I give every entry a mark out of 10. Here’s your opportunity to tick the ones you’d have given 6 or more to.
My highest score of 1997 turns out to have been a solitary 8, for Hanson’s “MMMBop”. U2 and Elton both got 2s. Use the comments box to talk about the year in general!
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I'm writing about every UK number one single, in order. It's taken a while, it'll take a while longer. Wander around in the archives, or join in with the marvellous bunch of commenters we've managed to attract - new voices always very welcome!
Index of reviews and scores so far
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Popular Lucky Dip (a random post)
@46, @47 I wonder if maybe it depends on how you encountered Spiritualized first.
I first heard Lazer Guided Melodies, and love it still. And I saw them in concert around that time and they blew me away. After that, Ladies and Gentlemen felt like an over-inflated retread of the same ideas, with diminishing returns.
@46 Not trying to argue with your taste, but I would have guessed the consensus canonical albums from the other two were Emperor Tomato Ketchup and Dummy.
Third is also far better than Portishead, which has some interesting ideas but feels too much like a stumbling retread of Dummy. Also: Helen Love! Wonderful, in a sort of shit way. They then of course go on to have one of their frequent collaborators top the 1999 Festive 50, sadly unbunniedly (with first single I ever bought, I believe, and which an enthusiastic write-up of utterly failed to get me a job at the Official Charts Company earlier this year).
#51 – definitely, Ladies and Gentlemen was my introduction. And having heard a lot of prog this album never felt over-inflated to me.
#50 I agree. In the 90s the artists had the structures of Indie-Rock and tracks were built around these. What to hand no these structures – soaring strings or prog guitars or Farfisa organs gives the differentiations between the bands. In the 70s it feels like a new music for a new audience using new structures – though in reality the new structures were often pilfered from classical or folk genres.
another highlight for me (and probably only a few others) in 1997 was the release of Rickie Lee Jones’ Ghostyhead – her response to/take on trip hop.
1997 number 1s seem to represent a more diverse range of styles than we’ve seen for a while. No one type of music seems particularly dominant and there’s little sense of anything dramatically new. The visual arts in recent years have seen the rise of the ‘Curator’ to a more visible and powerful status – framing and reframing work in new constellations – and perhaps something similar has happened (and may very well have happened before) with producers and artists in the musical sphere. One such example that was compelling for me was the 1996 release of David Toop’s compilations ‘Ocean of Sound’ and ‘Crooning on Venus’ that drew connections between the music of Debussy, Aphex Twin, Beach Boys and Amazonian natives amongst others.
12 out of 24. Of the 6 or above awarded by Tom I left out R Kelly and SG ‘Too Much’ but included Blur, Olive, and Will Smith of the records that received below 6.
Not as good (or interesting in a lot of cases) as 1996 and the year as a whole had a 5 to 6 feel in a way!
#Myself It’s Mick Derrick – co-lead singer/shouter of Prolapse. Not Mick Dennis the entirely readable Norwich fan.
