Cliff Richard - 1950's (2002)

This is the first volume in an elaborately ambitious five-CD series, with each disc dedicated to one of the decades that Cliff Richard has held in his thrall – and each one throwing up so many surprises that no conscientious listener could ever wonder how he's managed to stick around for so long. In terms of sheer impact and novelty, 1950s is the killer, a survey of the less than three years during which Richard first blueprinted, and then rewrote, the rules of British rock & roll. Where would it have been without "Move It" to prove that there was more to life than Tommy Steele and skiffle? And how could things have progressed from there, without Richard's career to both signpost and shape the next five, pre-Beatles years? The material presented here naturally covers the big hits, but also delves deeper into the catalog to illustrate the sheer breadth and wealth of Richard's talent. Indeed, while history likes to view him as some sort of traitor to the cause, vacating hard-line rock & roll the moment the "family entertainment" lights started flashing, the truth is that rock was (and remains) simply one string on his bow. And no other British rocker has ever proven so versatile.