In the 1950s and 1960s "a third vinyl format" was introduced alongside long-playing (LP) albums, and singles. The extended play (EP) used the same formats as singles but contained more tracks.[1] Singles were the popular record format at the time - predominantly 10-inch 78 rpm and 7-inch 45 rpm formats - and the first singles chart was published by New Musical Express in 1952 with many other publications also producing singles charts in the 1950s and 1960s. Record Mirror published the first album chart in 1956,[2] and when Record Retailer began compiling an LP chart on 12 March 1960, they also compiled an EP chart. The EP chart consisted of a top ten and was expanded to fifteen positions the following week, and twenty the week after that. EPs "died out in the late 1960s"[1] and Record Retailer reduced the chart to ten positions on 16 April 1966, publishing the final EP chart on 16 December 1967. For six weeks in 1966 and two weeks in December 1967, Record Retailer did not publish EP charts but they were compiled and Record Mirror published them; Record Mirror had begun publishing charts compiled by Record Retailer in March 1962, following a decision to stop compiling their own albums and singles charts.[3]
The longest consecutive duration at the top of the chart was 23 weeks for The Shadows' EP The Shadows to the Fore. The most weeks at number one was achieved by The Beach Boys EP Hits which spent 34 weeks there from June 1966 and was the incumbent number one when the chart ceased at the end of 1967. The Beatles had eight different EPs top the chart as did The Shadows (four with Cliff Richard and four on their own). The Shadows spent 69 weeks with an EP on top of the chart in comparison to The Beatles' 63 weeks. Conversely, only four acts spent a total of one week atop the chart; Joan Baez, Jim Reeves, George Mitchell Minstrels and Bobby Vee (with The Crickets). Although official music recording sales certifications were not introduced until the British Phonographic Industry was formed in 1973, Disc introduced an initiative in 1959 to present a silver disc to records selling over 250,000 units.[4] Seven EPs are recorded as going silver: The Beatles' number-one EPs Twist and Shout, The Beatles' Hits, All My Loving, Long Tall Sally as well as The Beatles (No. 1) and Magical Mystery Tour (which did not reach number one but would have done so had the EP chart lasted only a few more weeks) and The Rolling Stones' number-one EP Five by Five.[4]
| scope=col | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | EP | scope=col | Reached number one | scope=col | Weeks at number one | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Expresso Bongo | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Strictly Elvis | 5 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Expresso Bongo | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Strictly for Grown Ups | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | and the Checkmates | Emile | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Strictly for Grown Ups | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | and the Checkmates | Emile | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Strictly for Grown Ups | 12 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Paddy Roberts Strikes Again | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Strictly for Grown Ups | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Original Soundtrack | Highlights from South Pacific | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Strictly for Grown Ups | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Original Soundtrack | Highlights from South Pacific | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Strictly for Grown Ups | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Original Soundtrack | Highlights from South Pacific | 5 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Adam's Hit Parade | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Cliff's Silver Discs | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Original Soundtrack | Highlights from South Pacific | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Cliff's Silver Discs | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Adam's Hit Parade | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Adam's Hit Parade | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | 23 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | Helen | 9 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | Spotlight on The Shadows | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | Helen's Hit Parade | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Spotlight on The Shadows | 5 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Helen's Hit Parade | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | Hits from "The Young Ones" | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | Follow That Dream | 20 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | Kid Galahad | 5 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | From The Black and White Minstrel Show | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Kid Galahad | 11 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | Frank Ifield's Hits | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Kid Galahad | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Frank Ifield's Hits | 8 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | Just for Fun | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | Holiday Carnival | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Frank Ifield's Hits | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Holiday Carnival | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Frank Ifield's Hits | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Holiday Carnival | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | Twist and Shout | 10 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya | 4 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Twist and Shout | 11 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | All My Loving | 8 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | Long Tall Sally | 7 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | Five by Five | 15 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | Extracts from the Film "A Hard Day's Night" | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Extracts from the Film "A Hard Day's Night" | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Five by Five | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Extracts from the Film "A Hard Day's Night" | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Five by Five | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | Kinksize Session | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Five by Five | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Five by Five | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | Beatles for Sale | 5 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | Bumble Bee | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Beatles for Sale | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | Got Live If You Want It! | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Got Live If You Want It! | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | The Universal Soldier | 8 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | Kwyet Kinks | 7 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | No Living Without Loving | 7 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | ||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | Yesterday | 8 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | With God on our Side | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | Machines | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | Hits | 4 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | I Need You | 10 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Hits | 4 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | I Need You | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Hits | 7 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | Ready Steady Who | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6 | |||||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Ready Steady Who | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Hits | 7 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | Morningtown Ride | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | Four Top Hits | 10 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 51 | Paul Jones Sings Songs from the Film Privilege | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Four Top Hits | 5 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 52 | Easy Come, Easy Go | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Hits | 6 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Four Top Hits | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Hits | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Four Top Hits | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Hits | 1 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Four Top Hits | 5 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | Hits | 4 |
The following artists achieved two or more number-one EPs. Artists The Beatles and The Shadows were the most successful acts of the decade in terms of number-one EPs, each having eight EPs reach the top of the chart. In total, The Shadows spent 69 weeks occupying the top of chart (59 weeks from 4 EPs as an instrumental group and 10 weeks from 4 EPs accompanying Cliff Richard) and The Beatles spent a total of 63 weeks at number one.
| scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Number-one EPs | scope=col | Total weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | 8 | 69 | |||
| scope=row | 8 | 63 | |||
| scope=row | 4 | 45 | |||
| scope=row | 4 | 10 | |||
| scope=row | 3 | 37 | |||
| scope=row | 3 | 17 | |||
| scope=row | 2 | 21 | |||
| scope=row | 2 | 13 | |||
| scope=row | 2 | 8 | |||
| scope=row | 2 | 6 | |||
| scope=row | 2 | 4 |