Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 11:45:43 GMT 1
I thought I'd start this thread as a companion to the Nearly Forgotten Hits thread. That thread does include some tracks that completely missed the charts but on the whole the thread features tracks that did chart. This thread is for posting videos of tracks that completely missed the chart despite being great songs. If you are in doubt whether a single charted polyhex has the answer
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 11:50:32 GMT 1
To kickstart the thread I'm going to post a few videos... And we go back to 1975 with a record that topped the US chart but could only make the Breakers Chart in the UK
An excellent live performance from the Old Grey Whistle Test, Janis Ian - At Seventeen
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 11:52:37 GMT 1
And on to 1976 with another record that was a massive US hit but which failed to make the UK charts
Gary Wright - Dream Weaver
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 12:00:41 GMT 1
It's 1977 and punk is big news. One of the best albums to be released that year was by someone who had been around for a long time but who gained critical acclaim in 1977 riding the coat tails of punk. The album was 'New Boots And Panties'. The artist was Ian Dury. And the single was 'Sweet Gene Vincent'. Sadly it never charted.
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 12:06:54 GMT 1
To 1978 and disco was all the rage. And I started to really buy singles this year and from all genres, pop, rock, reggae, new wave and disco. But one of my favourite singles was an easy listening hit in the US which sadly did nothing here in the UK when it was released in early 1979.
Nicolette Larson - Lotta Love
Also, another AOR record that was a top 20 hit in the US but which failed to chart in the UK which I loved.
Firefall - Strange Way
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 12:26:33 GMT 1
On to 1979 and two disco related songs with connections to English acts you wouldn't normally associate with disco...
Fisrt up, a song by members of The Salsoul Orchestra, the US backing band for Salsoul Records with a song written by an unlikely duo! The writers of the song were Colin Horton Jennings and Stephen O'Donnell. They would have a UK chart hit in 1988 as Star Turn On 45 (Pints) with 'Pump Up The Bitter'. But back in 1979 they were writing for other people and this one was picked up by Salsoul Records
Cognac feat Salsoul Orchestra - How High
Mention the name Alan Hawkshaw and you think of the guy that wrote a number of TV theme tunes such as Grange Hill, Channel 4 News and Countdown. But in 1979 he had a brief recording career under the name Love De-Luxe which he recorded along with a number of studio musicians. The track would later be covered by Simon Harris. Sadly this catchy song by Alan missed the charts. The syndrums date this one to 1979...
Love De-Luxe - Here Comes That Sound Again
Alan is also the father of Kirsty Hawkshaw, she of Opus III fame.
Also from 1979 a record which was a massive radio hit but failed to chart. This sounds like The Cars meet Talking Heads though the lead singer's 'tache looks out of place on a new wave record. A great song that should have been a big hit but which failed to chart.
The Sinceros - Take Me To Your Leader
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 12:29:02 GMT 1
It's 1980 and one of the silliest, but greatest, songs of the year came within a whisker of making the top 75 yet went on to sell more copies than many top 40 singles
Spizzenergi - Where's Captain Kirk?
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 12:35:12 GMT 1
My final one for now. It's 1981 and the excellent Magazine are still releasing great singles but getting nowhere. In 1981 the band decided to call it a day but not before releasing another excellent album ('Magic, Murder and the Weather') as well as an excellent single. Which sadly failed to chart.
Magazine - About The Weather
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Post by rubcale on Jun 30, 2019 12:53:34 GMT 1
Is reaching #76 a hit or not?
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Post by o on Jun 30, 2019 13:03:44 GMT 1
This always stands out for me.
No No No - Pumping blood. Hugely catchy, a bunny, funky dancing and gorgeous scenery in the video!
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 13:42:51 GMT 1
Is reaching #76 a hit or not? At one time I would have said definitely not as Music Week (and British Hit Singles) discounted the 76-100 part of the chart on the grounds that there were exclusion rules and so it didn't fully reflect what was actually selling. There are exclusion rules all through the chart now but as far as Music Week are still concerned its's only the top 75 that counts. Plus on polyhex it's still just top 75 runs that are displayed. The OCC do publish the full top 100 on their website though and do so (apart from a break from 1991 to 1994) all the way back to 1983.
