Cliff Richard was one of first British artists to make their mark as a rock 'n' roll artist in the late '50s with a genuine claim of being able to compete effectively with the American originators of the genre, rapidly becoming one of the biggest artists on the UK pop scene as he reeled off a string of memorable hits, and he remains one of the most important personalities in the history of British pop. This great value 61-track 2-CD set focuses on the first formative five years of his career, and comprises all the A and B sides of his UK singles from his debut with "Move It" in 1958 through to 1962, and it's a measure of his success and popularity that those singles include 24 records which made the UK charts, of which 19 made the Top 10 and seven were No. 1s. - "Livin' Doll", "Travellin' Light", "Please Don't Tease", "I Love You", "The Young Ones", "The Next Time" and "Bachelor Boy".

It also features selected tracks from his EPs released during this time, including "Dream", plus the movie-related "Serious Charge", "Expresso Bongo" and "The Young Ones", and those based on his albums "Cliff Sings", "Me And My Shadows", Listen To Cliff" and "21 Today". Since this was the era when rock 'n' roll was at its most important in his career, the selected EP tracks mainly, though not exclusively, reflect this most significant and often underestimated aspect of his style. It's a collection which evocatively captures the essence of those years for British baby-boomers.

REVIEWS

“No less than 61 tracks on a double CD here, starting with his debut Move It, and covering all his major early hits, selected EP and LP tracks, ending with Lessons In Love from The Young Ones, there is no question that in the early  days Cliff gave the American instigators of rock’n’roll a good run for their money…” - John Howard (Vintage Rock)