Hello!  Cherry Red's 7Ts imprint has recently released a new box set for the teenage glam rockers Hello.  At 4 CDs and 74 songs, The Albums boasts the group's 1976 debut Keeps Us Off the Streets, the Japan-only Shine On Silver Light album, 1978's farewell Hello Again, and a disc's worth of rare and previously unreleased cuts.  The first and third albums were previously issued separately in expanded editions by 7Ts.

The quartet of Keith Marshall, Bob Bradbury, Jeff Allen, and Vic Faulkner first coalesced as The Age in 1969, initially performing around London and environs as a self-contained band before backing Caroline Hall (12-year old daughter of the band's agent Eva Hall) as Caroline and The Age.  Young Caroline departed at the beginning of 1971, however, leaving The Age once again as a standalone group.  That same year, The Zombies' former road manager David Blaylock took an interest in The Age, introducing them to Russ Ballard.  The singer-songwriter and Argent member supplied them with "Can't Let You Go," a demo of which brought them to the attention of Bell Records.  Signed by Bell, The Age debuted with two more sides produced and written by Ballard: "You Move Me" b/w "Ask Your Mama."  (Both sides are included among the bonus tracks on this set.)  Though the single didn't leave an impression on the charts, the band persevered with Bell's patronage.  By 1973, they were opening for Gary Glitter, and were popular enough to have record signings in 30 U.K. towns for their single releases.

Finally, in 1974, Hello found the hit that had eluded them for three years' worth of recording.  It was the band's reinvention of Bert Berns' "Tell Him," an international hit for The Exciters, Billie Davis, and Alma Cogan.  The Glitter Band's recording of the oldie set the template for Hello's version, produced (like their version) by Mike Leander.  It made it all the way to No. 6 on the U.K. chart, made the top 30 in Belgium, and reached No. 32 in Germany.  Further releases followed, including "Game's Up" by two members of The Glitter Band, and a revival of The American Breed/Amen Corner's "Bend Me, Shape Me."  But it was another Russ Ballard song, "New York Groove," that gave Hello a second Top 10 hit in 1975.  At last, in April 1976, a full-length LP was released.  Keeps Us Off the Streets included the singles "Tell Him," "New York Groove" and "Star-Studded Sham," as well as covers of The Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together," The Crystals' "Then She Kissed Me," Chuck Berry's "Carol," and the oft-recorded "Shakin' All Over."  The box set's edition of Keeps Us Off the Streets rounds up 12 non-LP singles and B-sides.

Bell kept Hello on a singles track, and later in 1976, the band teamed with producer Phil Wainman (Bay City Rollers, The Sweet) for "Love Stealer" b/w "Out of Our Heads."  It didn't fare well in the U.K., but earned the band a Top 20 hit in Germany.  The co-writer of "Love Stealer," Richard Myhill, helmed the band's next 45, "Seven Rainy Days" b/w "Rebel."  It became another German hit (No. 44) and marked the band's debut on Bell successor Arista Records.  Sessions during this period with Myhill and producer Mike Hurst both went shelved, but tracks are now making their debut on the fourth disc of this collection.

Hello's German success streak continued in 1977 with "Let It Rock," but Japan was the only country in which sophomore LP Shine On Silver Light, produced by Bill Kimber and Colin Frechter and largely featuring the group's original songs, was released.  Meanwhile, in Germany, a greatest hits album was released instead. Seven non-LP sides have been appended to the Silver Light disc here.  The December 1977 release of "Slow Motion" b/w "The In Place" concluded Hello's Arista tenure, but Hello secured a new deal with Polydor for 1978's Hello Again.  Boasting covers of Jeff Beck and The Turtles as well as another clutch of original songs, the John Hudson-produced LP failed to spawn a hit single.  When Keith Marshall scored a German hit as a solo artist with "Remember Me," Hello quietly drew to a close.  The band's final recordings, "Feel This Thing" b/w "Back Seat Talking," aimed at the disco market.  Its extended 12-inch mix concludes the bonus section on the Hello Again disc.

The fourth disc in the box, Glam Rock Rarities, covers the band's whole career with demos (including Ballard's "Can't Let You Go" and "New York Groove"), outtakes, and rarities like the DJ edit single of "Feel This Thing."  A booklet with Phil Hendriks' liner notes is informative and refers to most of the songs in chronological order, but lacks a track listing with discographical annotation.

James Bragg has remastered all of the tracks in this set.  Each disc is housed in an individual paper sleeve, all of which are housed in the compact clamshell box.  The Albums celebrates Hello's boisterous teenage bubblegum glam in comprehensive fashion.  It's available now at the links below!

Hello, The Albums (Cherry Red/7Ts GLAMBOX 161, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Keeps Us Off the Streets (Bell Records BELLS 263, 1976) (Tracks 1-12) plus bonus tracks

1. Teenage Revolution
2. Keeps Us Off the Streets
3. She Knows
4. Carol
5. Then She Kissed Me
6. Tell Him
7. New York Groove
8. Let's Spend the Night Together
9. Shakin' All Over
10. Hold Me
11. Another School Day
12. Star Studded Sham
13. You Move Me
14. Ask Your Mama
15. C'mon
16. The Wench
17. C'mon Get Together
18. Lightning
19. Games Up
20. Do It All Night
21. Bend Me Shape Me
22. We Gotta Go
23. Little Miss Mystery
24. Jenny Dream

CD 2: Shine On Silver Light (Arista Records IES 80924, 1977) (Tracks 1-12) plus bonus tracks

1. Shine On Silver Light
2. Starlight
3. Midnight Strangers
4. Some Kind of Magic
5. Seven Rainy Days
6. Gotta Lotta Soul
7. Heart Get Ready for Love
8. Good Old U.S.A.
9. Voodoo Eyes
10. Week-End Rendezvous
11. The In Place
12. Till You've Been Kissed
13. Love Stealer
14. Out of Our Heads
15. Slow Motion
16. Rebel
17. Let It Rock
18. Shine On Silver Light (Single Version)
19. Seven Rainy Days (Single Version)

CD 3: Hello Again (Polydor Records 2374 134, 1978) (Tracks 1-12) plus bonus tracks

1. 99 Ways
2. That's the Time
3. Back Seat Talking
4. The Cat is Wild
5. One More Step to Heaven
6. You Shot Me Down
7. Hi Ho Silver Lining
8. Elenore
9. Machine-Gun Hustle
10. Oh Caroline
11. How to Survive the Night
12. Walking Midnight
13. Too Much Hesitating
14. Feel This Thing
15. Feel This Thing (12-Inch Extended Version)

CD 4: Glam Rock Rarities

1. Can't Let You Go
2. Dynamite
3. Let's Twist Again
4. Hooray Hooray
5. Where's the Party
6. Shout It Out
7. Round and Round
8. Little Miss Mystery (Demo)
9. Keeps Us Off the Streets (Demo)
10. New York Groove (Demo)
11. Night Watcher
12. One by One
13. Whole Lotta Woman
14. You Got Class, Babe
15. Dean
16. Feel This Thing (DJ Edit)