One of the key elements of my week when I was younger was buying the NME. Along with the regular columns they began releasing a set of collectible compilation cassettes from about 1981.
My personal favourite was NME 027 - Whats happenin' stateside. Released in Autumn of 1986 this was a compilation of tracks from the Stateside label. I literally wore out the copy I had.
Now thanks to the wonder of the Internet the complete collection of NME cassettes has been brought together, with artwork and downloadable MP3's. HERE