NOW is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – and takes a look back 31 years ago – with 78 tracks on 4 CDs, to celebrate a stellar year of Pop singles… NOW – Yearbook 1993.Opening with a posthumous #1 for Freddie Mercury with the remix of ‘Living On My Own’, before the first of two tracks included on this ‘Yearbook’ from Pet Shop Boys taken from their classic 1993 album ‘Very’, ‘Can You Forgive Her?’. New Order returned to the Top 5 with ‘Regret’, and R.E.M. had a string of hits including ‘The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite’. One of the highlights of 1993 was the Chart renaissance of Duran Duran – and ‘Come Undone’ features next (with another to come on Disc Four). Take That had their first #1 with ‘Pray’, Ace Of Base scored a global smash with ‘All That She Wants’, and a-ha were back in the Top 20, plus Whitney Houston and Lisa Stansfield had huge singles from the soundtrack of ‘The Bodyguard’ and the collaboration between West End feat. Sybil produced a massive floor-filler. Long established superstars enjoyed huge success in 1993 including Billy Joel, Annie Lennox, Sade and Sting, who closes the first disc with his timeless ‘Fields Of Gold’.Disc Two opens with two of the year’s newer charting bands: Radiohead with ‘Creep’, and Suede with ‘So Young’ – both destined to become an essential part of the fabric of the decades’ Charts. Paul Weller returned with ‘Wild Wood’, and Paul McCartney was back in the Top 20 with ‘Hope Of Deliverance’. A popular tv-ad propelled The Bluebells to #1 with ‘Young At Heart’, 9 years after its first release. M People and Dina Carroll both had hugely successful Pop-Dance albums containing a number of big hit singles, and Pop-Trance crossover hits are featured from Cappella, Urban Cookie Collective, and Utah Saints along with big club tracks from D:Ream, Leftfield, The Beloved and Jamiroquai – who were celebrating their first (of many) Top 10 singles. The disc closes with 3 of the years’ Reggae smashes including #1s from Shaggy with ‘Oh Carolina’ and UB40 with their cover of ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’.The big come-back star of the year was Meat Loaf: ‘I’d Do Anything For Love…’ spent 7 weeks at #1 and was 1993’s best-selling single, and is joined on Disc 3 by Rock royalty, Bon Jovi, and Lenny Kravitz. A great run of Alt-Rock/Pop follows from Manic Street Preachers, Spin Doctors, Crowded House, The Cranberries and the massive ‘What’s Up?’ from 4 Non Blondes. Soul and R&B smashes are featured next and include huge hits from Arrested Development, SWV, Shara Nelson and the #1 debut ‘Dreams’ from Gabrielle. The disc winds down with some of the years’ most soulful ballads including ‘Delicate’, ‘Now I Know What Made Otis Blue’ and finishing with ‘In Your Care’ from Tasmin Archer. The final disc is all about anthemic Pop! – and kicks off with defining tracks from Duran Duran with the sublime ‘Ordinary World’, and Pet Shop Boys with their superb cover of ‘Go West’. The #1 collaboration between Take That and Lulu is followed by dance-floor gold from Robin S, SNAP! feat. Niki Harris, Haddaway, and RuPaul. Pop legends are lined up on Disc 4 including Bananarama, Kim Wilde, Deborah Harry and Gloria Estefan ahead of enduring artists Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Go West and Tears For Fears, and love songs from Lisa Stansfield and Dina Carroll lead to a sign-off from Elton John & Kiki Dee with their version of ‘True Love’, which was a Top 3 single through the Christmas period.NOW – Yearbook 1993 – A celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a truly magnificent year in Pop.
