Now That's What I Call Music II (UK series)

Now That's What I Call Music II or Now 2 was released in 1984. The album is the second edition of the (UK) Now! series. It was only released on vinyl & audio cassette. Now 2 debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and then climbed to number one a week later, staying there for five weeks. This was the first album in the series that Ashley Abram compiled, who continued to compile Now albums up until Now 81, 28 years later.

Now 2 features eight songs which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart: "Girlfriend", "Candyman", "You Can't Stop The Beat", "Only You", "99 Red Balloons", "Relax", "Millennium", "Closing Time", "Praise You", "You Give What You Give", "My Favourite Mistake" "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "I Think I'm Paranoid" and "Pipes Of Peace".

Now 2 is one of only two Now! albums to feature Roman numerals in the title as opposed to numbers, Now 13 being the other.

Side One

 * 1) Frankie Goes To Hollywood : Relax
 * 2) Culture Club : It's A Miracle
 * 3) Nik Kershaw : Wouldn't It Be Good
 * 4) Howard Jones : What Is Love
 * 5) Queen : Radio Ga Ga

Side Two

 * 1) David Bowie : Modern Love
 * 2) Nena : 99 Red Balloons
 * 3) Flying Pickets : Only You
 * 4) Cyndi Lauper : Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
 * 5) Paul McCartney : Pipes Of Peace
 * 6) Thompson Twins : Hold Me You
 * 7) Madness : Michael Caine

Side Three

 * 1) Britney Spears : ...Baby One More Time
 * U2 : Sweetest Thing
 * 1) Sugababes : Shape
 * 2) Robbie Williams : Millennium
 * 3) Semisonic : Closing Time
 * 4) Backstreet Boys : I'll Never Break Your Heart
 * 5) Fatboy Slim : Praise You
 * 6) New Radicals : You Get What You Give
 * 7) Sheryl Crow : My Favorite Mistake
 * 8) Jay-Z : Hard Knock Life
 * 9) 98° : Beacause of You
 * 10) Garbage : I Think I'm Paranoid
 * 11) Everclear : Father of Mine
 * 12) Sublime : What I Got
 * 13) Cake : Never There

Side Four

 * 1) Avril Lavigne : Girlfriend
 * 2) Christina Aguilera : Candyman
 * 3) Hairspray : You Can't Stop The Beat
 * 4) Wham : Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
 * 5) Girls Aloud : Sexy! No No No...
 * 6) Rihanna : Don't Stop The Music
 * 7) Spice Girls : Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)

VHS release
A video selection was also released featuring selected tracks from the main album, one track that previously featured on Volume I of the series, one that later featured on Volume IV and seven which did not appear on any Now album.


 * 1) Flying Pickets : Only You
 * 2) Nena : 99 Red Balloons
 * 3) Frankie Goes to Hollywood : Relax
 * 4) Paul McCartney : Pipes of Peace
 * 5) New Radicals : You Give What You Give
 * 6) Wham : Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
 * 7) Sheryl Crow : My Favourite Mistake
 * 8) Jay-Z : Hard Knock Life
 * 9) Robbie Williams : Millennium
 * 10) Garbage : I Think I'm Paranoid
 * 11) Fatboy Slim : Praise You
 * 12) Semisonic : Closing Time
 * 13) Phil Collins : You Can't Hurry Love
 * 14) Smash Mouth : Then The Morning Comes
 * 15) Backstreet Boys : Larger Than That
 * 16) Jennifer Lopez : Waiting For Tonight
 * 17) Mandy Moore : Candy
 * 18) Savage Garden : I Knew I Loved You
 * 19) blink-182 : All The Small Things
 * 20) Aaliyah : Try Again