''Now That's What I Call Music! (Asia)'' (or "''Now Asia"')'' was modelled after the highly successful ''

Now That's What I Call Music! ''Now That's What I Call Music!'' (often shortened to ''NOW'') is a series of various artists compilation albums released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Sony Music and Universal Music ( Universal/Sony Music) which began in 1983. Spinof ...

'' series in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. This compilation features a number of English-language songs popular around the time of its release on 20 July 1995. They have produced a total of eight compilations and a few special editions intended for sale in specific countries.

''Now (Asia)''

''Now (Asia)'' was a collaborative venture between EMI (Hong Kong) Limited/ PolyGram Records (Hong Kong) Limited and EMI (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad. This partnership propelled the debut audio/media releases targeting

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. By debuting with cassette releases in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

in 1995, the series rapidly adapted to cater to diverse regional markets. CD formats emerged alongside continued cassette presence in certain countries. Tracklists varied to highlight both local popularity and international chart trends. This steady expansion continued steadily across Asia excluding

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, as they have already had their first album release for ''Now!'' series back in December 1993.

Album cover

The whole series features a cover with an emerald green central image on a white background. The official ''Now That's What I Call Music!'' logo appears prominently in the centre, with a smaller, stacked logo of Virgin, EMI, and Polygram placed at the bottom centre. Artists featured on the cover include Bon Jovi, Michael Learns To Rock, Boyz II Men, The Cranberries, Shampoo, Wet Wet Wet, Richard Marx, and Sheryl Crow.

Media formats

Cassette format

Indonesian uniqueness

Currently, there are no credible records about Indonesian version releases of their first ''Now Asia 1'' with a CD format at the beginning. Indonesian version solely released cassette formats for a prolonged period until the release of ''Now Asia 5'' in 1999. Their tracklist is the same except minor adjustment to the order of the songs.

CD format

CD format has always been released together with cassette since the beginning of ''Now Asia.'' However, South Korea's 1995 with ''Now Asia 1'' entry embraced CD format upon debut. One notable track substitution ("''Sukiyaki''" changed to

Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. One of the most influential artists in the Greater China region, Cheung is widely regarded as a Heavenly King of Cantopop music and an icon of Hong Kong popular culture. He ...

& Regine "''In Love With You''" underscores a desire to tailor the release to localised music preferences.

''Now Asia 1'' edition tracklist

References

External links

Now That's What I Call Music! Asia Track List

{{Authority control 1995 compilation albums Now That's What I Call Music! albums (Asian series) 1995 debut albums Virgin Records compilation albums