November 23, 200816 yr Yep I can update this pretty easily. This year it`s more Officialish! As MRIB, of course don`t do pop charts anymore. (Approx sales, where available) Top 77 Christmas Hits of All Time (Part one): 77 LAST CHRISTMAS - CRAZY FROG 2006 76 NEVER MIND THE PRESENTS - BARRON KNIGHTS 1980 75 THE CHRISTMAS SONG - GILBERT O`SULLIVAN 1974 74 HEY MISTER CHRISTMAS - SHOWADDYWADDY 1974 73 CRUISE INTO CHRISTMAS (MEDLEY) - JANE MCDONALD 1998 72 LITTLE DRUMMER BOY - ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS 1972 71 LITTLE DONKEY - BEVERLY SISTERS 1959 70 WE SHOULD BE TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS - CLIFF RICHARD 1991 69 YOUR CHRISTMAS WISH - THE SMURFS 1996 68 LITTLE DRUMMER BOY - HARRY SIMEONE CORALE 1959 67 CHRISTMAS IN DREADLAND - JUDGE DREAD 1975 66 GAUDETTE - STEELEYE SPAN 1973 65 21ST CENTURY CHRISTMAS - CLIFF RICHARD 2006 (43,000+) 64 2,000 MILES - PRETENDERS 1983 63 BLUE CHRISTMAS - ELVIS PRESLEY 1964 62 A CHEEKY CHRISTMAS - CHEEKY GIRLS 2003 61 SANTA`S LIST - CLIFF RICHARD 2003 (69,000) I`ll continue the rest in the next 4 weeks, up to Christmas 2008.
November 23, 200816 yr 66 YOUR CHRISTMAS WISH - THE SMURFS 1996 OMG i've got to listen to this :w00t: :P
November 24, 200816 yr Further down that Independant Radio list, there is The Land of Make Believe by Bucks Fizz...again no direct connection to Christmas! Well it's the best children's song EVER. And it was bought for me as a Christmas present when I was 8! Lovely song.
November 24, 200816 yr RENTA SANTA - CHRIS HILL 1975 BIONIC SANTA - CHRIS HILL 1976 Who is Chris Hill and why was he so popular in the 1970s?
November 24, 200816 yr (Approx sales, where available) Top 75 Christmas Hits of All Time (Part one): 65 21ST CENTURY CHRISTMAS - CLIFF RICHARD 2006 (43,000+) And i contributed towards one of them :( Purchasing it for my mum as a cheap xmas present :lol:
November 24, 200816 yr Who is Chris Hill and why was he so popular in the 1970s? There's not even very much about him on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hill I did buy "Bionic Santa" back then, it was probably one of my first dozen single purchases ever.
November 24, 200816 yr Who is Chris Hill and why was he so popular in the 1970s? Chris was a Northern Club DJ...he used snippets of recent hits, to create a comic story on 45. All Christmas related. Even more funny than his hits was a 1978 flop called "DISCO SANTA"...featuring a host of comic snippets in story form. The 1976 hit "BIONIC SANTA" was about Santa having an accident. In which he was restored bionically in reference to the Bionic Woman, and Six Million Dollar Man. One line in the story fun song says "Jamie Somers has a bionic ear, Steve Austen has a bionic eye...what is your bionic feature?" Santa then replys as Chuck Berry with a snip of "My Ding-A-Ling". Comically sound, if you like that sort of thing. RENTA SANTA concerned it self, with a recent spate of industrial disputes, and strikes. Where there was suposed to be a stike in Greenland...and someone else had to be chosen to do the job of Father Christmas. After all sorts of snippets i.e. Stylistics, Ray Stevens, Moments and Whatnauts...apparently Uri Geller get`s the job! All three 7" singles don`t end. The closing snippets carry on right after the final grooves of the Vinyl. Later in 1978, Chris fronted a late night pop show on ITV..the name of which I forget. Both of Chris`hits are said to have got to number 10, in the charts...This is actually untrue. During the New Year week of 76/77, a chart compiled by BMRB (then chart compilers), but never published, actually placed Chris at number 9 with BIONIC SANTA.
