World sales of around 250,000 copies per album seemed unassailable yet MFP lost out to Hallmark's rival Top Of The Pops albums which appeared in 1968.
Not only was the planning and execution of the Top Of The Pops series was much slicker, but they all had the same name AND they had the cover girls. MFP's Hits albums had all used graphics on the front and looked tame in comparison.
From that day on, all covers albums had women on their sleeves. The Hot Hits series proper began in June 1970, two years after Top Of The Pops. They pinched the girls but had more stylised clothing and poses. From Hot Hits 6 they had the model indulging in a different sport on each cover, with a regular team of photographers and designers to ensure continuity.
Some of the models were well known, Vol featured Hammer actress Caroline Munro for example. But although the albums had higher production values, Top Of The Pops were by now fixed in the public mind and the Hot Hits series failed to recapture that market.
Welling and MFP eventually fell out and the series was stopped after 20 releases while their rivals carried on for a remarkable 92 albums.
