BEP <3 <3 <3

Emeli Sande I forgot about her, taking her time coming back.

 

Love hearing songs like PSBs It's a Sin getting 4 weeks at the top spot in 1987 - no1s always seemed to be the best and biggest hits then, hopefully we are getting back to that nowadays!

47 (80) HEAR’SAY (2,240,000) 2001 2.6876

 

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/hearsay-431x300.jpg

 

Ah Hear’say, from sales phenomenon to being considered toxic by the music industry all within 18 months pretty much sums up this cautionary tale. Launched via the ITV reality show “Popstars” their debut single “Pure And Simple” sold almost 550k in its first week on the way to a million and was followed to the top by first their album (306,000 in its first week) then their next single “The Way To Your Love” but trouble was around the corner. Lead single from their second album only made No 4 and the album peaked at No 24 in the Christmas rush and was all the ammo the press needed to start pushing the idea that the group had flopped. Kudos to Marsh for realising the writing was on the wall and quit in January 2002 and whilst the group soldiered on and found a replacement and issued a single “Lovin Is Easy” it was time to call it a day before 2002 was done.

 

46 (14) BRUNO MARS (3,833,000) 2011 2.6941

 

 

First a failed popstar (he signed to Motown in 2004) then a producer, writer and backing vocalist (Sugababes, Travie McCoy, B.o.B, Cee Lo Green) Mars finally emerged as a chart star in his own right in 2010 with the No 1 “Just The Way You Are (Amazing)”. In 2011 he added a further two No 1 singles to his tally as well as a million selling debut album in “Doo Woops & Hooligans”.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 2013

 

45 (87) HUMAN LEAGUE (2,215,000) 1981 2.7047

 

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/80s-human-league-431x300.jpg

 

Pioneers of early synth/ electronic music Human League almost split up in 1980 when half the group went off to form Heaven 17, but Oakey continued and recruited Sulley and Catherall to the band and the Human League we all know and love were formed. With new producer Rushdent at the helm the hits started to come with “Love Action” making the top 3, but it was their Christmas No 1 “Don’t You Want Me” that provides much of the sales here and is there most remembered hit.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1982

 

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

 

 

 

28 years ago this week it was in the middle of its run at number 1. It's a Sin is the song that got me interested in music. Until 1991 the Pet Shop Boys were my favourite band are are still one of my top 20 acts ever. I'm probably not going to enjoy any of the acts that are left in this countdown as much as this entry.

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

 

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.

Looks like you put their 2009 sales total there instead of their 2003 total :P The difference in overall sales between the two years must be remarkable, wow.

 

The sales total is always the acts best selling year which gives them their sales only position (in brackets).

44 (30) WESTLIFE (3,084,000) 2000 2.7348

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/940000/images/_940467_westlife300.jpg

 

The Wanted, JLS, Blue, One Direction, all successful in their time but none of them can match the marketing might of Westlife who scored 14 No 1 singles in their time together with their first 7 hits all debuting at the top. They opened the new millennium at the top with their version of “I Have A Dream/ Seasons In The Sun” and scored a further three chart toppers with a fourth release for the year favourite for the Christmas No 1 until Bob The Builder came along to upset the marketing plan. Not album sellers? Well they got their first No 1 album in November 2000 with “Coast To Coast” which shifted 1.3 million in just 8 weeks.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1999,2001,2002, 2005

 

43 (45) CRAIG DAVID (2,736,000) 2000 2.7451

 

http://www.rockol.it/img/foto/upload/Craig%20David.jpg

 

Opening with 225,000 copies sold, Craig David’s debut album set a record at the time for a debutants first week sale, it was helmed by Artful Dodger who were responsible for his introduction to the charts via “Re-Rewind The Crowd Say Bo Selecta”. Part of that reason is of course that it was home to two chart toppers by the time it was released “7 days” and “Fill Me In” plus the fact that he was promoted as the next big thing by the British press. Six nominations at the BRITS followed in 2001 though David ended up walking away trophyless and Leigh Francis’ caricature didn’t help matters in the credibility stakes.

 

Love Bruno Mars, even when I don't love every single song he's released, I really believe he's the biggest and best male star of the last 5 years!

