Studio 33 albums (1968 - 1969)
This short run of albums appeared on the Studio 33 label, which was administered by the larger Avenue label. Avenue was based in Chingford, and was run by Gordon Melville from his own house! Avenue began their covers activities as early as 1967, but confined their output to 6-track EPs, although they leased their recordings to Marble Arch, who used them to assemble the early "Chartbusters" LP series.
The albums below were introduced near the end of 1968, and of course contained the same recordings as the Marble Arch albums. (But for the two concurrent "Sounds Like Hits" series, this is the first instance of different labels utilising the same recordings.) And most of these LPs were also issued by Avenue as two EPs, containing six tracks each, and at least one was issued as a parallel Avenue label LP.
Unlike the other covers series, this one is different on two main counts: firstly, the albums were virtually all untitled; and secondly, they had an act credited on the back of the covers - The Clive Allan Orchestra and Singers. (Series producer Mel Gordon is label owner Gordon Melville under a working name.)
The couple of LPs in the series which do have names clearly indicate that this series is a part of the larger "Englands 12 Top Hits" brand, most of which appeared later, on the parent Avenue label (see separate page). Since the first one we know of is numbered 009 in the sequence, it is possible that earlier LPs also exist in this series. It should also be noted that the sleevenotes to this album begin, "Here again is a selection from the current charts..."
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Spin-off EPs CLICK THE ICON |
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Overseas editions CLICK THE ICON |
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Hey Jude / I've Gotta Get A Message To You / Lady Willpower / This Guy's In Love With You / Hold Me Tight / High In The Sky / Those Were The Days / Do It Again / Help Yourself / Jesamine / Little Arrows / On The Road Again |
2 [untitled] (AVE 10-010) Oct 1968
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Red Balloon / My Little Lady / Hello I Love You, Won't You Tell Me Your Name? / Only One Woman / Listen To Me / Les Bicyclettes De Belsize / A Day Without Love / Ice In The Sun / Light My Fire / Wreck Of The Antoinette / M'Lady / With A Little Help From My Friends Comments: Cover art is similar to the previous LP, but with the graphic coloured orange-red. |
3 [untitled] (AVE 10-011) Nov 1968
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Eloise / Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache / Harper Valley PTA / Rudi's In Love / Wait For Me Marianne / Ain't Got No - I Got Life/Do What You Gotta Do / This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) / Elenore / If I Knew Then What I Know Now / Mexico / I'm A Tiger / Lily The Pink Comments: Also released as two EPs. The catalogue number on the back of the sleeve is printed on sticker placed over the printed number AVE 10 010. It is not clear what happened here. |
4 [untitled] (AVE 10-012) Dec 1968
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Build Me Up Buttercup / Something's Happening / Son Of A Preacher Man / Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da / A Minute Of Your Time / Private Number / 1-2-3 O'Leary / I Shall Be Released / Don't Forget To Catch Me / Race With The Devil / Albatross / I'm The Urban Spaceman Comments: Also released as two EPs. |
5 [untitled] (AVE 10-013) Jan 1969
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Move In A Little Closer / (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice / Please Don't Go / Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run) / Dancing In The Street / The Way It Used To Be / Fox On The Run / Blackberry Way / I Guess I'll Always Love You / You Got Soul / To Love Somebody / Stop Her On Sight (SOS) Comments: Also released as two EPs. |
6 [untitled] (AVE 10-015) Mar 1969
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Where Do You Go To My Lovely / Soul Sister Brown Sugar / Sorry Suzanne / Boom Bang-A-Bang / Breakfast On Pluto / Wichita Lineman / Gentle On My Mind / Games People Play / Windmills Of Your Mind / First Of May / I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose / Surround Yourself With Sorrow Comments: Album is sometimes considered to be titled "Avenue Recordings Limited". The cover design is now more in line with the usual format, with this volume almost duplicating the sleeve of the latest "Top of the Pops" LP (volume 3). Also released as two EPs. This album was also issued on the parent Avenue label - see separate page. Note: catalogue number 014 exists, but is assigned to an artist-themed album, not part of the main series. |
7 - "12 Hits" (AVE 10-016) Apr 1969
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In The Bad Bad Old Days / I Can Hear Music / Pinball Wizard / Israelites / If I Can Dream / Goodbye / I Heard It Through The Grapevine / Hello World / Get Back / Cupid / Come Back And Shake Me / Plastic Man Comments: Album is titled "12 Hits". Also released as two EPs. This album was not issued on Studio 33, but on the Studio 11 imprint. It was also issued in a sleeve bearing the parent Avenue label logo - see under "England's 12 Top Hits" for details. (The different sleeve logos stemmed from the fact that two separate printers were manufacturing them.) |
THIS SERIES CONTINUED ON THE AVENUE LABEL, UNDER THE GENERAL TITLE "ENGLAND'S 12 TOP HITS". SEE SEPARATE PAGE.