It is November 1984. Until now, the big boy in town for pop compilations was EMI and Virgin's Now That's What I Call Music and they were gearing for the fourth installment in the series. All that was about to change in the run up to the Christmas shopping season when CBS and Warner teamed up to produce The Hits Album, giving Now a serious run for its money.
Like the Now series, The Hits Album it was a double compilation album containing hit songs from the last several months. However, The Hits Album stole a march on Now 4 by being released a week earlier. Furthermore, it contained 32 tracks instead of the 30 we had become accustomed to with the first three Now That's What I Call Music albums. Even worse for EMI and Virgin, The Hits Album kept Now 4 off the number one spot on the album charts over Christmas. Now 4 would be the only Now album in the original numbered series not to top either the album or compilation charts in the UK.
The early albums in the Hits series have quite a different feel to their rival Now albums, containing far more American acts including heavyweights like Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson. With both CBS and Warner being American record labels, this gave them unique access to artists in the United States who had previously shown little interest in compilations.
Side 1 opens with a bang and the huge number one, Freedom, from Wham! This was about as fresh as you could get, having only been released the previous month, so we're off to a great start. Second in line is Howard Jones and Like to Get to Know You Well. Although not my favorite of his, it was nonetheless a big #4 hit in the summer and is a worthy inclusion.
Up next is All Cried Out from Alison Moyet, which had made #8 right before The Hits Album came out. Paul Young follows with the disappointing I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down. There would be better to come from his album, The Secret of Association.
You might have noticed a trend here already: all of these first four artists had previously appeared on at least one Now album, albeit with different tracks. While there would be a number of artists associated exclusively with one series or the other (Queen, Paul McCartney with Now; Madonna, Prince with Hits), there was also considerable overlap. Indeed, we'll soon see that occasionally the same song would feature in both.
Continuing with side 1, next up is German synthpop outfit Alphaville and the pleasing Big in Japan. It would be their only song to chart in the UK, making #8 in August 1984. Laura Branigan then assures us she has full Self Control, a big #5 hit over the summer. Ghostbusters was a massive movie in 1984 and here's Ray Parker Jnr. with the brilliant theme song. It would be included on Now 4 too.
We finish off side 1 - and what a finish this is - with the legendary Thriller from Michael Jackson. That's the good news. The bad news is that it's a shoddy edit, the cuts being very noticeable, and it really takes away from the experience. Still, it was quite the coup to get Jackson on a compilation, particularly a song that needed to be licensed from Epic and not Motown. The Hits series would later become a bit notorious for editing tracks and it's clear that unfortunate practice started right from the get go.
Side 2 is probably my favorite on the album and, like the first side, starts off big with Chaka Khan's Prince-penned I Feel For You. It was top of the charts when The Hits Album was released. Another ubiquitous 80's classic follows and it's Billy Ocean with Caribbean Queen. It's just glorious pop music.
We now get the first misstep courtesy of The Jacksons and Body which failed to make the top 40. It's far from their best. Much better is the S.O.S. Band and the anthemic Just Be Good to Me. It only made #13 but its fortunes would improve in 1990 when it was heavily sampled for Beats International's chart topping Dub Be Good to Me.
Footloose was huge in '84, helping to propel Deniece Williams' Let's Hear it For the Boy to #2 when it was featured in the movie. The upbeat tempo continues with Miami Sound Machine and the wonderful Dr. Beat. Probably my favorite song of theirs, it had reached #6 in the charts that summer.
Sister Sledge were enjoying a renaissance in 1984, with Thinking of You making #11 in May. That had been included on Now 3 earlier in the year. Here we get the superb Lost in Music, pure disco goodness with a fantastic beat. It's just glorious and, if it makes you think of the 70's that's probably because - like Thinking of You - it was originally released in 1979 on their We Are Family LP.
Rounding off side 2 is the monster Purple Rain from Prince. Why it only made #8 in the UK I'll never know; it's since become regarded as an all time classic and arguably Prince's signature song. Unfortunately, we get a butchered edit with a very early fade out that cuts off a good three minutes of the track. The fade outs is something else the Hits series would become notorious for and not in a good way.
George Michael opens side 3 with the timeless Careless Whisper. Written when Michael was only 17-years-old, it's become of the defining songs not only of Michael's career but the entire 80's. I think it's brilliant, the sax riff being the icing on the cake. It was also a huge hit, going to number one in a couple dozen countries including the UK and US.
That's a tough act to follow but Drive by The Cars does an admirable job, being a minor classic in its own right. It had reached #5 in the charts in September before re-charting a year later (and unfortunately also ending up on Hits 3 but that's another story for another time) and going one better. Chicago had a bit of a comeback in the early to mid 80's, with Hard to Say I'm Sorry having made #4 in 1982 and the track here - Hard Habit to Break - getting to #8 a month or so before The Hits Album's release. It's passable soft rock... far from my favorite of theirs but it's inoffensive enough.
