NOW – Yearbook 1985-1989: The Final Chapter (3LP)

In 2025 NOW was proud to complete the Yearbooks for the individual years from the 1980’s… however, we haven’t finished quite yet with the superb pop years 1985-1989.

As we did with the decades’ first half, we want to present some of the brilliant songs that we didn’t get to feature… yet …

We proudly present ‘NOW - Yearbook 1985-1989: The Final Chapter’ – 42 tracks on a 3-LP set pressed on shimmering silver vinyl - celebrating more pop magic from an exceptional time in the UK charts.

Opening with Queen’s beautiful ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ ahead of Pet Shop Boys’ debut hit, the #1 ‘West End Girls’ – and Eurythmics with elegant synth-pop on ‘It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)’… UB40 hit the Top 3 in 1985 with ‘Don’t Break My Heart’, and Go West followed their debut with ‘Call Me’. Top 10 hits from Living In A Box and Level 42 close the first side, whilst over on the other side a-ha open with ‘Train Of Thought’, and the line-up includes China Crisis and Simple Minds alongside some of the era’s best alt-pop from New Order, The Cure, R.E.M. and The Stranglers.

LP2 opens with Freddie Mercury’s incredible cover of ‘The Great Pretender’ and is followed by one of the greatest power-ballads ever from Heart with ‘Alone’. The 1989 debut hit from Texas ‘I Don’t Want A Lover’ is up next along with Mike + The Mechanics, Bryan Ferry with ‘The Right Stuff’ and Paul McCartney’s theme from the film ‘Spies Like Us’. Flip the LP over for pop gems from Wet Wet Wet and Johnny Hates Jazz – plus, ‘Foolish Beat’ in 1988 made Debbie Gibson the youngest female artist to write, produce and perform a U.S. #1, with the rest of the side celebrating huge pop-dance hits from Gloria Estefan, Five Star and Bobby Brown and the rap-dance smash ‘Me Myself And I’ from De La Soul closing the LP.

LP3 kicks off with a second appearance on this collection and with another #1 – Pet Shop Boys with the peerless ‘It’s A Sin’… Next up The Communards ‘So Cold The Night’ and Bronski Beat with ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’, leading in to the pure pop of ‘I Can’t Help It’ from Bananarama and ‘Cross My Heart’ from Eighth Wonder before Dead Or Alive with ‘In Too Deep’ – their third of four hits in 1985, and ‘Dominion’ from The Sisters Of Mercy closing the side in truly epic style…and over on the final side… Bruce Springsteen made one of the era’s defining albums with ‘Born In The USA’, and its’ lead single ‘Dancing In The Dark’ opens Disc 3, ahead of rock from Bon Jovi and the collaboration ‘Out In The Fields’ from Gary Moore & Phil Lynott. The collection closes with a run of soulful vocals from Tina Turner, Alexander O’Neal, Natalie Cole, and with a powerful performance from Whitney Houston on the sign-off ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’.

NOW – Yearbook 1985-1989: The Final Chapter – A continued celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of this magical era in pop.