I'd say these days (because of the occ website) if a record has a chart position then it's a hit regardless of whether it's number 1 or number 100 though I expect we'll see some tracks that did peak below the top 75 and so can't be found by searching polyhex.
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 13:46:55 GMT 1
This always stands out for me. No No No - Pumping blood. Hugely catchy, a bunny, funky dancing and gorgeous scenery in the video!
I recognise the track. It must have been played on XFM back in the day as that was the only station I was listening to back in 2013.
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie on Jun 30, 2019 13:52:00 GMT 1
Speaking of XFM, this track attracted lots of radio play on the station but sadly only made number 174 in late 2010. I loved the song and did hope it would be a top 40 hit but by this point physical releases were on the way out and so the days of records like this sneaking a week inside the lower reaches of the top 40 were on their way out. I bought this track from iTunes on the day the snows arrived at the start of what was a lovely snowy (and often cold) winter. 25 November 2010 to be exact!
Darwin Deez - Constellations
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Post by suedehead on Jun 30, 2019 17:54:29 GMT 1
I've never understood how this we not a massive hit. The Damned had a top thirty hit with a cover version, but the original has never troubled the charts.
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Post by raliverpool on Jun 30, 2019 20:37:33 GMT 1
This USA #2 track would have spent six weeks at USA #1 had the Beatles never existed (well at least been invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan show). I think it is fair to say this song's feminist lyrics, and the Quincy Jones production were ahead of its time:
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rewardman
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Post by rewardman on Jun 30, 2019 20:43:52 GMT 1
For me a really classy ballad and, in light of the renaissance in 1976 it’s a mystery why this didn’t make the Top 40, never mind the Top 75 in 1978. youtu.be/Sp8_yUlUUCs
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Jun 30, 2019 20:46:27 GMT 1
Very similar to that No No No song was another US hit that looked like it was going to be huge but again was ignored by the BBC so although it went top 50 on iTunes it did not build from there.
It was also released too fast in an era where OAOS wasnt yet a thing, and had to compete with songs which had 8-10 weeks of preorders and only made #125. It reached #31 in US in 2014.
The song has had so much airplay since that I think most people think it was a hit.
Kongos - Come With Me Now
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Post by Earl Purple on Jun 30, 2019 21:33:57 GMT 1
A great song that got a fair amount of airplay but flopped - twice. A year after Kirsty MacColl's version totally flopped, Tracey Ullman released a cover version, having already had a big hit with a Kirsty MacColl song. In spite of the fact that her version also got a fair amount of airplay it also flopped.
Kirsty's version reached #82 in November 1983, just after "They Don't Know" had been a hit. And Tracey Ullman's went one place higher, #81 in January 1985, just before Kirsty had her biggest solo hit single with a cover version of Billy Bragg's "A New England".
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Post by Whitneyfan on Jul 1, 2019 19:51:33 GMT 1
A great song that got a fair amount of airplay but flopped - twice. A year after Kirsty MacColl's version totally flopped, Tracey Ullman released a cover version, having already had a big hit with a Kirsty MacColl song. In spite of the fact that her version also got a fair amount of airplay it also flopped.
Kirsty's version reached #82 in November 1983, just after "They Don't Know" had been a hit. And Tracey Ullman's went one place higher, #81 in January 1985, just before Kirsty had her biggest solo hit single with a cover version of Billy Bragg's "A New England".
Kirsty MacColl only had a small handful of hits, out of all the singles she released... and they nearly all deserved to be!
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Post by Earl Purple on Jul 1, 2019 20:36:58 GMT 1
She'd had a "revival" though with Tracey Ullman covering her song, and Terry got a fair amount of airplay.
It was fairly common in the 1980s for successful artists to have a few singles that just bombed completely. Elton John had many complete flops in addition to his hit singles and so did Rod Stewart.
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