The 75 Club

[vastar iner]

The artists who made the singles chart.

But only just.



The Adicts (14 May 1983)

Clockwork Orange themed Suffolk punk/new wave band fronted by Monkey Warren, amazingly enough this clip was taken from kids' show Cheggers Plays Pop, for which they were named the Fun Adicts to avoid any hint of intoxication (still with just one d though). Have been making records off and on for 35 years now, astonishingly. Album "Sound Of Music" made number 99 in the album charts, agonizingly missing out on a unique double. And this is a brilliant song.

[Elmer]

This is a great thread. I'm looking forward to seeing it develop ;D

[vastar iner]

Surprisingly long one. From past memories of Guinness Bookses of Hits Singleses there were very few. Now there are over seventy. Question is whether I can find youtubes for them all.



Angel Witch (7 June 1980)

Another band who have been around for ages, this time since 1975. Albeit very much on and off, with only one constant member (singer/guitarist Kevin Heybourne) a la Fall. One of their early members left to form a band with Bruce Dickinson. The picture sleeve for this featured a pentangled goat with a rod of Asclepius in its nether regions.

Trouble with New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands like this is that 30 or so years on they all sound like Spinal Tap and the scabrous Sounds review is reminiscent of something from that movie: "40 minutes of undiluted torture… the aural equivalent of a Blackburn refuse tip… a bass sound tremendous only in its weediness… as limp as a blancmange umbrella in a rainstorm… the vinyl answer to fouling the footpath."

Says a lot that their original name was Lucifer, until they found out (amazingly enough) there was already a band with that name, so they rechristened themselves after one of their songs. The first band to become charter members of the 75 Club...

[vastar iner]

Apr 2, 2010 16:23:21 GMT 1 vastar iner said:

Question is whether I can find youtubes for them all.

Answer: no.

But at least I can find SOME sort of link for the next one. A myspace video, no less.

The Apples (23 March 1991)

This one is just crying out for some Chart Show chyrons. Second summer of love sound, very derivative. Scottish band, formed out of the ashes of Win, who had a much bigger hit ("Super Popoid Groove", reaching number 63 in 1987; more notable for soundtracking a McEwan's Lager advert with the classic "You've Got The Power"). As far as I can see, The Apples lasted three singles in 1991 and that was it. Obviously they had little ap-peel, never achieving more than a core following.

[o]

Oooh, I await the rest with interest

[vastar iner]

Baby June (15 August 1992)

You may recognize bits of this. Tim Hegarty was the drummer with Northern Irish group Tie The Boy and wrote a song called "Shoot Me". When TTB broke up in the late 1980s, Hegarty moved into the world of business, and lead singer Peter Cunnah explored techno and sampling. Cunnah had the idea of producing tracks with a live DJ on stage and various female vocalists taking the lead, but eventually he took over vocals for his own project. Cunnah took "Shoot Me" and reworked it as a club track, added some choir vocals and bits and dabs and found he had a bit of a hit on his hands. Albeit kept back for release until Cunnah's project had become successful. Not under Cunnah's name, of course; he adopted the band name D:Ream...

Before then, Hegarty had worked on this track under the name Baby June (a character in the Gypsy Rose Lee musical) and had it produced by Cunnah. The favour was semi-returned when "Shoot Me With Your Love" was released three years later, with Hegarty given a writing credit and thus a top ten hit.

[vastar iner]

The BellRays (20 July 2002)

Junky, lunky, wunky, stunky, and what's that other word, and all kinds of bad stuff, woo. Imagine Erma Franklin fronting the MC5 and you're partway there. Garage soul band from California with an incendiary live reputation, that has produced 13 albums (including a couple of compilos) in the last 20 years; well, given it took eight to get album 1 out, it's a more speedy turnover than you might think.

Lead singer Lisa Kekaula does however have more substantial UK chart success; she reached the top twenty as vocalist on Basement Jaxx song "Good Luck". Shame this song does not seem to have an official video, so here's a special bonus track so you can see the band itself:



Even if you are not keen on the music, the sheer talent here knocks a dozen series of reality TV shows into a cocked hat.

[vastar iner]

Brendan Benson (9 April 2005)

Surprised to see him in this list, I would have thought he would have had bigger hits. His last album to date - his fourth solo - did reach the US charts last year, and perhaps he has the opportunity to leave the club in future.

Although really should he be in here? His solo material has not set the world alight, but Benson has a smattering of bona fide top ten-ness, as he and fellow songwriting mate Jack White thrashed out "Steady As She Goes" four years ago, and formed The Raconteurs to perform it. So, technically, he's had a couple of top ten albums on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as a top five single, albeit not under his own name.

