The Big Pig is back!

As July, turned into August in 1985, the world was still basking in the afterglow of, what was already being called the event of the decade. No, not the ceasing production of the Sinclair C5, or even the latest episode of Blind Date with our Cilla. Live Aid had defined the coming together of all things pop for a generation, in the name of raising money for African famine. And those bands and artists who graced the stages in London and Philadelphia (well, perhaps not Adam Ant, as we say) were feeling the seismic effect of not only the public’s affection - but also their pocket money.

Duran Duran, Paul Young, Simple Minds, U2 and others (still, sorry , not you Adam) were enjoying plenty of success. And the loudest and most exciting shirt of the summer did not belong to BBC’s Mark Ellen or David Hepworth, it was the iconic NOW pig. Yes, NOW That’s What I Call Music 5 not only provided THE soundtrack to our summer in 1985, it also gave us the most gloriously techicoloured album cover. How exciting was that list of stars?

And joining me for this episode to share his memories of this classic summer of music is journalist and author Graeme Thomson.

And what can you expect? Duran Duran climb the Eiffel Tower. UK funk and soul makes a move for the charts through the fantastic sounds of Fine Young Cannibals, Simply Red and Jaki Graham. Graeme shares why 80s Bowie deserves attention, how Marillion (and a band T-Shirt!) made an early impact on his listening, what Jim Kerr told him about Don’t You Forget About Me and why U2 needed to evolve to survive.

But significantly, join us as we discuss how compilation albums take us back, tell real stories of a period and revel in how important pop music for all of us in our formative years and has the ability to stay with us as we move through our lives.

And enjoy Graeme’s reflections on his latest book, In Another World: The Four Seasons of Talk Talk, and the iconic sounds of a quite unique band.

Step aside from life in 2026 for an hour or so, and join us back in a time when it really was great to be alive.

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Oh, that’s bad!

No, that’s good!

If you know your 80s dancefloor bangers, you’ll recognise that S-Express vocal insert and will already be donning your sparkly bellbottoms, possibly even getting right-on one (matey) because it’s Summer 1988!

What was making the headlines? (shuffles papers, looks directly into camera in a serious way):

• Poll tax announced!
• Gay rights activists invade the six o'clock news and mildly fluster Sue Lawley!
• Glasgow Garden festival takes place! Every school in Scotland goes on a trip (not like that!)
• England finish bottom of their Euro88 group having lost all three games! (Sports presenter wink to camera)

But, BUT, amidst all of this and many other exciting things, POP was still very important indeed and - hurrah - NOW That’s What I Call Music 12 was here to make a splash! (Yes, the one with the pool on the cover, ahem).

And a young, impressionable starry-eyed journalist from Dundee was starting his glittering career at Smash Hits, in London Town! With the BIG names! Yes, even Tiffany and Glenn Medeiros!

Yes, head back to a very eventful summer for acclaimed music journalist, author and Smash Hits alumnus Tom Doyle!

Join us as we dive into the swimming pool of pop (enough already!) and meet amongst others Climie Fisher having a picnic, Carol Decker playing poker, Bananarama being a trio (just) and Jermaine Stewart not being in Shalamar.

And on top of this, get ready for some fantastic 1988 anecdotes from Tom’s giddy time at Ver Hits (and possibly Patches before that!).

• Wet Wet Wet on an open-top bus in Glasgow with lots of rock n roll mouthwash!
• Aswad’s recreational horticultural escapades!
• Sitting next to Hollywood royalty (well, Richard Gere) at the Nelson Mandela concert!
• Rubbing shoulders with U2 AND David Bowie in a factory! (Possibly, no actually!)
• Tom’s first singles reviews - and what was his single of the fortnight?? (it’s not on NOW12)

And also stay around for lots of fabulous pop reminiscing about the truly wonderful Danny Wilson, the truly bonkers Bill Drummond and the truly hairy (!) Glenn Medeiros.

All of this - delivered in Tom’s inimitable fashion - and so much more that we could just about fit it into Natalie’s Pink Cadillac (oo-er!)

Summer 1988 - what a lark eh pop kids?

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Swing it, shake it, move it, make it!

…is exactly what the nation was doing in 1997. Yes, that’s right, Channel 5 was here and fiddling with that aerial to try and get a reception to see The Jack Docherty Show was what we were all up to. Robbie Williams even changed the lyrics to his breakout hit ‘Old Before I Die’ in honour of this revolutionary fifth channel twiddlesome pastime.

But of course this was but a fuzzy, interference-driven distraction compared to what was going on in, what the kids were still calling, ‘The Charts’. And OF COURSE the aforementioned lyrics were from the FOURTH NO1 in a row from those Spice Girls (AND it was a double A-Side, Mama!). That’s right we were gripped by Geri’s Brit Awards conquering Union Jack dress (for the correct reasons, flag waving nonces), but the girls were proving to be more popular than Swampy’s tenancy under the A30 (another one for there kids) with En Vogue, Eternal, Ultra Naté, Gwen Stefani and a host of others reigning supreme in the hit parade.

And there was so much more. As we see as we take out our CDs (possibly trapped in a broken 90s case) from summer 97’s NOW 37!!

Pop was back, Back, BACKSTREET! (Really?!? - Ed)

Everyone’s favourite sunshine trio Hanson were MMMBop-ping (!), Backstreet Boys were taking their shirts off (!!) No Mercy were taking a break from their restaurant shifts (possibly) and George Michael was, as always, just being incredible.

However, HOWEVER…

Over on CD2, there was - an identity.

Britpop was either clinging on by its bitten and possibly chipped fingernails, recycling some flat champagne from their first album, staring at the sun (checks notes, avoids further U2 puns) or - more interestingly - evolving. And, boy, there were quite the classic run of tracks as The Verve, Supergrass, blur, The Seahorses and Radiohead provided some iconic memories.

No Gallagher brothers on NOW37? No fear!

(Actually, I think you’ll find they were gearing up for the autumn release of Be Here Now, but the less said etc…)

And joining me on this golden revisit of the pop landscape of NOW37 and providing more memories than a hungover Labour MP on the 2nd of May is writer, comic and all round 90s pop kid Marc Burrows.

As his (quite wonderful) Britpop stand up show tours the nation, discover which compilation started Marc’s musical journey, marvel at how a power chord changed his life, ruminate at what ‘indie through the sausage machine’ sounds like, consider why we’re picturing The Outhere Brothers and The Vengaboys on the A52 somewhere near Mablethorpe, revel in the NME review of Paranoid Android (it’s worth waiting for) and nod your head knowingly as we explore why the Britpop party ending maybe wasn’t such a bad thing.

No, turn the aerial the other way - I think I can start to see something that may be Family Affairs. Or is it Milkshake Monkey..?

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