Ones on 1 The Radio 1 21st Birthday Album is a UK compilation box set released in 1988 by BBC Radio 1 to celebrate the station’s 21st anniversary. Issued by BBC Records and Tapes, the release brings together 32 UK number‑one singles spanning 1967 to 1988, reflecting two decades of British chart history.

The set is presented as a four‑LP collection, each disc covering a different era of Radio 1’s influence. It serves both as a nostalgic overview of mainstream pop and rock success and as an official BBC‑curated snapshot of changing musical trends.

Artists featured include The Beatles, The Police, Culture Club, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Wham!, Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue, Queen, Slade, Rod Stewart, and many others. Styles range from late‑1960s pop and glam rock through punk, new wave, synth‑pop, and late‑1980s chart pop.

This copy is a UK original pressing, identifiable by:

• Light blue BBC Records and Tapes labels

• Catalogue number REF 693

• Stereo, 33⅓ RPM

• ℗ 1988 BBC Enterprises Ltd

• Four‑record set with individual sides numbered across the collection

• Distributed by BBC Records

The sleeve artwork features bold, graffiti‑style graphics centred around Radio 1 studio imagery, microphones, and mixing desks, capturing the station’s modern identity at the end of the 1980s.

Format: 12” LP box set

Label: BBC Records and Tapes

Catalogue No.: REF 693

Country: UK

Year: 1988

Condition: VG+ / VG+