Now That's What I Call Too Much Music! - RYM/Sonemic (2024)

Mean Average 2.5.

★★

Pretty awful and pointless recreation.

★★★

Iconic "please please tell me now" hook aside, just a generic over-produced synth pop song from the 80s but nothing bad.

★

The pits. Watered down reggae with added annoying nasal vocals.

★★

Quite irritating synth pop with wacky sound effects all over the place.

★★★★

Excellent song. Really over the top vocals that sound like they're lifted from something goth. I think my love for it has been cemented by its use in Trainspotting.

★★★

Fun, toe-tapping, infectious stuff.

★★

Weird bastardisation of South African music by some cringeworthy white guy.

★★★

Pure cheese and the kind of song meant for embarrassing people with no self-awareness. And I'd be lying if I said I don't want to join in.

★★★

Cheesy but endearing. It'd be much better if they replaced the tinny drum machine and cheap synth notes with something else.

★★★

The backing instrumental track, particularly that famous melody, is superb but the vocals and lyrics can't match it.

★★★

The good chorus and that weird synth chord right before it lifts up the rest which is boring.

★★★★★

An absolute wonder. Gorgeous, lilting poetry sung brilliantly and delivered on very atmospheric pop rock. Not even a guitar solo can ruin it.

★★★

It's a dumb novelty tune with silly accents and lyrics but it's so damn catchy and that flute is pretty wonderful.

★★★

This one's forgotten these days. Easy to see why as it was probably outdated the moment it hit the charts but time has been kind to it. Fun electro rap.

★

Horrible. Pure 80s plastic excess with his terrible voice on it makes it truly intolerable but then again Rod Stewart could have Coil produce for him and it'd still be an atrocity.

★★

Naff heartbreak song with all the trappings of 80s tasteful sophisti-pop.

★★

I want to like this more than I do because I love those futuristic electro synth noises but this is a pretty rubbish attempt to update the Jackson 5 formula with what was cool in the early 80s. Some of the raps are fun though. I could see someone like DJ Shadow cutting up and mixing this extraordinarily.

★★

A potentially decent synthpop song with a good vocal performance that is unfortunately too reliant on having as many cartoonish effects and preset sounds as possible.

★

I have no words.

★★

Tinny production, annoying voice, well annoying synth arpeggios.

★★★

A frustrating song because sometimes it's good but then other moments ruin it with superfluous instrumentation and plasticky production.

★

That bass is so good. Shame about the horrible chintzy love song that was put over it. There's a smooth sax solo in it for god's sake.

★

I have nothing but respect for Roberta Flack. She's a superb singer and has made some absolute classics. But this is a nightmare.

★★★

Once again, if only the production wasn't so 80s and clean. I love this kind of dramatic girl pop but it needs some grit. The over-saturated guitar solo doesn't quite provide it.

★★

The attempt at comedy lyrics are stupid and the backing instrument is annoying.

★★

Similar to Rod Stewart, whenever I hear Phil Collins' voice I want to turn it off. This is a mere annoyance rather than a crime against humanity though.

★★★★

Carefree, silly, and a song I've been fond of for decades now from a band I've loved for just as long, all about a subject I've adored all my life.

★★

Behind that massive and somewhat irritating 80s gated drumming, I hear a moody, minimal post-punk aching to get out.

★★★

Like a 60s baroque pop song from Madness quite a surprise to me. Pretty decent one too.

★★★

Very maudlin and over the top but Boy George pulls it off. I can see someone like ANOHNI covering this beautifully.

Mean Average 2.6

★★★

Generally not my thing but its use in video games and other things has made me somewhat nostalgic for it.

★★

Great chorus and synth work. Rest forgettable, that solo part is horrible.

★★

Bit boring. Nice sounds but there's nothing else.

★

Baffling, but dreadful. Cheap, naff.

★★★

Forgotten but really not that bad of an 80s attempt at 60s soul / R&B / girl group pop (think Temptations)

★★★

Second Madness song from these compilations that surprises me. I'm not used to them not doing 2-tone / ska. Fun track, very Bowie-esque.

★★★★

Reminds me of decades ago while also being this atmospheric, somewhat melancholic and bittersweet ambient pop with a very strong hook.

★★★★

Much prefer the German version but this is still absolute quality. I guess understanding the lyrics more makes the war theme much more obvious.

★★★★★

Not only one of the best pop songs of this period, but probably a contender if I was to make a top 20 favourite songs. There is only one negative thing: it fades out. No proper ending? C'mon Cyndi! Best cover version? Probably.

★★★

Decently fun song. Kind of want to explore more from Tracey Ullman, only know her from The Simpsons shorts but with this being the third song from her on NOW comps, it suggests she was massive. Reminded of ABBA, Björk, kind of naive child-like pop.

★★

White watered-down reggae. Again. Damn you, early 80s.

★★★

Vocals not great and that cowbell is too loud, but this is just fine disco. Forgotten for a reason. Probably a good obscure sample source for producers though.

★

This makes me want to gouge my eardrums out. Proper embarrassing dad jukebox music.

★

Sounds like the worst song at a bad karaoke night at Butlin's.

★

So inoffensive it's offensive.

★★★★

Stone cold classic. Love that this song with this subject matter, lyrics, and THAT video was put on this compilation for all the teens to play to their parents.

★★★★★

Really wonderful.

★★

Reminds me of 'One Track Lover' from Garth Marenghi's Dark Place but without the self-awareness.

★★

Even ignoring Morrissey's awfulness, they did better songs later on.

★★★★

The first surprise of NOW 2. Not familiar with this at all but it's got all the flavours I like from this era of dream pop, goth, new romantic pop. Must explore more.

★★★

A very obvious Bowie ripoff / loveletter with big gated 80s drums, but it's not bad. Fun dancey stuff.

★★★

Wacky, hyperactive (like the title) stuff reminiscent of Devo, Talking Heads.

★★★

Would like to explore more of China Crisis but this one kind of passed through me without much reaction. Maybe it'll grow.

★★★

Catchy and fun but so over-produced. Bowie doesn't need that.

★★

That background melody sounds like something from Mario Kart 64. Also this is a bit irritating. Nice cover art to the single though.

★★

I wasn't even the biggest fan of the Stones at their peak, this attempt at 80s new wave will never reach that.

★★

Crappy U2. And U2 suck.

★

Dreadful. Hard rock Riverdance.

★★★

Archetypal Duran Duran, but that ain't a bad thing.

★

Up there with Ebony & Ivory as one of the worst songs. Not of McCartney's, of everyone's.