Here are the year poll winners to date (and the current % they’ve got)
1997. White Town – “Your Woman (73%)
1996: The Prodigy – “Firestarter” (71%)
1995: Coolio – “Gangsta’s Paradise” (62%)
1994: Baby D – “Let Me Be Your Fantasy” (48%)
1993: Ace Of Base – “All That She Wants” (53%)
1992: Shakespear’s Sister – “Stay” (58%)
1991: The KLF – “3AM Eternal” (68%)
1990: Sinead O’Connor – “Nothing Compares 2 U” (78%)
1989: Madonna – “Like A Prayer” (79%)
1988: S’Express – “Theme From S’Express” (57%)
1987: Pet Shop Boys – “Always On My Mind” (72%)
1986: Pet Shop Boys – “West End Girls” (82%)
1985: Madonna – “Into The Groove” (72%)
1984: Frankie Goes To Hollywood – “Relax” (74%)
1983: Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean” (79%)
1982: Dexys Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen” (74%)
1981: The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me” (81%)
1980: David Bowie – “Ashes To Ashes” (78%)
1979: Blondie – “Heart Of Glass” (85%)
1978: Kate Bush – “Wuthering Heights” (80%)
1977: Donna Summer – “I Feel Love” (76%)
1976: ABBA – “Dancing Queen” (77%)
1975: David Bowie – “Space Oddity” (82%)
1974: ABBA – “Waterloo” (76%)
1973: Slade – “Cum On Feel The Noize” (78%)
1972: Alice Cooper – “School’s Out” (72%)
1971: T Rex – “Get It On” (83%)
1970: Smokey Robinson And The Miracles – “Tears Of A Clown” (81%)
1969: Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (84%)
1968: The Rolling Stones – “Jumping Jack Flash” (78%)
1967: The Monkees – “I’m A Believer” (84%)
1966: The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations” (89%)
1965: The Rolling Stones – “Satisfaction” (84%)
1964: The Kinks – “You Really Got Me” (84%)
1963: The Beatles – “She Loves You” (86%)
1962: The Tornados – “Telstar” (78%)
1961: Del Shannon – “Runaway” (79%)
1960: NO POLL YET
1959: NO POLL YET
1958: Jerry Lee Lewis – “Great Balls Of Fire” (87%)
1957 and earlier: NO POLL YET
And the worst (by vote):
1997. Elton John – “Candle In The Wind 97″ (2%)
1996: Peter Andre – “I Feel You” (0%)
1995: Robson And Jerome – “Unchained Melody” (0%)
1994: Manchester United Football Squad – “Come On You Reds” (5%)
1993: Mr Blobby – “Mr Blobby” (3%)
1992: KWS – “Please Don’t Go”/”Game Boy” (7%)
1991: Hale And Pace – “The Stonk” (1%)
1990: Bombalurina – “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” (2%)
1989: Jive Bunny – “Let’s Party” (1%)
1988: Glenn Medeiros – “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” (4%)
1987: Ferry Aid – “Let It Be” (1%)
1986: Nick Berry – “Every Loser Wins” (1%)
1985: The Crowd – “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (2%)
1984: Jim Diamond – “I Should Have Known Better” (6%)
1983: Rod Stewart – “Baby Jane” (10%)
1982: Renee And Renato – “Save Your Love” (2%)
1981: Joe Dolce Music Theatre – “Shaddup Your Face” (7%)
1980: St Winifreds School Choir – “There’s No One Quite Like Grandma” (1%)
1979: Lena Martell – “One Day At A Time” (1%)
1978: Brotherhood Of Man – “Figaro” (2%)
1977: Brotherhood Of Man – “Angelo” (3%)
1976: JJ Barrie – “No Charge” (1%)
1975: Telly Savalas – “If” (2%)
1974: Gary Glitter – “Always Yours” (6%)
1973: Donny Osmond – “Young Love” (2%)
1972: Little Jimmy Osmond – “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool” (2%)
1971: Clive Dunn – “Grandad” (3%)
1970: Dana – “All Kinds Of Everything” (7%)
1969: Marmalade – “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (8%)
1968: Des O’Connor – “I Pretend” (1%)
1967: Engelbert Humperdinck – “The Last Waltz” (5%)
1966: Jim Reeves – “Distant Drums” (5%)
1965: Ken Dodd – “Tears” (2%)
1964: The Bachelors – “Diane” (4%)
1963: Frank Ifield – “I’m Confessin” (4%)
1962: Frank Ifield – “Lovesick Blues” (3%)
1961: Eden Kane – “Well I Ask You” (3%)
1960: NO POLL YET
1959: NO POLL YET
1958: Marvin Rainwater – “Whole Lotta Woman” (8%)
1957 and earlier: NO POLL YET
Very interesting indeed. As I was reading the Poll Winners from bottom up, my sense that “these are all classics” only went awry when I reached S’Express in 1988, then recovered in 1989-91, then went off again 1992-94, and then recovered from 1995 onwards. Sure enough, those off years are the only ones where under 60% of voters thought the winner was a 6 or more. A 70% threshold would add 1991 and 1995 to the off years. Helps explain why the early ’90s were a slow patch for Popular.
