RCA UK Album Discography: 27000 series (2)

In 1958, RCA released the film soundtrack of South Pacific, which was based on the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which had been first staged nine years earlier; Rodgers and Hammerstein had much say in this recording, with many of the songs performed by accomplished singers rather than the actors in the film. Mitzi Gaynor and Ray Walston were the only two leading performers who did their own singing in the film (and on the soundtrack album). The roles of Emile DeBecque, Bloody Mary and Joe Cable were sung by Giorgio Tozzi, Muriel Smith and Bill Lee, respectively. When the album was issued in late 1958, it topped the album charts on each side of the Atlantic; in England particularly, the album remained in the top five for 27 consecutive weeks before reaching No.1 in November 1958, then astonished the music industry by staying at the top for a record-breaking 115 weeks (the first 70 of these consecutively - including the whole year of 1959), and remaining in the top five for 214 weeks!

In retrospect, the album had been RCA's highest-selling in England for its first five years under the Decca deal. Meanwhile, a star (whom RCA had had since the early 1940s) was about to be born in England again. After a year out of the UK Singles Chart, Perry Como came right back with ''Catch a Falling Star'' (RCA.1036), which reached #9 on the British charts. Its B-side, ''Magic Moments'', did even better, topping said charts and introducing a songwriting duo that would become very familiar in the ensuing decade: Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Como continued his run on the UK charts with ''Kewpie Doll'' (RCA.1055, #9), ''I May Never Pass This Way Again'' (RCA.1062, #15), ''Moon Talk'' (RCA.1071, #17), and the double-sided RCA.1086, which paired his unusually rocking "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" (#6) with the great unsung Italian tune, "Mandolins In the Moonlight" (#13).

Of course, no singles year for RCA at this point would be incomplete without an Elvis Presley hit. March 24, 1958 saw his induction into the U.S. Army, where he would remain for (well under) two years. Astonishingly, he managed to score a whopping 6 UK Singles Chart top-10s for the first year of his service. He had hit #1 here in the U.S. with "Don't" and ''Hard Headed Woman''. Of the songs he recorded that RCA released during 1958, one happened to boomerang: whereas his two US chart-toppers for the year, "Don't" and ''Hard Headed Woman'', reached #2 on the UK singles chart; one single managed to boomerang, as ''Wear My Ring Around Your Neck'' hit #2 in the US and went straight to #1 in the UK.

All albums in this series are in mono, unless indicated otherwise indicated. The mono records use an ''RD'' prefix (standing for RCA/Decca) and have the black label with the RCA lightning bold logo atop as well as the insignia ''33'' below. The stereo records were similar (using an ''SF'' prefix probably standing for Stereo Format), but had Living Stereo in the area where Long Play would've been. I have indicated in the discography if a particular record is from a subsidiary of RCA Victor's, instead of RCA Victor itself, to avoid redundancy. The approach taken here is the product of intense research skills I've taken.

