The Original Golden Hits Series was billed as "Mercury's Golden Dozen Hit Albums." It was
undoubtedly issued in response to the best selling oldies series of the time from Original Sound Records
(Oldies But Goodies) and Roulette Records (Golden Goodies).
Actually, the twelve albums in the 1964 Original Golden Hits series (numbered as MGH-25000 to
25011) followed from two "Original Golden Hits" albums released in 1963, Original Golden Hits of the
Great Groups [Mercury MG 20809/SR 60809] and Original Golden Hits of the Great Blues
Singers [Mercury MG 20826/SR 60826]. For that reason, the MGH-25000 series started oddly, with a
"Volume II" of Great Groups as 25000, and 25002 being "Volume II" of Great Blues
Singers, leaving the buyers of the series to wonder why Volume I of each was not in the series.
The labels for the original 1963 pre-MGH series albums (far left) were black with silver print. By 1964, when the MGH series started with MGH-25000, Mercury had changed over to the red label (near left). All twelve of the MGH-25000 series issues used the red label. |
Cover |
Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] Contents |
MERCURY ORIGINAL GOLDEN HITS SERIES:
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Pre-MGH Series Issues:
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MG 20809/SR 60809 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Groups - Various Artists [1963]
Save The Last Dance For Me - Drifters (E)/You, Baby, You - Cleftones (E)/Little Darlin' - Diamonds
(E)/Maybe - Chantels (E)/Come Along With Me - Del-Vikings (E)/Devil Or Angel - Clovers (E)//Only You -
Platters (E)/So Fine - Fiestas (E)/Lilly Maybelle - Valentines (E)/Tonight's The Night - Shirelles
(E)/Sixteen Candles - Crests (E)/I Only Have Eyes For You - Flamingos (E)
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MG 20826/SR 60826 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Blues Singers - Various Artists
[1963] Kiddio - Brook Benton/I'll Drown In My Own Tears - Ray Charles/A Lover's Question - Clyde
McPhatter/Ya Ya - Lee Dorsey/Any Day Now - Chuck Jackson/Let The Little Girl Dance - Bobby
Bland/Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers/Since I Met You Baby - Ivory Joe
Hunter/Mojo Hand - Lightnin' Hopkins/The Sky Is Crying - Elmore James
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MGH 25000 Series: | |
MGH 25000 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Groups — Volume II - Various
Artists [1964] Issued in monaural only. The Great Pretender - Platters/Book Of Love -
Monotones/There's A Moon Out Tonight - Capris/Been So Long - Pastels/Tonite-Tonite - Mello
Kings/Speedo - Cadillacs//Let Me In - Sensations/When You Dance - Turbans/Ship Of Love -
Nutmegs/To The Aisle - Five Satins/You Were Mine - Fireflies/Love Is Strange - Mickey & Sylvia
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MGH 25001/SRH 65001 - Original Golden Instrumental Hits — Volume I - Various
Artists [1964] Jive Samba - Cannonball Adderley/Walkin' with Mr. Lee - Lee Allen/You Can't Sit
Down, Part 2 - Phil Upchurch/Last Night - Mar- Keys/Sugar Blues - Ace Cannon/Mexico - David
Carroll//Green Onions - Booker T. & M.G.'s/Wiggle Wobble - Les Cooper/Watermelon Man - Mongo
Santamaria/In The Mood - Ernie Fields/(Ghost) Riders In The Sky - Ramrods/Limbo Rock - Champs
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MGH 25002/SRH 65002 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Blues Singers — Volume II -
Various Artists [1964] I Wake Up Crying - Chuck Jackson/Lonesome In Your Home - Lightnin'
Hopkins/Father Up The Road - Bobby Bland/Next Time - Little Junior Parker/Reconsider Baby - Lowell
Fulson/Smokestack Lightning - Howlin' Wolf//Lie To Me - Brook Benton/You Can Make It If You Try -
Gene Allison/No More Doggin' - Roscoe Gordon/The Bells - Clyde McPhatter/Just Make Love To Me -
Muddy Waters/I Won't Cry - Johnny Adams
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MGH 25003 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Blues Singers — Volume III - Various
Artists [1964] Issued in monaural only. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley/Tupelo, Mississippi - John Lee
Hooker/Lightnin's Boogie - Lightnin' Hopkins/I'm Gonna Put Some Hurt On You - Raymond Lewis/I Like
It Like That, Part 1 - Chris Kenner/Yield Not To Temptation - Bobby Bland//Got My Mojo Workin' - Muddy
