That's What I Call The Special UK Winter Edition

The multidisc pop compilation onslaught continues with these three albums from the United Kingdom, the birthplace of Now That's What I Call Music!:

• Now That's What I Call Music! 98 [2CD]
• Now That's What I Call 80s Party [3CD]
• Now That's What I Call Country [3CD]

The 98th volume of Now That's What I Call Music! closes out the thirty-fourth year of numbered compilations in the world's longest-running and largest selling series. Released November 17, 2017, NOW 98 features 46 tracks spread equally across two discs including four Number One UK singles and 20 Top 10s. As for me, I've been through NOW 98 twice now and am disappointed to report that none of the songs caught my fancy. After some 44 years of loving pop music, we've NOW reached a turning point.

Fun Fact: What we call Black Friday in the United States is called Foggy Friday over in the United Kingdom. The triple-disc Now That's What I Call 80s Party will be released on Foggy Friday 2017. NOW if you don't know what an 80s Party is or was, think hookers and blow. And these 57 songs including Hideaway favorites like:

Also scheduled for release on Foggy Friday, November 24th in the UK is Now That's What I Call Country, a massive 3CD set covering country music from the legendary Hank Williams up through the record-setting Sam Hunt. The 67 tracks are a walk through mostly U.S. country music history with an emphasis on pop crossover though I was surprised not to see any of Olivia Newton-John's early country stuff on the tracklist. One moment while I check to see how those songs performed on the UK charts... as suspected, none of ONJ's country tracks, songs like "Please Mr. Please" or "If You Love Me" or "Let Me Be There" or "Have You Never Been Mellow", charted in the UK. Here are a few Hideaway Hits from the album: