Back in 1998, I was fortunate to be able to drop our three kids off at the same school three days a week. I also picked them up on three days, though Wednesday (my day off) was the only day I picked them up AND dropped them off. It was the first of three years that they would all attend the same school, which was both convenient and fun. We'd listen to music, and seeing them singing along in the rearview mirror was a delight. I subjected them to my favorite songs, and to my surprise, they seemed to like nearly all of them. Once a week, we played radio roulette, switching the station whenever at least two of them asked me to using those convenient steering wheel controls. In the Summer of 1998, I had a new stereo installed in our 1996 Dodge Caravan with a CD player and four new speakers. Around Halloween 1998, the very first Now That's What I Call Music! compact disc was released here in the States and became a listening staple in the van for the kids. These fond memories played a large part in my decision to pre-order NOW Yearbook '98 when it was announced without checking the tracklist too closely.
Released on Valentine's Day 2025, NOW Yearbook '98 was released on purple vinyl, and the two differently packaged 4CD sets, like all the previous Yearbooks. Featuring eighty songs (or only 43 songs on the triple vinyl set), the collection features many familiar artists, yet some of the titles were unfamiliar at a glance. Still in a nostalgic haze, I slipped the four discs into my Sony changer and began to listen, more than a little excited to relive some memories.
CD One, track one is George Michael's funky coming out, the first single from his sprawling hits collection, which I picked up in November 1998. We also like Cher's pioneering Auto-Tuned track and Jason Nevins remix of the seminal Run DMC track. Hadn't heard the Robbie Williams track in years (decades?) so it was a forgotten fave. The Spice Girls spoil the party before our favorite All Saints track kicks off a nice three-track segue, including Brandy & Monica & Usher. Still love the B*Witched track, had forgotten how big Ricky Martin was, and always dig The Mavericks. The disc closes with a great track, though I prefer the studio version over the remix. CD One score: 52.38
CD Two only begins for this listener with the full 9:35 version of Oasis's "All Around The World" as the fourth track. Then there is a nice, mostly new-to-me run of four tracks from Bernard Butler's mellow "Stay" through Kula Shaker's "Sound Of Drums" with stops for Hole's "Celebrity Skin" and an underrated song from Stereophonics. Always up for some Jamiroquai, but it's not until Sheryl Crow's "My Favourite Mistake" that I'm back on the groovy train, staying for Eagle-Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight" and Billie Myers' palette-cleansing "Kiss The Rain". Once the disc is over, I realize I liked it a lot more after actually hearing the songs rather than just reading the titles. Don't let prejudice or lack of familiarity kill your vibe. CD Two score: 47.37
CD Four? We like the Hailey Brothers song "All My Life". That's it. CD Four score: 5.00. That track and "Never Ever" from All Saints on CD One are the only songs that NOW Yearbook '98 has in common with the first volume of Now That's What I Call Music! released here in America. This collection started off relatively strong, then each disc brought fewer and fewer of our favorite songs. We held out hope that the EXTRA volume for 1998 would bring some more favorites (favourites?) to the party. NOW Yearbook '98 score: 33.75
NOW Yearbook EXTRA '98 was announced on February 28, 2025, with a street date of March 28, 2025. Looking at the tracklisting of sixty songs on Paul Sinclair's SuperDeluxeEdition.com, I knew immediately that this was not a preorder or purchase I wanted to make. There are only a handful of tracks that I enjoy, but that's it. Sorry to disappoint our Hideaway viewers, but NOW Yearbook EXTRA '98 will not be reviewed.
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