Acrobat has a long-established, popular and successful series called The British Hit Parade which, for the years 1953, 1954 and 1955 comprise a 3-CD set, a 4-CD set and then two 3-CD sets for the respective years featuring every record which appeared in the UK record sales chart during those years as it expanded from its original Top 12 format in late 1952 to a Top 30 by 1955. Those compilations feature around 325 chart entries across the three years. This great-value 40-track 2-CD set comprises a distillation of some of the biggest hits across those three years as the pop scene progressed from the comfortable and predictable middle-of- the road styles that characterised the early ‘50s towards the cataclysmic upheaval that rock ‘n’ roll would bring – Bill Haley’s 1955 UK hit with “Shake Rattle And Roll”, included here, was the first to herald the shape of things to come. Just about every record in this set was a No. 1 or No. 2 hits, so these are hits that many people who were growing up through those years will remember as key landmarks in a teenage rite of passage, with memorable classics from the biggest artists of the era. It makes for evocative and hugely entertaining listening.

CD 1
1. OUTSIDE OF HEAVEN Eddie Fisher (1953) Chart pos. 1
2. DON'T LET THE STARS GET IN YOUR EYES Perry Como (1953) Chart pos. 1
3. BROKEN WINGS Stargazers (1953) Chart pos. 1
4. WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN Danny Kaye (1953) Chart pos. 5
5. I BELIEVE Frankie Laine (1953) Chart pos. 2
6. PRETEND Nat King Cole (1953) Chart pos. 2
7. HOLD ME, THRILL ME, KISS ME Muriel Smith (1953) Chart pos. 3
8. TERRY'S THEME FROM "LIMELIGHT" Ron Goodwin (1953) Chart pos. 3
9. SHE WEARS RED FEATHERS Guy Mitchell (1953) Chart pos. 1
10. SUCH A NIGHT Johnnie Ray (1954) Chart pos. 1
11. CARA MIA David Whitfield with Mantovani's Orchestra (1954) Chart pos. 1
12. LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT Kitty Kallen (1954) Chart pos. 1
13. THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN Frank Sinatra (1954) Chart pos. 1
14. LET'S HAVE ANOTHER PARTY Winifred Atwell (1954) Chart pos. 1
15. SOFTLY SOFTLY Ruby Murray (1955) Chart pos. 1
16. GIVE ME YOUR WORD Tennessee Ernie Ford (1955) Chart pos. 1
17. ROSE MARIE Slim Whitman (1955) Chart pos. 1
18. THE MAN FROM LARAMIE Jimmy Young (1955) Chart pos. 1
19. LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDOURED THING The Four Aces (1955) Chart pos. 2
20. MEET ME ON THE CORNER Max Bygraves (1955) Chart pos. 2

CD 2

1. HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW Lita Roza (Chart pos: 1) 1953
2. I'M WALKING BEHIND YOU Eddie Fisher & Sally Sweetland (Chart pos: 1) 1953
3. THE SONG FROM MOULIN ROUGE Mantovani (Chart pos: 1) 1953
4. ANSWER ME David Whitfield (Chart pos: 1) 1953
5. HEY JOE Frankie Laine (Chart pos: 1) 1953
6. OH MEIN PAPA Eddie Calvert (Chart pos: 1) 1953
7. THAT'S AMORE Dean Martin (Chart pos: 2) 1954
8. I SEE THE MOON The Stargazers (Chart pos: 1) 1954
9. SECRET LOVE Doris Day (Chart pos: 1) 1954
10. HOLD MY HAND Don Cornell (Chart pos: 1) 1954
11. MY SON MY SON Vera Lynn (Chart pos: 1) 1954
12. FINGER OF SUSPICION Dickie Valentine (Chart pos: 1) 1954
13. MAMBO ITALIANO Rosemary Clooney (Chart pos: 1) 1954
14. CHERRY PINK & APPLE BLOSSOM WHITE Perez Prado (Chart pos: 1) 1955
15. STRANGER IN PARADISE Tony Bennett (Chart pos: 1) 1955
16. UNCHAINED MELODY Al Hibbler (Chart pos: 2) 1955
17. DREAMBOAT Alma Cogan (Chart pos: 1) 1955
18. YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS Mitch Miller (Chart pos: 2) 1955
19. HERNANDO'S HIDEAWAY The Johnston Brothers (Chart pos: 1) 1955
20. (WE'RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK Bill Haley & The Comets (Chart pos: 1) 1955