Now That's What I Call Music II (UK series)
| Now That's What I Call Music II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album | ||||
| Released | 26 March 1984 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 60:55 | |||
| Label | Virgin/EMI Sony Music Entertainment | |||
| Compiler | Ashley Abram | |||
| Now! UK series chronology | ||||
| ||||
Now That's What I Call Music II or Now 2 was released on 26 March 1984.[1] The album is the second edition of the (UK) Now! series. It was released on vinyl & audio cassette. Now 2 debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and then climbed to number one a week later, staying there for five weeks.
Now 2 was the first album in the series to be compiled by Ashley Abram, who compiled every Now album in the series, until Now 81 in 2012.
Now 2 features four songs which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart: "Only You", "99 Red Balloons", "Relax" and "Pipes Of Peace".
Now 2 is one of only two British Now! albums to feature Roman numerals in the title as opposed to numbers, Now 13 being the other.
Track listing
Record/Tape 1 Side 1 (1)
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radio Ga Ga" | Queen | 5:43 |
| 2. | "Wouldn't It Be Good" | Nik Kershaw | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Hold Me Now" | Thompson Twins | 4:38 |
| 4. | "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed" | Matt Bianco | 3:24 |
| 5. | "More, More, More" | Carmel | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Michael Caine" | Madness | 3:39 |
| 7. | "Only You" | The Flying Pickets | 3:21 |
Record/Tape 1 Side 2 (2)
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "99 Red Balloons" | Nena | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" | Cyndi Lauper | 3:31 |
| 3. | "My Guy's Mad at Me" | Tracey Ullman | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Break My Stride" | Matthew Wilder | 2:58 |
| 5. | "Breaking Down" | Julia & Company | 3:09 |
| 6. | "That's Livin' Alright" | Joe Fagin | 3:04 |
| 7. | "I Gave You My Heart (Didn't I)" | Hot Chocolate | 3:39 |
| 8. | "Bird of Paradise" | Snowy White | 4:21 |
Record/Tape 2 Side 1 (3)
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Relax" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Here Comes the Rain Again" | Eurythmics | 5:01 |
| 3. | "What Is Love?" | Howard Jones | 3:40 |
| 4. | "What Difference Does It Make?" | The Smiths | 3:48 |
| 5. | "(Feels Like) Heaven" | Fiction Factory | 3:30 |
| 6. | "The Politics of Dancing" | Re-Flex | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Hyperactive!" | Thomas Dolby | 4:15 |
| 8. | "Wishful Thinking" | China Crisis | 4:12 |
Record/Tape 2 Side 2 (4)
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Modern Love" | David Bowie | 3:59 |
| 2. | "It's a Miracle" | Culture Club | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Undercover of the Night" | The Rolling Stones | 4:33 |
| 4. | "Wonderland" | Big Country | 3:56 |
| 5. | "Run Runaway" | Slade | 3:44 |
| 6. | "New Moon on Monday" | Duran Duran | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Pipes of Peace" | Paul McCartney | 3:54 |
VHS release
A video selection was also released featuring selected tracks from the main album, one track that previously featured on Volume I of the series, one that later featured on Volume IV and seven which did not appear on any Now album.
- Nik Kershaw : "Wouldn't It Be Good"
- Thompson Twins : "Doctor! Doctor!" ††
- Howard Jones : "What is Love?"
- Duran Duran : "New Moon on Monday"
- China Crisis : "Wishful Thinking"
- Tina Turner : "Help" †
- Status Quo : "Marguerita Time" †
- Carmel : "More, More, More"
- Shannon : "Let the Music Play" †
- The Icicle Works : "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)" †
- Bourgie Bourgie : "Breaking Point" †
- Re-Flex : "The Politics of Dancing"
- Thomas Dolby : "Hyperactive"
- Matt Bianco : "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed"
- Big Country : "Wonderland"
- Marilyn : "Cry and Be Free" †
- Snowy White : "Bird of Paradise"
- The Flying Pickets : "Only You"
- Kajagoogoo : "The Lion's Mouth" †
- Culture Club : "Victims" †††
† Never appeared on any NOW album.
†† Later appeared on NOW 4.
††† Previously appeared on NOW 1.
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[2] | 1 |
References
- ↑ "Lables link up for second compilation". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 3. 17 March 1984.
- ↑ "Archive Chart (Albums Archive)". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
External links
| Preceded by Can't Slow Down by Lionel Richie |
UK number-one album 8 April 1984 – 12 May 1984 |
Succeeded by Legend by Bob Marley and the Wailers |