Hit Parade 1

In 1992, The Wedding Present decided to release a limited edition single every month, each featuring an original track on the A side and a cover on the B side. The tracks were compiled as two LPs called Hit Parade 1 and Hit Parade 2 and re-released as a double CD in 2003 called The Hit Parade.

Track listing

Hit parade

A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936. It has also been used by broadcast programs which featured hit (sheet music and record) tunes such as Your Hit Parade, which aired on radio and television in the United States from 1935 through the 1950s.

Early history

Hit tunes were originally published in sheet music format, so many artists were encouraged to introduce or promote the tune in different styles, formats or areas of popularity. Up through the late 1940s, the term hit parade referred to a list of compositions, not a list of records. In those times, when a tune became a hit, it was typically recorded by several different artists. Each record company often promoted its own product through the airtime it purchased on commercial stations, as in Europe's Radio Luxembourg. Most non-commercial stations, like the BBC, were required by national regulations to promote local talent, and were also limited in the amount of needle time given to recorded popular music.

Hit Parade 2

Hit Parade 2 is a compilation album by The Wedding Present released in January 1993. Having decided to release a limited edition single every month for all of 1992 (each featuring an original track on the A side and a cover version on the B side) the group subsequently compiled the songs as two LPs called Hit Parade 1 and Hit Parade 2. In 2003, a double CD was issued called simply "The Hit Parade".

A different recording of Boing! was used on all subsequent album editions to that found on the original 7" single - the single edition being recorded with Jimmy Miller (who also produced Flying Saucer), the re-recording with Brian Paulson (who also produced the remaining singles). The original video for this track was also omitted from the VHS compilation "Dick York's Wardrobe".

Track listing

Hit Parade (Australian TV series)

The Hit Parade was an early Australian television pop music series which aired on the Seven Network 's HSV-7 from 1956 to 1959. It is often mentioned in books discussing Australian television of the 1950s.

Overview

The series presented hit recordings, which were danced to and lip-synced by the cast ("The Hit Paraders"), often presenting the songs in settings with sets and costumes (anticipating the music video). Over 20 episodes of this series are held by National Film and Sound Archive, along with a few episodes of These Were the Hits, a similar series.

References