Now Smash Hits
Now That's What I Call Music, Smash Hits was a compilation album released in 1987. The album is part of the (UK) Now! series, and is a collaboration with Smash Hits magazine, a successful pop music based magazine at the time. It was conceived, written and designed by the Smash Hits staff, and the liner notes are written in the magazine's offbeat style. The album features popular UK Singles Chart hits from 1980 to 1987, in rough backwards chronological order, starting with more recent songs (four songs for each year) and ending with older ones . Many of the older songs had not featured on any Now albums before as the series did not start until 1983. A companion issue of the magazine was released at the same time, featuring pictures and lyrics to all of the songs on the album. The front cover of the vinyl and audio cassette releases feature the words 32 Swingorilliant Hits of the 80's. For the Compact Disc release the number was changed to 31, as Michael Jackson's "One Day in Your Life" is missing from the CD version. A VHS tape was also released featuring 26 music  videos of songs from the compilation. Neil Tennant, who features on side 1 of the album as part of Pet Shop Boys, worked as Assistant Editor of Smash Hits magazine in the early 1980s. Smash Hits went on to release their own various artists compilation albums. This is the first album in the (UK) Now! series to be themed 1980s. Another 3-disc compilation called "Now That's What I Call the 80s" was released in 2007.