"...Hits..." and "Hot Hits" - overseas
With the powerful EMI organisation behind them, the "Hits" and "Hot Hits" albums reached several overseas territories, starting with the first-ever album and running through the duration of these two linked series. Each country in the frame is looked at below.
Australia
The Australian MFP label probably issued all the "Hits" albums from the start until at least late-1971. In nearly all cases, the covers are essentially the same, but where the artwork incorporates a retail price, these are of course given in Australian Dollars. Towards the end, they designed their own covers for the Hot Hits albums. The discography known to us is as follows:
France
Early on, the "Hits" LPs reached France through the filter of the Top 12 label, and the first two contained selections from the latest LPs plus a handful of songs not issued in the UK. By installment three, they had fallen into line, and that LP is basically the same as "Big Hits". (There is evidence that these LPs were only available through mail order.) Later on, the MFP label came into play, but there are probably a high number of gaps in our listing below...
Greece
Greek releases are known from the "Hits" and "Hot Hits" series. They were issued on the Greek EMI/Regal label. The earlier ones are copies of the UK albums, but after Hit Hits 6 they started compiling their own albums from the available tracks.
Big Hits
Hot Hits 4
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Hot Hits 5
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Hot Hits 6
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Israel
It appears that Israel issued a continuous run of "Hot Hits" albums, starting at least as early as volume 9 and running to the end of the series. They were issued on an Israeli version of MFP, which carried black labels. In many cases they amended the cover art, generally by changing the text of the song titles, one way or another although some of these sleeves do not differ from the UK in any substantial way. The series, as known to us, is given below:
Italy
Mexico
Mexico had its own budget series called "La Ola Inglesa" which started in the mid-1960s and featured UK cover versions of pop hits. Early editions were sourced from the Top Six label, but this installment volume 12 was sourced from MFP - it is basically an edition of the LP, "Top Hits". Despite coming via MFP, Top Six are still credited in the top corner of the sleeve! The Ola Inglesa series was apparently also coming out on 7-inch EP, and these must have had their own volume numbers. The example left is called "Vol 19", but the four tracks pre-date the LP called volume 12, above. The tracks are all from the UK album, Super Hits ("Mony Mony"; "Yummy Yummy Yummy", "Mrs Robinson" and "Dance to the Music"). |
Netherlands
The Netherlands took what might be termed a passing interest in these albums. So far we have come across four examples where they borrowed the cover art for their own collections:
Norway
Only two albums known from Norway (thus far), both called Top Hits but in fact editions of the UK Top Hits LP, followed by Big Hits. The tracks are in the same order both times, but the covers are completely different.
The label here is also apparently called Top Hits - it's the only slogan written across the lables themselves.
Philippines
Tracks form the mfp ...Hits... albums were sometimes released in the Philippines on a local Top SIx label. They are billed as by the Ghost Squad, a fictional act invented either by the label, or by Bill Wellings himself.
There are several of these, it seems. The only one we have positively nailed down as yet is shown left, the recording of "Sitting In The Park" from the UK album, "Hits '67". This one has a cover version of "I'm A Believer" on the other side. |
Portugal
In Portugal it seems the LP series was shunned, but not the recordings themselves. Several of the tracks from 1968 and 1969 were issued on 7-inch singles and EPs credited to Bill Wellings, on the Alvorada label - although we have not yet discovered any LPs from Portugal. In at least one case, a whole album was marketed on the EP format, with the songs spread across three discs. The following is probably far from complete. Track details can be seen by enlarging the images.
Above (left to right): Spin-off EP from the tracks on "Hits '68"; Different spin-off single from the same album; EP compiled from the tracks on "Super Hits".
Above: These two EPs are both compiled from "Top Hits". They don't appear to match each other in any way, except in that they are both on the Alvorada label. Indeed, one has six tracks, the other four. (There is no cross-over in terms of track selection, however.)
Above: These three EPs make up a mini-series, and with four track each, cover the entire contents of the LP, "Big Hits".
