50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALBUMS CHART

50TH ANNIVERSARY

The Official UK Albums Chart Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary:

On Friday 28th July 2006, all attention turned to the Official UK Albums Chart as it celebrated its 50th Anniversary

The very first album chart - a Top 5 - appeared in Record Retailer on 28th July 1956. Frank Sinatra's 'Songs For Swinging Lovers' was in the pole position.

POS	TITLE	ARTIST	LABEL
1.	Songs For Swinging Lovers	Frank Sinatra	Capitol
2.	Carousel	Film Sound Track	Capitol
3.	Mel Torme at "The Crescendo"	Mel Torme	Vogue-Coral
4.	At "The Crescendo"	Louis Armstrong	Brunswick
5.	Oklahoma!	Film Sound Track	Capitol

What's Your Favourite Album Of All Time?

We asked some of our celebrity friends to name their favourite albums or to list their Top 10 ...

Parallel Lines by Blondie:


Carol said: "Like most 20 something's in the 80's, this album was rarely off my turntable. I have always had an eclectic taste in music and the songs leap unapologetically from rock 'Hanging On The Telephone', to the slightly fey 'Sunday Girl' across to disco in 'Heart Of Glass' & the drama-queen of 'Picture This'. I love light and shade in all album tracks. Blondie defied definition. They were / are a little bit punk, a little bit reggae, a little bit rock, a little bit new wave, a little bit pop, a little bit hip-hop and a lot of NYC downtown attitude. They were mega-cool, from the Big Apple and I was lapping it up in sleepy Shrewsbury. They fired my deams. She was so perfectly beautiful but kicked butt as I like to so I wasn't envious, just inspired"

Carol Decker (T'Pau), July 2006

T'Pau had a Number One album, "Bridge Of Spies", and a Number One single, "China In Your Hand" in November 1987.

Nate James' Top 10:


1. What's Goin' On - Marvin Gaye
2. Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder
3. Off The Wall - Michael Jackson
4. Urban Hang Suite - Maxwell
5. The Power Of Love - Luther Vandross
6. Another Level - Blackstreet
7. Crazy Sexy Cool - TLC
8. Musicology - Prince
9. Vintage Soul - Raphael Saadiq
10. Emotions - Mariah Carey

Nate James, July 2006

Steve Brookstein's Top 10:


Steve said: "I have too many favourite albums so here are my Top 10 at the moment":

1. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
2. The Donny Hathaway Collection - Donny Hathaway
3. Talking Book - Stevie Wonder
4. I am Shelby Lynne - Shelby Lynne
5. A Different Drummer - Isley Jasper Isley
6. 20/20 - George Benson
7. Tal Bachman - Tal Bachman
8. The Night I Feel In Love - Luther Vandross
9. Call Me - Al Green
10. Spirits Having Flown - The Bee Gees

Steve Brookstein, August 2006

Steve Brookstein had a Number One album, "Heart And Soul", in May 2005 and a Number One single, "Against All Odds" in January 2005.

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