This week's ramblings - in two parts again - now available from the latest news box or the front page

Great commentary as usual.

 

Perhaps you could throw in a mention that we finally have a new YTD #1 in the form of Fireflies?

Great commentary as usual.

 

Perhaps you could throw in a mention that we finally have a new YTD #1 in the form of Fireflies?

Thanks :D . I knew Fireflies was set to take over either this week or next but don't have the YTD chart when I post the commentary.

Kylie's No.1 Album, 'Aphrodite', is the first No.1 Album, to be named after a God,

since 1975. Aphrodite' was the Ancient Greek Goddess of Love. Her Roman name

was Venus.

 

In 1975, Wings went to No.1 twice, (2 'Runs' of 1 Week), with 'Venus And Mars'.

The Album was probably named after the Planets, but the Planets were named after

the Roman Gods - Mars being the Roman God of War.

 

The Wings Album was the 156th No.1, & 'Aphrodite' is the 902nd, so it has taken 746

No.1 Albums, to see another Album named after a God.

 

NOTE - There was also 'Night Flight To Venus' by Boney M - the 200th No.1 Album.

But, I'm only looking at No.1 Albums that soley have the names of Gods in their Titles.

 

Before the Kylie Album, the last No.1 Album to be named after someone from Greek

Mythology, was 'Medusa', by Annie Lennox - the 521st No.1, in 1995. Medusa was one

of the 3 Gorgon Sisters, who had snakes in her hair, & turned all who looked into her

eyes into stone.

 

SINGLES - There have been 1134 No.1 Singles, & only 2 have had Ancient Gods

names in their Titles. First there was, 'Diana', by Paul Anka, (1957) - the 63rd No.1.

Diana being the Roman Goddess of the Moon & the Hunt. (Greek name, Artemis).

 

The 2nd was the 126th No.1 - 'Kon-Tiki' - The Shadows. (1961). Named after

Thor Heyerdahl's Raft, which he sailed from South America, to the South Sea

Islands, in 1947. (He was a Norwegian).

He named the Raft after Kon-Tiki Viracocha - the Creator God of the Inca Empire

of South America - destroyed in the 1500's.

(Some say Kon-Tiki was the Incas Sun God, but their Sun God was called Inti).

 

There have been no No.1 Singles called 'Aphrodite', or 'Venus', in the UK. However,

Dutch Group, Shocking Blue took 'Venus' to No.8, in 1970, & Bananarama took a

Cover of that Song to No.8, in 1986. Both versions were No.1 in the USA.

Don Pablo's Animals had a No.4 UK Hit with an up-date of it, in 1990.

Frankie Avalon took a different 'Venus', to No.1, in the USA, in 1959. But, it only

got to No.16 here in the UK. A UK Cover, by Dickie Valentine, reached No.20, at

around the same time.

 

UK ALBUM CHART

 

THE FEMALE SOLO ACTS WITH THE MOST No.1 ALBUMS

 

(To W/E 17th July 2010)

 

(Weeks AT No.1 in Brackets)

 

1) MADONNA - 11 (29W)

2) BARBRA STREISAND - 6 (19W)

3)=CELINE DION - 5 (18W)

3)=KYLIE MINOGUE - 5 (11W)

5) DIANA ROSS - 4 (16W) @@@

 

@@@ = Her Total includes 2 as Diana Ross & The Supremes (10W),

& 1 as Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations (4W)

 

OTHER BIG SOLO FEMALE CHART ACTS & THEIR UK No.1 ALBUMS

 

Mariah Carey has ‘only’ had 2 UK No.1 Albums, (7W).

Britney Spears has had 5 No.1 Singles, but has yet to

have a No.1 Album. She’s had 4 No.2 Albums.

Whitney Houston has had 2 No.1 Albums (8W). However,

some people say that she should be credited with 3. She sang

on 6 of the 12 Tracks on ‘The Bodyguard’ Soundtrack (1992).

It was not allowed into the main UK Album Chart, but was No.1

for 11 Weeks in the Compilation Chart. For 9 of those Weeks it

also outsold the No.1 Album in the main Album Chart. Whitney

would have 3 No.1 Albums, & 17 No.1 Weeks, had ‘The Bodyguard’

been allowed into the main Chart - assuming that one regards it as

a Whitney Album, to begin with, of course.

Norah Jones has had 3 No.1 Albums (7W). As has Eva Cassidy (5W).

Kate Bush has had 3 No.1 Albums (6W). She’s the only British Solo

Female to have had as many as 3 No.1 Albums. Annie Lennox has

been on 5 No.1 Albums, but 3 were in The Eurythmics, (13W), &

2 were Solo (3W).

Dido, & Cher, have each had 2 No.1 Albums. Despite’ only’ 2 each,

they spent 17 Weeks, & 13 Weeks, respectively, at No.1 - more than

Kylie has managed with 5 No.1’s.

Alanis Morissette, & Shania Twain, have ‘only’ had 1 No.1 Album

each, but those Albums were No.1 for an impressive 11 Weeks.

Edited July 11, 201015 yr by zeus555

Thanks for that. Only a poster called zeuss could come up with that information :D

I do believe that Kylie’s one of only 2 Solo Australian Females to have UK No.1 Albums.

The other is Natalie Imbruglia, who went to No.1, for 1 Week, in April 2005, with

‘Counting Down The Days’. By coincidence, both Kylie & Natalie became famous

via the Australian Soap Opera, ‘Neighbours’.

 

NOTE - Some would argue that Olivia Newton-John is Australian, & she was

No.1, (13 Weeks), with the ‘Grease’ Soundtrack, in 1978. However, she was born

in Cambridge, in the UK. And, ‘Grease’ was not a Solo Album, anyhow.

She’s never been higher than No.8, in the Album Chart, on her own - ‘Olivia’s Greatest

Hits Vol.2’. (1982). She reached No.2, (with the Electric Light Orchestra), on the ‘Xanadu’

Soundtrack, in 1980.

 

Kylie's Sister, Dannii, has had 9 Top 10 Hits, to Kylie's 33. She's had 1 No.2 Single,

to Kylie's 11. She's never had a No.1 Single - Kylie has had 7. And she's never been

higher than No.8 in the Album Chart - which she managed in both 1991 & 2003.

 

'Kylie', (AKA 'Kylie - The Album'), was the first Album by a Solo Female to reach

2 Million UK Sales. That fact was revealed by Alan Jones, in 1989.

 

It overtook 'True Blue', by Madonna, which had sold about 1,850,000 by the end of

1987 - and about 1,970,000 to date.

 

However,'Whitney', (1987), by Whitney Houston, & 'Tracy Chapman', by Tracy Chapman,

(1988), passed the Sales of 'Kylie', in the end. But, she still was the first Solo Female to

have a 2 Million Selling UK Album.

 

Edited July 11, 201015 yr by zeus555