Cliff Richard

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.

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.

In October 1967, Cliff Richard and the Norrie Paramor Orchestra embarked upon a fabulously successful Japanese tour, climaxing with a solidly sold-out appearance at the Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo, recorded for both domestic and international release the following year. It's a magnificent performance, spinning through highlights of Richard's entire career, all the way back to "Move It" and "Dynamite," but eschewing the easy route of simply piling hits upon hits, by concentrating as much on rocking covers as on the expected hits – "What'd I Say," "Shout," and "Twist and Shout" make it onto the album; left on the cutting room floor are equally powerful takes on "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy."

This is the first volume in an elaborately ambitious five-CD series, with each disc dedicated to one of the decades that Cliff Richard has held in his thrall – and each one throwing up so many surprises that no conscientious listener could ever wonder how he's managed to stick around for so long. In terms of sheer impact and novelty, 1950s is the killer, a survey of the less than three years during which Richard first blueprinted, and then rewrote, the rules of British rock & roll. Where would it have been without "Move It" to prove that there was more to life than Tommy Steele and skiffle? And how could things have progressed from there, without Richard's career to both signpost and shape the next five, pre-Beatles years? The material presented here naturally covers the big hits, but also delves deeper into the catalog to illustrate the sheer breadth and wealth of Richard's talent.