November 24, 200816 yr I would love a list of the biggest selling christmas number ones! If anyone could sort of help out with that
November 24, 200816 yr I would love a list of the biggest selling christmas number ones! If anyone could sort of help out with that We did one last year. It`s in the reference chart section..but some of the chart-toppers differ from the Radio One Chart from 1970 - 2003, because we used a chart compiled by the Media Research Information Bureau, and not BMRB/GALLUP/MILWARD BROWN. Also, if anyone does another one, please remember that the BBC chart was not the same chart, as used in the Guiness books 1957 - 69. BBC charts show that the "proper" number ones at Christmas 1959 were ADAM FAITH - WHAT DO YOU WANT...1960 ELVIS - IT`S NOW OR NEVER (Cliff Richard did not get to number one on BBC at all with I Love You...In 1961 BBC had FRANKIE VAUGHAN - TOWER OF STRENGTH at the top. The Guiness books date also differs, and actually Frankie Vaughan was number one in 1961 in Guiness too. MOON RIVER went to the top on 26th Dec, not the 25th. The same for Cliff in Guiness..ELVIS was the Xmas number one in Guiness 1960, Cliff got there on 27th Dec. So, the only one that differs is ADAM FAITH in 1959, and that was a close thing with EMILE FORD, very close!
November 24, 200816 yr Chris was a Northern Club DJ...he used snippets of recent hits, to create a comic story on 45. All Christmas related. Even more funny than his hits was a 1978 flop called "DISCO SANTA"...featuring a host of comic snippets in story form. Thanks for this, I got confused when I put the name into YouTube and got a hyperactive American TV Evangelist! :unsure: I thought 'these titles don't sound like religious songs' but with them Americans, you can never be too sure... Hallelujah!
November 29, 200816 yr Let us continue, with the 2008 Countdown of the top 75 Best Selling Christmas hits: This section take`s us from 60-46 60 IF EVERY DAY WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS - ELVIS PRESLEY 1966 59 LAST CHRISTMAS/WHAT HURT`S THE MOST - CASCADA 2007 58 JINGLE BELL ROCK - MAX BYGRAVES 1959 57 JINGLE BELLS/U CAN`T TOUCH THIS - CRAZY FROG 2005 56 MERRY GENTLE POPS - BARRON KNIGHTS 1965 55 CHRISTMAS THROUGH YOUR EYES/MIAMI HIT MIX - GLORIA ESTEFAN 1994 54 RENTA SANTA - CHRIS HILL 1975 53 BIONIC SANTA - CHRIS HILL 1976 52 ROCKIN`AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE - BRENDA LEE 1962 51 IN DULCI JUBILO/ON HORSEBACK - MIKE OLDFIELD 1975 50 I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS - BEVERLEY SISTERS 1953 49 I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS - JIMMY BOYD 1953 48 SLEIGH RIDE/PUPPY LOVE - S. CLUB JUNIORS 2002 47 I BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS - TWEENIES 2001 46 PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - BON JOVI 1994 I`ve included the other sides of double A sides, because they were credited. With Gloria Estefan in 1994, "Christmas Through Your Eyes", only recieved nominal airplay. I don`t believe it got played at all on Radio One. They were rather anti-Christmas in 94, and always played the "Miami Hit Mix". Also, I have included Cascada from last year...even though the Double A was only confined to the physical release, well it was a seperate purchase in download form..So, maybe it shouldn`t be in, but whatever! Part 3, 45-31 will come next week!
