It all began with Janet Jackson. No; not that one! My mum! She had a wind-up gramophone and a wad of 78 singles; 12 inch discs, the 'modern' ones made of thick pure vinyl, the older ones manufactured from brittle shellac. Quite why I was drawn to these as a very young child is unclear. But the combination of the technology, the fusty smell and silky texture of the vinyl and, above all, the magical way in which the music was made was an irresistible draw.

My parents were (and still are) great music lovers. Having been teenagers through the rock 'n' roll era, they had amassed vast record collections. These were carefully stored and catalogued. They were keen that I - and my brothers - developed an appreciation for music and soon we were off to buy our favourites with every last bit of pocket money. Our complimentary tastes worked well and the record collection swelled. We realised that, with our combined tastes and pooled resources, we were building the definitive (post) rock 'n' roll record collection; every track ever to have hit the Top 40.

As a student, I took a job in a record shop. I never saw money in my wage packet. The management cut out the middle man and paid me in vinyl! The staff discount came in handy for family and friends too. The collection swelled. Now, in the 80s, I was purchasing every track to hit the Top 40.

This habit has continued through to this day. Happily, I find myself in the lucky position of getting each new release through the promotions mechanism of the great British record industry.

Throughout this period the record-keeping has been immaculate. everyHit.com is simply an online database of my family's record collection. Against many entries you will find sleeve notes and comments gathered along the way through years of extreme music fandom and decades of experience in compiling a variety of charts for commercial and BBC local radio.

The world wide web has provided the means of sharing this information universally. Enjoy what is here and do let me know if you find it interesting/useful.

Over the next few months we'll be adding a lot more 'notes' for titles/artists in the 'search' section and there will be many other exciting enhancements too. Do sign up to our mailing list to be kept fully appraised of these.