from its recorded spin-offs: both the Collins singles topped the US chart thanks to airplay, and did very well over here too. He even left the infamous 1989 Brit Awards with two trophies, and the imminent "next generation of Collins" he mentions in his acceptance speech grew up to become successful actress Lily Collins.

In keeping with the film's Sixties setting - and also following on from 'Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart', 'Two Hearts' was co-written with Lamont Dozier (of Holland-Dozier-Holland of course) and is another example of Collins' peculiar delusion that he's somehow a soul singer. Doubtless his love of the music is genuine, and 'Loco In Acapulco', written by the same duo, is an enjoyable if not wholly convincing pastiche; but he lacks the swing to really convince with this sort of material, as he'd already proved with the very first track on the entire Now series. The song is longer and less intensely energetic than authentic Motown, though it isn't actually bad in its own right. At the time I remember thinking it a great improvement over 'Groovy Kind Of Love'. The best thing about the track is probably Anne Dudley's string arrangement. The label on my copy of Now 14 also lists her as producer, which would make her one of three members of Art Of Noise with production credits on this album - however other sources attribute it to Collins and Dozier, which does seem more likely.

Also appearing on: Now 1, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13, 17, 18, 27, 41, 44, 68
Available on: Hits

Marc Almond featuring Gene Pitney 'Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart'

Chart Peak: 1
YouTube

Pitney's original version Made No. 5 in December 1967 - just one of his 20 Top 40 hits in Britain from 1961-1974... Marc Almond had 12 Tpo 40 hits from 1981-1988 as part of the duo Soft Cell and a solo performer. In January 1989, they teamed up and raced to the top of the charts.

Early this year, an anniversary passed with little fanfare: the 25th birthday of the UK compilation album chart. From the very first day of the year, the most prolific of album acts Various Artists were exiled from the main chart; it's no coincidence that this happened shortly after the fifth anniversary of the Now! series, as it and the Hits series had come to dominate the Number One position and this made it harder for artist albums, as they're now called, to top the chart themselves. For the record - no pun intended - I think this was the right thing to do.
Unsurprisingly, the first ever Number One on the compilation chart was Now XIII, which had crossed straight over from topping the combined chart over Christmas 1988. It was Now 14 that was the first volume actually released under the new regime though, which makes it a good album to write about now, even if it would have been better to write about ten months ago. For tagging purposes it's "Now 14 (UK)" to distinguish it from the South African album I wrote about before.

Our starting point then is Marc Almond's biggest hit since Soft Cell broke through with 'Tainted Love'. Like that song - and indeed many of his most-remembered solo hits - this is a cover version, though it's not a re-invention like his other chart-topper. The tempo and arrangement of Almond's original album version closely echoed the Pitney hit, so when the time came to remix the track for a single it was a canny idea to go a stage further and add a fresh vocal from the man himself. It's a good song from British writers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway (who also recorded the song under their pseudonym David And Jonathan) though it must already have seemed dated by 1967, which gives it a slightly kitsch appeal in retrospect. I'm not a great admirer of either voice individually, but the contrast between the two, Almond's near-monotone and Pitney'd over-the-top caterwaul, actually works very well here. The only problem really lies in the production here, which has something of the karaoke about it and fails to match the drama of the original recording or of the epic this is obviously supposed to be. .

Marc Almond also appears on: Now 22
Available on: The Stars We Are