14 (10) OASIS (4,331,000) 1995 3.9291

 

http://www.solarnavigator.net/music/music_images/Oasis_blue_jeans_shirts.jpg

 

1995 was the year that Oasis went big! The mighty “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” was released and sold over 1.8 million copies in 13 weeks on its way to becoming the biggest selling album of the decade and they sold another 600,000 copies of “Definitely Maybe”. They also scored their first No 1 single with “Some Might Say” but it was “Wonderwall” that really bucked them up and was augmented by the continual selling of their back catalogue of singles which meant that they posted a sale of 1.9 million singles in a year when they could legitimately claim to have become the biggest band in the country.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1996,1997,2002,2005

 

13 (27) CULTURE CLUB (3,148,000) 1983 4.0032

 

http://punkglobe.com/image/november12/Culture%20Club%20circa%201983.jpg

 

The colossal “Karma Chameleon” is naturally the main reason Culture Club are at No 13, the track was one of only five records to spend as many as 6 weeks at No 1 in the 80s, it was the best selling single of 1983 and came in a year when the band were in the papers as much as the charts with charismatic frontman Boy George. The band also conquered the conservative US market during their time which was quite an achievement.

 

I thought Oasis would be much higher and that 1996 would have been their biggest year as well.

 

Great to see Culture Club here. They're still underrated considering the borders they broke in the early '80s.

I would have expected 1996 to be Oasis's biggest year also.

Robson and Gerome will have dominated 1995 with those two million selling singles and the best selling album of the year

They might even be number 2 in this rundown.

Wham have always been a guilty pleasure of mine, love several of their songs "Wake Me Up (Before You Go, Go)", "Club Tropicana", "I'm Your Man" and "Freedom" are all classics.

 

Shaggy = Loved "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel" back in 2001, those songs were definitely my jams back then. but grew tired of them the following year.

12 (15) KYLIE MINOGUE (3,685,000) 1988 BIGGEST ACT 4.4959

 

http://www.coverdude.com/covers/kylie-minogue-kylie-1988-inside-cover-50847.jpg

 

27 years after her debut and Kylie has still never been as big as she was in her debut year, a year when she scored a five week chart topper with “I Should Be So Lucky” along with 4 No 2 hits (“Especially For You” not making the top until 1989). Of course she had almost daily exposure to the UK public thanks to her role in “Neighbours” throughout that period which helped her to sell over 1.5 million copies of her debut album and all contributed to her becoming the biggest selling act in the UK that year.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1989, 2001, 2002

 

11 (43) GARETH GATES (2,747,000) 2002 4.5177

 

http://celebritiesworldwide.com/File_Upload/Image/Gareth-Gates.jpg

 

Widely expected to win pop idol in 2002 Gates lost out to Will Young but still managed to sell over 2.2 million singles and score three No 1 singles during the year. Famed for his stutter Gates continued into 2003 landing the Comic Relief gig and another half million selling single before the tide turned against him and the hits dried up with a second album that performed so badly that his contract was terminated. Tough world pop.

 

LOLZ at seeing Gareth so high.

 

Yay at Kylie, even though she's had many better years musically! :)

 

I'm guessing the #1 will either be:

Madonna, Michael Jackson, Spice Girls, or Frankie Goes To Hollywood

 

Edited July 2, 201510 yr by Ne Plus Ultra

 

Adele

Spice Girls

Madonna

Michael Jackson

Robson & Jerome

Will Young

Robyn

Elton John

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

 

 

I can only make 9... not sure who I missed?

 

Simply Red, Phil Collins, & Ed Sheeran

maybe?

Edited July 2, 201510 yr by Ne Plus Ultra

Possibly yes... I was clearly successful in my attempt to erase both acts from my memory!

10 (07) MICHAEL JACKSON (4,482,000) 1983 BIGGEST ACT (ALSO 2009 and 1987) 4.6015

 

http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/j/jackson_michael_fashion_062609/2/jackson_fashion_25.jpg

 

BEST SELLING YEAR: 2009

 

It is a sad truth that a few acts on this list put in their best performance only after they’ve died as the tide of mourning stimulates sales, and in 2009 with the download age upon us it assisted Jackson to sell 1.6 million singles in the aftermath of the singers death on June 25th “Man In Mirror” was picked by the public to the main beneficiary of the goodbye making No 2, a vast improvement on the No 21 peak of the original in 1988. The results were far better on the album chart where Jackson spent 8 weeks at the top slot with two compilations as his back catalogue moved 2.7 million, he’s also the only act to be the best selling act in three different years.

 

The year that places him in the top 10 is however 1983 when his market share was greatest as the “Thriller” album spent 45 weeks in the top 10 and its singles blanketed the world catapulting him to superstardom along the way. Utilising the promo video to its maximum effect in the early days of MTV he pretty much set the bar for male solo popstars for decades to come with a number of acts on this list owing some influence to the man himself.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1984, 1988, 1995,2003

 

09 (06) THE SPICE GIRLS (4,735,000) 1996 BIGGEST ACT 4.6308

 

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9hjcuilIa1r1uqsko1_500.jpg

 

Another group for whom the term “Phenomenon” seems appropriate, everyone loved a spot of “Girl power” back then as the girls racked up a trio of No 1 hits in just 6 months, all of which ended 1996 in the top 10 best selling singles of those 12 months. The ability to push the girls as individuals with their own personalities was an excellent marketing tool as well the amount of endorsements that the group undertook meant they were inescapable pretty much from their emergence. The album became an essential stocking filler that Christmas racking up over 1.7 million in 8 weeks.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1997, 1998

 

Spice Girls never interested me.

08 (02) ED SHEERAN (5,749,000) 2014 BIGGEST ACT 4.6485

 

http://www.theaureview.com/sites/default/files/9844-ed_sheeran_2014_420x250.jpg

 

Counting Jamie Foxx and Elton John among his early fans, Sheeran’s popularity grew through you tube, world of mouth, and live shows which culminated in his major label debut “A Team” which went top 3 and became a million seller. All that was back in 2011 when Sheeran sold an incredible 2.2 million followed by 1.9 million a year later, but all that looks small fry in the light of last year when he sold a whopping 5.7 million and cracking the US market whilst shifting over 3.8 million singles here to place him at No 8 on this list!

 

ALSO BIG IN: 2011, 2012

 

Seeing Ed Sheeran this high is certainly depressing.

Never got the Spice Girls either no real classics for me apart from their first Xmas no1 and possibly their opening hit.

Erm Viva Forever is an ALL TIME ANTHEM

Anthem? I dont think it's very anthemic.

 

But it is wonderful and the best thing they did, in my opinion.