Now yearbooks 1985

 One, two, three, four, the count off to Raspberry Parade by Prince takes us into the next clutch in the 80's volumes of Now That's What I Call Music yearbook series starting with the transitional year that was 1985.

As with all of the series there was a book format four cd version which I opted for for the short write ups on each song, a bit of a background capsule to what was going on in that year and even a quiz at the end!

This is a condensed three lp version too.

The four discs are held in pockets which I lined with mylar inner sleeves as paper against plastic tends to mark them.

This volume is more effected by licensing issues meaning no Madonna, Prince ,David Bowie or solo Phil Collins but casual fans who probably have compilations by them will buy it so while regretable it's not the end of the world and certainly the rest of the material included more than makes up.

Pop pickers of the generation will know some of the hits were originally include in the Now 5 and 6 compilations that have had sort of cd re-issues but the others mainly from the CBS (now Sony) and WEA labels were on HITS 2 and 3 which never had a cd issue at all so from that point of view this set is valuable.

1985 was a year some of the previous years US hits finally charted here in the UK such as Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero from Footloose, ZZ Top's Legs from Eliminator and Maria Vidal's Body Rock which had charted in the States in late August of '84, Pat Benatar's excellent Love Is a Battlefield from late 1983(!) plus Dan Hartman's I Can Dream About You from the film Streets Of Fire.

1985 was to be a memorable year for Shakin' Steven's as the wheels came off his career as he sang Merry Christmas Everyone, Tears For Fears and Simple Minds finally broke through with Shout and Don't You (Forget about about me) respectively as did Simply Red with Money's Too Tight (to mention) and the short lived popularity of Jennifer Rush took off with The Power Of Love.

In the world of Soul and R&B 5Star started their career scoring a hit with All Fall Down, Phil Collins joined Earth Wind and Fire's Philip Bailey for Easy Lover, Whitney Houston emerged with Saving All My Love For You, Loose Ends were Hanging On a String, Steve Arrington's Feel So Real got massive airplay and DeBarge scored a big hit with Rhythm Of The Night.

The brilliant Sade continued with The Sweetest Taboo.

Talked about records included Lionel Richie's comeback Say You,Say Me, Tina Turner's We Don't Need Another Hero, Paul Hardcastle's 19 and Harold Faltermayer's Axle F from Beverley Hills Cop and the cheesy but fun Tarzan Boy complete with yodels by Baltimora.

Pure pop included Queen's comment on the Live Aid concerts One Vision, the rather good Go West with We Close Our Eyes, Strawberry Switchblade's lolita fashion influenced Since Yesterday and Katrina & the Waves debut Walking On Sunshine.

In rock Foreigner scored with I Want To Know What Love Is, U2 followed up the previous years Pride with the Unforgettable Fire from the album of the same name, Marillion had a hit with Kayleigh from the Misplaced Childhood album and Bryan Ferry had a solo hit with Slave To Love from his Boys And Girls album.

The teen sensation aspect were covered by Norway's A-ha with Take On Me with its groundbreaking video while Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones maintained the previous years success with Wide Boy and Things Can Only Get Better during which Duran duran split into two for Powerstation who had a hit with Some Like It Hot and Arcadia both featured in this volume with Election Day.

Personal favourite is the atmospheric Life In a Northern Town by the Dream Academy.

On January 6th Now released the EXTRA volume, a further three cds worth of hits from 1985 which comes in a simple card folder with slots for each disc.

The main strength of this three cd Extra is the tracks that often or missed off but non the less were favourites.

There is a selection of fantastic indie and alternative from Toyah (Willcox), Sharp & Numan's Change Your Mind, Inbetween Days by the Cure, Bring On The Dancing Horses by Echo and the Bunnymen, the unforgettable Lost Weekend by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and Love Like Blood by Killing Joke.

Pop at its best is well represented by breakout act Go West with Don't Look Down, Cry by Godly and Creme, the motownesq I'm Your Man by Wham, Laura by the utterly brilliant Nick Heyward, Look Mama by Howard Hones and Don Quixote by Nik Kershaw.

Rock features a remake by the Far Corporation of the Led Zep classic Stairway To Heaven, Pat Benatar with We Belong from her Tropico album, ZZ Top with Sleeping Bag, Celebrate Youth by Rick Springfield, one bigger in the U.S. than the U.K. sadly, and Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon.

Soul and R&B showed the changed taking place across black music with the more traditional Dare Me by the Pointer Sisters, Shelia E with A Love Bizarre, the U.K.'s Five Star with Let Me Be The One while Cameo came out with Single Life

Looking back on it  as I lived it with Record Mirror and Smash Hits magazines arriving through the door upon reflection 1985 had a very lively and diverse music scene.

Overall this is a fantastic top up!

