Cliff Calderan

This two-for-one pairing of two albums reminds listeners that Cliff Richard could still kick out the jams even into his forties (imagine, a rocker turning 40 – how revolutionary that seemed at the time!). Rock 'n' Roll Silver and The Rock Connection were originally recorded and released during 1983-1984, but never made so much sense as when they were paired together here. Rock 'n' Roll Silver was initially issued as part of the larger Silver project, marking Richard's 25th year in rock & roll. Working with a stripped-down band, the set caught Richard returning to his roots to fire out impassioned versions of the songs that moved him when he first cut "Move It" – things like "Lucille," "Tutti Frutti," "Be-Bop-A-Lula," and "Teddy Bear." There were also surprisingly strong revivals of past Richard hits "It'll Be Me" and "Move It" itself, and the result was one of Richard's most enjoyable albums ever.

Jimmy Cliff has always occupied an odd position in reggae music, first of all because he predates it significantly, but also because for much of his career he merged his musical interests with international pop considerations to the extent that he managed to record frequently for such major labels as Warner, EMI, Universal, and Sony. Although his commercial success was spotty, it was recurrent; he first hit the charts internationally in 1969 and was still scoring occasionally in the mid-'90s. His label hopping had made it practically impossible to assemble a thorough compilation of his work until the release of Anthology. Universal's Hip-O reissue subsidiary specializes in putting together anthologies that span record labels, and the compilers had quite a task on their hands when it came to Cliff.

Cliff Richard is indisputably Britain’s all-time greatest hit-maker – the ultimate pop star! No other UK band or solo artist is even close to equalling his 123 single hits, or can claim to have occupied a place in our charts for the equivalent of over 20 years! Highlights of this remarkable career are too numerous to mention, but where is his music is concerned, Sir Cliff holds the record (with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its first six decades (1950s–2000s). He is also the only singer to have had a No. 1 single in the UK in 5 consecutive decades. Stronger Thru The Years is a brand new 2CD collection bringing together his finest songs of love and reflection.