20 Dynamic Hits (TE 292)

20 Dynamic Hits was the first album produced specifically for advertising on TV in the UK and was released by K-Tel in June 1972. K-Tel was the brain-child of Canadian entrepreneur Philip Kives who founded the company in 1962 selling household gadgets by advertising them on TV and radio. He reportedly coined the phrase “As Advertised on TV”. The first K-Tel album was released in 1966 but success really came when he hired Australian Don Reedman – whose twin brother ran the Australian office – to set up a division in the UK in the early 1970s. Reedman had been instrumental in the success of “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies, which spent eight weeks at No 1 in the UK, in 1969.

Reedman was tasked with compiling themed albums featuring popular artists with the tag line “Original Stars – Original Hits” and his first project was 20 Dynamic Hits. In Canada, in 1969, a similarly named album – 24 Dynamic Hits – was released on the K-Tel-owned Syndicate Product label. In 1970, an album called 20 Dynamic Hits was released on the K-Tel-owned Majestic label (a sequel – 20 Dynamic Hits, Vol 2 – was released in 1971), and there was also a version released in Japan. In 1972 Top Star Festival – 20 Dynamic Hits Volume Two was released in the US and Canada.

The album released in the UK featured 20 tracks, including two each from Deep Purple and Hurricane Smith. They were all UK Top 40 hits except “Iron Horse” by Christie (#47), “Everybody’s Everything” by Santana (they would not have a UK hit single until 1974), and “Go Down Gamblin'” by Blood Sweat and Tears.

In a 2005 article published in the Independent, “K-Tel: the secret history!”, Bob Stanley spoke to founder Philip Kives about the success of K-Tel, and remarked that his father bought the album, along with three million other people. The cover looked like it had been put together by a kid with Letraset and felt tips.

The album entered the UK Albums Chart (Top 50) on chart date June 10, 1972 at #4 and the following week began a run of eight weeks at #1. It left the chart in October 1972 but returned for two weeks in November 1972, and a further six weeks in December 1972 into January 1973.

International Variations

K-Tel Records really started in Australia, from 1964, under the name Majestic. The first album with the name 20 Dynamic Hits was released in 1970. None of the tracks that appeared on it featured on the 1972 UK version. However, Blue Mink and Blood Sweat & Tears did both feature on the Australian original, but with different songs. Spotify only has 13 of the songs available and you can take a listen to those tracks here.

Australia was not the only country to release an album under the same name in 1970. K-Tel - with Polydor - released another version in Japan. This time, there was no crossover with the UK version, and included T Rex, the Beatles, James Brown, the Bee Gees, Slade, Jimi Hendrix and Sammy Davis Jr! On Spotify, just one song is missing and you can listen to my playlist recreation here.

It is believed that New Zealand got the next version in 1971 and, again, the line up is completely different. In actual fact, the track listing has more in common with Ronco's debut album 20 Star Tracks, Vol I (1972) in that it shares the songs "In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry, "Brandy" by Scott English, and "Banks of the Ohio" by Olivia Newton-John. The album also includes songs by Pickettywitch, BJ Thomas, Elton John, and Barry Crocker who would go on to sing the "Neighbours" theme tune. I found 17 of the songs on Spotify, and you can listen to them here.

In 1973, 20 Dynamic Hits came to Germany. Its only connection to the UK version was "Hold Your Head Up" by Argent. It connects with the Japanese version by including "Jeepster" by T Rex, and a song by Slade ("Mama Weer All Crazee Now", rather than "Coz I Luv You"). It then shares "Banks of the Ohio" with the New Zealand version (how come it wasn't on the Australian version?). This version also has a couple of things in common with Arcade's 20 Fantastic Hits by the Original Artists in that it shares Daniel Boone's Beautiful Sunday", and songs by the Osmonds (and Little Jimmy rather than Donny this time) and Slade's "Coz I Love You". 18 of the tracks were on Spotify, and you can listen to the album here.

Sequels

In the UK, 20 Dynamic Hits was succeeded by the confusingly titled 22 Dynamic Hits Vol II, also in 1972. It was also odd that its catalogue number was TE 291 rather than TE 293 that you might have expected. In Australia, Majestic issued 20 Dynamic Hits Vol 2 (1971) and 20 Dynamic Hits Vol 3 (1973).

In America and Canada, where K-Tel does not appear to have released a version of 20 Dynamic Hits, they did, however, release Top Star Festival - 20 Dynamic Hits Volume Two (1972), which aimed to raise money for the United Nations in aid of the world's refugees. In the tracklisting were the Bee Gees, the Osmonds (sharing "One Bad Apple" with 20 Fantastic Hits by the Original Artists), Elton John, Rod Stewart, and the Doors, among others.