Various Artists - NOW 12" 80s: 1986 - Part Two Various Artists

NOW Music proudly presents the second instalment in our celebration of 12” 80s classics: NOW 12” 80s: 1986 – Part Two, a 4CD collection bringing together 45 extended, remixed and full-length 12” versions that defined the dancefloors, airwaves and pop culture of 1986.

CD1 opens in spectacular style with Queen’s ‘A Kind Of Magic’ in its 12” Extended Version – a powerful anthem from ‘Highlander’, one of the year’s biggest films. The Pet Shop Boys follow with the sleek ‘Love Comes Quickly (Dance Mix)’, ahead of a-ha’s elegant ‘Hunting High And Low (Extended Remix)’, showcasing the emotional depth that made them global stars. Furniture’s cult favourite ‘Brilliant Mind’ sits alongside Eurythmics’ ‘When Tomorrow Comes’, the lead track from ‘86’s ‘Revenge’ album. The Blow Monkeys bring sophisticated pop-soul with ‘Digging Your Scene (Long Version)’. Simple Minds and Spandau Ballet are up next before Pat Benatar’s punchy ‘Sex As A Weapon’ and Cutting Crew’s ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms’. The disc closes with two huge US hits from chart regulars Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark with ‘If You Leave’, and The Human League – with their #1 ‘Human’.

CD2 kicks off with dance-pop-drama from The Communards’ with ‘So Cold The Night’, leading into Bananarama’s ‘More Than Physical (Garage Mix)’ and Culture Club’s ‘God Thank You Woman’. Nick Kamen’s Madonna-penned ‘Each Time You Break My Heart’ became a defining pop moment of the year – just as his ad for jeans became one of the years’ talking points. Owen Paul and Nick Heyward deliver pure pop alongside Falco’s ‘Vienna Calling (Tourist Version)’. The Bangles’ global smash ‘Walk Like An Egyptian (Extended Dance Mix)’ leads to Samantha Fox’s breakthrough hit ‘Touch Me (I Want Your Body)’. Closing out disc two are two hits that were huge across Europe in 1986: Modern Talking with the ‘Special Long Version’ of ‘Brother Louie’, and Cock Robin’s ‘The Promise You Made’ These finish a disc packed with international hits and dancefloor anthems.

CD3 showcases the dancefloor smashes and irresistible grooves of 1986, opening with Steve Winwood’s Grammy-winning ‘Higher Love (Remix)’ and Wang Chung’s feel-good ‘Everybody Have Fun Tonight (12 Inches Of Fun)’. Sly Fox and Cameo bring funk-electro energy with ‘Let’s Go All The Way’ and ‘Word Up!’, while James Brown’s ‘Living In America (R&B Dance Version)’ gave the Godfather of Soul a major hit. Cherrelle & Alexander O’Neal’s ‘Saturday Love’ and Midnight Star’s ‘Midas Touch’ showcase the era’s polished R&B sound, leading into pop-dance favourites from Jaki Graham and Five Star. Nu Shooz’s infectious ‘I Can’t Wait (Long Dutch Mix)’ leads to the disc’s final track with the ‘Dance Mix’ of Tina Turner’s ‘Two People.

The final disc opens with an undeniable classic: Pet Shop Boys’ ‘West End Girls (Dance Mix)’, one of the defining singles of the decade. Next up, inventive electro-pop from Belouis Some (‘Imagination’) and New Order’s ‘Shellshock’, plus alt-pop from Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Big Audio Dynamite – ahead of Public Image Limited’s superb ‘Rise’ featuring alongside sophisticated pop with Arcadia’s ‘The Flame’ and Talk Talk’s ‘Living In Another World (Extended Remix)’. More alt-pop classics from It’s Immaterial and Latin Quarter next, before this outstanding collection is closed with the full-length version of UB40’s top 5 protest song ‘Sing Our Own Song’.