Hits (compilation series)
It originally ran in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe for over twenty years from 1984 until 2006.
Initially, the Hits brand was arguably as popular as its main rival and all of the first eight volumes achieved at least a platinum BPI award, with several of the very early albums going multi-platinum.
By 2006, almost twenty two years after the first Hits Album was released, the tired brand could not compete with the evergreen Now series.
The Hits Album was also a well received compilation series in the rest of Europe, and there are several European variants.
All of the albums from this period achieved at least a platinum BPI award, with the exception of the ninth volume.
When the Hits Album series began, it was a joint venture by CBS and WEA; RCA Ariola (later BMG) joined the partnership in 1986, and it would be a combination of these three companies, and later, Telstar TV, that would release The Hits Album for the rest of its long run.
The Hits Album often featured songs by artists such as Madonna, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Cher, Whitney Houston, Spandau Ballet and other big international acts that did not generally appear on the rival Now compilations, as well exclusives from hugely popular UK artists of the time, such as Wham!
Like the Now compilations, the artwork for The Hits Album was equally eye catching and glossy, often including three dimensional numbers and shapes.
This appeared in the inner gatefold of the standard album, and in a small booklet with the cassette and CD, although a few of the later editions did not include this feature.
Subsequent releases through to 1991 were released without an issue number and this successive refreshing of the Hits brand could be seen as minor relaunches of the series, each time in the face of the continuing success and strength of the rival Now brand.
They are however considered an extension of the original series as these albums were all issued by BMG, CBS and WEA.
Unlike the albums put out by the respective Sony BMG and Warner labels of the era, Hits '93 was formatted as a single-CD, MC and LP, and included a larger percentage of dance acts compared to the original Hits releases.
Second series 1995 to 2000 In the summer of 1995, an album called Hitz Blitz was released by Global Television, and encouraged by its success, decided to relaunch The Hits Album as simply "Hits", and the first in the new series was released in December 1995 (with the BMG compilations arm trading as Global Television, and WSM being similarly labeled as warner.esp.tv).
This was the most successful branding of the Hits series since the earlier volumes, and both Sony Music TV and compilation specialist company Telstar Records joined forces with BMG and Warner Music early in the series run.
Notably, New Hits 96 holds the distinction for the most consecutive weeks at number 1 in the UK Top 20 Compilation Chart since its launch on 14 January 1989.
Sony BMG, Warner Strategic Marketing, and now with Telstar TV on board, rebranded the well-established Hits series to "Music".
"Music: The Definitive Hits Collection" was launched in March, and "Music: Today's Definitive Hits Collection Volume 2" was released four months later, with both volumes issued in a glossy cardboard slipcase with slick minimalistic artwork.
However, each song's running time was reduced to fit 25 tracks on a single disc, and it charted only at #10.
