Why did The Doors and Jefferson Airplane do so badly in the UK charts?

I dunno, but my mum said she liked White Rabbit, and she's not much of a rock fan at all, so it must have got radio airplay.

 

In my head, and I could be wrong, but this is the way I have always thought about it - The Doors, JA, The Dead, etc. created rock music that was based on folk music, while the UK groups I know and love were all blues based.

 

I meant in the TOP 10 for albums in the UK. Sorry.

 

The Doors were very blues based . For folk I thought the Byrds were popular in the UK, could be wrong. Plus Jimi was very blues based and did very, very well in the UK. Big Brother with Janis were blues based and did the Roundhouse also and only did middling in the UK.

 

FZ - Hot Rats went Top 10, though!

 

+1 to this

 

Yes... The Doors have a blues sensibility certainly, but they have such a lighter touch. Probably my fave US rock band, but it is so hard to classify what they did. Love them!

 

And to add insult to injury, both Guinness and Official Charts today cite Record Retailer in the 1960-69 period as "canonical" - they who had the least number of shops sampled (85 at most, vs. between 200-300 for NME and Melody Maker), and which was in conflict more often than not with the other publications. Many who had a Number One on the "other" charts were cheated because of Guinness and Official relying on Record Retailer.

 

Interesting.
I think there was some controversy with The Stones Mother's Little Helper as well wasnt there?
A time and atmosphere where u could allude to something, but not just come right out and overtly say it.

 

Who cares? Neither the Doors nor the Airplane put too much effort into breaking the UK other than touring together there in '68. If wasn't that big a deal for US acts to conquer the British Isles as the market wasn't half as big as at home. Completely different matter for English bands though.

 

Surprisingly, the Byrds didn’t sell that well in the UK or the US after the “Mr. Tambourine Man “ and “Turn! Turn! Turn” singles .

But also surprisingly, the Byrds Untitled album charted much higher in the UK than the US.

 

So to sum it up:

Smaller market
Musicians union obstacles
Diffused/inaccurate charts
Limited tv/radio/ press access
Label may not have had a UK office
Artist ambivalence/UK ambivalence

 

Plus touring

 

The Laurel Canyon bands were created and supported by the CIA. Their purpose (controlled opposition of anti-war demonstrations & LSD experimentation) were not compatible with the Tavistock Institutes agenda for the UK. Thus, no support in the UK.

 

Notorious Byrd Brothers got to #12 in 1968 and Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde got to #15 in 1969. They did far better than you would think.

 

Thats pretty wild with the Mrs. being in attendance.
She remember much about it? Should ask her.
She'll think your nuts, youll both probably get a good laugh and maybe a good story may come out if she remembers any of the show.

 

Utter gibberish.

 

You could just as easily ask why they did so well on US charts.

 

I think this is probably the best answer.

British psych tends to be more uplifting, whimsical, and even humorous, as opposed to many US bands who went for a "darker", more foreboding sound and lyrical themes frequently imbued with an undercurrent of existential dread. Just consider (for example) the musical and lyrical contrasts between "Pictures of Matchstick Men" vs. "White Rabbit" or "See Emily Play" vs. "The End".

How well did the US psych/garage bands who were from someplace other than LA or SF fare in the UK? For example, did bands from the Austin scene (where mescaline was more prevalent) such as the 13th Floor Elevators or the Golden Dawn ever make any significant inroads? Did the Brits enjoy Ultimate Spinach?

Indeed!

 

In the late 60’s / early 70’s did the UK charts go lower than Too 20?

 

Top Of The Pops had a top 40 as far back as I remember, in the early 70's.

 

No, I don’t call that “far better than you would think.”

In the UK, no top 20 singles after the two I mentioned until “ Chestnut Mare” squeaked in at #19.

And yes, three top 20 albums after the Turn! Turn! Turn! album .

But my main point was, for a band as revered as they are now ( see the bazillion post ongoing Byrds thread) surprisingly they didn’t sell all that well here in the US, so it wouldn’t be surprising that they weren’t chart toppers in the UK .. or anywhere else .

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US: No top 20 albums after their first two albums.
(Excluding their greatest hits album)

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One top twenty single after “Turn! Turn! Turn!” (Eight Miles High”)

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So, it’s not like they were shoveling records out the door here in the US during their heyday either.

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Right, but I don’t think they were an official chart? It would have been Record Retailer through Feb 1969 I think.

 

Not released here at the time - the first time I remember becoming aware of the Elevators was when the "Nuggets" LP was released in 1972.

 

Ha, I thought he was Scottish!