The Friday Canon: MANIC STREET PREACHERS

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

The Manics (BA Hons, Swansea) are responsible for many things: a reasonably popular London club night, skyrocketing feather boa sales, the gratitude of the Goan tourist board and of course, thousands upon thousands of rabid fans desperate to bleed all over Steve Lamacq in 'tribute'. But what do you poptimists make of their back catalogue? 33 UK Top 40 singles means you get ELEVEN ticks to dish out. Eyeliner pencils at the ready!


[Poll #1105942]
Fleetwood Mac: (link)
1. Go Your Own Way
2. Dreams
3. Little Lies
4. Don't Stop
=5. Albatross
=5. Tusk
=7. Big Love
=7. Oh Well
=7. Sara
=10. Black Magic Woman
=10. Say You Love Me

Comments

33

[koganbot]

Did any other performer never to get into the U.S. Top 40 (or Top 100) have as many British hits* as the Manic Street Preachers? (I checked, and both Cliff Richard and Boney M made it into the U.S. Top 40 (once each).)

*I'm calling a "British hit" as anything in the Top 40, though that's a dubious def'n, especially during the era that precedes download stats but follows the time when lots of people actually bought physical singles.

Re: 33

[koganbot]

(Wait, Cliff had nine Top 40 U.S. singles, two in the top ten even, though I have a memory of none of them.)

Re: 33

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

slade? adam ant? t-rex? val doonican?

i don't know where to look up american top 40/100...

Re: 33

[koganbot]

Slade had two, both in 1984 (!), "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway"; Adam Ant had three ("Goody Two Shoes," "Room At The Top," and "Wonderful"); T. Rex had one ("Bang A Gong (Get It On)"); Val Doonican is a name previously unknown to me, and he never charted here. How many did he chart in the UK?

(And here's the Status Quo's U.S. hit, before anyone suggests them.)

Re: 33

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

ok, val only had 12 hits. basically he was like an irish perry como/bing crosy type crooner who was on telly like EVERY saturday night for about 25 years, i'm sure there must be a good website:

http://www.valdoonican.co.uk/

is a start. he's been in showbiz 60 years and it still going strong (although rarely on telly these days)

Re: 33

[koganbot]

You can get U.S. chart info from allumsic.com, though they're something of a pain in the ass: you have to search the performer, then click "Charts And Awards," then click "Billboard Singles." Then you have to figure out which chart designation is relevant (for today's purposes, up to 1983 it's "Pop Singles" and after that it's "Billboard Hot 100" [but not "Pop 100" or "Mainstream Top 40"]). Also, they'll probably make you register.

Re: 33

[koganbot]

Er, it's spelled allmusic.com, actually, but the link I gave you is right. (My typing skills seem to have disintegrated in the last month.)

Girls Aloud and Sugababes and Blur

[koganbot]

Girls Aloud and Sugababes never reached the U.S. Top 40, but "Hole In The Head" did sneak into the Hot 100. According to their Wikipedia entries neither is up to 33 hits yet. Blur never hit the U.S. Top 40 ("Girls and Boys" peaked at 59), but they only had about 25 U.K hits (if Wikipedia is right).

Re: Girls Aloud and Sugababes and Blur

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

wait, "song 2" didn't chart in america? but surely it's used at like every sporting event ever. ooh! that makes me think that perhaps g4ry gl!tter might be a possibility, or was r0ck & r0ll part 2 a hit?

Re: Girls Aloud and Sugababes and Blur

[koganbot]

"Rock And Roll Part 2" went Top 10; "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock And Roll)" went Top 40.

Re: 33

[tinskeep.livejournal.com]

Madness' "Our House" was a top 10 US single back in '83.

Re: 33

[koganbot]

"It Must Be Love" also went U.S. Top 40.