Smash Hits. It's been there
throughout the history of pop music, albeit in a
fortnightly fashion, from the heady days of Toyah,
Shaky and Madness to (ugh!) Busted, Girls Aloud and
Gareth Gates.
Chronicling ever utterance
and minute detail via the probing, important questions
of the day such as "Does your mother play golf?",
"What colour is Tuesday?" and the essential "Have you
ever thought you were a city centre?", taking
Bananarama down the zoo, partying with Depeche Mode,
and explaining Acid House to the tots (quoting Richey
Manic as saying "E is a prison" - genius). Smash Hits
is still the
original and best.
To celebrate their 25th anniversary, they've put
together the ultimate pop collection. Proper pop, that
is. Back from the time when a bunch of skinheads with
a variety of dental issues such as The Specials would
regularly make the cover and the pin-up was a 35 year
old woman named Debbie right through to the poster
pull-outs of Blue and the choreographed jumpsuits of
Steps. Quite simply, it's the best
magazine on the planet.
Basically every fantastic chart-topper ever can be
found here - as well as Westlife's Flying Without
Wings - from the frankly barmy shrieking of Adam & The
Ants' Prince Charming and icy minimalism of Ultravox's
Vienna, the wonder of the Human League's Don't You
Want Me, the 'cocaine? Yum!' rolled up sleeves of
Duran Duran, shuttlecock era Wham! and the boy?/girl?
confusion of Culture Club, via the distressing Bros
and remarkably ugly New Kids On The Block, through the
Girl and Boy Powah era of Spice Girls, Take That, All
Saints and East 17 bang up to the slinky genius of
Liberty X's Just A Little and Kylie's Can't Get You
Out Of My Head. Throw in classics from Britney (Baby
One More Time), A-ha (Take On Me), S Club 7 (Don't
Stop Movin'), Pet Shop Boys (Always On My Mind),
Steps (Tragedy) and you damn near have the best
document of the last 25 years of top pop... ever.
As S Club 7 (RIP - sniiiff!)
'just go with the magic baby'.
Completely fantastic.
Disc: 1.
1. Take On Me - A-ha,
2. Young Guns (Go For It) - Wham,
3. The Wild Boys - Duran Duran,
4. Baggy Trousers - Madness,
5. Too Much Too Young - The Specials,
6. Kids In America - Kim Wilde,
7. It's A Sin - Pet Shop Boys,
8. Chant No 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On) - Spandau Ballet,
9. Prince Charming - Adam & The Ants,
10. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo,
11. When Will I Be Famous - Bros,
12. I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany,
13. Down To Earth - Curiosity Killed The Cat,
14. The Harder I Try - Brother Beyond,
15. Shattered Dreams - Johnny Hates Jazz,
16. Respectable - Mel & Kim,
17. Don't You Want Me (Original Version) - The Human League,
18. The Tide Is High - Blondie,
19. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club,
20. It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It - Fun Boy Three & Bananarama,
21. Vienna - Ultravox
Disc: 2.
1. Back For Good - Take That,
2. Especially For You - Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan,
3. Stay Another Day - East 17,
4. You Got It (The Right Stuff) (Remix) - New Kids On The Block,
5. Stay - Eternal,
6. Boombastic (Album Version) - Shaggy,
7. Wannabe (Radio Edit) - Spice Girls,
8. As Long As You Love Me (Radio Version) - Backstreet Boys,
9. Never Ever - All Saints,
10. Baby One More Time - Britney Spears,
11. Bye Bye Bye - N'Sync,
12. Tragedy - Steps,
13. Don't Stop Movin' - S Club 7,
14. Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue,
15. Rock DJ - Robbie Williams,
16. Life Is A Rollercoaster (Radio Edit) - Ronan Keating,
17. Just A Little - Liberty X,
18. All Rise (Radio Version) - Blue,
19. Whole Again - Atomic Kitten,
20. Flying Without Wings - Westlife
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