UK one-offs part 6: Soaraway Party Pops

Another "Top of the Pops" cousin we've known about for a while, but which deserves a fresh look. This one is quite unlike the other "Top of the Pops" spin-offs, and came out on the n.o.w. label in 1973.

Most peculiar. The album is, of course, a promotional item for the Sun newspaper. Down in the groove we find 14 standard songs from the Poppers, and - surprisingly - another seven which consist of the Poppers' backing tracks, but without vocals. Indeed they have been overdubbed with instrumentation!

Added to this are a further three titles from the Hallmark LP Happy Hammond Goes Pop, these being "For Once In My Life", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "My Sweet Lord".

The source of the tracks is not mentioned on the record, but a few clues are there: the label credits "Special Products Division of Pickwick International", while the back cover carries a mock-up newspaper with the headline "Always Top of the Pops!" (hint, hint!) and the line "Britain's Brightest Daily Paper" is in tell-tale Cooper font, just like the regular Top of the Pops logo!

(Incidentally, this album is catalogue-numbered SUN 2. For the record, SUN 1 was an album of 14 original hits, put out in 1971. The tracks were selected from just four artists: The Move, Joe Cocker, T Rex and Procul Harum.)

Anyhoo - here's a track-by-track breakdown:

Side 1 

• Band Of Gold (From volume 12)
• Rose Garden - instrumental overdubs
• Coz I Luv You (From volume 21)
• For Once In My Life (from Happy Hammond Goes Pop)
• Yester-Me Yester-You Yester-Day (From volume 8)
• Beg Steal Or Borrow - instrumental overdubs
• Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep (From volume 18)
• The Good The Bad & The Ugly (From volume 3)
• The Pushbike Song (From volume 15)
• Rocket Man - instrumental overdubs
• Floy Joy (From volume 23)
• Bridge Over Troubled Water (from Happy Hammond Goes Pop)

Side 2

• Get It On (From volume 18)
• Don't Let It Die - instrumental overdubs
• Yellow River (From volume 11)
• She's A Lady - instrumental overdubs
• Honky Tonk Women (From volume 6)
• Poppa Joe - instrumental overdubs
• Sugar Sugar (From volume 9)
• Lady Eleanor - instrumental overdubs
• I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (From volume 22)
• My Sweet Lord (from Happy Hammond Goes Pop)
• Melting Pot (From volume 9)
• My Ding-A-Ling (From volume 28)

Anyone got a copy of the paper this was sold through? We'd love to see what the ad says!