[vastar iner]

Biscuit Boy (15 September 2001)

Should really be named Paul Heaton & The Mescaleros, as it is a solo project of the Beautiful South singer with some of Joe Strummer's mates backing. The South went on hiatus in 2000 allowing members to try solo projects, and Heaton went so far as to collaborate with South guitarist Dave Rotheray to co-write this song. After the album "Fat Chance" from which this single was extricated bombed - perhaps the single release date was unfortunate, given other events - it was re-issed as a Paul Heaton album, and did even worse.

Maybe as a result Heaton went back to the South for a few years before they dissolved (this time for good?), and has since released a second solo album. A couple of years back I was made aware of a singer who was supporting him on low key gigs; a shy, young Welsh lass called Aimee.

[vastar iner]

Bonde Do Rolê (2 June 2007)

For about six seconds a few years back Brazilian culture became fashionable, as CSS had a top forty hit, City Of God became a successful film and BDR (a name nigh on impossible to translate, a slang expression meaning something like "funky strutting") were signed up on Domino as a potential breakthrough act. Like CSS, BDR had a gorgeous extrovert lead singer in Marina Gasolina; like CSS, they were pretty much a hobby group collated by a DJ (in BDR's case, two of them) that sort of took off. But alas like CSS there were internal problems; a corrupt manager tore the heart out of Lovefoxxx' mob and she ended up with a Klaxon, sob. And after this storming baile-funk classic was released Marina left the DJ duo scrambling for a new girl singer. Momentum gone, they've not yet caught up since. Although a new album is apparently due out soon. With two girl singers. Is one a spare?

The song is sung in Pajuba, a dialect of Portuguese that encompasses a load of homosexual slang (think palare, "omi palome" and whatnot, Julian & Sandy and Brighton Rock have a load of it), and is about a low ranking junior who hopes to cop a feel on a crowded bus. Should have been massive, really.

[vastar iner]

Danielle Brisebois (9 September 1995)

At the age of 8, Brisebois was one of the most famous people in America; she played Archie Bunker's niece in "All In The Family", the US equivalent of "Till Death Us Do Part". She was already a showbiz veteran as she had been the original Molly in "Annie" (a musical that really made me warm to child labour).

Instead of making the transition from child actress to actress, she moved into the music biz. She provided backing vocals for the unknown Gregg Alexander's second solo album "Intoxifornication", the two hit it off, and collaborated on Brisebois' debut album "Arrive All Over You", which spawned this one hit single. Just scraped the charts, but Brisebois and Alexander's next project stormed them; they formed The New Radicals.

After that project ended, Brisebois remained in the industry, writing for Natasha Bedingfield amongst others. She won a BMI award for "Pocketful Of Sunshine". Ironic then that her one hit was a cover - the original a transatlantic top ten hit for Brenton Wood and later Peter Andre's debut single.

[vastar iner]

Brit & Alex (26 April 2008)

More child actors, this time twin sisters, who had been in US soaps as toddlers, then moved on to being models, which showed that they were obviously talented enough for a music career. Their sound was described as "fresh" and "unique", presumably by someone who had never heard any music ever in their lives as this is identikit pap only made vaguely interesting by the addition of sounds that appear to emanate from a tortured frog. They recorded an eponymous album but after the bombing of this single I have no idea whether it was ever released. Certainly if one goes to their last.fm page one will see that their top 15 tracks feature 13 called "Let It Go". Alex gave up afterwards and went back to school; Brit is recording under the name Matisse. Fair to say her songs are not masterpieces.

[vastar iner]

Pete Burns (19 June 2004)

Yes, but only once you dry it out. Burns was of course lead singer of Dead Or Alive, and most of the band promotion was focussed around his androgynous look. DOA are technically still around and are threatening to tour later this year; they have not released any new material since 2001.

In the middle of one of DOA's hiatuses, Burns recorded a one-off solo single, produced by the Pet Shop Boys. Apparently it was only available via the PSBs' website in a limited edition of 1,000, so perhaps it was both lucky and unlucky to reach the 75; with a proper release perhaps it would have been a more substantial hit, but then again with such a limited outlet should logically have missed out entirely. If there were merely 1,000 copies available, could it be the lowest-selling record ever to make the charts?

[vastar iner]

Calibre Cuts (17-24 May 1980)

A real anomaly in a number of ways. Firstly, for being stuck at the base of the charts for two weeks; what are the chances? Secondly, it's an early example of the medleys that would become fashionable the following year, albeit not as re-recordings but as a Jive Bunnyesque cut-up of a number of songs. Thirdly, Calibre Cuts is really a sort of Various Artists monicker, as all these songs were on Calibre Records; a disco sub-print of Pye, whose greatest success came with Kelly Marie's "Feels Like I'm In Love".

Notable as well for being engineered by one M. Kahn, who was made more famous by David Baddiel pondering on telly about graffiti he had seen saying "M Kahn Is Bent". A very odd 30 minutes of fame.