November 30, 200816 yr "The Guiness books date also differs, and actually Frankie Vaughan was number one in 1961 in Guiness too. MOON RIVER went to the top on 26th Dec, not the 25th. The same for Cliff in Guiness..ELVIS was the Xmas number one in Guiness 1960, Cliff got there on 27th Dec. So, the only one that differs is ADAM FAITH in 1959, and that was a close thing with EMILE FORD, very close!" Is it not week ending dates? that where published/announced before xmas but dated after xmas? I must confess tho I don't fully understand the pre 1969 publication/announcement dates compared to chart dates.
December 1, 200816 yr Does anybody know how much All I want for xmas is you - has sold in total so far? Surely it must be Mariah's biggest hit now.
December 1, 200816 yr "The Guiness books date also differs, and actually Frankie Vaughan was number one in 1961 in Guiness too. MOON RIVER went to the top on 26th Dec, not the 25th. The same for Cliff in Guiness..ELVIS was the Xmas number one in Guiness 1960, Cliff got there on 27th Dec. So, the only one that differs is ADAM FAITH in 1959, and that was a close thing with EMILE FORD, very close!" Is it not week ending dates? that where published/announced before xmas but dated after xmas? I must confess tho I don't fully understand the pre 1969 publication/announcement dates compared to chart dates. Well with the BBC charts in 50s/60s...It was like this the Beeb Charts were compiled on a Friday until Apr 1961, then a Thursday until the end of 1963, when it switched to Tues/Weds. The new chart was announced on Radio One on Tuesdays 67-87, but Wednesday if the MondaY was a Bank Holiday. Guiness/Record Retailer was majorly Thursday. But they were far behind all the other charts i.e. NME, MELODY MAKER, DISC etc.
December 5, 200816 yr Let`s take in positions 45 - 31, in the Christmas best sellers list. 45 HAPPY CHRISTMAS WAR IS OVER - THE IDOLS 2003 44 PROPER CRIMBO - BO SELECTA 2003 43 GIFT OF CHRISTMAS - CHILDLINERS 1995 42 SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN`TO TOWN/MY HOMETOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 1985 41 SANTA BRING MY BABY BACK TO ME - ELVIS PRESLEY 1957 40 FATHER CHRISTMAS DO NOT TOUCH ME/THE INBETWEENIES - THE GOODIES 1974 39 I`M WALKING BACKWARDS FOR CHRISTMAS - THE GOONS 1956 38 SILENT NIGHT/CAT AMONGST THE PIGEONS - BROS 1988 37 PRETTY PAPER - ROY ORBISON 1964 36 LITTLE DRUMMER BOY - BEVERLEY SISTERS 1959 35 LONELY PUP IN A CHRISTMAS SHOP - ADAM FAITH 1960 34 HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS /WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - KATIE MELUA 2007 33 SANTO NATALE - DAVID WHITFIELD 1954 32 LITTLE TOWN - CLIFF RICHARD 1982 150,000+ 31 LITTLE DONKEY - NINA AND FREDERICK 1960 I expect you could argue about Katie Melua, but it was officially a double A side, when only issued at Tesco, last year. There seem`s to be a lot of littles in the 45-31 part. Cliff Richard`s "Little Town", only ever got to number 11 in the chart. Based on "Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem", and selling 160,000 copies. Next week, we will tackle the rest of the top 30...
