VARIOUS ARTISTS

NOW YEARBOOK ‘90/NOW EIGHTIES DANCEFLOOR SOUL & DISCO/NOW MILLENNIUM ‘04-’05

1990: a year of crystal-dangling popstars, day-glo ravers and legendary lungsmiths finding their dance element. In the latest imperious Yearbook instalment, NOW have all of that covered. Across the 79-track 4CD and 44-track 3LP, wondrous classics including Groove Is In The Heart, Being Boring, Lonnie Gordon’s Happenin’ All Over Again and Adamski’s Killer jostle for attention with Loaded and Step On defining indie-dance. There are two stellar Hold Ons, from Wilson Phillips and En Vogue. Throw in unlikely smashes from film and TV – Bobby Vinton’s Blue Velvet, Julee Cruise’s Falling, Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody, Steve Miller Band’s The Joker – and it shows how virtually anyone from any era and genre could have a hit. There’s even room for England’s football team (albeit with New Order) on World In Motion.

The vinyl-only series Eighties Dancefloor moves into soul and disco with 30 shape-throwers of high quality. It’s the type of sophisticated grooves that your older sister was there in the clubs for while you sat in the house doing your homework: familiar classics such as Somebody Else’s Guy, Criticize and Body Talk with high-end movers including Diana Ross’ My Old Piano and Hi Gloss’ You’ll Never Know.

With the Millennium series now a reliable treat, the 83-track 4CD ‘04-’05 set offers some of the greatest hits of the noughties.

Female pop was on an absolutely incredible run: Rachel Stevens’ Some Girls, Britney’s Toxic, Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone, Girls Aloud’s Biology, Sugababes’ Push The Button: total classics everywhere. Less all-out pop but still fabulous were indie-ish newcomers Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, The Killers and Snow Patrol.

Then you had the indefinable power of Goldfrapp and Scissor Sisters. A 31-track 2LP version is also available.