Various Artists UK Hits (2020)

This is one of a brand-new series of stunning 40-track 2-CD sets comprising a collection of original artists Top 10 hits from each year from 1953, the first complete year after the UK record sales chart was launched in November 1952, through to 1962 a decade which saw the most momentous developments in the history of popular music, as rock n roll emerged in the aftermath of post-war depression and the mushrooming of mass media. This collection for 1955 includes many major US hits which repeated their success in the UK, along with cover versions of other US hits by British artists, plus many home-grown hits by artists who were often big stars on radio and TV. However, most importantly, it features a couple of the first rock n roll hits which presaged the musical revolution that was about to take place. For those who were around at the time it will provide a non-stop stream of evocative memories, and its a must for enthusiasts and collectors of 50s nostalgia.

Three CD anthology featuring some of the best music to come out of the British new wave/ power pop scene of the late 70s/early 80s. Featuring hit singles and deep cuts from some of the era's biggest names are joined by rare tracks, cult classics and fascinating obscurities. Kids On The Street is a four-hour smorgasbord of top pop tunes from the British power pop and new wave scenes of the late Seventies/early Eighties as the punk revolution evolved into a more radio-friendly sound. Hit singles from some of the era's most vital acts (The Stranglers, Pretenders, The Ruts, The Teardrop Explodes, Elvis Costello) are joined by key cuts from seminal albums by the likes of The Jam, Squeeze and XTC.

Kim Wilde needs no introduction, having registered a staggering 30 hits on the UK charts since 1981, and selling over 30 million records globally. Now, for the first time, her stellar career is celebrated with the release of a truly comprehensive Kim Wilde hits collection, and a special collector’s 5 CD!

20 rare 12" cuts from the Burning Sounds Reggae Vault, released on a double CD package for the first time. Includes singles and their dub versions from Barrington Levi, Dawn and Christine, The Heptones, Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson and more.

Acrobats British Hit Parade series has been established for well over a decade as a unique range of completist original artist collections comprising every record that appeared in the UK record sales charts in every year since the charts began in 1952. In recent years Acrobat has introduced parallel collections which consist of the B sides of all the records included in the main compilations, and these have proved hugely popular with collectors, since many of the records concerned have never been available on CD and are very rarely heard.

The 8th May 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of VE Day – Victory In Europe Day – when the Allied forces formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, signalling the end of the war in Europe. It was an emotional and momentous day for the populations of all the countries which had committed their armed forces, often young men who had been conscripted from their civilian life to risk their lives in the cause of what was rightly seen as a crucial fight for freedom and a new world order. One of things which helped those forces, and their loved ones at home, was the popular music of the time, ranging from rousing patriotic songs to sentimental ballads of longing, which articulated the agony of separation and potential loss. This 50-track 2-CD set brings together hit recordings from the USA and UK which were part of that soundtrack to the war effort, and most of which were big chart hits in the USA (the UK did not yet have a records sales chart).

The 1960's was the decade when young people finally threw off the restrictions of previous generations and made a new 'pop' culture, just for themselves. From the black and white world of the Fifties, suddenly the Sixties exploded into glorious Technicolor. When USA's Time magazine dedicated it's 15 April 1966 issue to London: The Swinging City, it was recognizing that in the midst of a worldwide cultural revolution it was Britain, and London especially, that laid claim to being the centre of all things modern. British artists, writers, photographers, film makers and, most significantly, it's musicians, were bursting with creativity.