Wow, never knew about NKOTB having 8 top 10s in 1990! Does anyone know what the record is for most top 10 hits in a year?

Wow, never knew about NKOTB having 8 top 10s in 1990! Does anyone know what the record is for most top 10 hits in a year?

 

Maybe the Elvis Presley re-issues in 2005?

Maybe the Elvis Presley re-issues in 2005?

Ooh yes, probably. I've checked every year since 1990 and only Elvis had more than 8 in a year (he had 17 in '05). In terms of new releases though, New Kids may have the record!

Ooh yes, probably. I've checked every year since 1990 and only Elvis had more than 8 in a year (he had 17 in '05). In terms of new releases though, New Kids may have the record!

Joint with Madonna in 85

56 (69) MEAT LOAF (2,358,000) 1993 BIGGEST ACT 2.4508

 

http://www.jimsteinman.com/Q1983ml.jpg

 

The decision to release “Bat Out Of Hell II- Back Into Hell” was either an earnest extension of the original with the concepts examined further or a cynical ploy to generate sales depending on whether you believe Steinman or Meat Loaf but one thing is for sure it certainly worked in the record shops. The album was the best seller of the year after shifting 1.2 million and produced the best selling single of the year into the bargain with “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” as well as promoting the original “Bat Out Of Hell” and “Hits Out Of Hell” both back into the top 30, yes I think we can call it a successful comeback.

 

55 (65) WHITNEY HOUSTON (2,396,000) 1987 2.4693

 

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Music/Pix/pictures/2012/2/14/1329223139260/Whitney-Houston-in-1987-006.jpg

 

Rivalling Madonna in the US by the time 1987 came along Whitney unleashed her second album which followed “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” to the top for 6 weeks that summer. The hits flowed thick and fast with four US No 1 singles being taken from the album, and though the results were less impressive here she still managed five top 20 hits. An honourable mention to 1993 is necessary as Houston shifted a vast amount of singles but as “The Bodyguard” is officially credited as a compilation album its sales of over 1.5 million are not credited to her for the year.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1999

 

54 (112) THE JAM (1,951,000) 1982 2.4820

 

http://aceterrier.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/jam.jpg

 

Yes just as they were raking in the most money they decided to split! From their mod beginnings in 1977 The Jam had created their own brand of social commentary and by 1980 were one of the biggest bands in the country, and in 1982 they scored four top 10 singles two of which (“A Town Called Malice” and “Beat Surrender”) debuted at No 1 ,an unusual feat in the early 80s, along with

their sole No 1 album “The Gift”,. Weller called time on the band to form Style Council who won’t appear here. They are also the highest placed act on this list to sell under the 2 million mark in a year.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1980

 

Tomorrow I'll reveal the highest placed act on this list to be outside the top 100 on a sales only list, plus the 10th highest placed female!

53 (71) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (2,310,000) 1985 2.4923

 

http://imgsrv.mega1043.com/image/kajm/UserFiles/Image/bruce-springsteen-1985-lg.jpg

 

Though he was always a good album seller Springsteen’s inability to sell singles all changed in 1985 when the re-issue of “Dancing In The Dark” profited from a January release and became a top 5 hit and of course gave first exposure to Courtney Cox via its promo. Five more top 20 singles followed in the year plus a memorable Live Aid performance which saw his back catalogue boosted and his (then) current album “Born In The USA” reign supreme for a month at the No 1 slot. Though he was never in the public consciousness to the same degree again he remains a persistent performer on the album charts where he’s now chalked up 10 chart toppers.

 

52 (107) STEVIE WONDER (2,036,000) 1984 2.5254

 

http://www.afromontreal.com/artists_pics/steviewonder.jpg

 

Despite all the great songs in his back catalogue it is still “I Just Called To Say I Love You” that remains his best seller and his only solo chart topper shifting over 1.6 million copies by the end of 1984. It was written for the film “Woman In Red” and won him a grammy, the album itself stopped at No 2, Wonder is one of the biggest names in pop history never to have topped the album charts!

 

51 (19) SHANIA TWAIN (3,371,000) 1999 BIGGEST ACT 2.5405

 

http://stage.headlinebooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ShaniaTwain_main1.jpg

 

Fame came slowly for Shania, she’d been trying for 8 years before her first album came out and even then it didn’t do much except bring her to the attention of Robert “Mutt” Lange who agreed to produce her second album and then first married her then gave her some middling US success. It was the release of “Come On Over” that changed everything and produced 6 top 20 hits and sold more in one year than any album had ever done before (2.2 million to be exact) helping to launch the star as a sex symbol at 34.

 

Recap time

 

51 (19) SHANIA TWAIN (3,371,000) 1999 2.5405

52 (107) STEVIE WONDER (2,036,000) 1984 2.5254

53 (71) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (2,310,000) 1985 2.4923

54 (112) THE JAM (1,951,000) 1982 2.4820

55 (65) WHITNEY HOUSTON (2,396,000) 1987 2.4693

56 (69) MEAT LOAF (2,358,000) 1993 2.4508

57 (100) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK (2,088,000) 1990 2.4479

58 (109) DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (1,979,000) 1982 2.4459

59 (77) B*WITCHED (2,280,000) 1998 2.4429

60 (114) EAST 17 (1,933,000) 1994 2.4411

 