Going forward staying the same

The way that it goes sometimes can be odder than you might expect when you look at places where people who like for various reasons to return to their childhood both when it comes to the sorts of things they did and even how they would of dressed.

For instance what would you of expected of a site that was mainly for and about those who like to return to boyhood and school boy pasts?

Normally I'd expect a lot of talk about more overly masculine hobbies, relating patterns that may be more physical such as play fighting and rough housing and that sense of being a group of lads together.

Equally you'd expect to see more around boys casual and especially school uniforms with short and long trousers.

Imagine then to find that when asked about other sorts of clothes beyond boys school uniform for a number to freely volunteer that they like and have worn "girls" school wear such as skirts, pinafore dresses and gym knickers.

That really was so unexpected  so actually people like me do exist in those spaces even if on the surface they appear to be very much traditional boys only spaces.

The ramblings of a damp day

 Almost approaching Winter so reaching for more grippy footwear given the combination of weather and twisting, bumping and sinking sidewalks and pretty gloves has been something I've been doing as I've been gradually getting back on my feet this last week.

Not the sort of weather for that although it's so timeless and summery.

Won't be long before the ghoulish comic comes here but Josie And the Pussycats were a favourite cartoon series of mine combining an adventure per episode with a musical performance you could play air tambourine to in an era that included the Archies and The Partridge family were on tv with the Monkees a repeated treat.

You could say that era and me were very much at one with each other so elements show up in the extended current version of the young me that loves music or school related anime and enjoys the whole experience of handling and playing a record as "Stack O' Tracks" the 1968 album of Beach Boys instrumental versions is current playing out from my original copy.

It will soon time to put up Advent Calendar's another childhood ritual as one square at a time we count down the magic of Christmas and all that brings.

Until next time, bye.

Remembrance thoughts

 This blog tends to look at a variety of things not just about gender presentation, fashion but also personal life so today's entry about something I think matters and formed part of my life.

 

I enjoy a bonfire night as much as anyone but the other thing GirlGuiding and Scouts is involved in around this time of year is Remembrance  which was marked Friday with Armistice Day and on Remembrance Sunday at the weekend.

Having taken part in Parades it has a bit of a sombre nature because we think about what men (and women) did both at home and on the battlefield to preserve the liberty, freedom and way of life we have and the sacrifice of lives given to have succeeded in it against great odds in WW2.

It is important for people, especially children to know about this so in guiding with the help of people such as the Royal British Legion, girls and boys are taught about this as in a good number of schools they are too.

 

Here we see Guides and Brownies going to the cenotaph as many will this weekend placing their wreath upon it as a symbol of our respect and appreciation of what those people, often young gave for us and our country.

We will remember our war dead.

Crossing the line

 

From my own perspective you function better and achieve much more in proportion that you are and act from your own selfs needs rather than fighting metaphorically although sadly sometimes literally other peoples attempts to deny them and substitute their own.

One reads of parents of teens some even past 18 and thus legally adults finding that their attire has been binned, ripped up with attempts to keep them in away from friends and any social media they had used or work colleagues saying things but insisting they don't want any drama when it is they that actually are making it by raising their objections to even having nail polish on you where any woman would without question.

To me those sorts of things should be raised with people such as the police where laws are being broken  (taking another's items is theft) and human resources where people are being bullied and intimidated for just being different.

In order for me to feel good and work at my best I just need to be my feminine gurl self.

That's how to cross the winning line.

Feminized halloween

 

It was a special kind of a weekend when as a boy I had to present myself at my most feminine around girls and cross dressing "little girls" for some halloween themed fun activities as while the company wasn't a perfect fit nontheless where would I given my little side needs to come out?

I mean I can't be with the "adult boys" in their social world of sirs and short trousers so you have to adapt.

Basically I wore a grey pinafore dress of the sort some private schools still do but with the length taken up to a more shorter length so it was more what you'd wear in Junior school except for being better made.

And yes I had to wear knickers!

There's something rather fun about doing arts and crafts so that's what we did with everywhere all festooned with spiders, ghosts and bats!

I made a pumpkin lantern which I added a tea light to later on with all the others and joined in with a quiz before partaking of a buffet meal making sure I was sat decently, not showing anything I shouldn't on the floor.

We had  bonfire from wood and assorted bits and pieces before the fireworks began being placed with care and taking account of the wind which was getting up a bit.

The fireworks were rather fun although one seemed to split and went horizontally towards me which was a bit scary.

The wind was such I had to hold on the skirt of my pinafore as I could feeling trying to lift up, potentially showing more than I should but fortunately as I have worn skirts before I know how to handle such things although as a boy I never had to being kept in shorts or cords.

It was an enjoyable time together being able to let my little feminine boy side out with other littles who feel and dress similar.