Now Yearbook 1993

 

Well it is Wednesday and as much as the urge to blog something around style and that is, you know we're going to get another one of those Now Yearbook compilations as they criss-cross the decades turning over memories.

1993 was in the early days of exploring being sissy before online really started and everything was more catalogues, certain mail order magazines and shops where you just had to come out about what you were being was for you to the sales staff if you needed a hand.

I loved music too and that's where we're going this week.

We last looked at the 1990's in February this year with 1990 and as this mega series works in five year batches the question was to be which year next which helpfully is the year after initial 1990's batch, 1993 where shoe-gazing, dance trends,grunge and the start of brit-pop were the thing.

As ever this comes in three versions, a deluxe book form 4 cd with notes, a cheap card 4 cd and a three lp selection.

Disc 1 opens 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' with its lego cover, '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) while Take That had their first #1 with 'Pray', Ace Of Base scored a global smash with 'All That She Wants' that I heared in the local HMV at the time, 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's River Of Dreams, with  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 the brilliant Suede with 'So Young' - both destined to become an essential part of the fabric of the decades' Charts while 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 while 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'. 

Disc 3 starts with 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 by 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 plus Soul and R&B huge hits from Arrested Development, SWV, Shara Nelson and the #1 debut 'Dreams' from Gabrielle. 

The disc slows tempo 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. 

Disc 4 is all about anthemic Pop! - and kicks off with defining tracks from Duran Duran with the sublime 'Ordinary World', from "The Wedding" album of 1992 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. 

The final disc continues with 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 & Kiki Dee with their version of 'True Love', which was a Top 3 single through the Christmas period. 

Out on August 9th, the three cd extra set adds a further 57 unforgettable tracks to the collection.

Disc 1 sets the stage with a blend of classic hits across multiple genres. Pet Shop Boys kick off with "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing," followed by New Order with "Ruined In A Day" and Duran Duran’s "Too Much Information." 

Next come the powerful vocals of Annie Lennox with "Little Bird" followed by classics from defining albums: Sting with "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You” from ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’ and R.E.M.'s "Nightswimming" from ‘Automatic For The People’. Up next are a stellar run of beautiful songs from Saint Etienne, Sade, Go West and Terrance Trent D'Arby (Sananda Maitreya). SNAP! and M People scored huge Pop-Dance hits, and Heaven 17 and Visage saw remixed versions of their classics become hits once again. The first disc draws to a close with a great collaboration between David Sylvian and Robert Fripp plus Suzanne Vega, Chris Rea, and finishing with Elton John’s “Simple Life”.

Disc 2 travels through Dance and Alternative Pop. Cappella’s high-energy "U Got 2 Know" and Urban Cookie Collective’s “Feels Like Heaven" set the tone, followed by infectious beats from Captain Hollywood Project and S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. featuring Michelle Visage. R&B smashes from Jade with "Don't Walk Away" and SWV’s "I'm So Into You" feature alongside Shara Nelson’s "One Goodbye In Ten", and Jamiroquai’s funky "Blow Your Mind". Stereo MC's, Sunscreem, and Pop Will Eat Itself add to the eclectic mix, and James’ "Sometimes", Del Amitri’s "When You Were Young," and Paul Weller’s "Sunflower" are representative of ‘93’s Pop-Indie crossover hits. The disc finishes with “Kite” from the brilliant Nick Heyward – his first new release for five years, and power ballads from Cher with her live interpretation of “Many Rivers To Cross” and Bon Jovi’s “Bed Of Roses”.

Disc 3 includes powerful vocals and dance floor favourites. Opening with a huge track taken from a massive hit soundtrack: Whitney Houston’s "I Have Nothing", from ‘The Bodyguard’. Sister Sledge’s classic "We Are Family" was a hit again, remixed for the ‘90s dancefloor, followed by Taylor Dayne’s cover of "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" and Lulu’s "Independence”. Sybil enjoyed her second big hit in ’93 with "When I’m Good And Ready", as did Haddaway with "Life", while more Eurodance came from Dr. Alban with the uplifting "Sing Hallelujah!". Barry Manilow’s "Copacabana" was remixed to become a hit for the second time, and cover versions of Pop classics “This Is It” and “Everlasting Love” gave Dannii Minogue and Worlds Apart chart success. Soulful vocals from Michelle Gayle, Gabrielle, Lisa Stansfield and Dina Carroll are featured ahead of UB40’s “Higher Ground”, whilst the final two tracks are from the years’ biggest pop groups; East 17 continued their chart run with “Slow It Down” and Take That saw “Babe” become their third number one in 1993.

And there over four discs we have 1993 a year that matched new and old acts and quirky things...Blobby!