It Was The Best Of Times (Highest Poll Winner Percentages—Above 75%)
89%: 1966
87%: 1958
86%: 1963
85%: 1979
84%: 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969
83%: 1971
82%: 1975, 1986
81%: 1970, 1981
80%: 1978
79%: 1961, 1989, 1983
78%: 1962, 1968, 1973, 1980, 1990
77%: 1976
76%: 1974, 1977
It Was The Worst Of Times (Lowest Poll Percentages)
0%: 1995, 1996
1%: 1968, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991
2%: 1965, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1990, 1997
3%: 1961, 1962, 1977, 1993
4%: 1963, 1964, 1988
5%: 1966, 1967, 1994
6%: 1974, 1984
7%: 1970, 1981, 1992
8%: 1958, 1969
9%: —
10%: 1983
It Was The Best Of Times, It Wasn’t The Worst Of Times: mean of poll winner percentages and lowest percentages to give rough ranking of years
1. 1958 (47.5%)
2. 1966 (47%)
3. 1969 (46%)
4. 1963 (45%)
5. 1967 (44.5%)
6. 1983 (44.5%)
7. 1964 (44%)
8. 1970 (44%)
9. 1981 (44%)
10. 1979 (43%)
11. 1965 (43%)
12. 1971 (43%)
13. 1975 (42%)
14. 1986 (41.5%)
15. 1978 (41%)
16. 1961 (41%)
17. 1974 (41%)
18. 1962 (40.5%)
19. 1989 (40%)
20. 1973 (40%)
21. 1990 (40%)
22. 1984 (40%)
23. 1968 (39.5%)
24. 1980 (39.5%)
25. 1977 (39.5%)
26. 1976 (39%)
27. 1982 (38%)
28. 1997 (37.5%)
29. 1972 (37%)
30. 1985 (37%)
31. 1987 (36.5%)
32. 1996 (35.5%)
33. 1991 (34.5%)
34. 1992 (32.5%)
35. 1995 (31%)
36. 1988 (30.5%)
37. 1993 (28%)
38. 1994 (26.5%)
A bit of extra number-crunching per year could give a more precise ranking (i.e. finding the mean of all user vote percentages in each year).
Sorry, I wasn’t paying close enough attention to how Excel was sorting that last list. Revised version to show years sharing a ranking:
It Was The Best Of Times, It Wasn’t The Worst Of Times: mean of poll winner percentages and lowest percentages to give rough ranking of years
1. 1958 (47.5%)
2. 1966 (47%)
3. 1969 (46%)
4. 1963 (45%)
=5. 1967, 1983 (44.5%)
=7. 1964, 1970, 1981 (44%)
=10. 1965, 1971, 1979 (43%)
13. 1975 (42%)
14. 1986 (41.5%)
=15. 1961, 1974,1978 (41%)
18. 1962 (40.5%)
=19. 1973, 1984, 1989, 1990 (40%)
=23. 1968, 1977, 1980 (39.5%)
26. 1976 (39%)
27. 1982 (38%)
28. 1997 (37.5%)
=29. 1972, 1985 (37%)
31. 1987 (36.5%)
32. 1996 (35.5%)
33. 1991 (34.5%)
34. 1992 (32.5%)
35. 1995 (31%)
36. 1988 (30.5%)
37. 1993 (28%)
38. 1994 (26.5%)
Re: worst #1s @ 58: Please Don’t Go seems the only mildly controversial choice: all the others are either widely acknowledged ‘bad records’ or flotsam. I don’t see PDG as a record of the year but I’m surprised only 7% thought it worth a 6. (That said I can’t swear I voted for it either so maybe it’s an ignored record rather than a hated one.)