“Since the first appearance of the Joel Whitburn (US) and Guinness (UK) books in the 70s, the shelves have grown thick with chart books. Do we really need another one? Well, yes, we do, and this weighty tome (646 pages) is a welcome addition to the genre.
Recognising that there was no official UK chart until 1969, Barker explores the album listings in all five of the music publications of the era - Disc, Melody Maker, NME, Record Mirror and Record Retailer - shining a light on albums that the OCC and Guinness would have you believe were flops ("Rhythm And Blues At The Flamingo", "Four Sail", "Hollies Sing Hollies", "The Magnificent Moodies", "Dusty In Memphis" and many more).
Chart nerds will lap up the details – both mono and stereo catalogue numbers, release dates, retail prices, chart performance in each magazine and full track listings for over 1100 albums, a quarter of them fully illustrated. Ever thought that Humble Pie’s debut deserved a higher chart placing? It gets one here. So do "Between The Buttons", "The Pretty Things", and many others, all rightly changing our perception of the way things were.
Barker also includes the budget chart listings, giving chart recognition to those cheapo albums still cluttering up charity shops across the country. Regrettably, the "bubbling under" charts are not included (so there’s no placing for Fairport’s debut or Terry Reid’s sophomore set) but that minor quibble aside, this should rightly become the go-to reference book for this era. Spend your Xmas Book Tokens here!” -- Gareth Jones, Shindig! (December 2025)
“A terrific source book for record enthusiasts interested in 1950s Rock'n'Roll and the 1960s beat years. For the purposes of this tome, a "hit" LP is defined by the author as an album which entered any of the main UK LP charts from record papers such as: The Disc, Melody Maker, New Musical Express, Record Mirror and Record Retailer, most of these were later renamed.
Included are release dates, retail prices when issued, track/artist listings, and where the data displayed for each album originated from. Current collector's prices are not included, and neither are matrix numbers. The bibliography of record papers quirkily shows the paper's address and editor's name, plus an index of artists, songs, medleys and musical works. There is a mountain of trivia to interest your local music quiz master, and the 646 pages have 288 b/w photos with colour on the front and back cover. It measures 9.25 x 6.25 x 1 ins and weighs 2.25 lbs.
This compendium is due for release on Jan 31st 2026 and the recommened retail price is £47.99, but Amazon and other booksellers are likely to discount it. A Christmas gift voucher (beware of scammers) would be a perfect present and solution for the music enthusiast in your house, order now to avoid disappointment.
Finally, Julian Barker is the author and Woodie George R. White the proprietor of Music Mentor Books, Email: music.mentor@ntlworld.com.” -- Ken Major, Tales From The Woods (December 2025)
