NOW 6 - Autumn ‘85: Polly Birkbeck

‘One goal, one mission…one vision!’.

November 1985, and the latest poptastic edition of NOW kicks off with the unifying cry from Freddie and the boys, after an unforgettable summer when music really did seem to change the world from London to Philadelphia and beyond. 

But how representative of those wonderful UK charts is Now, That’s What I Call Music 6?

Well, the events of Live Aid had certainly worked some magic for the chart placings for some with such luminaries as Queen, Elton, Phil and Tina all checking in across this double album. 

Elsewhere, some of the decades greatest pop stars where reinventing their sound as the second half of the 80s required some image and sound makeovers. Level 42, Eurythmics and Simple Minds were powering on, whilst new acts such as Fine Young Cannibals and The Communards were emerging and looking forwards to their own future decade success.

Dance music was certainly evolving and while the DJs in Chicago were beginning to plug in their 808s, the dancefloor hits of NOW6 had a distinctive Europop feel, thanks to the Tarzan inspired Baltimora, Mai Tai and Maria Vidal’s evergreen body rocking workout. 

Elsewhere, three fifths of Duran Duran were looking for your votes (mark x next to Arcadia for that particular side project), some 80s alternative greats were still providing memorable hits and Paul Hardcastle was switching his focus from Vietnam to The Great Train Robbery with the help of Bob Hoskins and Laurence Olivier. Yes, it was indeed the 80s!

And of course, we can’t revisit this compilation without mentioning THAT first Deal with God. Stranger Things indeed!

Join Complete Control PR Madam and Popmaster champion Polly Birkbeck as we head back to Now, That’s What I Call Music 6 and the rest of autumn 1985.

And if all of this wasn’t enough, discover Polly’s first musical glam and punk loves, which bands she followed around the country in ‘85 (do fans still even do this outwith TikTok?), what was the best year for pop and why she doesn’t really want to talk about Live Aid.

As the tagline on the album instructed us, Feel The Quality indeed!

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