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.[2] Singles were the popular record format at the time – predominantly 10-inch 78 rpm and 7-inch 45 rpm formats[3] – 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.[4]Record Mirror published the first album chart in 1956,[3] 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.[5] EPs "died out in the late 1960s"[2] and Record Retailer reduced the chart to ten positions on 16 April 1966, publishing the final EP chart on 16 December 1967.[5] 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;[5]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.[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.
^ abcThe artist, EP name, and number of consecutive weeks at number one are those given by Warwick, Kutner, and Brown in The Complete Book of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.).[9]
^The date given is for the first week of a consecutive duration at number one. The date is "the Saturday of the relevant week"[10] as given by Warwick, Kutner, and Brown in The Complete Book of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.).[9] This may not coincide with the date Record Retailer was published; charts from 10 March 1960 until 8 June 1967 were week-ending on a Thursday and from 19 July 1967 until 23 July 1969 were week-ending on a Wednesday.[11]
Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN1-84449-058-0.