Album of the Day

Cliff Richard and the Shadows stood at the crossroads of popular music in the early 1960s; Richard was in some respects England's answer to Elvis, while his backing band (which had numerous hits in their own right) was an important precursor to The Beatles. Given that musical profile, dominance of the British charts was a foregone conclusion, and after Presley and the Fab Four, Cliff's the top-selling singles artist in U.K. chart history. The 1977 double album 40 GOLDEN GREATS puts that remarkable statistic into perspective, with early rockers like “Move It,” pop favorites like “Please Don't Tease” (which topped the British chart on this day in 1960) and 1976 comeback hit “Devil Woman” still irresistible. Tough as it is to summarize a career as long as that of the still-active Richard, the well-compiled 40 GOLDEN GREATS is the ideal place to start.