South Africa
There are known to have been several regular "Hot Hits" albums released in South Africa, on their MFP label - which was prolific in that country, also issuing the long-running "Springbok" albums. Later on, it looks like "Hot Hits" was absorbed into a new series called "LM Hits" - we have two of those noted as well, which borrow from "Hot Hits". (Later releases in the "LM Hits" series do not correspond to particular UK albums.)
Hot Hits 1
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Hot Hits 2
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Hot Hits 4
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Although the image is poor, we can see that "Hot Hits 1" has the same tracks as in the UK, and one can also make out the price in South African rands: R1.99. On "Hot Hits 2" the cover is stickered, with a price of just 99c.
Hot Hits 9
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Hot Hits 10
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Spain
We currently know of only two releases, some years apart. "Lista de Exitos Hits" takes its cover from "Smash Hits" (1967), and includes six tracks from that LP, plus six others. It was released on the Cem label. "Best Seller Hits 2" by contrast is a Spanish MFP label release, which is essentially a local edition of "Hot Hits 2" without tinkering. The album was issued with the gold "Best Seller" sticker intact - it has not been stuck on subsequently.
Tracks on "Lista de Exitos Hits" (titles from "Smash Hits" in bold, others in normal font):
Side 1: Don't Sleep in the Subway / San Francisco (Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) / Let's Pretend / The Last Waltz / Hello Goodbye / Thank U Very Much
Side 2: A Whiter Shade Of Pale / I'll Never Fall In Love Again / All You Need Is Love / The Happening / Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde / Massachusetts
Turkey
Only one Turkish release is known so far. It corresponds to the UK pressing of "Hot Hits 5", but the cover has the song titles in red rather than yellow. The label here is Regal, who were also behind the Greek releases (see above) but whereas the Greek labels were blue, this one is red.
West Germany
The West German discography as known to us is diverse and inconsistent. The earliest records we know of are a couple of tracks familiar from the UK albums, which were issued under the group name, John Smith and the New Sound. This was in fact a Bill Wellings-managed group until the lead singer left, prompting Wellings to continue the act by using his own cover versions and releasing them under the group name. "Birthday" appears on Hit Hits (although this single came out earlier), while "Return of Django" can be heard on Hits Again.
The following LPs are also known...
We are practically certain this is an edition of Hits 70 - it has the same tracks, in the same order - except that "Two Little Boys" is gone, replaced by "Knock! Knock!". This track (actually "Knock Knock Who's There" was a Eurovision entry for Mary Hopkin - explaining the change - but was never included on the UK albums, so the origins of this version remain unknown. |
This LP, presumed German, is entitled "Die Bekanntesten Schlager Aller Zeiten" which means "The Most Popular Hits of All-time". This is a variation on the more common Dutch LP, "All-time Smash Hits" (see above), and has the added interest of featuring amended cover art. The track listing is the same however. |
This is a West German album on the mfp label, called "Hitparade 1". It does not match any of the UK albums as such, but all twelve tracks are featured in the UK series, so it probably contains those same recordings. The tracks come from "Hot Hits 3" and "4" (four tracks each), "Hot Hits 1" (two tracks) and one each from "Hits '69" and "Hits '70". |
We have two more West German albums on record, which correspond to "Hot Hits 7" and "Hot Hits 11" respectively. In each case, the contents are the same but whereas the first adapts the UK cover design, the second is completely different. It is not clear whether "Hits International 2" is a sequel to "International Hit Parade 1", or whether it is part of a separate series. Both LPs are on MFP.
Unknown
This odd LP is a promotional edition of "Smash Hits 75". It's styled in line with the Benson & Hedges cigarette branding, which is serves to plug.
We do not know the country of origin, but it has Arabic text on the back. The labels are essentially the standard red mfp labels, but with Arabic script in the small print of one side. Please contact us if you know anything more about this release.
We do not know the country of origin, but it has Arabic text on the back. The labels are essentially the standard red mfp labels, but with Arabic script in the small print of one side. Please contact us if you know anything more about this release.