RD-27100 - [Perry] Como's Golden Records - 1958 British equivalent of LOP-1007. Reissued in electronic stereo as RCA International INTS 1204.
RD-27101
RD-27102 - Dilo (Ugh!) - Perez Prado and his Orchestra - 1958 British equivalent of LPM 1883.
RD-27103 - Soundtrack of What Lola Wants, AKA Damn Yankees - 1958 British equivalent of LOC-1047.
RD-27104 - We 3 - Frank Sinatra With Tommy Dorsey & Axel Stordahl - 1958 British equivalent of LPM-1632.
RD-27105 - Fancy Meeting You Here - Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney - 1958 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1854. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF-5022.
RD-27106 - When You Come To The End Of The Day - Perry Como - 1958 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1885. We know of no UK Stereo equivalent.
RD-27107 - Calypso - Harry Belafonte - 1958 British equivalent of LPM-1248, from 1956. Given this album's phenomenal success here in the States, it's quite surprising that this wasn't issued in the UK until two years later.
RD-27108 - Moods In Music: Music For Relaxation - Melachrino Strings - 1958 British equivalent of LPM-1001.
RD-27109
RD-27110 - Train Whistle Blues - The Legendary Jimmie Rodgers - 1958 British equivalent of LPM-1640. One of the various compilations of the works of the early country pioneer (1897-1933; not the pop artist known for hits such as ''Kisses Sweeter Than Wine''.)
RD-27111 - Holiday in Ireland - Reg Owen and His Orchestra - 1958.
RD-27112
RD-27113 - The King Of New Orleans Jazz - Jelly Roll Morton - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-1649.
RD-27114
RD-27115 - When Tragedy Struck - Hank Snow - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-1861.
RD-27116 - Love Is A Gentle Thing - Harry Belafonte - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1927.
RD-27117
RD-27118 - Strauss Waltzes - Melachrino Orchestra - 1959.
RD-27119
RD-27120 - Elvis ‎(Presley) - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-1990, titled ''For LP Fans Only''. This marks the album, and, in some cases, the UK, debuts of various recordings that he made for Sun Records.
RD-27121
RD-27122 - 37 Favourites For Dancing - Frankie Carle - 1958 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1868.
RD-27123 - Music from ''Peter Gunn'' - Henry Mancini - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1956. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF-5033.
RD-27124
RD-27125
RD-27126
RD-27127 - The King Plays Some Aces - Xavier Cugat - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1882. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF-5038.
RD-27128 - A Date With Elvis (Presley) - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-2011, with a different track listing.
RD-27129
RD-27130
RD-27131
RD-27132 - The Great 16! - Muggsy Spanier's Ragtime Band - 1959 British equivalent of LPM 1295.
RD-27133 - Duke Ellington At His Very Best - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-1715.
RD-27134 - In A Mellotone - Duke Ellington - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-1364, from 1956.
RD-27135 - Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band - Vol 1 - 1959.
RD-27136
RD-27137 - Havana, 3 A.M. - Perez Prado - 1959 British equivalent of LPM 1257, from 1956.
RD-27138 - Never No Mo' Blues - Jimmie Rodgers - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-1232, from 1956.
RD-27139 - Perry Como Sings The Songs Of Christmas - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2066. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF 5045.
RD-27140 - Neil Sedaka - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2035.
RD-27141 - A Friend Of Yours - Lena Horne - 1959
RD-27142
RD-27143 - Rose Marie - Julie Andrews and Giorgio Tozzi - 1959 British equivalent of LOP/LSO-1001. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF-5046.
RD-27144
RD-27145 - For The Very First Time (disc one) - Glenn Miller - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-6100.
RD-27146 - For The Very First Time (disc two) - Glenn Miller - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-6100.
RD-27147 - For The Very First Time (disc three) - Glenn Miller - 1959 British equivalent of LPM-6100.
RD-27148
RD-27149 - Chances Are It Swings - Shorty Rogers - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1975.
RD-27150
RD-27151 - Belafonte At Carnegie Hall - Harry Belafonte - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSO 6006, titled ''Belafonte At Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert''. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF 5050.
RD-27152
RD-27153
RD-27154 - (Perry) Como Swings - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2010.
RD-27155 - Thereby Hangs A Tale - Eddy Arnold - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP 2036.
RD-27156
RD-27157
RD-27158 - That Gibson Boy - Don Gibson - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP 2038.
RD-27159 - Elvis' Golden Records Vol. 2 - 1959 British equivalent of LPM 2075. AKA ''50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong''.
RD-27160
RD-27161
RD-27162
RD-27163
RD-27164
RD-27165
RD-27166
RD-27167 - Della (Resse) - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2157. Della was a well-known actress/singer who later became among the stars of CBS' Touched by an Angel.
RD-27168 - Teensville - Chet Atkins - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP 2161.
RD-27169
RD-27170 - My Lord What A Mornin' - Harry Belafonte - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP 2022. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF-5058.
RD-27171 - Elvis (Presley) Is Back! - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2231. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF 5060.
RD-27172 - Swing Dat Hammer - Harry Belafonte - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP 2194.
RD-27173
RD-27174
RD-27175
RD-27176 - He'll Have To Go - Jim Reeves - 1960 British equivalent of LPM-2223.
RD-27177
RD-27178
RD-27179
RD-27180
RD-27181 - On Tour With The New Glenn Miller Orchestra - 1959 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-1948. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF 5069.
RD-27182
RD-27183
RD-27184 - The King Of New Orleans Vol. 2 - Jelly Roll Morton - 1961.
RD-27185 - Handful Of Keys - Fats Waller And His Rhythm - 1960
RD-27186
RD-27187
RD-27188
RD-27189
RD-27190
RD-27191
RD-27192 - G. I. Blues - Elvis Presley - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2256. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF 5078.
RD-27193 - The Intimate Jim Reeves - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2216. UK Stereo equivalent was numbered SF 5079.
RD-27194 - The Other Chet Atkins - 1960 British equivalent of LPM/LSP-2175.
RD-27195
RD-27196 - How The West Was Won (disc one) - 1960 British equivalent of LOP/LSO-6070. Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Jimmie Driftwood and Sam Hinton are among the performers on this LP.
RD-27197 - How The West Was Won (disc two) - 1960 British equivalent of LOP/LSO-6070. Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Jimmie Driftwood and Sam Hinton are among the performers on this LP.
RD-27198 - The World Of Suzie Wong - George Duning - 1960 British equivalent of LOP/LSO-1059.
RD-27199