Waters/Hide And Go Seek - Bunker Hill/See You Later Alligator - Bobby Charles/Be Ever Wonderful -
Ted Taylor/Gonzo - James Booker/I Don't Want To Cry - Chuck Jackson
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MGH 25004/SRH 65004 - Original Golden Teen Hits — Volume I - Various Artists
[1964] Quarter To Three - Gary US Bonds/Tragedy - Thomas Wayne/Will You Love Me Tomorrow -
Shirelles/Angel Baby - Rosie & Originals/Alley Oop - Hollywood Argyles/Lavender-Blue - Sammy
Turner/Gee Whiz - Carla Thomas/Music Music Music - Sensations/Stay - Maurice Williams &
Zodiacs/My Baby's Gone - Johnnie and Joe/Click Clack - Dickey Doo & Don'ts/Olds-Mo-Williams - Paul
Peek
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MGH 25005/SRH 65005 - Original Golden Teen Hits — Volume II - Various
Artists [1964] Party Doll - Buddy Knox/Party Time - Ray-O-Vacs/Sugar Bee - Cleveland Crochet/Do
You Wanna Dance - Bobby Freeman/Twist, Twist Senora - US Bonds/The Madison - Ray Brown/It's My
Party - Lesley Gore/Loop De Loop - Johnny Thunder/Over The Mountain, Across The Sea - Johnnie &
Joe/We Belong Together - Robert & Johnny/Walking The Dog - Rufus Thomas/Ahab The Arab - Ray
Stevens
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MGH 25006/SRH 65006 - Original Golden Rhythm and Blues Hits — Volume I -
Various Artists [1964] Shake A Hand - Faye Adams/But I Do - Clarence Henry/I Need Your
Loving - Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford/These Arms Of Mine - Otis Redding/How Can I Forget - Jimmy
Holiday/Billy's Blues - Billy Stewart//There is Something On Your Mind - Bobby Marchan/Don't Start Me
Talking - Sonny Boy Williamson/Juke - Little Walter/All In My Mind - Maxine Brown/You Don't Miss Your
Water - William Bell/The Walk - Jimmy McCrackin
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MGH 25007/SRH 65007 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Groups — Volume III -
Various Artists [1964] Blue Velvet - Moonglows/Do You Love Me - Contours/So Far Away -
Pastels/Good Night Sweetheart - Spaniels/At My Front Door - Eldorados/One Summer Night -
Danleers//My Prayer - Platters/So Tough - Kuf-Linx/Crying In The Chapel - Orioles/Playboy -
Marvelettes/Get A Job - Silhouettes/The Closer You Are - Channels
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MGH 25008/SRH 65008 - Original Golden Town and Country Hits — Volume I -
Various Artists [1964] Shutters And Boards - Jerry Wallace/Go On Home - Patti Page/I'll Have
Another Cup Of Coffee - Claude Gray/Shy Away - Jerry Fuller/Don't Go Near the Indians - Rex
Allen/Golden Wildwood Flower - Tom And Jerry//Walking After Midnight - Patsy Cline/Please Help Me -
Rusty Draper/From A Jack To A King - Ned Miller/Boll Weevil - Brook Benton/Yellow Bandana - Faron
Young/Walk On By - Leroy Van Dyke
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MGH 25009/SRH 65009 - Original Golden Teen Hits — Volume III - Various
Artists [1964] Dear Lady Twist - Gary US Bonds/Ne-Ne-Na-Na-Nu-Nu - Dicky Doo & Don'ts/There
She Goes - Jerry Wallace/Triangle - Janie Grant/Mama Didn't Lie - Jan Bradley/Always - Sammy
Turner//Tequila - Champs/Betty My Angel - Jerry Fuller/This Time - Troy Shondell/Cry Baby Cry -
Angels/Dedicated To The One I Love - Shirelles/Cradle Of Love - Johnny Preston
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MGH 25010 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Groups — Volume IV - Various
Artists [1964] Issued in monaural only. Too Much Tequila - Champs/Sh-Boom - Crew-Cuts/I Got A
Wife - Mark IV/Baby I Do Love You - Galens/The Stroll - Diamonds/Up On The Mountain -
Magnificents//From The Vine Came The Grape - Gaylords/Most Of All - Moonglows/Last Night I
Dreamed - Fiestas/Twilight Time - Platters/Over The Rainbow - Baysiders/Stranded In The Jungle -
Cadets
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MGH 25011/SRH 65011 - Original Golden Hits of the Great Blues Singers — Volume IV -
Various Artists [1964] Sea Of Love - Phil Phillips & Twilights/I'll Be True - Faye Adams/Kansas
City - Wilbert Harrison/New Kind Of Love - Willie Harper/Funny - Maxine Brown/Snap Your Fingers - Joe
Henderson//Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams) - Jesse Belvin/My Heart Reminds Me - Della
Reese/Shine On Moon - Lightnin' Hopkins/Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well - Lucky Millender/Got
To Have Some - Willie Mabon/A Shanty in Old Shanty Town - Johnny Long
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