It was 1998. If you wanted to hear the biggest hits on the radio without buying twelve different cassettes or CDs, you basically had two choices: wait for the DJ to play your song so you could hit "record" on a blank tape, or hope a weird compilation like Jock Jams had what you wanted. Then came the big one. Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 1 landed in the United States on October 27, 1998, and it changed how we consumed music forever. It wasn't just a tracklist. It was a power move by the industry.
Most people don't realize that the "Now" brand was already a massive, decade-old institution in the UK by the time it crossed the Atlantic. When Virgin and EMI finally decided to bring the concept to America, they weren't sure it would work. Could a single disc really capture the fragmented mess of late-90s radio? They tried. And honestly, looking back at the tracklist now, it’s a chaotic, beautiful, and slightly confusing snapshot of a world caught between grunge leftovers and the impending teen pop explosion.
The Day the CD Store Changed
Walking into a Tower Records or a Sam Goody in late '98 felt different once that bright, multi-colored "1" hit the shelves. Before Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 1, compilation albums were usually seen as "as seen on TV" junk—low-quality recordings of songs you sort of remembered. This was different. This had the actual artists, the actual high-fidelity masters, and a marketing budget that felt like a blockbuster movie release.
The strategy was simple: get the major labels to play nice. PolyGram, Universal, Warner, and EMI all had to agree to license their biggest hits to a single project. It was a logistical nightmare that turned into a gold mine. You had Janet Jackson sharing space with Radiohead. Think about that for a second. In what other universe do "Together Again" and "Karma Police" sit three tracks apart?
It’s jarring. It’s weird. It’s perfect.
The Tracklist That Defined a Generation
If you look at the seventeen songs on the original US release, you can see the exact moment the 90s died and the 2000s were born. You’ve got the upbeat, late-era R&B of Janet Jackson and Brian McKnight. Then, you’ve got the weirdly persistent "swing revival" represented by the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Yes, "Zoot Suit Riot" is on this album.
Then there’s the pop. Spice Girls. Backstreet Boys.
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This was the peak of the boy band era. "As Long as You Love Me" wasn't just a song; it was a cultural shift. By putting these tracks alongside "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground, the curators of Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 1 were telling us that the genre walls were falling down. It didn't matter if you were a "rock kid" or a "pop kid" anymore. If it was on the radio, it was on the CD.
Why We Still Care About a 1998 Compilation
You might think a CD from nearly thirty years ago would be irrelevant in the age of Spotify playlists. You'd be wrong. There is a specific kind of "Now 1" nostalgia that hits differently. It represents a time when we still had a "monoculture." Everyone heard the same songs.
- The Spice Girls Factor: "Say You'll Be There" reminded everyone that girl power wasn't a fluke.
- The Rock Transition: Fastball’s "The Way" showed that alternative rock was becoming increasingly melodic and radio-friendly.
- The Diva Presence: Celine Dion’s "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (though a few years old by then) gave the album the "prestige" it needed to appeal to older buyers.
Honestly, the sheer variety is what made it a multi-platinum success. It eventually sold over four million copies in the US alone. That is a staggering number for a collection of songs people already owned on other albums. It proved that convenience was king—a precursor to the "Shuffle" button.
The "Karma Police" Anomaly
Let's talk about Radiohead. It is still hilarious that "Karma Police" is on this album. At the time, OK Computer was being hailed as the greatest album of the decade by critics, yet here was Thom Yorke sandwiched between the Spice Girls and All Saints.
Some purists hated it. They felt it cheapened the "art." But for a suburban kid who only listened to the Top 40, Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 1 was often the first time they ever heard Radiohead. It was an entry point. It democratized music in a way that felt aggressive and new.
The Business of the "Now" Juggernaut
Labels weren't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They realized that the "long tail" of a single was getting shorter. If a song was six months old, its sales were usually dead. But by bundling it into a "Now" volume, they could squeeze one last massive paycheck out of a fading hit.