 

And obviously I love Human League too... Love Action>life. I actually love anything new-romatics related :P

42 (33) TAKE THAT (3,015,000) 1993 (BIGGEST ACT OF 2008) 2.7456

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/06/30/article-2010057-0CCEEDA300000578-607_468x387.jpg

 

BEST SELLING YEAR: 2010

 

Ironically for all their success in the 90s it was in 2010 that the band broke the 3 million sales in one calendar year mark. That sale was facilitated by their first album to feature all five members since 1995’s “Nobody Else” but it was that first flush of fame in 1993 that they had their biggest slice of chart domination. Five top 3 singles including a trio of chart topping singles along with their first No 1 album saw them sell 2.1 million units in a generally deflated market as they far outpaced their arch rivals East 17.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1995,1996,2006,2007, 2009

 

Never liked Hear'Say, Westlife or Craig David, though :(

For how many months were Hear'say a band? 18?

Edited June 20, 201510 yr by SKOB

Thought Take That woulda been top 10!

Hear'say, to be honest never liked them, only liked one song "The Way To Your Love", which was decent, found "Pure And Simple" overrated and Girl Thing's version is much better.

 

Bruno Mars, yes really like some of his stuff and Human League, YES YES YES love them "Don't You Want Me", "Love Action", "Being Boiled" and "Tell Me When" are all awesome tracks from them.

 

Westlife = Again overrated, did like their first couple of songs "Swear It Again" and "If I Let You Go", but turned into a boring covers band, no life, no character, just covers, covers covers, which they butchered year after year.

 

Craig David = Again never liked him, he never recreated the success of this first album and singles. I only song of his I ever liked was "Don't Love You No More", but the rest, well BLEH.

 

Take That = Yes one of the all time greats, so many classics = "Could It Be Magic", "Pray", "Everything Changes", "Back For Good", "Love Ain't Here Anymore", "How Deep Is Your Love" (excellent cover, Westlife should take notes), "Never Forget", "Shine", "Rule The World", "Greatest Day" etc. But to be honest as a threesome, it just doesn't work and lacks the magic they had when they were 5 piece or even a 4 piece.

41 (85) RICK ASTLEY (2,220,000) 1987 2.7474

 

http://i.nextmedia.com.au/news/rickastley.jpg

 

Sold as being the “S/A/W tea boy done good” that was of course just publicity dreamed up by Pete Waterman to promote Astley who had been performing with his band FBI when Waterman spotted him and signed him up. His first single “When you gonna” was a duet with Lisa Carter which failed to chart but paved the way for “Never Gonna Give You Up” which topped the charts for 5 weeks and was the best selling single of 1987, his cover of Nat “King” Cole’s “When I Fall In Love” was the favourite for the Christmas No 1 that year but missed out though that didn’t stop his album selling over 800,000 copies by year end.

 

40 (75) MADNESS (2,283,000) 1982 BIGGEST ACT 2.7490

 

 

One of the most consistently successful acts of the early 80s, Madness drummed up 15 Top 10 hits between 1979 and 1983 with their best year coinciding with their only chart topping single “House Of Fun”, they also simultaneously made No 1 on the album front with “Absolute”- it’s a curious fact that they only made No 1 album slot with GH sets.

 

ALSO BIG IN: 1980,1981

 

39 (16) ROBBIE WILLIAMS (3,639,000) 1998 BIGGEST ACT (ALSO 2004) 2.7505

 

http://promo.capitalradio.co.uk/staging/heart/quiz/robbie/q4a.jpg

 

Opening the year with the career altering “Angels” Williams’ decision to leave Take That in 1995 finally looked like it was the right move as the album “Life Thru A Lens” started to shift copies and topped the album charts. Williams, ever the self promoter was seen sporting t-shirts over the summer proclaiming “The Second album’s even better” and luckily for him he was right as it outsold his debut set and gave him his first No 1 single in “Millennium”. He becomes the first of three acts to be the best seller in more than one year making the most dosh in both 1998 and 2004, and has crossed the 1.5 million mark in 8 different years, something no other act in the last 35 years can claim!

 

ALSO BIG IN : 1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2005

 

Def thought Robbie Williams would have been top 10 if not no1!