Do any of you guys remember or have those "Soundalike albums" that were popular mostly in the 1970s, but have survived to this day. They were albums of session singers doing cover versions of songs in the charts. Because of this, they cost a lot less than full priced albums with genuine songs. Often sold on dodgy late night TV ads, some of these records were big sellers.

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A Notorious one from 1977, which features cheap graphics, terrible record quality (Paper thin vinyl) cardboard covers with no sleeves, inners or outers and no track names.

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These albums were usually very cheap, low quality and designed for consumers who did not care too much for quality. They were the bane of many children who wanted elderly relatives to buy them new music and the labels relied on their poor eyesight, as they often had song names promonently, but performer names less prominently and this practice is still done now. (Check the $2 CD's in outlet stores - Gino Marinello orchestra plays Westlifes biggest hits, A tribute to Dolly Parton by the mountain toppers.

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The 70s was the worst, as the USA had stuff like the album above, which contained very low quality knockoffs of some of the 1970s most forgettable cheese like Muskrat Love and "You make me feel like dancing" which sounds like Francine Smith in a Masculine voice with the Daffy Duck singers. Other albums have missing lyrics, bad playing and shitty sound. Most American knockoffs were by Pickwick, a label known in Britain as well.

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Britain had a series of knock offs called "Top of the Pops" which was similar and had nearly 100 records released at 5 or 6 a year from 1968 to 1985 (Mostly til 81, with a couple in 84/85) and annual collections. These songs were knocked out in a week. Unlike the American ones, some of these were decent copies and early volumes had a young Elton John playing some tracks.

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Even here in New Zealand, we had them, a budget label called "Music World" and its spinoff "Music for Pleasure" bourght knock off versions from the USA and UK's Pickwick line and also made local copies of songs, cheesy instrumental and public domain nonsense (I had a copy of knock offs of TV themes like Andy Pandy and Peter pan).

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The reason this stuff sold, was that it cost a fraction of full priced music, and even then official hits music (20 solid gold hits, that's what I call music, K tel) was not much better, mixing up hits with filler and songs that got to like #99 on the AC chart. They also faded songs off before they ended so they could fit more songs on a record.

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For example in 1975 - a full priced record cost about $5 - $7, a hits record $5 and a series of soundalikes usually $3 or less a record. In Britain, the average top of the pops knock off record cost 89 pence when proper albums were about £4. They got past copyright by not listing artist names, although the practice died off in America after 1980. In addition to hits albums, often you had knockoffs of big stars (Carpenters, Bee Gees, Captain and Tennille, John Denver, Glen Campbell etc) and numerous imitation Chipmunked (Speeded up vocals) albums (Imitation Beatles sung by imitation chipmunks and one was even "The Happy Hamsters sing Michael Jacksons greatest hits from 1984, which is most dreadful album ever made.

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So do you guys have any of these records and do you ever play them, what do you think of them.

[Edited 7/2/17 1:39am]

Wow, no one knows about these or cares. I guess there is no music to most people here before RUN DMC and some foul mouthed thug rappers.

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Surely some of the Vernaquika Broadleys have these in their record collections.