Now That’s What I Call 20th Century

THIS THREE-disc set complements last year’s 21st-century Now compilation covering the first 15 years of the century.

There were an awful lot of songs during those decades, of course, so it’s no surprise this is a very listenable collection.

More surprisingly is that not all of them are tracks that have popped up relentlessly on compilations from years gone by.

The first disc begins with iconic hits like Under Pressure, Billie Jean and Wannabe, before heading off into soul, R&B and hip-hop territory with tracks as varied as No Scrubs, Gangsta’s Paradise, Can U Touch This, I Will Always Love You and Sexual Healing.

Disc two is the rock disc, starting with Oasis’ Wonderwall before spending a lot of time in the 80s with the likes of U2, Bon Jovi, Toto, foreigner And Europe, then bringing was gradually near a century’s end Savage Garden, Radiohead and The La’s.

It’s pure pop time on set three, from Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, to massive hits by Rick Astley, A-ha and Abba, Wham! And Human League.

It’s clear the compiler of this album thinks the 20th century only began in the late 70s – it’s as if the 60s never happened – and there was very little to write home about outside of the 80s.

David Knights