(Sony Music)

Children dancing through water fountain rainbows, the sun glinting off the chrome of hot rods, and on a transistor radio, the vintage sounds of rock’n’roll drifting through the afternoon air…

Halcyon days of endless sunshine are brought to mind with every tune on this compilation, which marks 55 years since that stalwart classic Summer Holiday was first written by the Shadows’ drummer and guitarist.

It’s a journey which starts in the heyday of the 1950s, through the Summer of Love, and surprisingly into the eighties, with tracks across four decades picked because they evoke times when the sun shines brightly and the sea is blue.

As is often the case with compilation albums, there are plenty of songs here which will appear elsewhere in record collections, either on the original artists’ albums or indeed on other anthologies, but as with the best mix tape, it’s the progression between tunes and the sum of the whole which makes it special.

If you’re looking for stand-outs, there are plenty to choose from, but personal favourites include Summer (The First Time) by Bobby Goldsboro, The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Summer in the City, and Catch the Wind by Donovan.

So why not stick some beers in the fridge, fire up the barbecue and put this CD on the stereo, then take a trip back in time to a bygone era of summer cool…