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It worked so well that the series became a fixture of the Billboard 200. For years, every time a new "Now" dropped, it was a guaranteed #1 or #2 spot. It created a recurring revenue stream that the industry desperately needed as Napster and file-sharing began to loom on the horizon.
Actually, the timing was impeccable. Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 1 arrived just as the CD era was reaching its absolute zenith. People had money, they had Discmen, and they wanted a curated experience. This was the original "Algorithm," except the algorithm was just a bunch of guys in suits in a boardroom looking at radio play charts.
Did it actually hold up?
If you listen to the album today, the transitions are total whiplash. Going from the acoustic, soulful "Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin into the Eurodance-lite of Aqua's "Barbie Girl" (which was actually on some international versions, though the US version leaned more into the R&B/Rock blend) is a trip.
The US version specifically chose to focus on a "sophisticated" mix. You had Paula Cole’s "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" providing that gritty, Lilith Fair vibe, followed immediately by the polished R&B of K-Ci & JoJo. It’s a mess. But it’s the mess we lived in.
The Legacy of Volume 1
We are currently well past Volume 80 or 90 in the US series, but none of them carry the weight of the first one. It established the branding: the bold font, the 3D numbers, the promise of "100% original hits." It also set the standard for the "Now" flow. Usually, you start with the heavy-hitting pop, move into the rock/alternative mid-section, and finish with the ballads and R&B.
It’s a formula. And it’s a formula that survived the death of the CD, the rise of the iTunes Store, and the transition to streaming. Even today, "Now" playlists on streaming platforms are massive.
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What most people get wrong
People often think Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 1 was the first time this was ever tried. It wasn't. K-Tel had been doing "20 Dynamic Hits" since the 70s. The difference was the quality control. The "Now" series was the first time the major labels cooperated at this scale. They stopped fighting over the scraps and decided to build a bigger pie.
It also didn't just feature American artists. It brought a lot of the UK's pop sensibility to the US market. Look at All Saints or even the Spice Girls’ later tracks—those were massive in London before they were staples in Ohio. The CD was a bridge.
How to Collect and Value Now 1 Today
If you’re looking to find a copy of the original Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 1, you’re in luck. They made millions of them. You can usually find them for $2 in the bargain bin of any used record store. However, collectors look for specific things.
- The Jewel Case: Original 1998 cases were often a bit sturdier than the flimsy ones that came later.
- The Booklet: The original booklet contains some peak-90s graphic design—lots of gradients and weird fonts.
- The Promo Versions: There are "not for sale" promotional copies sent to radio stations that can fetch a bit more from die-hard completionists.
But honestly, the value isn't in the plastic. It’s in the tracklist. It is a literal map of what it felt like to turn on the radio in 1998. It reminds you of a time before your phone was your primary music device.
Actionable Steps for Music Fans
If you want to revisit this era or understand why this specific CD matters, here is what you should do:
- Listen to the full tracklist in order: Don't skip. You need to feel the jarring transition from "Karma Police" to the next track to truly understand the 1998 experience.
- Compare the US vs. UK versions: Look up the UK’s "Now 1" from 1983. It’s wild to see how much the brand evolved before it ever hit the States. The UK version actually featured Phil Collins and Duran Duran.
- Check out the "Now" spin-offs: After the success of Volume 1, they launched "Now That's What I Call Christmas" and "Now That's What I Call Country." These sub-brands often have even stranger tracklists.
- Look for the "Now" 25th Anniversary editions: Labels recently did vinyl re-pressings of the first volume. If you want a high-quality, physical way to own this piece of history without the scratches of a 30-year-old thrift store find, that’s your best bet.
The "Now" series might seem like a relic, but it was the blueprint for the curated world we live in today. It taught us that we didn't want albums; we wanted "moments." And Volume 1 was the biggest moment of them all. Pop music didn't just happen in 1998; it was packaged, polished, and delivered to our doorsteps in a bright blue and orange box.