Hits That Missed

The 1950s and early '60s were a period of unprecedented change on the British music scene, witnessing the emergence of trad jazz, skiffle, folk and rock'n'roll, a renaissance of Irish and Scottish music, and a gradual fading of the influence of operatic balladeers, crooners and the big band sounds of the post-war years. The market was awash with great records, many of which sold well but failed to get into the charts. Until now, there has been no way of knowing which records these were, or how close they came to becoming hits. This unique book documents for the first time anywhere all those singles and albums that 'bubbled under' the UK hit parade between June 1954 and March 1961. As no Bubbling Under chart was ever published in the UK, the author has specially compiled one from record dealers' returns of the time. As an added bonus, the pre-chart histories of hit records are also included. A goldmine of information, it is sure to be an invaluable resource for music fans, record collectors, researchers and historians for years to come.