December 20, 200816 yr I reckon we`d better complete this one...So, eyes down for a full house! (As of 2011) The Top 30 right up to date of this week: 30 MR HANKEY THE CHRISTMAS POO - SOUTH PARK/ISAAC HAYES 1999 29 ROCKIN`AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE - MEL SMITH, KIM WILDE, GRIFF RHYS JONES 1987 28 ANOTHER ROCK N`ROLL CHRISTMAS - GARY GLITTER 1984 27 IT`S GONNA BE A COLD COLD CHRISTMAS - DANA 1975 26 CHRISTMAS ALPHABET - DICKIE VALENTINE 1955 300,000 25 WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME - PAUL MCCARTNEY 1979-2011 305,000 24 SAVIOUR`S DAY - CLIFF RICHARD 1990 319,000 23 PEACE ON EARTH-LITTLE DRUMMER BOY - BING CROSBY/DAVID BOWIE 1977-82 22 BLUE CHRISTMAS E.P. - SHAKIN' STEVENS 1982 400,000 21 CHRISTMAS TIME DON`T LET THE BELLS END - THE DARKNESS 2003 406,000 20 WOMBLING MERRY CHRISTMAS - THE WOMBLES 1974 425,000 19 LET`S PARTY - JIVE BUNNY AND THE MASTERMIXERS 1989 18 I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS - GREG LAKE 1975 467,000 17 DO THEY KNOW IT`S CHRISTMAS - BAND AID II 1989 500,000 16 I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY - WIZZARD 1973-2011 562,000 15 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE - SHAKIN`STEVENS 1985 745,000 14 ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU - MARIAH CAREY 1994-2011 751,000 plus 60,000 up to this Christmas, so #11 really 13 LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS - MUD 1974 772,000 12 MISTLETOE AND WINE - CLIFF RICHARD 1988 800,000 11 STOP THE CALVARY - JONA LEWIE 1980 817,000 10 FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK - POGUES/KIRSTY MACOLL 1987-2011 820,000 09 HAPPY CHRISTMAS WAR IS OVER - JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND 1972-08 858,000 08 WHEN A CHILD IS BORN (SOLEADO) - JOHNNY MATHIS 1976 877,000 07 WHITE CHRISTMAS - BING CROSBY 1M 1942-08 06 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY - SLADE 1973-08 1.159600 05 DO THEY KNOW IT`S CHRISTMAS - BAND AID 20 2004 1.151700 04 MARY`S BOY CHILD - HARRY BELAFONTE 1957-59 1.17M 03 LAST CHRISTMAS - WHAM 1984-08 1.62M 02 MARY`S BOY CHILD-OH MY LORD - BONEY M 1978 1.83M 01 DO THEY KNOW IT`S CHRISTMAS 1984-08 3.69M It has to be said that GENE AUTRY in 1950 and "Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer" sold around 400,000 copies. So it should appear above Dickie Valentine, but no higher than Shakin`Stevens "Blue Christmas" by rights. If I add in the the latest sales of last week, Terry Wogan And Aled Jones are now in the top 60 Christmas hits of all time! Well done Terry for passing 40,000 in sales. Not to mention equalling the Crazy Frog`s version of "Jingle Bells!" Edited December 21, 201113 yr by davetaylor
January 25, 200916 yr I know it's January 25th NOT December 25th, but can anybody remember the following, not mentioned in this thread: ~ St Phillips Choir - Sing For Ever (No. 49/1988) ~ ~ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Hooked On Christmas (Failed to reach top 75) ~ ~ Frank Kelly - Christmas Countdown (No. 26/Jan' 84) ~ ~ Santa Claus and the Christmas Trees - Singalong-A-Santa (No.19/1982) ~ ~ Jingle Belles - Christmas Spectre (No. 37/1983) ~ ~ Alvin Stardust - So Near To Christmas (No.29/1984) ~ ~ Spitting Image - Santa Claus Is On The Dole (No.22/1986) ~ I always associate the following with Christmas: Two Little Boys- Rolf Harris (1969) Grandad - Clive Dunn (1970) Mull of Kintyre - Wings (1977) I Have A Dream - Abba (1979) There's No One Quite Like Grandma - St Winifred's School Choir (1980) One Of Us - Abba (1981) Daddy's Home - Cliff Richard (1981) Hokey Cokey - Snowmen (1981) A Winter's Tale - David Essex (1982) My Oh My - Slade (1983) We All Stand Together - Paul McCartney & the Frog Chorus (1984) Walking in The Air - Aled Jones (1985) Separate Lives - Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin (1985) Say You Say Me - Lionel Richie (1985) Dear Jessie - Madonna (1989) Perfect Year - Dina Carroll (1993) By the way, i'm a 'Newbie!) :hi: Edited January 25, 200916 yr by joe9t
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