Cyndi Lauper was still churning out singles from her She's So Unusual album and All Through the Night is terrific. Unfortunately, it only made #64 in the UK (though made the top 5 in her native US); perhaps it would have fared better had it been released post-The Goonies in 1985.
Speaking of churning out hits, the Thompson Twins were flogging the increasingly decrepit horse that was their Into the Gap LP. Hold Me Now, Doctor! Doctor! and You Take Me Up were all superb but there's a whiff of bottom of the barrel scratching going on with Sister of Mercy. It's just a mediocre pop song, despite having been remixed for the single release. No wonder it missed the top ten.
Better is Skin Deep from The Stranglers, an underrated new age gem with a decent beat and melody. It had made #15 shortly before The Hits Album's release. Everything But the Girl would have their only top 40 hit until their 1988 cover of I Don't Want to Talk About It and it came courtesy of the ethereal, jazz infused Each and Every One (erroneously titled Each and Everyone on The Hits Album).
Rounding out side 3 is the gorgeous Smooth Operator from Sade. It ties in nicely with Everything But the Girl before it, showing some nice sequencing, and deserved better than its meagre #19 chart placing.
Side 4 is comfortably the worst - and four out of the five worst songs on The Hits Album can be found here - though it starts off promisingly enough. ZZ Top had been charting in the US for 15 years but, amazingly, their first UK top 40 wasn't until 1984 and the rocking Gimme All Your Lovin'. It made #10 in October.
Similarly, Van Halen had been having US hits for six years by this point but had never had a UK top 40. The overplayed but still great Jump redeemed the situation and they would go on to chart 11 more times in the UK. Better late than never.
Deniece Williams had kicked off the Footloose vibes on side 2 and here's Kenny Loggins with the theme song. Easily his most recognizable song. By 1984, Adam Ant's star was on the wane and this epitomized by the forgettable Apollo 9. He would go on to only have one more top 40 hit in the 80's. Probably for the best by this point.
Meat Loaf is up next with the overwrought Modern Girl. It reeks of desperation, a strange combination of part glam rock and part church choir, and a far from Meat Loaf's late 70's heyday. Some Guys Have All the Luck follows from Rod Stewart and it's just... dull. Not a patch on the original Persuaders version.
Never to be one upped in the dullness stakes, here's Shakin' Stevens and the sleep (and vomit) inducing Teardrops. It's a dreadful, phoning it in effort from Shakey. How it ever made #5, God only knows. It's Eurovision Song Contest fodder.
Finishing off, in both senses of the word, the album is Neil and Hole in My Shoe. The British have a long, sordid history when it comes to novelty songs, frequently buying in bulk and sending them high in the charts. Nigel Planer, aka Neil from The Young Ones sitcom, somehow took this debacle to #2 in September '84. I know it wasn't meant to be serious, I know it's a novelty song... but good grief, it's shocking.
The Hip
Wham! - Freedom Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen
Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain
George Michael - Careless Whisper
Sade - Smooth Operator
The Tragic
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Meat Loaf - Modern Girl
Rod Stewart - Some Guys Have All the Luck
Shakin' Stevens - Teardrops
Neil - Hole in My Shoe
The Missing
Madonna - Like a Virgin
Released the same month as The Hits Album, it wouldn't have been hard to predict this would be a bit hit. Madonna would later be featured on numerous editions of the Hits series so there's no excuse.
Nik Kershaw - The Riddle
Like Madonna, this was also released in November '84. It would later be included on brief rival Out Now! but not until the following year.
Spandau Ballet - Only When You Leave
Shockingly, 80's mainstays Spandau Ballet never featured on any Now albums and only on one Hits album (the poor Fight For Ourselves on Hits 5).
Stevie Wonder - I Just Called to Say I Love You
A huge number one in August, it would have been nice to see an inclusion on either Now or Hits. Alas, it wasn't to be.
Bluebells - Young at Heart
Not a personal favorite of mine but it had made #8 in July and is a bit of a cult classic. Would later go on to top the charts when reissued in 1993.
Review Breakdown
Music - 8/10 The first three sides are pure gravy. Sadly, side 4 is a bit of a train wreck with several terrible tracks. There are also issues with two of the biggest songs on here, Thriller and Purple Rain, containing unnecessary edits. They get away with it with the latter but Thriller is a mess, omitting the long intro and fading out early so we completely miss Vincent Price's legendary monologue. Nonetheless, overall this was a great start to the Hits series and a worthy rival to Now 4 that would be released just a week later.
Cover Art - 6/10 It's typical of the time, with the border advertising the artists and songs. The red font really pops in the word "HITS" on the front cover. The series would, as we'll find out in later posts, suffer near continual branding problems and would always struggle to maintain a consistent identity. Regardless, I quite like the artwork here and it definitely grabs your attention.
Sequencing - 9/10 Excellent sequencing with three sides front loaded with number one hits. The jazz vibes on side 3 with Everything But the Girl and Sade flow well together. Most of the rock songs are on side 4 and are the best thing about it.
Overall Score - 8.5/10