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| 31st Oct 2016, 12:08 AM | #1 REPORT | |
 | Jock_Girl A girl who looks good in vinyl Member since Dec 2012 1544 Points Moderator | I finally managed to pick up the full set of Decca's 'The World of Hits' serries. ll I can say is wow! These are great. (Dubbing them all to minidisc  as I type).Closet we had in North America was a series on Parrot (affiliated with UK Decca via London) called The Greatest Hits From England of which there were 2 volumes: The Greatest Hits From England The Greatest Hits From England - Vol. 2 So -- was there ever (even planned) -- a volume 8 of The World of Hits. Assuming not -- what would you make as a fantasy Volume 8 -- presumably from 1974? Amy |
| 31st Oct 2016, 3:13 AM | #2 REPORT | |
 | PhilMH🍰 Member since Jan 2012 1055 Points | Hi Amy, I don't know if there was a Volume 8. Volume 7 is the latest that Discogs has, and they seem to have a wrong year for it, showing 1973 when this doesn't appear in Decca's main catalogues for 1974 (published September 1973) or 1975 (September 1974). Highest catalogue number shown for the "World Of" series in the 1975 cat is SPA 350, "The World Of The Violin", released July 1974. |
| 31st Oct 2016, 10:45 AM | #3 REPORT | |
 | TheJudge In-house specialist in drive-by moddings. Member since Dec 2012 3715 Points Moderator | I think that, also, Decca had lost an awful lot of traction when it came to chart success by 1974. I have Vol.7 (1973), and it contains quite a lot of tracks from earlier times - three from the 60s (Dave Berry, Billie Davis, Bowie) and one from the 50s (The Goons). Of the others, the Bloodstone track - as good as it is - only just made the Top 40. So, even if the World Of... series came to an end shortly afterwards as PhilMH suggests, then they probably wouldn't have had the material for a Vol. 8 without stretching the concept to breaking point. |
| 31st Oct 2016, 11:14 AM | #4 REPORT | |
 | zabadak Caddacack oh da ca-caddacack, shy shy skagellack Member since Jun 2010 4156 Points |
TheJudge wrote:
I think that, also, Decca had lost an awful lot of traction when it came to chart success by 1974. I have Vol.7 (1973), and it contains quite a lot of tracks from earlier times - three from the 60s (Dave Berry, Billie Davis, Bowie) and one from the 50s (The Goons). Of the others, the Bloodstone track - as good as it is - only just made the Top 40. So, even if the World Of... series came to an end shortly afterwards as PhilMH suggests, then they probably wouldn't have had the material for a Vol. 8 without stretching the concept to breaking point.
The Bowie would be The Laughing Gnome, a then-current hit on reissue  |
| 31st Oct 2016, 2:32 PM | #5 REPORT | |
| Jock_Girl A girl who looks good in vinyl Member since Dec 2012 1544 Points Moderator | It also looks like The Ying Tong Song was on re-release in 1973 on Decca F 13414 I also find it interesting that there are no Englebert Humperdink or Tom Jones tracks on the series Amy Edited by Jock_Girl on 31st Oct 2016, 2:40 PM |
| 31st Oct 2016, 8:44 PM | #6 REPORT | |
| TheJudge In-house specialist in drive-by moddings. Member since Dec 2012 3715 Points Moderator | Yes, both those tracks were 'current' in that sense, but it still illustrates how Decca's chart presence was tailing off. As for Jones & Humperdinck's absence, I suspect the words "Gordon Mills" would explain it. Despite being a top artist at the time of release of most of the series, Gilbert O'Sullivan doesn't feature on any of them either, despite being on a Decca-distributed label (MAM). They were all signed to Mills. |
| 1st Nov 2016, 1:22 AM | #7 REPORT | |
| PhilMH🍰 Member since Jan 2012 1055 Points | Another significant omission from the later volumes is The Moody Blues. "Question" was a big hit in 1970, and so would have fitted into either volume 5 or 6, and "The Story In Your Eyes", "Isn't Life Strange" and "I'm Just A Singer" could have gone on volume 7, but presumably Decca didn't own them, being Threshold recordings, and/or the band had something in their contract prohibiting the inclusion of their tracks on compilations? (I also wonder whether or not their contract situation was similar to The Beatles', being signed to EMI Records Ltd. but releasing on their own label). |
| 1st Nov 2016, 2:02 PM | #8 REPORT | |
| zabadak Caddacack oh da ca-caddacack, shy shy skagellack Member since Jun 2010 4156 Points |
Jock_Girl wrote:
It also looks like The Ying Tong Song was on re-release in 1973 on Decca F 13414
I also find it interesting that there are no Englebert Humperdink or Tom Jones tracks on the series Amy  |
| 9th Nov 2016, 3:17 PM | #9 REPORT | |
| Jock_Girl A girl who looks good in vinyl Member since Dec 2012 1544 Points Moderator | I just picked up a copy of the one oddball in the 'The World of ...." series, that being "The World Of Heavy Hits" (Decca SPA.209) Actually my copy is Australian, but it is the same as far as the tracks go. Its a weird one, cause its 'Top of the Pops' style anonymous cover versions, but its fairly good nonetheless. I am curious as to who the actual artists might be. This website (CLICK HERE) speculates that there is a connection Les Humphries and that 'He's Gonna Step on You Again' could be credited to him and Germany's Metronome records. Any ideas? Amy |
| 9th Nov 2016, 7:39 PM | #10 REPORT | |
 | TopPopper Member since Mar 2013 2612 Points | Decca dabbled in the anonymous cover version field, broadly in the Top of the Pops mode. Here is one of mine - similar idea... I'm pretty sure they are Decca's own recordings, not borrowed in. |
| 10th Nov 2016, 4:48 PM | #11 REPORT | |
| Jock_Girl A girl who looks good in vinyl Member since Dec 2012 1544 Points Moderator | Anorak-ette that I am -- having added my Aussie pressing of The World of Heavy Hits, I note that its sleeve carries the notation 'Series 275' below that catalogue number on the back. Anyone know that that is all about? Amy |
| 10th Nov 2016, 6:56 PM | #12 REPORT | |
| TopPopper Member since Mar 2013 2612 Points | It's something to do with the "World Of..." concept. There was also a Series 250 - haven't looked into it further though. |
| 10th Nov 2016, 11:09 PM | #13 REPORT | |
| PhilMH🍰 Member since Jan 2012 1055 Points | I think the Series 250 and Series 275 were just price codes; I have seen Series 550 on EMI Australia's full-price product from the very late 60's and very early 70's, and I remember that full-price albums retailed for $5.75 when I first arrived in Australia in February 1971, so 250 and 275 would equate to $2.50 and $2.75, about the price then for budget product. Other Aussie members might have more info, particularly The_Vinyl_Junkie, who I think worked in record retail. |
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Vinyl Albums : Live Music : 78 RPM : CD Albums : CD Singles : 12" Singles : 7" Singles : Tape Media : Classical Music : Music Memorabilia : Cinema : TV Series : DVD & Blu-ray : Magazines : Books : Video Games : Create Your Own World
Latest » Items : Comments : Price Guide : Reviews : Ratings : Images : Lists : Videos : Tags : Collected : Wanted : Top 50 : Random
45worlds for music, movies, books etc : 45cat for 7" singles : 45spaces for hundreds more worlds