Artists used on this mix are Aquarian Dream, Black Ivory, Chanson, El Coco, Jupiter Beyond, L.A.X., Lowrell, Osibisa, The Players Association, Positive Force, Tony Rallo & The Midnite Band, The Real Thing, Seventh Avenue, Sugarhill Gang and Two Man Sound. Some of these are obviously familiar; for Black Ivory, Jupiter Beyond and L.A.X., this curio was their only appearance in the charts.

[vastar iner]

Campag Velocet (19 February 2000)

Another band influenced by A Clockwork Orange, to the extent that, like Heaven 17, Moloko, The Droogs, Devotchka and Korova Records, they took their name from the book. They went further as their debut single was called "Drencrom Velocet Synthmesc", a drug seen on a list in the film.

Led by former drug dealer Pete Voss, described as a cross between Mark E Smith and Liam Gallagher, they were very heavily promoted by the NME, which got them signed to an album deal with Play It Again Sam, but after they got their one chart week they were dropped. Second album five years later was done on spec - the band essentially supported by rabid fanbase the Harsh Sharks - and eventually released via an independent label. Sank without trace, despite some positive reviews (8/10 from the faithful NME). Really came 10 years too late, or maybe 10 years too early, as they redid the Second Summer of Love Screamadelica/Mondays sound before the world was ready for it again. Voss went on to front The Count, more of the same, but a bit more like The Cure.

And to think. Once they were supported by Coldplay...

[vya]

Oh yes, this is a great thread, both the idea and the practice. Way back when (early 90s) I tried to buy as many singles peaking at no 75 as possible - so I do have, of those listed here so far, those by the Apples and Baby June (neither of them great works of musical artistry, it must be said).... a special plea for consideration of the Ruthless Rap Assassins (nowhere near as aggressive as their name might suggest) whose chart career, like Calibre Cuts, consisted of two weeks at no 75 - but with two different singles... Pretty Boy Floyd another no 75, 1 week on charts, artist I recall from that period - kind of camp glam rock...catchy as well as rather ridiculous.

[vastar iner]

Definitely putting Ruthless Rap Assassins in there. There's even a loophole I could use to help them.



Cenoginerz (2 February 2002)

For some reason there is a disproportionate number of deep house electro bleepy artistes that peaked at 75. Perhaps because the same few hundred DJs bought new vinyl as soon as it came out, and when sales to make the charts were low they would find it easier to sneak a chart entry for their new faves? And with the plethora of identities assumed by DJs it would be easy for a new name or combination to emerge out of nowhere. This is alphabetically the first of these, a couple of Dutch DJs who also record together under the name Donkey Rollers: Michel Pollen, aka The Pitcher and Nexus, and Raul van Grinsven, aka DJ Zany. The former is more a backroom boy these days, working with more mainstream dance artistes; the latter did the entrance music for Ted "The Count" Hankey in the darts.

[vastar iner]

Johnny Clegg & Savuka (16 May 1987)

Rochdale-born Clegg emigrated to South Africa with his mother in 1960, at the age of 7. In his teens he became interested in blending Zulu rhythms with Western music and formed the band Juluka; a mixture of races in apartheid South Africa, which was not exactly encouraged by the authorities. In 1985 fellow founder member Siphno Mchunu returned to farming and Clegg formed a new band, Savuka (Zulu for "We Have Arisen").

Juluka's biggest hit was "Scatterlings Of Africa", which got to number 44 in 1983, and parent album "Scatterlings" also snuck into the top 50. Clegg re-recorded the song with Savuka and it became their only chart hit. Deeply unrepresentative of their importance to the world music scene; Juluka recorded 12 albums, Savuka 6, and Clegg himself 5.

[vastar iner]

Dayton (10 December 1983)

Perhaps the unluckiest song to be on the list. Must have sold decent amounts to make the chart in December, and it hovered around the bubbling unders for over two months. Indeed it was at number 76 for the two Christmas charts. Take out the likes of Bing Crosby/Grace Kelly and Orville the Duck that were Christmas-plaguing the chart and it might even have reached the top 60.

As for Dayton, the story is simples enough. US funk-soul band who produced five albums and had a couple of R&B hits back in the States. Named for their Ohio hometown. All of the members had been around in Ohio funk bands before they came together; all of them seemed to remain around the industry as session musicians and producers afterwards.

[Shireblogger]

Vastariner, this is a classic thread. Exceptionally good research on a fascinating subject.

Like you, I'm surprised to see Brendan Benson on this list. Also, Johnny Clegg. I did a quick check, and was also amazed to see he never had a charting album either. I missed that Pete Burns / PSB release completely, and the Paul Heaton side project didn't sound too bad. The Bell-Rays are definitely one of the great undiscovered acts of the decade.

Conversely, I'm staggered some of these awful records got anywhere near the chart. Some massive hyping must have accompanied the releases by Brit & Alex and the Apples to shame two.

My Top 4 so far:-

1. Johnny Clegg & Savuka
2. Bell Rays
3. Brendan Benson
4. Campag Velocet