Other releases containing Top of the Pops tracks
Each of the albums below is a non-Top of the Pops release on which one or more songs from the series appears.
Top of the Pops Volume 70 onwards was recorded externally by Coombe Music, and so these later tracks often appear elsewhere without any involvement from the Top of the Pops team. These are outlined separately - and only briefly - below (see bottom of page).
Top of the Pops Volume 70 onwards was recorded externally by Coombe Music, and so these later tracks often appear elsewhere without any involvement from the Top of the Pops team. These are outlined separately - and only briefly - below (see bottom of page).
LPs
Soaraway Party Pops (NOW, 1973) A promotional LP issued by the Sun newspaper. It contains 14 songs from the Poppers, and another seven which consist of the Poppers' backing tracks, less the vocals, overdubbed with instrumentation! (The other three tracks are sourced from the LP, Happy Hammond Goes Pop.) |
Chart Busters 1973 / 1975 (Reader's Digest, 1975) This LP is from a box set of six issued by Reader's Digest on their own record label, called Chart Busters. The LPs contain cover versions taken from a variety of pre-released sources, charting pop music from 1960. The record here includes Rock Your Baby from Top of the Pops vol 39. |
Pickwick's Version of Songs from the Hit Movie Grease (Pickwick, 1978) Five of the titles can be found on the Top of the Pops albums, but only two, Summer Nights and Sandy, are from the series (Volume 69). The others ("You're The One That I Want", "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "Greased Lightnin'") are different versions. The album is credited to The Pickwick Grease Monkeys. |
Cassettes
Themes from Star Wars and Space (5th Avenue, 1977) This cassette was issued by budget label 5th Avenue, probably in 1977 or perhaps at the start of 1978. It contains a selection of space-related songs, most of which are of 1977 vintage. In amongst them are the Poppers' versions of Space Oddity (Volume 48) and Star Wars Theme (Volume 62). (The cassette gives the titles of these tracks as "Space Odyssey" and "Theme From Star Wars" respectively.) |
Pop Hits For Kids Volume 2 (Ditto, 1985) Released on the Pickwick sub-label Ditto, this was a twin cassette pack called volume 2. We do not know anything about volume 1, but this volume 2 contains three Top of the Pops tracks on cassette 1: Stand and Deliver (Volume 86), Super Womble (Volume 47) and Ghostbusters (Best of 1984). (A version of "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool" is taken from the album Pye Chartbusters Volume 7.) We have yet to hear cassette 2, but have been supplied a track listing which includes the songs "Agadoo", "Remember You’re A Womble", "Me & You & A Dog Named Boo", "The Land Of Make-Believe" and "Happy Birthday" - all of which were covered by the Poppers at some point. It seems likely that all or some are the same versions. |
CDs
Coombe Music and Parade of Pops
Bruce Baxter left the Top of the Pops in 1978, and thereafter Pickwick opted to start buying in recordings to keep the series going. The source of tracks from Volume 70 onwards (and Best of Top of the Pops 1979 onwards) was Coombe Music.
Of course Coombe were at liberty to sell their tracks any way they saw fit, and they were simultaneously supplying them to several small labels for a range of budget LPs and cassettes. We do not have space here to dwell on Coombe Music, but of chief interest is one regular hits series they were also supplying - Parade of Pops on the Chevron label. (This was a late successor to the earlier Parade of Pops series on the Windmill label, one volume of which features above.)
Some sample covers from the series are shown below:
Of course Coombe were at liberty to sell their tracks any way they saw fit, and they were simultaneously supplying them to several small labels for a range of budget LPs and cassettes. We do not have space here to dwell on Coombe Music, but of chief interest is one regular hits series they were also supplying - Parade of Pops on the Chevron label. (This was a late successor to the earlier Parade of Pops series on the Windmill label, one volume of which features above.)
Some sample covers from the series are shown below:
Parade of Pops shares many tracks with Top of the Pops, and likewise their end-of-year round-ups also contain plenty of overlaps. All the titles from Parade of Pops Volume 6 onwards, which also feature in the Top of the Pops series, are the same recordings - with the sole exception of "I Will Survive" (Top of the Pops 72/Parade of Pops 8).
Related to Parade of Pops was another, short-lived series called Solid Gold. There were only three editions, but again liberal overlaps with Top of the Pops (and Parade of Pops). The LP covers are shown here:
Related to Parade of Pops was another, short-lived series called Solid Gold. There were only three editions, but again liberal overlaps with Top of the Pops (and Parade of Pops). The LP covers are shown here:
All song titles found on both Solid Gold and Top of the Pops are the same recordings ("The Land of Make Believe" has an alternative vocal over the same backing track).
In addition to these, there are a few later Chevron cassettes which contain the same recordings as surfaced on Best of Top of the Pops 1984 (see that page for details).
Details on which tracks are shared can be found on the relevant Top of the Pops album pages, from Volume 70/Best of 1979 onwards.
In addition to these, there are a few later Chevron cassettes which contain the same recordings as surfaced on Best of Top of the Pops 1984 (see that page for details).
Details on which tracks are shared can be found on the relevant Top of the Pops album pages, from Volume 70/Best of 1979 onwards.
Disco Classics: 50 Great Dance Hits (Telstar, 1984)
This is a triple-LP box set, and one of several issued by Telstar in the 1980s (see also 1984 Hit Classics, above). It contains cover versions of dance hits, and includes a good number of Coombe Music recordings. Thus, there are 15 tracks here which also feature on Top of the Pops, between Volume 70 and Volume 91. (There are also two songs which featured on Top of the Pops records before they started buying in tracks from Coombe - "I Feel Love" and "Night Fever" - so these are different versions .)
Pictured right is another example of Coombe Music farming out their recordings. This is one of a series of 45s issued in Peru, and featuring the track, As De Espadas by Ali Baba's Group. We know the recording as Ace Of Spades, as heard on Top of the Pops volume 83! Thanks to Klas Bjurstom for this one. |