61 (83) VENGABOYS (2,225,000) 1999 2.4165

62 (120) SPANDAU BALLET (1,907,000) 1983 2.3955

63 (122) EURYTHMICS (1,891,000) 1983 2.3797

64 (156) ATOMIC KITTEN (1,680,000) 2001 2.3779

65 (38) QUEEN (2,823,000) 1984 2.3741

66 (90) ENRIQUE IGLESIAS (2,190,000) 2002 2.3734

67 (144) TONY CHRISTIE (1,760,000) 2005 2.3677

68 (108) BROS (2,003,000) 1988 2.3554

69 (76) S CLUB 7 (2,283,000) 2001 2.3346

70 (29) GLEE CAST (3,129,000) 2010 2.3302

 

71 (110) KIDS FROM FAME (1,975,000) 1982 2.3258

72 (63) PHIL COLLINS (2,408,000) 1985 2.2979

73 (81) LIONEL RICHIE (2,238,000) 1984 2.2866

74 (34) ONE DIRECTION (2,992,000) 2013 2.2451

75 (133) ULTRAVOX (1,828,000) 1981 2.2372

76 (44) LUCIANO PAVAROTTI (2,741,000) 1990 2.2180

77 (60) U2 (2,446,000) 1987 2.2175

78 (119) FIVE STAR (1,911,000) 1986 2.2134

79 (175) THE OUTHERE BROTHERS (1,616,000) 1995 2.2087

80 (32) KATY PERRY (3,050,000) 2010 2.2032

 

81 (143) DURAN DURAN (1,761,000) 1983 2.2001

82 (55) GLORIA ESTEFAN (2,543,000) 1989 2.1850

83 (73) ALL SAINTS (2,291,000) 1998 2.1827

84 (113) A-HA (1,939,000) 1986 2.1784

85 (117) TEARS FOR FEARS (1,929,000) 1985 2.1693

86 (40) KINGS OF LEON (2,806,000) 2009 2.1388

87 (167) BILLY JOEL (1,653,000) 1983 2.1122

88 (116) CHER (1,929,000) 1998 2.1107

89 (99) DIRE STRAITS (2,095,000) 1985 2.1079

90 (35) JAMES BLUNT (2,937,000) 2005 2.0960

 

91 (164) UB40 (1,660,000) 1983 2.0939

92 (151) ABC (1,722,000) 1982 2.0712

93 (56) GEORGE MICHAEL (2,524,000) 1996 2.061

94 (84) SIMPLY RED (2,225,000) 1992 2.0226

95 (157) NIK KERSHAW (1,674,000) 1984 2.0204

96 (37) JESSIE J (2,909,000) 2011 2.0092

97 (50) BEYONCE (2,688,000) 2009 2.0038

98 (135) USHER (1,800,000) 2004 2.0007

99 (104) BUSTED (2,069,000) 2003 1.9849

100 (101) BON JOVI (2,085,000) 1994 1.9631

 

And here's the stats on those big 50 acts still to come:

 

Composition:

23 groups

18 male

9 female

 

Decade they got their best year:

1980s- 21

1990s- 14

2000s- 9

2010s- 6

 

SHania was HUGE in the US already with The Woman in Me so Come on Over didn't really change "everything"... it gave her pop hits in Europe though.

SHania was HUGE in the US already with The Woman in Me so Come on Over didn't really change "everything"... it gave her pop hits in Europe though.

Yes sorry I was writing from a UK Perspective

Yea I understand! It is also interesting that it took 1,5 years for COO to take off in Europe. They pretty much repackaged the whole album.

50 (92) PET SHOP BOYS (2,180,000) 1987 2.6390

 

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/3/22/1332437308143/The-cover-of-Pet-Shop-Boy-009.jpg

 

Marking their commercial zenith, 1987 was the year the Pet Shop Boys went controversial with a song essentially about being homosexual, “It’s A Sin”, and a video directed by Derek Jarman which saw them make No 1 for 4 weeks whilst taking Jonathan King to court over his claim that the song was “too near” to Cat Stevens’ “Wild World”. They resurrected the career of Dusty Springfield and scored the Christmas No 1 with “Always On My Mind”- a pretty near perfect year.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1988

 

49 (18) BLACK EYED PEAS (3,495,000) 2003 2.6682

 

http://www2.vietbao.vn/images/vn2/van-hoa/20047585_images120920_Grammy_Black%20Eyed%20Peas.jpg

 

BEST SELLING YEAR: 2009

 

One of the most consistently successful groups of the noughties, The Black Eyed Peas biggest year for sales was undoubtedly 2009 when they sold almost 3.5 million units but in a much bigger market than 2003. “Where Is The Love” was of course their first major hit and a six week chart topper en route to becoming the biggest selling single of the year with some help from 2003’s other biggest star Justin Timberlake. They only sold 1.6 million in the year but that’s stuff a nice slice of total singles and albums sold in the weakest year of the decade.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 2010

 

48 (17) EMELI SANDE (3,626,000) 2012 BIGGEST ACT 2.6840

 

http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/3/1351968156762/mobo-awards-sande-008.jpg

 

Few now recall Sande’s debut onto the pop scene as featured vocalist and co-writer (along with Naughty Boy) on Chipmunk’s “Diamond Rings” but it’s fair to say that by the end of 2012 there was a distinct whiff of over exposure for the singer. By that point her debut album “Our Version Of Events” had sold almost 1.4 million copies and she’d sold 2.2 million singles, all eyes are now on her to see if she can replicate the feat again!

 

Can't stand that Sande woman.