K-tel UK Vinyl Years 1972-90

Introduction

The inspiration for this website, and the reason for my recreating compilation albums from the 1970s and 1980s, was receiving the first Now That's What I Call Music album as a Christmas present in 1983, just as I was about to turn 12 years old. I became fascinated in compilation albums, especially released by those record labels that employed heavy television advertising. I was also regularly buying cheap albums - generally on cassette - from Woolworths. Record labels like K-tel were releasing loads of albums at the time and I was drawn to their bright and sometimes tacky covers; they were also commonly found in the bargain bins at Woolies.

I became aware that such albums were consider budget-priced records and when I investigated further, I discovered it was K-tel that really started the "As advertised On TV" method of promoting records and they began selling to the UK market in 1972 - the year I was born. These albums were, of course, released on vinyl with often a cassette version made available. It would appear that K-tel ceased releasing vinyl records in 1990, the year I turned 18.

I recently happened across a series of nostalgia books titled "My First 18 Years" and I was inspired to look back at the things I enjoyed whilst I was growing up like television, movies and music. This website will concentrate on the TV advertised albums - especially those sold at "budget" and "mid-range" prices but also look back at the cult TV and films I loved, and still love to this day. Hopefully, I can bring back some precious memories and we can discuss them on social media.

A note about budget and mid-priced albums

As I said above, K-tel were considered to be a budget record label but they might actually have been in the mid-price range. Music Week, a trade publication for the UK record industry would publish lists of the Top Albums for sale in the UK and during the 1970s they would have a separate list for releases sold at mid-price and those advertised on television. This list would include albums from K-tel, Ronco and Arcade - all considered "budget".

Music Week placed K-tel's Believe In Music at #11, and 20 Flash Back Greats Of The Sixties at #29 in their Full Price (£1.89 upwards) chart in the May 26, 1973 issue.  In the November 9, 1974 issue, Music Week explained that the Mid Price chart now covered albums priced between £1.26 and £1.99 plus compilation albums advertised on TV. K-tel had 20 Town & Country Greats at #6. By the May 25, 1974 issue, the Mid Price & TV Albums chart covered released priced between 94p and £1.87. Super Bad was #1, joined by Dynamite at #5 and Story Of Pop at #7.

By July 12, 1975, the magazine was listing the top albums from sales at 300 "conventional" outlets and at prices of £1.26 upwards and no separate Mid Price & TV Albums chart. There were no K-tel releases listed. The November 1, 1975 issue listed releases priced from £1.49. K-tel had Perry Como - 40 Greatest Hits at #15 and 40 Sing-A-Long Pub Songs at #52 in chart for week ending October 18, 1975.

From 1980, the chart now covered 450 outlets and records priced £2.25 upwards. K-tel had six releases in the chart for week ending January 12, 1980, including Elvis Presley - Love Songs at #12.

This was also true for the likes of Ronco and Arcade and, in the 1980s, you also saw the emergence of other "budget" labels like Warwick, Tellydisc, Telstar and Stylus.