It started with a pig. Seriously.
If you look at the back of the very first Now That’s What I Call Music 1 vinyl from 1983, there’s a cartoon pig listening to a gramophone. Virgin Records boss Richard Branson reportedly saw a poster in an antiques shop featuring a pig saying, "Now that's what I call music," and the rest is basically history. People forget how risky this was. Back then, if you wanted a compilation, you usually bought those cheap "Top of the Pops" records where session musicians did mediocre covers of the actual hits because licensing the real songs was a legal nightmare.
Then came November 28, 1983.
The industry changed. Now That’s What I Call Music 1 wasn't just a tracklist; it was a power move by Virgin and EMI. They realized that instead of fighting over market share, they could bundle their biggest hits and make a killing. It worked. It stayed at number one for weeks, and honestly, the tracklist is a time capsule that still hits surprisingly hard today.
The 30 Tracks That Defined an Era
You’ve got to appreciate the sheer chaos of the sequencing on this album. It opens with Phil Collins doing "You Can't Hurry Love." It’s upbeat, safe, and massive. But then, it pivots immediately into Duran Duran’s "Is There Something I Should Know?" and UB40’s "Red Red Wine."
The variety is the point.
Compilation albums before this felt like bargain-bin leftovers. Now That’s What I Call Music 1 felt like a curated mixtape from your coolest friend who happened to have a massive budget. You had the New Romantic synth-pop of Howard Jones ("New Song") sitting right next to the rock-infused energy of Bonnie Tyler’s "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
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It’s worth noting that 11 of the tracks on the first volume reached number one on the UK charts. That’s an insane hit rate. Culture wasn't fragmented yet. There was no Spotify algorithm to feed you what it thought you liked. There was just the radio, Top of the Pops on TV, and this double LP. If you owned this record, you essentially owned the British musical consciousness of late 1983.
Why the "Now" Brand Blew Up
It wasn't just the music. It was the branding. That bold, chunky font and the promise of "100% Original Hits" were massive selling points. Before this, you had companies like K-tel or Ronco. They were... fine. But they felt cheap. Virgin and EMI made the Now That’s What I Call Music 1 release feel like an event.
They even advertised it on TV, which was a huge spend back then.
The strategy was simple: volume. By cramming 30 tracks onto two records (or one very long cassette), they offered value that single-artist albums couldn't touch. For the price of one album, you got the "best bits" of thirty. For a teenager in the 80s with limited pocket money, this was the ultimate life hack.
The Surprising Omissions and Oddities
Honestly, looking back at the tracklist, it’s just as interesting to see who isn't there. Because it was a joint venture between EMI and Virgin, artists from other major labels like CBS (now Sony) or PolyGram were missing. This meant no Michael Jackson—even though Thriller was dominating the world—and no Culture Club on the very first volume, despite them being a Virgin act. They held some big guns back for the sequel.
Instead, we got some tracks that haven't aged quite as well.
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Does anyone truly sit around spinning "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats on repeat in 2026? Maybe for the nostalgia, but it’s definitely a "of its time" moment. Yet, that’s the charm. Now That’s What I Call Music 1 captured the high-energy, slightly weird transition from the post-punk era into the full-blown, glossy MTV decade.
Technical Challenges of the 1983 Release
Technically, putting 15 tracks on one side of a vinyl record is a nightmare.
To fit all that music, the "grooves" have to be cut closer together and shallower. This usually means a loss in bass response and a lower overall volume. Audiophiles at the time hated it. They complained the records sounded "thin." But the average kid playing it on a portable Dansette or a cheap midi-system didn't care. They just wanted to hear Genesis’s "That's All" without having to flip five different 7-inch singles.
The cassette version was actually the big winner here.
The 80s were the golden age of the Walkman. Having Now That’s What I Call Music 1 on a single chrome tape meant you could take the entire zeitgeist with you on the bus. It was the first step toward the "playlist" culture we live in now.
The Cultural Ripple Effect
We shouldn't underestimate how much this one album standardized the "Compilation" as a dominant force in the retail market. By the time the 90s rolled around, the "Now" brand was so powerful it started launching in other countries, eventually hitting the US in 1998. But the UK original is where the DNA was coded.
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It created a cycle.
Labels realized that a song appearing on a "Now" album could give it a "second life" in terms of sales. It was a stamp of approval. If you were on the "Now" tracklist, you had officially "arrived."
Collecting the Original Today
If you’re looking to find an original copy of Now That’s What I Call Music 1 today, be prepared to dig. While they sold millions, many were played to death. Finding a "near mint" copy of the vinyl with the original gatefold sleeve is getting harder.
Collectors specifically look for:
- The original "pig" logo on the labels.
- The blue/green spine on the cassette version.
- The rare CD version—which didn't actually come out until much later as a 25th-anniversary reissue because CDs were barely a thing in '83.
Wait, that's a common misconception. There was no CD release in 1983. The first "Now" to get a contemporary CD release was Now 4, and even then, it was a truncated "best of" the vinyl version. If you see a "Now 1" CD that looks like it’s from the 80s, it’s a fake or a much later anniversary pressing.
How to Experience the Magic Now
If you want to understand the DNA of modern pop, you have to go back to this tracklist. It’s not just about the hits; it’s about the flow.
Actionable Steps for Music Fans:
- Recreate the sequence: Go to your streaming service of choice and build a playlist using the original 30-track list. Listen to it in order. Don't shuffle. Notice how the producers tried to balance the rockier tracks like "The Rocker" (Rockwell) with the pop perfection of Tina Turner’s "Let's Stay Together."
- Hunt for the vinyl: Check local independent record stores rather than eBay. You can often find "Now" compilations in the "various artists" bargain bins for under $15 because many shops still don't view them as "serious" collectibles.
- Compare the UK vs. US versions: If you're in the States, look at how different the 1998 US Volume 1 is compared to the 1983 UK Volume 1. It’s a fascinating look at how "pop" is defined differently across the pond.
- Check the credits: Look up the producers of these tracks. You’ll see names like Trevor Horn and Nile Rodgers popping up. It’s a masterclass in 80s production techniques.
The "Now" series is currently well past its 110th volume in the UK. That’s incredible longevity. But none of it happens without that first gamble in 1983. Now That’s What I Call Music 1 wasn't just an album; it was the moment the music industry realized that the whole is often much greater—and more profitable—than the sum of its parts.