Doo Wop Across America

We continue our popular and successful series devoted to the biggest chart records of each calendar year in the early chart era as we focus on 1947, the seventh full calendar year of the Billboard Best Sellers chart – the chart was launched in July 1940 – and the third year to feature both a Most Played in Juke Boxes and Most Played by Disc Jockeys charts as well. This great value 98-track 4-CD set comprises every record which peaked in the Top 10 of the Best Sellers chart or in the Top 7 of the Juke Box or Disc Jockey charts during the year. For reasons of space, it excludes those records were still in the chart at the start of the year, but which peaked in the Top 10 in 1946, and so are included in our existing 194 collection.

UK four CD round up of British doo-wop pop legends The Darts covering their recordings for the Magnet label between 1977-81 Disc One is their #9 charting self-titled album. The second disc features the Everyone Plays Darts LP which hit #12 in the summer of 1978. Among the six bonus tracks is the #18 hit 'Don't Let It Fade Away'. Disc Three has the #38 charting album Dart Attack. Dating from 1979 it includes the hit singles 'Get It' (#16), 'Duke Of Earl' (#6), 'Can't Get Enough Of Your Love' (#43) and 'Reet Petite' (#51). The fourth and final disc is the rare Darts Across America album, originally released only in the USA. Now restored to it's original LP art and coming with 13 bonus cuts. The 20 page booklet contains detailed liner notes by History Of Rock editor Michael Heatley in discussion with vocalist Griff Fender and pictures of all the relevant record sleeves. The band remain in the Top 500 Chart acts of all time in the UK and still regularly play one off shows across the country.

If you lived outside America during the 1950s, when rock & roll exploded across the world, the opportunities to see your idols in the flesh were few and far between. Even at home, in North America, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis could only be in one place at a time when performing live. So the obvious marriage was made, between rock & roll and the movies. And back then, all the songs you hear spread over this comprehensive 3CD collection could be heard – and seen! – at the cinema.

The 1980s were probably the last real decade for the pop single. It was certainly the last one in which every record that made the Hot 100 was an actual vinyl single. Radio was still breaking big hits and new artists, rather than TV talent shows and the still-nascent Internet. And people still rushed to their local record store to buy what their local station was playing, rather than streaming or downloading it. Having successfully anthologised the American charts of the 50s, 60s and 70s over a long period of time, Ace is delighted this month to premiere Rockin In The USA, their first anthology of 1980s US Hot 100 hits. 80s radio made hits for a lot of new names. As had been the case in earlier eras, many of them are still around 30 to almost 40 years later, while the careers of others virtually began and ended with their lone hit.

Cardboard sleeve (mini LP) reissue from Diana Ross & The Supremes featuring the high-fidelity SHM-CD format. Part of a ten-album Diana Ross & The Supremes SHM-CD cardboard sleeve reissue series featuring albums "Where Did Our Love Go", "More Hits By The Supremes", "I Hear A Symphony", "The Supremes A Go Go", "Sing Holland Dozier Holland", "Reflections", "Join The Temptaions", "Love Child", "Let The Sunshine In", and "Cream Of The Crop".

80 massive tracks from 2000-2009 across 4CDs, all packaged in an attractive card fold out digipck. Includes: Robbie Williams, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Take That, Girls Aloud, Destiny's Child and many more!

50 years ago, America was in turmoil. An ever-increasing public awareness of both the vast brutality and absolute futility of the Vietnam War stretched itself like a cinematic backdrop across all that was happening on home soil, with peace protests turning to riots, and riots to assassinations. In Europe, France was forever changed by nationwide general strikes and the May Paris student riots. The UK was in social conflict, playing uncomfortable host to Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech whilst younger generations campaigned for greater moral enlightenment. The bubble of hope had been burst worldwide and change was coming at a disturbing cost.