Did/Do you follow the charts?

Massive chart geek - would always get the weekly top 40 in the early 80's and Countdown (Oz music show) had a weekly top 10 as well as the UK/US top 5. On top of that I've bought various chart books such as 500 UK number 1's. And these days love going to the bullfrogspond/everyhit sites to look at chart stats from the 50's to 90's. But I have zero interest in the charts after the mid 90's - today's billboard charts are filled with music I have no interest in.

 

Well, when I was at that certain age, at that time, charts were a big deal...and I'm not snobbish enough to admit it.

The big local AM radio station was in our neighbourhood...literally behind our house (I could see it from my bedroom window). We used to go into the lobby and ask the receptionist for a copy of the weekly Top 40 chart that they would publish. Ah, good times.

 

I've followed the charts since I bought my first single. To me, they meant more then, but that could just be because I was young and everything did! I always watched the US charts too, where things move slower and records can spend an eternity on the top 100. The US charts generally contained more music I really loved, though the UK ones had their moments too. I still look at them every week. It's not quite the same, but I still look!

 

These were my chart days! Spring 1975.

 

Late 1973. How many of these do you love?!

 

Once Upon a Time...

 

Late 1975.

 

I followed the UK singles charts avidly from late 1963 to late 1969. After that, I had no interest in singles and have not paid attention to them since. But that six-year period was classic.

 

1974 UK chart.

 

Late 1977. Mull Of Kintyre's first of nine weeks at #1!

 

Were you living in the US at the time?

Those weren't the charts I saw...that Ringo song didn't get anywhere - not even sure it was released here.

 

No, I've always lived in the UK. These are the official US Billboard charts though, so they must be right!

Sorry, I should've pointed out that was a US chart.

 

I was an avid watcher of the charts in the 70s...less so in the 80s and then dropped off completely when so many singles went straight in at #1 and then dropped back the following week to be replaced by another song going straight in at #1.

At school we used to listen to the chart rundown at lunchtime on Tuesday which ended just at the time we went back in to lessons. And then there was TOTP to look forward to on Thursday.

Now?

Haven't a clue.

 

I didn't realise "Calypso" was the b-side of "I'm Sorry" which was a #1. Apparently after "I'm Sorry" dropped off "Calypso" went back up the charts to #2. One of my favorite songs.

 

Me neither. And I posted it! Calypso was great. I wouldn't have gone with I'm Sorry as lead single myself, but it did pretty well anyway!

 

I used to try and catch the charts on Tuesdays too. Cut it fine getting back to school because of it!

 

Nope

 

Thanks for the cut-outs Bobby, pretty cool pieces of music history

 

You're welcome. It's amazing how many songs you remember as well as how many you forget!

 

The Top 100,or any list of popular fare,is not necessarily a snapshot of what may be good.But an accurate listing of what the masses consume can be a view into the soul of the people.Beret,a story song raising a fallen soldier to hero status,came just months after Eve Of Destruction,a laundry list of what was bad in the world.Both songs spent time on the center stage at virtually the same time.This kind of turmoil was happening in the US in the mid-'60s.If one has an interest in history,examining the pop charts of this era can be quite revealing.Are either one great art?Dunno.My guess would be not.But both were indeed popular and in some cases,consumed by the same person. Both remain controversal to this day.

 

I stop in the early 90's too. I started in the mid 70's, my first three jobs were in a record store, in college had a music and a business class that I used it (Billboard) in. After that I got a subscription, but because of the cost, I gave it up.

 

Used to enjoy Casey Kasem in the 70's. I don't think I ever used the charts to determine what to buy, but I was curious.

Now...no, except for these charts that Bobby Morrow has been posting! Very interesting.

 

I used to follow the charts going all the way back to the mid-1950's, but I never bought any records because of chart position. My personal chart is "buy what I like!"

 

A couple more for you. Think this is 1972. A bit early for me, this one!

 

Summer of 1976.