"I was working as a bellhop in Atlantic Beach, and had just written my first song. One day I was at a candy store near my house in Washington Heights, and a girl I knew walked in with Bobby – who was working as a janitor in the neighborhood. He was impressed because I was big-time; I'd just had my first song 'In All Of My Dreams' published. We walked over to the girl's place, where she had a piano. Bobby proceeded to play me five songs; I said 'Let's team up, and we'll be the biggest thing in the business'."

Another erratic early album from the Beach Boys; few other rock LPs have such a wide gap between the best and worst material. On the good side, you have absolute classics in the Chuck Berry-ish "Fun, Fun, Fun" and the superb "Don't Worry Baby," one of the most advanced pop productions of 1964 with its breathtaking harmonies and unusual lyric. "The Warmth of the Sun" is one of the most melodic (and melancholic) ballads they ever recorded, and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" is one of their best oldies covers.

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American singer, songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive. Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism, and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship, Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music.

This debut album by the Ventures is surprisingly good, considering that it was recorded in a huge rush during an era when all concerned couldn't help but know that rock & roll albums (apart from those by Elvis Presley) generally didn't sell very well; indeed, the fact that this is so good speaks volumes about the class and talent of the group at this early point in their history…

• ‘American Graffiti’ is a cult movie made in 1973, directed and co-written by George Lucas and his soundtrack is a gem if you like the sound of the 50 americans, with an impressive collection of big names like Buddy Holly, Brenda Lee, Beach Boys, Del Shannon, Booker T. & The MG's, etc Essential •

Guitar Greats is a 2CD compilation of some of the best guitar music in rock & roll's history, many of which have become standards. This was released by Go Entertain.

This 6CD collection includes every studio title recorded by the group from their very first efforts in early 1959, right up to the very end of 1966. It features 31 tracks in mono not previously available on CD & 3 tracks which are released in stereo for the very first time.

Pop & Rock: 50 Hits From The Early Years is a 2CD compilation released in 2014 by Wagram. It focuses on the roots of rock'n'roll and what became a style of music to swag and swim into.

Wacky Favorites: Crazy Classics is a compilation CD of novelty songs, released by Time-Life Music. Wacky Favorites is a series of discs where this installment honors Crazy Classics, thus the title.

This compilation features everything released by The Hollywood Argyles between 1960-62, including rare 45s and unissued demos, many of which have never previously appeared on CD. The Hollywood Argyles were archetypical one-hit wonders, topping the US charts in 1960 with the multi-million selling, worldwide hit "Alley-Oop", but never quite being able to get a follow-up hit away. As a result, their cash-in LP and subsequent singles have all become huge collectors' items. The Argyles' Main Man, singer/songwriter/producer/entrepreneur Gary Paxton, had earlier been one half of a vocal duo, Skip & Flip, who'd hit the US charts in 1959 with a pair of million-sellers, "It Was I", and "Cherry Pie". Both are included herein as bonus tracks, alongside a handful of Skip & Flip rarities.

The Ultimate Collection: Classic Pop is an amazing 100 track collection of some of the biggest and best classic pop songs from the last 50 years or so. With great songs and fabulous artists covering every genre and era; from the unforgettable 70s pop of Abba “Mamma Mia”, through to Kool & The Gang’s 80s dancefloor anthem “Celebration”. From The Moody Blues 60s classic “Nights In White Satin” right through to 90s Britpop including Pulp’s “Common People” not forgetting contemporary favourites such as Lady Gaga “Poker Face”, will.i.am and Britney Spears “Scream & Shout” and Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”. This incredible compilation gathers together the ultimate classic pop collection from the past six decades in one 5CD box set.

From a basement in New Jersey, Tommy Falcone remade himself into a DIY Phil Spector. From 1962 to 1970, he founded and ran Cleopatra Records, discovered and mentored young Garden State talent, wrote songs and produced wild studio effects, and quit his day job to promote it all himself. Trained as an accordionist, Falcone had a whirlwind imagination and an omnivorous approach to genre, expressed through acts like the Centuries, the Tabbys, Johnny Silvio, the Inmates, Bernadette Carroll, the Hallmarks, Vickie & the Van Dykes, the Shandillons, Eugene Viscione, the Shoestring, and more. Cleopatra became a time-capsule of every 1960s pop style imaginable—garage rock, psychedelia, surf, girl groups, soul, novelties, exotica, even a crooner—a kaleidoscope of sound in search of the ever-elusive hit record.

The Fireballs moved on from the successes of "Torquay" and "Vaquero" for Top Rank and cut this gem of an album for Warwick in 1961. The leadoff single was "Rik-A-Tik," which they had already cut for Top Rank, followed by "Quite a Party," another Top 30 hit for the band. The resulting album was another collection of crisply played instrumentals, most with a Spanish theme, all expertly produced by Norman Petty. Another one to add to your Fireballs collection, and superior to many of their later Dot albums.

The Shadows (originally known as The Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, and were Cliff Richard's backing band from 1958 to 1968, having also collaborated again on numerous reunion tours. The Shadows have placed 69 UK charted singles from the 1950s to the 2000s, 35 credited to the Shadows and 34 to Cliff Richard and the Shadows. The group, who were in the forefront of the UK beat-group boom, were the first backing band to emerge as stars…

Born in Texas, Orbison began singing in a rockabilly and country-and-western band in high school. He was signed by Sam Phillips, of Sun Records, in 1956, but his greatest success came with Monument Records. Soon afterward, Orbison was struck by a number of personal tragedies while his record sales declined. In the 1980s, he experienced a resurgence in popularity through the success of several cover versions of his songs, and in 1988, co-founded the Traveling Wilburys, a rock supergroup with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. He died of a heart attack later that year, at the age of 52. One month later, his song "You Got It" (1989), co-written with Lynne and Petty, was released as a solo single and became his first to break the U.S. Top 10 in twenty-five years.